Beach Day & Final Thoughts

After a long week of building we were finally able to relax yesterday in San Pedro Masahuat at Las Hojas Resort & Beach Club. It's a beautiful hotel that sits right above the ocean. I spent much of the day visiting the animals in the resort. They had monkeys, parrots, iguanas, an alligator, and a raccoon. Yes, they actually had a raccoon that was trained and slept in a tree. It was one of the strangest things I've ever seen. My favorite animal was the monkey though. I felt as if he didn't want me to leave because he kept grabbing my fingers and holding on to me whenever I tried walking away. When I finally did walk away I went to the beach just to soak in the sun. I ended up falling asleep because it was so relaxing; it was definitely much needed after the strenuous week we all experienced. 

After lunchtime, later in the evening, our bus driver surprised us by showing up to greet us all. He wanted to say goodbye before we all left El Salvador because he wasn't able to the previous night when the clutch blew out in the bus. He gave a very touching speech and told us all that he hasn't had this much fun in a long time. He was thankful that we invited him to our bowling night and he was also so inspired by our willpower to participate in Habitat builds that he's going to volunteer at build sites every Saturday on his day off. To hear that from him was such an encouragement and only reinforces my reasoning for why I keep signing up for Habitat builds. It's not only to make a difference for those I'm building a house for, but it's also to inspire others to want to do the same thing. If I can tell my story and inspire at least one other person to participate in a Habitat build, then I'm also impacting another family's life. Some people are scared because of their perception of other countries, but the Habitat organization ensures the greatest safety of their volunteers. Together we are building bridges of courage to hold back the flood of fear. If you've been reading this journey, hopefully it has provided you with enough insight to become a supporter of Habitat and to desire the passion to change someone's life. 

Volcán Boquerón

Last night after the build we got to spend the beautiful day hiking volcano Boquerón. At over 6,000 feet of elevation, we finally made it to the peak. The most recent eruption of the volcano occurred in 1917, and before that it produced other significant eruptions, including the one occurring around 590 AD, burying the Mayan city of Cerén that we saw on Wednesday. 

From the top of the volcano we could see the Boquerón Crater, first formed between 700 and 1,000 years ago due to the mass accumulation of lava around its edifice. The crater that can be seen today was more prominently formed after a violent explosion. It increased its size to about one mile in diameter and over 1,600 feet deep. This is how the crater got its name Boquerón, which means "big mouth" in Spanish. 

After taking in the breathtaking views on top of Boquerón, we drove to a nearby restaurant "La Pupusa Loka" that is on the drive down from the hiking entryway of the volcano. Their main dish is pupusas, which is a traditional Salvadorian dish made of tortillas and filled with cheese and a choice of meat, beans, or loroco. Loroco is an edible flower bud native to Central America that's used as an herb in many dishes. It's green and has a little overtone taste of nuts. Although I did not try it, I heard from the locals that it's very flavorful. I ended up ordering a pupusa con pollo (chicken) and it has to be the tastiest dish I've had here yet. I can now see why the Salvadorians gleam over them. 

After a filling dinner and incredible views of the city at La Pupusa Loka, we were ready to go home and rest. We all piled into the vans and set off for our hotel. It was the perfect day, but not everything can go off without a hitch right? On the way down the clutch blew out in one of the vans so we all had to cram into the other van. Some people were really sick, so it wasn't the most optimal situation to be in. On the bright side, we were all safe and made it back just fine with no further catastrophes. They say that everything happens for a reason, so maybe it was just for a great story to tell. Everything that happens on this trip just makes it all the more memorable. 

Build Day 5 & Goodbye

There are no words to express the moments we shared today. The family came to see our progress and our Habitat officers initiated a goodbye ceremony. By that time we had completed four layers of brick in and around the house by spreading the mortar and wrenching bars to the vertical rebars for additional support. We had filled up all the rooms with sand (kitchen / living room, bathroom, and bedrooms) and flattened the surface before the layer of tile is added. At the end of the workday we all wrote our names on the outside bricks with chalk so that we can forever be a part of this house. 

When the family saw the progress we made they were astonished and repeatedly told us how thankful they were that we left our jobs and our families to help them start their life with this home. The woman, Yancy, began to cry as she told us how blessed she feels that God sent us here on this mission. She had waited years for this moment and couldn't express her infinite thanks enough. By the end of the speeches we were all in tears, including our masonries Antonio, Jose, and Mario. They said they have never had a group of volunteers, and that they built the last Habitat house with just the three of them. Antonio, the lead masonry, told us that each Habitat house takes six weeks, and for the week that we were there we finished nearly half of it. He waved goodbye and gazed with glossy eyes as we all loaded into the busses to leave for the last time with heavy hearts. I will forever remember the compassion and patience that he expressed each and every day we were working together. He never was frustrated with the language barrier for some of us and was always ready to lend a helping hand and teach us along the way. He laughed every day we were working together, even if he didn't understand what everyone was saying, but he would always try. 

Each Habitat build is always different in its own unique way, and each one offers the opportunity to grow bonds with people you would've never otherwise connected with. This group of volunteers was extremely hard working and motivated to complete our daily tasks. They are all so selfless and have a real passion for what they believe in, and that's the mission Habitat has instilled in all of us. We were all brought together to serve God by serving others and making a true impact on a family's life. But this week hasn't just impacted the family, it has impacted the community, the masonries, the Habitat officers, and all of us. Seeing everyone come together today, no matter the circumstance of language or what have you, was a blessing. We are all people that want the same things: To help with our hands and to love with our hearts. I believe that is the greatest and most valuable gift a person can ever offer. 

Build Day 4

Today was a mild and cloudy day with a lot of progress made on the house. At the beginning of the day there was only one layer of brick surrounding the entire house, and we were able to add two more. We made brick lines again to haul all the bricks into the soon-to-be rooms and stretched them over the vertical rebars in place. Then we could spread mortar in and around each brick to connect them and hold them in place. There were a total of around 85 bricks on each layer and so far we've finished three of them. We also filled all the trenches surrounding the rooms with sand, which means we've officially finished the base of the home. Tomorrow we'll continue working upwards to solidify all the walls with brick. 

For a snack today we had coconuts. They were served in a very tropical-looking way with a long straw sticking out the top. I watched as one of the Habitat workers cracked it open with a machete so I could eat it after I drank all the juice. It was my first time actually drinking and eating a fresh coconut. It doesn't have much of a coconut taste when it's fresh, but it must be more potent when it's stored. Attempting to eat the coconut was a little difficult because we used part of the shell as a spoon. I felt as though I was part of the movie Castaway. 

When we took a bathroom break after lunch I was able to bond with the kids a little more. We kicked a ball around and played in the yard. They begged me to take a photo with them and then put on their model faces. They asked to see the pictures and scrolled through my phone to look at them. Then the little girl asked if I had any games on my phone; she must've had this scheme in her mind the whole time, but I thought it was funny. Her and her brother continued to play with the ball until I had to leave. It reminded me a bit of my brother and I when we were kids. Her brother would be sitting down eating a snack, she'd steal it and eat it, and then he would cry. Of course she always got away with it because she was older (she was nine and he was only two). Isn't that how it always works?

I think this might be my last Habitat build wearing these shoes. The soles broke off when I was in the Philippines and I was able to get them back together with super glue, but now they've fallen apart again. I wrapped duct tape around them but there's no longer hope that they will be repaired. I will also be retiring my pants because they got caught on rebar today and ripped a hole in the butt. I had to duct tape that as well. I must say that it's not the most fashionable way to fix up your pants, but it certainly makes for a great story. 

Once the workday was finished we had the opportunity to visit a completed Habitat house. The family of four had recently moved in and was living right next to the father's parents. They have a living room / kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and wash station outside. It was pretty basic, but sufficient enough for them. They seemed to just be grateful that they had a home at all. When we left the house we saw another goat walker; a very common activity here. It's quite interesting because they seemed to pause every few steps to eat some grass on the side of the road. I think walking a goat would be even more of a chore than walking a dog with their obvious short attention spans. 

Tonight we ate dinner and then we made plans to go to a bowling alley. It's been a while since I've bowled so I'm excited to see how much worse I am than I was before. Hopefully it's not too much of an embarrassment. We just arrived so we shall we soon.