Once again we broke into four teams to the worksites we have been on this week. Though many of the students changed sights, a lot of the work remained the same.
Vicky’s School – We finished the foundation of the front wall, began digging on another foundation of the wall, cleared the land of weeds and brush while also tieing rebar. We had a little excitement to start our day as when we were leaving for the worksite a fire truck passed us by and we ended up following it to our work site. Our neighbors had a controlled burn going on that had gotten a little out of hand. Thankfully it didn’t spread very far.
Casa De Luz – There were many projects from painting, nailing chicken wire for stucco, cleaning, and insulation (I’m sure I am missing other work that was done there)
OA House – They finished mudding all the walls now they will begin sanding the walls.
Agape Hostel – A crew went to sort clothes and hand them out to the recently deported, asylum seekers, and immigrants as well as play with the children.
Tomorrow, we will work a half-day before going to the beach for some much-deserved rest and fun. We will also eat out tomorrow night at La Fonda’s on the coast.
Below is a quick perspective of the trip so far from Lauren:
“This week has been very enlightening. I started out my week by meeting some really great kids at the orphanage. I grew a bond with a two-year-old named Emma. She was very slow to open up, but after swinging on a swing for several moments, she told me her name and that she wanted to go down the slide. As small and insignificant as this may be, I was very happy to see her start to trust me. We played for the remainder of my time there. When I had to leave, we hugged for some time and I said goodbye.
Later that day, we went to the border. This was a very eye-opening experience for me. It was really interesting to see the border that has caused so much uproar and separation in our country. The Mexican civilization is living right up to the border, however, looking back at the US side, there is nothing to be seen for miles. It was really interesting to witness the different treatment of the border from both sides. I really was struck by the differences between our attitudes at the border, they seem to work with it, whereas Americans try to avoid it.
On Monday, I went to a church where people that had recently fled their country in hopes for political asylum in the US. We fed the families and played with the kids. I was working in the kitchen and I helped to prepare the salad. Seeing them gave me the impression that they were trying to get through their lives and help their families. I again saw the difference in their attitudes from Americans. They seemed to be more content and happy than we do, despite the things that they have verses the things that we have.
Overall, this week has been really good. I have met new friends and learned things I wouldn’t have learned in everyday life.”
