Monday, April 5, 2010
Friday, April 2, 2010
Day Six Photos
We lost internet connection last night so I wasn't able to post pix of our last day of work. Here they are.
Jorge (Grande) - a Habitat homeowner and member of the Habitat Costa Rica Board of Directors - and very funny.
Jorge (Pequeno), our builder, and the future homeowner.
Jorge Grande with two 50 kilo bags of cement on his back. I had a hard time with one!
Finally, the last concrete slab is in place!
The whole gang.
Greddy, Habitat leader, and Eric, Habitat volunteer from San Francisco, with the family between them at our final night celebration.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Day Six Recap
Today we completed our work on the house. Literally, we did as much as we possibly could given the available resources. Most of the walls are up and the septic hole and trench are complete. The next task for them is to lay the plumbing and pour the floor. The house is 45 square meters, not very large for a family of five - two bedrooms, one bath, living room and kitchen. It is a vast improvement over where they currently live.
After work, we had a party with some of the Habitat staff, the new homeowner family, and a few others at a camp that the owners are fixing up in an attempt to attract eco-tourists. Interesting! After swimming in the river and playing a little volleyball, we gathered for refreshments, followed by some speeches and the presentation of certificates to each member of our team. We were all moved - both the locals and each of us.
After work, we had a party with some of the Habitat staff, the new homeowner family, and a few others at a camp that the owners are fixing up in an attempt to attract eco-tourists. Interesting! After swimming in the river and playing a little volleyball, we gathered for refreshments, followed by some speeches and the presentation of certificates to each member of our team. We were all moved - both the locals and each of us.
Day Five Recap
Wednesday on the job site was very much like the day before. We made great headway on the septic pit and managed to set many of the columns in cement. Today, we should complete our tasks and then some. Apparently, we accomplished more than any other group - they probably say that to all the groups:)
We had a surprise visit from Rafael Vargas, the National Director of Habitat para la Humanidad Costa Rica. He addressed the group and surveyed the site and then I met with him and Jeimy, the country fundraiser. I was struck by how the conversation was so similar to one that might take place in Jacksonville. It was like Mary Kay (HabiJax president and CEO) and me meeting with a potential donor. The words that describe what we do are the same, the mission is the same, the passion is the same. I so enjoy being part of a global community sharing the common bond of fulfilling the Habitat mission of providing housing solutions to people who live in substandard or poverty housing. What a blessing to be part of such a life transforming organization!!!
Thursday is our last day on site. Hard to believe how quickly the time has passed. Wednesday evening during supper we went around the table and reflected on our experience. Some talked about meeting and playing with neighborhood children, some about how hard the family work on their sweat equity, others about how possible it seems to be happy while living so much more simply than most of us do in America. All of the adults commented on how proud we are of the teenagers in our group who have worked so hard and had such a positive attitude. They have been wonderful!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Day Five Photos
Rafael, Habitat Costa Rica Country Director and Jeimy, fundraiser for Habitat Costa Rica
Neighborhood girls offer a hand with the trench.
Laura
This is Laura and it is early Tuesday morning...we are heading off to our work site soon. Costa Rica is absolutely breath taking! We wake up each morning to the sounds of roosters crowing, birds singing, and the aroma of pure fresh air AND THE VIEW IS ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR! WE heading off to our work site which is less than 20 minutes away and the scenic route these is breathtaking too. I enjoy watching the native Costa Ricans (called Ticos) living their everyday life.
As we arrive at the work site, we begin our warm up exercises, discuss our daily jobs and off to work we go! Today, we are finishing our dig of a septic tank which is approximately 40 feet long and 1 - 1 1/2 meters deep, I have enjoyed working with all my new friends, getting to know my co-workers better and I especially enjoy the laughter and hard work of our students. Every time I get tired, I just look at our sponsored family and see how little they have and I am inspired to begin work again. Next, we mixed cement, carried huge cement blocks and began to design a wall. Thank goodness for our master interpreter, Tanya, she has made the language translation so much easier for us...and she has made it FUN! We worked hard and completed a whole side of a wall and we are almost finished digging the "never ending" septic ditch.
We are in for a treat, we get to experience the culture of our local family. They cooked us some tortillas and a mixture of plantains, tomatoes and spices. We showed them the American tradition of coke floats and everyone seemed to like them. Afterward, we wrapped up our day with a Costa Rican club dance performance by 3 teenage girls. It was a great show and a pleasant way to end our work day.
What a beautiful and rewarding day! Other than being a little homesick for my family, this has been such an incredible experience for my soul. :) I am so proud of Lily, Abby, Sam, Alex and Mike (our students), they have worked so hard and always have such a positive attitude (they are my inspiration too). Their laughter is contagious too.
Also, I forgot to mention, we have completed more in two days than our work supervisor has ever seen from another group. Not that we are competitive or anything!
Oh yeah, today is Mufasa's (Jim Fossa) birthday too. Some of our local habitat workers brought him a cake and we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
"What a memorable day!"
Laura (a.k.a. Bozzie)
As we arrive at the work site, we begin our warm up exercises, discuss our daily jobs and off to work we go! Today, we are finishing our dig of a septic tank which is approximately 40 feet long and 1 - 1 1/2 meters deep, I have enjoyed working with all my new friends, getting to know my co-workers better and I especially enjoy the laughter and hard work of our students. Every time I get tired, I just look at our sponsored family and see how little they have and I am inspired to begin work again. Next, we mixed cement, carried huge cement blocks and began to design a wall. Thank goodness for our master interpreter, Tanya, she has made the language translation so much easier for us...and she has made it FUN! We worked hard and completed a whole side of a wall and we are almost finished digging the "never ending" septic ditch.
We are in for a treat, we get to experience the culture of our local family. They cooked us some tortillas and a mixture of plantains, tomatoes and spices. We showed them the American tradition of coke floats and everyone seemed to like them. Afterward, we wrapped up our day with a Costa Rican club dance performance by 3 teenage girls. It was a great show and a pleasant way to end our work day.
What a beautiful and rewarding day! Other than being a little homesick for my family, this has been such an incredible experience for my soul. :) I am so proud of Lily, Abby, Sam, Alex and Mike (our students), they have worked so hard and always have such a positive attitude (they are my inspiration too). Their laughter is contagious too.
Also, I forgot to mention, we have completed more in two days than our work supervisor has ever seen from another group. Not that we are competitive or anything!
Oh yeah, today is Mufasa's (Jim Fossa) birthday too. Some of our local habitat workers brought him a cake and we sang "Happy Birthday" to him.
"What a memorable day!"
Laura (a.k.a. Bozzie)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Day Four Pictures
Laura saved this giant frog from sure death.
Tanya giving orders - again!
Our cheerleaders from the neighborhood.
Our truck arrived without a forklift - what's up with that?!!!
Mufasa digging the septic hole!
The teenagers checking the depth of the holes with their bodies.
Part of the wall - concrete columns with pre-fab concrete slats.
Jaime explaining the traditional process of making tortillas.
Our construction manager enjoying a coca-cola float.
Touring the sugar cane plant.
"Mufasa" (Jim) blowing out the candle on his birthday cake.
Day Four
Today we continued work on the septic system. Digging a hole 2 meters by 2 meters by 1 meter deep (approx. 59 inches) and a trench a meter wide and deep and three meters long in hard clay is much more difficult than it seems, especially since we are now down to the water table and it is wet and sticky. We're about half way. The truck arrived with the cement columns and wall slats. Of course, it couldn't get to the job site so we had to carry all of the materials the fifty meters or so from the truck. The columns weigh approximately 200 lbs and the slats around 75 - we utilized good teamwork. I kept looking for a HabiJax forklift - but it never appeared.
Today was culture day so we quit working around 2:30 so that the home owner could show us how to make tortillas on an open fire. We then headed to a sugarcane processing plant - definitely old school, relying totally on manual labor to turn sugar cane stalks into concentrated sugarcane to be used in the production of candy. Also, it is common to place a piece of it in warm milk as a refreshing local drink.
We brought some to the hotel and no doubt will give it a try.
Jamie, who is the fundraiser for Habitat para la Humanidad Costa Rica, presented the group with a beautiful hand painted Carreta Typica, a painted model of a cart that would have been used to transport coffee. Apparently, there is a festival each year in Costa Rica where these painted carreta are paraded through the streets. We'll be sure to present to Mary Kay (President and CEO of Habitat para la Humanidad Jacksonville) for display at the HabiJax office!
We were all very proud of our work today, having cemented one of the walls and placing the slats in addition to the work on the septic pit. The regional manager for Habitat told us that he had never had a group accomplish so much in two days!!! Not that we're competitive or anything:)
Today was culture day so we quit working around 2:30 so that the home owner could show us how to make tortillas on an open fire. We then headed to a sugarcane processing plant - definitely old school, relying totally on manual labor to turn sugar cane stalks into concentrated sugarcane to be used in the production of candy. Also, it is common to place a piece of it in warm milk as a refreshing local drink.
We brought some to the hotel and no doubt will give it a try.
We were all very proud of our work today, having cemented one of the walls and placing the slats in addition to the work on the septic pit. The regional manager for Habitat told us that he had never had a group accomplish so much in two days!!! Not that we're competitive or anything:)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Day Three - On the Build Site
Today was our first of four days on the job site in Tuccurique. The family that will own the home actually lives next door to the build site. Their current home is very simple and small, with only basic construction. The new home will have a concrete floor with prefab concrete slat walls.
Today, we dug the holes for the thirty-six columns that will support the wall slats and the roof. The floor will be poured after the walls are up. We also dug most of the septic system, which comprises a hole approximately two meters by two meters by one meter deep and a trench about six meters long.
Clearly, we are a long way from HabiJax. There is no mechanical auger for the post hole and no cement mixer of any kind - just piles of sand and gravel and bags of cement. We simply mixed them with water on the ground.
The weather was sunny and very hot but we kept a good pace and accomplished more than was expected for the day. I suspect most of us will feel sore in the morning!!!
Here are some pix from the day:
The Habitat homeowners - Grandmother, son, mother, and daughter - on left is Jorge, the construction leader, and to the right is the fundraiser for Habitat Costa Rica.
Early morning at the guest house
This is Jim. Day one: We awoke to a chorus of roosters each trying to be the first to announce the arrival of the sun rise. Some were in very good voice, the first however, must have been a beginner and really struggled through his "sqakaer errr...screcher doodle doo". Also trying to out do the others, decided that 2:30 would be an appropriate time to start.
Early rising was worth it, the view from the guest house deck was unbelievable, the sun lite up the hillside. The surrounding hills cast shadows showing the spectacular geography of the region. Rising high above the hills was the smothering volcano "Turrialba" the owner told us that it has been smoking for three months and they had to move the live stock from the leeward side of the mountain. The valley was echoing with the sounds of the jungle, birds were everywhere.
The owners in a sincere effort to make the gringos feel welcome served us delightful cheeseburgers for breakfast along with a spectacular array of local fruits and Costa Rican coffee. Ok I'm good right now!
Today was to be our vacation sight seeing day, we would visit the town of Cartago (the colonial capital of Cost Rica circa 1492), drive to the top of volcano Irazu elev. 3,292 meters, have lunch in the city and visit the ruins of the twice destroyed cathedral Santiago Apostol.
Our ride rumbled up our road and struggled to climb to our little guest house...
Early rising was worth it, the view from the guest house deck was unbelievable, the sun lite up the hillside. The surrounding hills cast shadows showing the spectacular geography of the region. Rising high above the hills was the smothering volcano "Turrialba" the owner told us that it has been smoking for three months and they had to move the live stock from the leeward side of the mountain. The valley was echoing with the sounds of the jungle, birds were everywhere.
The owners in a sincere effort to make the gringos feel welcome served us delightful cheeseburgers for breakfast along with a spectacular array of local fruits and Costa Rican coffee. Ok I'm good right now!
Today was to be our vacation sight seeing day, we would visit the town of Cartago (the colonial capital of Cost Rica circa 1492), drive to the top of volcano Irazu elev. 3,292 meters, have lunch in the city and visit the ruins of the twice destroyed cathedral Santiago Apostol.
Our ride rumbled up our road and struggled to climb to our little guest house...
Day Two in Review
As I write this, its about 5:45am on Monday, the birds are making beautiful music, and the clear sky affords amazing views of the mountains - particularly the live volcano with steam billowing from it.
As you can see from the pictures below, day two was an active time of sightseeing and fun. The drive to Irazu, the now dormant volcano was spectacular. The highest point is 3432 meters, which is over 11,000 feet. We definitely could feel the effects of the thin air. It last blew in 1963, causing much damage. The good news now, though, is that the land around it is some of the most fertile in the country. To see active farmland on the sides of the mountains is awe inspiring.
In Cartago, we saw the ruins of of a cathedral that was half completed until an earthquake badly damaged it in 1910. Now, just the stone walls are standing. Apparently, they decided to leave it as a gathering place as it is next to the town square.
We also went to the basilica in Cartago - the largest in Costa Rica and a pilgrimage site to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin. There is holy water from a spring on site, so people come from all over the country as well as Panama and Nicaragua. Mass was standing room only so we did not attend - couldn't even get in the door. However, after the service, pilgrims were making their way to the altar. Apparently, the custom is to travel the last section, from the entrance to the altar, on their knees. It was very inspiring.
We saw much beauty in our travels, including coffee plantations with their shade trees hovering about the coffee plants. In Oroso, they sell their locally produced beans to Starbucks. Some of us purchased some to bring home.
Last night we had our Habitat orientation and are prepared for our work. We will build a 45 square meter two bedroom home for a family of five. Our first task is to dig 36 holes for the columns. I imagine that we'll be fatigued but content when our day is finished.
I'll try to convince some of the teens to post of their experiences as well.
As you can see from the pictures below, day two was an active time of sightseeing and fun. The drive to Irazu, the now dormant volcano was spectacular. The highest point is 3432 meters, which is over 11,000 feet. We definitely could feel the effects of the thin air. It last blew in 1963, causing much damage. The good news now, though, is that the land around it is some of the most fertile in the country. To see active farmland on the sides of the mountains is awe inspiring.
In Cartago, we saw the ruins of of a cathedral that was half completed until an earthquake badly damaged it in 1910. Now, just the stone walls are standing. Apparently, they decided to leave it as a gathering place as it is next to the town square.
We also went to the basilica in Cartago - the largest in Costa Rica and a pilgrimage site to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin. There is holy water from a spring on site, so people come from all over the country as well as Panama and Nicaragua. Mass was standing room only so we did not attend - couldn't even get in the door. However, after the service, pilgrims were making their way to the altar. Apparently, the custom is to travel the last section, from the entrance to the altar, on their knees. It was very inspiring.
We saw much beauty in our travels, including coffee plantations with their shade trees hovering about the coffee plants. In Oroso, they sell their locally produced beans to Starbucks. Some of us purchased some to bring home.
Last night we had our Habitat orientation and are prepared for our work. We will build a 45 square meter two bedroom home for a family of five. Our first task is to dig 36 holes for the columns. I imagine that we'll be fatigued but content when our day is finished.
I'll try to convince some of the teens to post of their experiences as well.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Day Two
View of an active volcano in background from the rim of Irazu, the dormant volcano that we visited today.
View over the rim of Irazu, which was last active in 1963. At the highest point, we were 3432 meters above sea level.
We met three Peace Corp workers, two from Japan and one from Tampa, FL while visiting the volcano. They are here working with Habitat Costa Rica - small world!
The Basilica in Cartago - the largest in the country and a very popular pilgrimage destination.
Abby, Lilly, Alex, Mike, Samantha
On the roof of the Church of San Jose in Orosi.
At the football field in Orosi.
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