Thursday, June 21
Well, today was the fourth day working at the soon-to-be house. We arrived at the site to discover that the trenches had been magically finished! No complaints here – now the nine blisters I got from swinging the pickaxe will have some time to disappear. Today the work was centered mainly around filling those trenches with a mix of ten wheelbarrows-full of “tierra blanca” alongside half a bag of cement mix, and then tamping it down. In addition to that, Koren and Cesar finished tying the rebar and it was placed in the trenches just before we left for the day.
All throughout the day Julio Cesar kept us on track, and I have to say that I was impressed with what he can get done with a plumb bob, a few shovels, a wheelbarrow, some neighbors, some Americans, and a bunch of little helpers.
Much more importantly than the work, however were the many memorable cultural connections we shared. Ken, for instance, was quite proud to say that he’s sixty-eight years old, a fact that genuinely impressed our Salvadoran friends when they asked his age. “He’s sixty-eight and he still does construction work with you?” they asked. “Yes,” I told them, and from then on they saw him in a whole new light.
Nila also told me about a pleasant conversation she had with Gladis and her mother. Gladis was making one hundred tortillas – enough for seven people for three meals each day for four days. Her nephew even stopped by to introduce himself and practice his English a bit. Nila said that this chance to talk with the leaders of the family was the time when she felt most strongly the support, love, and friendship in this community.
And finally, I had the chance to [try to] teach the neighborhood kids how to juggle! They said that they had never seen juggling before, and all were eager to try. I told them jokingly that I want to see their progress tomorrow. I guess we’ll wait and see.
Austin Walker and the El Salvador Mission team.
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