Twelve sets of mud caked boots currently line the porch of the guest house after a full day of physical labor at the construction site. Although we might all need a bit of Ben-Gay and Advil to tend to our sore but satisfied muscles this evening, everyone agrees that the day brought success on all fronts.
We pulled out around 7:30 a.m. this morning and began the 45 minute trip up into the mountains along dirt roads. The roads in Haiti are often made from simple dirt and stone with an occasional section that has been s
moothed and laid with stone. Today we experienced a topsy turvy ride that involved crossing two small streams. A big thank you goes out to several team members who pushed one of the pickup trucks through the water on both ends of the trip. The surrounding beauty of the mountains and the smiles and greetings from people along the way made up for any apprehension during the drive. We were all impressed with the number of terraced crop fields we noticed on the ride. John commented that it looks as though agriculture continues to improve in the area.
When we arrived at the job site, the boss man, Serge, quickly put us to work tying rebar and forming a bucket line to transfer dirt to a section of the building foundation. We took frequent breaks to visit with the many children who stopped by to visit. Kendall impressed them with his juggling skills, and Sarah and Bethany played several games of patty cake. Throughout the day Ryan practiced his Creole with our interpreter, Rodney. His favorite word of the day is “au revoir.”
We ended the day with many rounds of “n’ap wéw demen” the Creole version of “See you tomorrow!”