Monday, November 25

RECAP:

     The weekend was filled with travel. We made it to Guatemala safely after a VERY close transfer in Newark. Sixteen Canadians were sprinting from one gate on one side of the C terminal, to another gate on the opposite side. We were out of breath, but we made it! Unfortunately, our luggage didn't make the trip. Eleven pieces were stuck in Newark, and were sent to Guatemala City via Houston later that night, and were picked up by "The Luggage People" the next morning, as we made our way from Antigua to Cobán. Once we successfully retrieved our luggage, and breathed our sigh of relief, we sat back and enjoyed our beautiful drive to Cobán. The country side is a beautiful mix of mountains, and beautiful, lush forest. 

     Late Saturday afternoon, we met the 3 families that we were building the homes for. They are all hard working, beautiful families, with hearts of gold that we get the pleasure of spending the next week with. 

DAY 1:

     We wake up to the pitter patter of rain on our roof. We weren't expecting this kind of rain, but we are flexible, and we can adapt! We were divided into three different work sites, two were in Cobán, and one in a small village outside of Santa Cruz (approximately 30 minutes outside of Cobán). Team Tony is in the Santa Cruz worksite, Team Chris and Team Paulie are on the Cobán worksites. The Santa Cruz home already had the foundation built when we arrived, but the rain was coming down for most of the day. 

The two Cobán sites are at the beginning stages of construction, but the afternoon was but clearer.

Site 1, Team Tony, Santa Cruz

 Tony and Brian proudly displaying the Habitat for Humanity signs

The state of the worksite when we arrived

 Still working in the rain

 Father and son, Tad and Mark, working hard and enjoying the view

Father and daughters taking a break from working on their house with us.

Site 2, Team Chris, Cobán

 Learning the tricks of the trade for the foundation

 Welcome to your first Habitat build. Do the heavy lifting.

 The gravel has been delivered. Now to unload it!

 TEAMWORK!

Chris digging the foundation. Why is there smelly water leaking?

Site 3, Team Paulie, Cobán

 It takes 3 to move the wheelbarrow up the hill. (50-80 yards!)

 The ladies of the worksite looking good in the mud.

 The foundation being laid out.

Break time under the tarp.

     After a hard days work, most of us covered in mud, we were ready for a bit of rest. We exchanged stories, ate dinner, and had our nightly meeting (Euckre). 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JILL!

QUOTES OF THE DAY:

"Love it when we get to spend time getting to know our host families." -Cheryl

"Today it rained but work was noticed. Well done Team Paulie!!" -JM

"We had rain, mud, slip, and falls, but in the end we had Chris' corner dug out, carried a gazillion pounds of rocks, and twisted out miles of rebar. It was all fun in the end and we made some new friends and did some good in this crazy world. Thanks Team Chris." -Alan

"Working and singing in the rain... Great beginning to the week." -Tony

"There are many gifts you can give, but the gift of giving to others without return is the most genuine." - Chris

"Fantastic start to the week. Its all uphill from here!" - Paul