Sunday June 29, 2008

It’s the night before we begin construction, and I’m exhausted. Exhausted yet somehow energized, as if on the cusp of something big, like Christmas Eve used to feel as a kid. The proverbial magic is in the air. People are excited. I spent today and tonight meeting with my 3 masons and my foreman planning out the next 2 weeks, meeting with the cook to plan the meals, arranging transportation for the first load of building materials tomorrow, and working out some important details with my two most trusted confidants, the father/son team of Dany and Don Isaac. I think all is in place, and if not, I’m confident that we can roll with whatever punches we encounter along the way. Most of all, I can’t wait until that first pick-axe breaks ground; like most other things in life, getting started is the hardest part.

As you know, we’re in the middle of the rainy season, which could pose some problems. But the rain, gracias a dios, seems only to fall at night now. Hopefully it’ll keep that rhythm. Thinking I should put together a work outfit: overalls, tool belt and sombrero.

Monday June 30, 2008

Everything seems to be falling into place in these first few days. Wonder when my luck will run out? We were unsure as to how we would ship the first load of building materials (cement, rebar, sand, gravel, nails, wood for sawhorses, and other stuff I can neither translate nor explain their function). No one wanted to commit a vehicle by phone, so it was all up in the air until Juan (the president of the ADESCO, or town council, same age as me) and I showed up at the sugar cane cooperative several kilometers away from El Pital. There, we were outfitted with a gigantic, yellow(ing) Mack truck, about 20 years past its prime, complete with driver, also way past his prime and rudely awakened from his afternoon siesta. The truck was and will be free, courtesy of the sugar coop.

In Chalchuapa, we met with Oswaldo, the friendly owner of the hardware store, just in from three years in the Yoosa (the term for the USA). He loves gringos, and probably loves gigantic gringo purchases even more, and so had everything ready and waiting for us to haul away on our big yellow dinosaur.

On the way back, our driver stopped to buy some aspirin at a country store (hangover?) and I looked up at the towering, verdant Volcano El Chingo. It struck me that my little piece of El Salvador, at the beginning of the rainy season, could be the most beautiful place I have ever seen. Just a month before, we were at the tail end of the dry season which, when contrasted with the rainy season, can really only be described as the difference between heaven and hell. One is full of dead countryside, parched, dusty paths glimmering like mirages in midday heat, irritable people, made less tolerant of just about everything due to the heat and ever present droplets of sweat on the brow. And the other, which we are fortunate to be living in just now, is lush, green, inviting, with every big green leaf heavy still with last night’s rain. Everyone is cheery as most of the corn- and bean planting has been done; at this point, everyone sits back and waits for elotes, or corn cobbs, and smiles are ever-present.

Upon arriving in El Pital at around 5 pm, school was in session, and all of the afternoon kids crowded around the Mack, gawking at the first load of raw material soon to be transformed into their very own computer center. The 9^th grade boys were eager to show off their superhuman strength, and helped us unload the heavy bags of cement, 2 bags at a time on their backs as the girls looked on and flirted from afar. I really can’t explain the feeling I had after seeing all of this raw material ready to go, so much potential energy ready to be transformed by the able hands and backs of my El Pitalian friends. I was elated. Can’t wait till tomorrow.

Tuesday July 1, 2008

I’m not sure I’ve ever been so tired. We worked all day today, from 7 am to 5 pm, with a crew of 8 volunteers, 3 masons, 1 foreman, and one gringo. From the start, I could barely contain my excitement. Here we were, with piles of dirt, rock and cement in front of us, finally ready to embark on this project that we’d all been waiting for, well, since I arrived here. I started by taking a crew of shovelers down to a dirt pit by the soccer field. With the help of Don Victor’s 1960’s model Toyota truck, we dug out and filled truckload after truckload of tierra amarilla, a yellowish, soft dirt used in foundations. The masons and their crew stayed behind at the school to take measurements and lay bricks.

The vibe was one of excitement to be sure, but also one of unity, which was surprising to me as a few of the workers had personal gripes with one another, apart from their historical family grievances. For example, one of the workers, who is a known philanderer, is married to another worker´s sister, so there was obvious bad blood between the two. But as the day went on, all of these grudges seemed to fall away as we shoveled, pick axed and masoned our way toward a common goal. It also helps that each day, we´ll be eating lunch together around a big round table.

At the end of the day, we counted the blisters on our hands. I had three pop on my hands as the day progressed, and I’m sure more will emerge tonight. What a day. I hope I can get out of bed by myself tomorrow.

Wednesday July 2, 2008

Today mostly consisted of breaking rocks with blistered hands and preparing the foundation for the new computer center, with the exception of one highlight. In order to make room for the computer center, we had to move a “temporary classroom” (made of tin walls and chain link fence) over to the other side of the school. So we built a foundation for it and cut all around the bottom edge of the classroom. And then, with the strength of 13 people, we lifted the entire classroom and walked it to the other side. It might have been the most peculiar thing that the school kids had ever seen – a walking classroom (check out this video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiV_GDBXxRU). We looked like a bunch of ants carting off a big piece of food, moving this way and that with 26 legs scurrying here and there. Sort of like the Flintstones used to move their car. Anyway, everyone (including me) thought it was hilarious.

Not much else to report except for more blisters (my hands look like a minefield) and body pain. The rotating worker schedule seems to be working well. We get 8 fresh recruits daily, which is not only good for the physical component, but also beneficial because more and more people feel like they’re contributing to this project. With more broad-based participation, it’s more likely that a project like this will succeed in the long run, as more and more people feel a sense of ownership and pride in what we’ll accomplish. Looking forward to tomorrow, as usual.

Thursday July 3, 2008

After three days of working like a dog in the tropical heat, I think I now embody the word exhausted. We spent all day digging and picking our way through hard, dense clay, encountering roots and biting ants and anthills along the way to prepare the foundation for the computer center. In the afternoon, we started in on the ditches, almost a meter deep, into which we´ll install the rebar onto which the concrete blocks will be fitted. I was sweating like a sprinkler, and wondered how much more physical punishment I could take.

As I do every day, I was working with a group of fresh recruits. The Salvadoran work ethic is incredibly strong, though the need to prove one´s work ethic might be a bit stronger. The workers clamored for more and more work, never letting up until quitting time. I naturally struggled to keep up with these 8 able-bodied work machines. Thanks to everyone´s super-human stamina, everything is proceeding according to plan. In fact, only 3 days into the project, we´re already 2 days ahead of schedule!

At the risk of sounding corny to my cynical friends out there, planning this project and now carrying it out with this community has been the most fulfilling experience I´ve every had. Thanks to all of you who supported and continue to support this project!

Until next time,
Ben

p.s. here´s a link to the photos of the first week if you didn´t find it on the right hand side of this page: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=vidpwsz.30mr2o2r&x=0&y=-3ngxc7&localeid=en_US