Crack On!

Hola Amigos, todo es bueno en Chile esta noche. After another hard day´s work, my PFS is being tested. My friend Adan hooked me up with a local woman, Fresia, who was to visit us tonight and tell us all about her recent project running a bibliobus (book mobile) for local Mapuche Indians near Temuco, but as I arrived downstairs for dinner, freshly showered and wearing my best clothes, I found out she had called and would not be coming. I was muy triste (sad) and dealing with that disappointment, and at the same time I was feeling REALLY PISSED at about 5 hombres in my group...you see, after work each day we get dropped off back here at Hogar Bautista, and since we can´t have cerveza here at the Hogar, we walk 2 blocks down to the store, grab a Cristal and hang out front. I usually have one or so and run back, take a quick shower since we are filthy from our work, and get ready for dinner at 8. The guys that remained when I left them at 7, did not show up til about 820, late for dinner. This place is hosting our group, so especial for us they have a kitchen crew working to prepare and serve our meals, so even though the guys honestly forgot that Fresia was supposed to come, it was still REALLY RUDE to show up a bit drunk and late for dinner arghhh!! not fair! I promise I will be over it soon.

We work so hard every day. Today we dug the foundation for the last of 7 houses, poured cement for the wall support thingy, and poured cement slab for at least one. Meanwhile Omar, our Maestro, was busy building frames for few walls to erect tomorrow. I spent my day a) digging foundation ditches, b) hauling earth c) hauling rocks to place in the cement d) removing nails from wood that had been used to make the frames for cement forms, so we could re-use the wood e) re-claiming nails..yes, I do not lie, we reuse nails...f) filling buckets with cement dust (and my lungs I think) as part of the cement mixer crew - it is a small mechanical mixer that produces about 2 wheelbarrows per batch. Oh yes, I forgot, I also spent time in metal shop bending little metal rods to form mini rebar things to place in the cement, to which we will fasten the wood frames - a bumpt in the union pay scale, I believe.

Also took some time to play frisbee with some of the kids and work on our English/spanish exchange.

One thing is for sure, they are ingenious with jigs and reusing materials and improvising. 2 liter pop bottles are handy measuring devices, a piece of wood marked with a pencil is your measuring device, and more.

We had music onsite today and entertained them with our sing along to the music they supplied. Who knew they would have a supply of CASSETTE TAPES in english, first off was a live album DOOBIE BROTHERS...you heard it.

OK, gotto go now...
Ciao