Week One
The project has only been open for five days, but we already have 25 people here! We're clearing rubble and doing demolition work, but a couple new projects are already underway. On Friday, we'll do a beach cleanup in a neighboring community, on Saturday we'll do games and activities for children living in the shelters and tent camps, and next Monday, we'll start digging holes for the columns of a school rebuilding project.
It's still really dusty. Especially when we're working. After work, we laid down on the slab we cleared and made dust angels.
My Spanish still sucks. The grammar book that I bought has laid untouched for almost the entire time I've been in Peru. Between getting the operation up, keeping it running, and scoping out new projects, there isn't time to practice my verb conjugation and learn vocab. I can say hammer, shovel, nail, wall, cement, demolish, etc. It seems to get the job done.
Amy, a Peace Corps volunteer who has been living here for almost two years, has helped me a lot with the school and beach cleanup projects. We're also working on a boatbuilding project, to help the fishermen who lost their homes and their boats in the quake. (There was a minor tsunami surge following the quake, which smashed up boats and washed some of them out to sea.) Yesterday I visited a boatyard and met a boatbuilder, which was a tremendously cool experience, but an intimidating one as well. The boats are big, heavy, expensive ordeals which take a long time to build. I hope that we can still help some of the fishermen.
Like I said before, there are 25 people living in the house now. We have two bathrooms and no showers. How does it work? I don't know, but people still seem to like it here! We do hot bucket showers at night and then everyone sits around our fire (a couple volunteers found a broken off cement pipe, which works well as a fire pit). The volunteers are from the US, England, Ireland, Holland, and Australia.
This community is starting to feel like home, and the people are warming up to us. They greet us as we pass, are beginning to learn our names, and shower us with snacks (and meals) while we're working. Some kids have come out to help work. It's tiring but extremely fun and satisfying work. Check the photos and monitor our progress at www.hodr.org!
It's still really dusty. Especially when we're working. After work, we laid down on the slab we cleared and made dust angels.
My Spanish still sucks. The grammar book that I bought has laid untouched for almost the entire time I've been in Peru. Between getting the operation up, keeping it running, and scoping out new projects, there isn't time to practice my verb conjugation and learn vocab. I can say hammer, shovel, nail, wall, cement, demolish, etc. It seems to get the job done.
Amy, a Peace Corps volunteer who has been living here for almost two years, has helped me a lot with the school and beach cleanup projects. We're also working on a boatbuilding project, to help the fishermen who lost their homes and their boats in the quake. (There was a minor tsunami surge following the quake, which smashed up boats and washed some of them out to sea.) Yesterday I visited a boatyard and met a boatbuilder, which was a tremendously cool experience, but an intimidating one as well. The boats are big, heavy, expensive ordeals which take a long time to build. I hope that we can still help some of the fishermen.
Like I said before, there are 25 people living in the house now. We have two bathrooms and no showers. How does it work? I don't know, but people still seem to like it here! We do hot bucket showers at night and then everyone sits around our fire (a couple volunteers found a broken off cement pipe, which works well as a fire pit). The volunteers are from the US, England, Ireland, Holland, and Australia.
This community is starting to feel like home, and the people are warming up to us. They greet us as we pass, are beginning to learn our names, and shower us with snacks (and meals) while we're working. Some kids have come out to help work. It's tiring but extremely fun and satisfying work. Check the photos and monitor our progress at www.hodr.org!
posted by Stefanie at 7:30 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home