Day 4: In the trenches

Making sure not to break tradition, the roosters woke us up at 5am. After falling back asleep we started our day at 7:15 and breakfast at 7:30. We were served rice and beans, watermelon, squeaky cheese, a roll, and an omelet. 

After breakfast we all rushed to the wifi room, and then loaded into the vans. Luckily, the traffic was not bad and we avoided all traffic jams with tons of public buses. We arrived to the school and promptly put our hats and water bottles into our bags to hide them from the kids, except for Mr. Keiper who regretted it when all the kids used him as a jungle gym to try and reach his hat. We figured out what work we had for the day and then headed to recess. We were bombarded by all of the kids who wanted piggy-back rides and to take pictures. After Mr. Keiper secured his hat, he and the boys showed off their muscles for the camera.

After recess, we headed off to work on the kitchen. We had to dig trenches and create support beams. Using large and heavy metal rods we broke up the hard ground and used shovels to push away the loose dirt. We did this for about 2 hours in the 95° weather. Soaked to the skin in sweat we headed off to lunch. We ate chicken, rice, cheesy potatoes, and onion coleslaw served with crowd pleasing orange juice. 

After our noon siesta, we headed back to the school to continue digging trenches and making support beams. Throughout the day, groups of 4 went into classrooms to work on projects and help the students with their work. The hardest part was the language barrier. But we were able to have some communication by the little Spanish that we can communicate with. The kids found our Spanish slightly humerous but were able to rephrase their sentences and use hand gestures to get their point across. 

Feeling accomplished on the work we had done on the kitchen's foundation, we said goodbye to the kids and the workers and headed back to the retreat center. 

We all took cold showers and enjoyed some down time before dinner. Which included, rice and chicken with a slice of bread and diluted bubblegum flavored juice. 

After a game of hide and go seek, we had reflection and sorted clothes and school supplies that we will give to the kids on Friday. 

Until tomorrow,

Madeline and Mary