Hola!
Day one of the building project is at an end....man it was HOT today on the site. Our volunteer group is building two houses...one is for a family of 9 and the other is a school on the site of a church. We have been split into two groups and the race is on to see who gets theirs finished first....am pretty sure my group is leading at the moment.....no thanks to 20 hands, 20 hammers (Oh and joy I found a air gun hammer thingy which beats a normal hammer anyday!!). The foundations were already laid when we arrived so we got straight into hammering away and getting the walls up - within no time we had all four walls up, the roof started and the paint going on! For those builders reading this....our site would definitely be an OSH or building inspectors nightmare lol......nail guns going off above people painting and hammering and people all over the place......very amusing.......I spent a good 5 hours on the roof, putting in nails and then putting the shingle tiling on the roof. I have become a pro at using these nail gun things that are just so lethal man!! Im loving it and am now queen of the roof apparently. My body is definitely feeling it now tho after using every muscle available to stop myself from falling off the roof all day!
We met a lovely local family who live right next door to where we are building in a tiny little run down shack with one window and the front door - it must be so hot in there i just couldnt imagine! I had a great conversation with the old lady and her grandson in spanish - i seem to be one of only 2 or 3 spanish speakers in our group so i am being used to translate a lot! The lady was so adorable and her grandson so cute...she told us that all except one of her children have died and so she only has her daughter and the one grandson left. They were so excited, especially the boy David, because he will start attending the school that we are building. A lot of the children dont go to school at all and this is going to be such an awesome opportunity for them to get educated a have a better life in the future. We should have the school finished by the end of tomorrow (amazing i know but the houses are so basic and with 20 people we are able to get so much done in such a short time) and they will have their first class on Wednesday! I hope we get to attend it!
The actual slums are an eye opener - just so amazing to see how people live and survive on so little....and it is very dry and dusty - everything is brown brown brown..........am looking forward to visiting an orphange on Wednesday after the two houses are done.
Adios mi amigos.......xxxx
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Hola!
After a 12 hour flight, 2 hours waiting at LA airport and a 3 hour drive thru the border into Mexico, we have finally arrived in Rosarito! The sights and smells were very obviously mexican as we were driving thru the border. I was expecting to be stopped and have passports and luggage checked but the border police just waved us gringos thru! A very non-eventful border crossing...i have watched far too many american movies i think!
We are staying in beach front apartments in Rosarito, which is a tourist area of Tijuana. I think we are about a half hour drive away from the slum we will be building in. We arrived late last night and had a wicked sleep although it is quite humid. Not as hot as i expected tho.
This morning we were taken to a small mexican restaurant which is to become our local for this week - the FULL spread mexican breakfast was awesome! We have just got back after a couple of hours walking round a market.....I was offered a free mexican boyfriend numerous times! Nice to know how easy it is over this way ha ha. "You want a blanket, a sombrero, or you want a free mexican boyfriend???" Thats pretty much how they sell their stuff - very amusing!
We start building in the slums tomorrow - can't wait to experience it!
Adios!
After a 12 hour flight, 2 hours waiting at LA airport and a 3 hour drive thru the border into Mexico, we have finally arrived in Rosarito! The sights and smells were very obviously mexican as we were driving thru the border. I was expecting to be stopped and have passports and luggage checked but the border police just waved us gringos thru! A very non-eventful border crossing...i have watched far too many american movies i think!
We are staying in beach front apartments in Rosarito, which is a tourist area of Tijuana. I think we are about a half hour drive away from the slum we will be building in. We arrived late last night and had a wicked sleep although it is quite humid. Not as hot as i expected tho.
This morning we were taken to a small mexican restaurant which is to become our local for this week - the FULL spread mexican breakfast was awesome! We have just got back after a couple of hours walking round a market.....I was offered a free mexican boyfriend numerous times! Nice to know how easy it is over this way ha ha. "You want a blanket, a sombrero, or you want a free mexican boyfriend???" Thats pretty much how they sell their stuff - very amusing!
We start building in the slums tomorrow - can't wait to experience it!
Adios!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Before Take-Off
Life is certainly at another turning point for me! On Saturday 27th September I will leave the beautiful shores of NZ for another one of my solo adventures....this time its Mexico, USA and South America - the latter of which has always been a dream of mine.
I have just completed 8 weeks of a refresher spanish course and am frantically organising my worldly possessions (oh thats right I have none ha ha) before heading off to Auckland for my flight out....these past few weeks I have been a head-case.....forgot about getting Malaria pills so that is first on my list this week!!
First stop is LA where i will be with a 32-strong kiwi volunteer group to go and build homes for needy families in the slums of Tijuana, Mexico. The intrinsic feelings of knowing I can help make a huge difference in the life of someone who desperately needs it is awesome! I can make a difference to "one more starfish".....
So, this is my first entry and there will be many more to come over the next four months (as long as I can find internet cafes that actually work in South America! I will try to write an entry once a week so you can all follow my adventures......Adios for now!
I have just completed 8 weeks of a refresher spanish course and am frantically organising my worldly possessions (oh thats right I have none ha ha) before heading off to Auckland for my flight out....these past few weeks I have been a head-case.....forgot about getting Malaria pills so that is first on my list this week!!
First stop is LA where i will be with a 32-strong kiwi volunteer group to go and build homes for needy families in the slums of Tijuana, Mexico. The intrinsic feelings of knowing I can help make a huge difference in the life of someone who desperately needs it is awesome! I can make a difference to "one more starfish".....
So, this is my first entry and there will be many more to come over the next four months (as long as I can find internet cafes that actually work in South America! I will try to write an entry once a week so you can all follow my adventures......Adios for now!
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