Team Poem...

Only one week ago,
We met up, smiling, eager and keen...
To begin our adventure
Of HFH Honduras 2013.

We've had some awkward silences, some laughs,
And monitored each other's pee...
And with the thin walls,
Found we had absolutely no pri-va-cy!

We had Jenn with her boots, gloves,
Emergency rain ponchos and not much more.
And "Hello Ladies" Safety Steve
With his single room snore.

Doc Carolyn had her hands full,
As the group had it coming out both ends..
Good thing she had the silver bullet,
To share with her new friends...

As long as an arm reaching contest
Doesn't take place,
We hope we'll soon be cheering for Jenny from the block
On the amazing race!

Nadine was a workhorse
Moving the bricks from pile to pile...
All we needed was for her,
To do it Ghangum Style!

The masons loved watching Eben at work
Even if she was all muddy and sweat...y
But if they got too close,
Spanish Jeff was there, with his $3 machete..

We had Papa Jason,
AKA our very own Hugh Hef-ner...
And Steve K will surely be able to ring the bell
After all his work with the mighty sledge hammer!

When thinking of Cheyenne,
To make up this rhyme...
The first thing to come to mind is..
It's Sexyyyyy Time!

Good thing the Masons didn't fall,
Or lose an arm or poke out an eye...
As Ogling our waterless Paula,
Became their favorite pastime!

Max Macgyvered the pot holes and hills,
Without too much of a scare..
So we can all agree
He was definitely a Tour guide extra-or-din-aire!

Luis with his two truths and a lie,
We really enjoyed the chats
But we'll never go to the loo again,
Without looking for rats!

So from your team leader...
Goodbye, so long ...What more can I say?
To an amazing team
That was definitely "Muy Exc-el-en-te!

Love Mich Mash...

Una mas??!!

 Uno mas!?!

Our last day started out with our usual 7am group breakfast, but going around the room there were mixed emotions as were shown in our word of the day. Some saying they were sad to be leaving and others anxious to begin.

Back on the jobsite however, the spirits rose and the laughter ensued. Let the flash mobing begin! As the girls went around sneaking up on all the little 'half spoons' to make sure they all got their photos taken.

 

He couldn`t get away fast enough after this...

Taking him for a ride...

 

I think this guy jumped off the wall for a chance for a photo with the girls...

 

 

 

Go Canada!

 

Although it may have been our last day, there was still lots to be done. There was, surprise-surprise adobe bricks to be moved, 'mescala' to be made and laid, and loading and unloading around the site. 

Around 1pm the locals started to gather on the job site and by 2pm the job site was full of smiling, laughing children and local musicians playing for our special goodbye ceremony. 

 

Michelle aka mich mash, organized an amazing activity for the ceremony that included all the Habitat homeowners to be, the masons and our team. We all stood in a circle and throwing a ball of yarn to the person opposite we took turns saying our favourite part of the week. It was wonderful to hear the masons... People we had spent the week working with but for everyone other than Jeff, struggled to communicate with, making it by with a few Spanish words and hand signals. It was great to hear through translation by Luis how they felt about having our group there and what they were taking from the experience. All seemed grateful, one Antoine, a short very quiet half spoon said how grateful he was for having the team there and how motivating it was to see how hard we worked makes him want to work harder and better. 

 

It was also very heartwarming to hear from the homeowners how much these homes and our contribution means to them! That without our help and contributions from our sponsors, their dreams of owning a ' safe and decent place to live' would never have come true. By the end it was not only hard to speak but also hard to hold back our tears.

 

Daniel the site supervisor and head mason, gave a heartfelt and inspiring speech on how he feels as not only a mason but as a Habitat home owner himself. he said how he stays to work with Habitat because he truly believes in the organization and it's work. And although he could make more money working elsewhere, he wants to give back to his community and give the same opportunity that his family received 

Once everyone in the circle had taken a turn, Michelle closed the activity by cutting the yarn into pieces with everyone getting a piece to make into bracelets....leaving us forever connected with the memories of this truly life changing experience. Great work Michelle!

During the ceremony we were able to give each of the masons as well as Rodrigo and Daniel the site supervisors photos of themselves with the team. Something that would seem so simple to us, meant so much to the hardworking masons.  Being a project that I had worked on I found it hard not to get a little choked up giving out the photos and seeing the masons reactions as they looked at themselves in the photos.

 

 

Team Certificates... We did it!!

 

 

 

 

If there was still a dry eye to be found, our local sweetheart Alba, a nine year old princess, soon changed that with her personal impromptu speech thanking everyone for their help and saying how happy she was that we had came to help and how nice it was to be able to come and see us everyday.

 

 

To finish the ceremony our only pastor and part time habitat for humanity site safety co-ordinator lead the group in a blessing. Then the tears and sniffles were quickly pushed aside for some more local music and home made treats.... Thankfully without whipped cream. 

 

This is how we thanks Safety Steve for keeping us safe all week...

After a quick clean up and final round of hugs we packed up our things for the last time and with one final look around ... Making sure to photograph the empty field where the piles and piles of abode bricks once stood there a small sense of accomplishment as well as sadness knowing there was no hasta mañana. 

This week overall has been a life changing opportunity for everyone involved and is an opportunity that would not of been possible without every single person, for one person with a backhoe can simply only dig a hole, but a team can build a home, a story, a memory, a bond and a life long friendship. 

 

Adios...

Paula Murray...

 

Piñata anyone?

Taking her for a ride...

Paula and her buddies...

We loved our David...

Jennifer ceremoniously handing over the boots...(The Saint John Folks will be glad to see them go!)

Steve rose to the challenge set by his buddy Jeff!

 

The cutest couple on our build!!! (and the only ones, but they`re still cute!)

 

 

Just another brick in the wall...

Good morning everyone... It was another beautiful day in Santa Rosa de Copan. The sun was shining and the spirits were high and everyone was excited to see the return of one of the "ladies" from the edge of the loo.  We left without Jenny B, to her disappointment, but with her assurance of seeing us at lunch.

We reached the site after a stop at the local hardware store where Jeff bought some tools to donate to the worksite. Thanks Jeff, you are an inspiration to us all. Much to our surprise, when we reached the site we learned of our tasks for the day and well #1 was, yes moving adobe bricks. However there was new jobs as well like mixing mud in preparation to make adobe bricks. Even with rubber boots on, Cheyenne managed to come away with a pair of natural mud boots and down a pair of socks.

Making mud...

Carolyn, Cheyenne and Steve playing in the mud...

Not as fun as it looks...

Holy Boots... literally...

We were very pleased to see another row of bricks on the house we started, five rows to go. However due to height restrictions on most of the team, it was decided we should start on a second house.



Ever wonder why the masons think we´re loco??

At our first water break we had a wonderful chat with Gloria one of the wonderful families that we are here in support of, she told us about her family and how she had been married for twelve years and had an eight and three year old child. She then gave us a blessing for helping to build a home for them.

We were all pleased to see Jen return at lunch, way to suck it up.

Back of the bus boys...

After lunch Gloria and Ramone, her husband, showed up with icy treats for the team. Muy excelente!

We left the site with hopes of visiting a wonderful Loufa factory, however our hopes were smashed like a broken adobe, but Max our wonderful driver pulled through and took us to the oldest cemetery in Santa Rosa.


Our lovable Mad Max...

 We ended the night with a wonderful meal another great choice by Luis. Good food great conversation and an overall sense of enjoyment was had by all.

I leave you with a word from a very, very wise woman Ubuntu...which means,  "I am because we are"

Jason & Cheyenne

PS: lookout for rats


Habitat for Humanity is so uplifting...

Don´t mess with Eben...

Papa Jason...



Luis has never been so "Muy Excelente" as he has been since crossing paths with Jennifer...

Loving our team!

Duck tape fixes everything...

Making Friends...

3 litres of Pop and other Deep Thoughts...

++++++++++
Day three of our build had both highs and lows for our team.

The downside was that two members of our team were struck with food poisoning, and unable to join us at the work site.

(When our build began, we were told an average 12-member HFH team would see three members become physically ill.  Proving we are an above-average team, we have quickly surpassed this number.)

Even after only a few days together, every member of the team is appreciated, and missed when they're not on site with us.  We hope for a quick recovery for our two Jennifers.

On the upside, it was a very productive day on the work site.  The aim was for us to have four rows of bricks done on the house, and we ended the day with SIX full rows done! 



Row Six!

The nearby field where seemingly unending rows of adobe bricks were stored when we arrived is now largely empty, with the team having moved literally hundreds and hundred of bricks - weighing 25 lbs each - up the hill to the construction area.

This now leaves space for the production of new adobe bricks, which will likely start on Day 4 of the build. We dispatched four team members to collect pine needles this morning, which will be used to strengthen the mud mixture in the bricks.



Hard to believe this will make a house?

Baa baa black sheep, three bags full...



Hi ho, hi ho...Off to work we go...

Three days in, and this has already been an incredible experience.  Thank you to all of our sponsors for helping make this possible.

Each one of us takes different things from this experience.  For me, I came at the urging of my friend Jeff, to get outside my comfort zone, and experience life outside of Canada.

I'm glad I did, and I suspect I'll be processing things I've seen and experienced here for some time to come.  There's so much poverty, yet very happy people.  They appreciate the help, but see the extra hands as a blessing, not an entitlement.

Adding a little looney luck to this house...

There is overwhelming need, yet huge opportunities for people from Canada to make a difference.

Lots to pray about and reflect upon.

But, notwithstanding all these serious questions, the burning issue that I will Google when I get back to a reliable internet connection is: "Why do they sell pop in 3L bottles here in Latin America?"

Such are the mysteries here in Honduras...

Steve Outhouse

Jenny from the Block...jeweley making class...

Habitat Quotes...

Steve O´s Inspiration...

Michelle's new friends...

Coffee tasting... Swish and spit!



Sniffing out the coffee...

Some serious bricking by Nadine..

Good thing for us Daniel has a sense of humor...

Waterloo Goth

Put a little more back into that Carolyn!