Raising the Walls

Today, our main goal was to raise the wall frames, and place the siding. The family is very interested in our project and getting to know us too; some of the kids are even willing to come and help us with friendly smiles and loads of excitement. The work was frustrating and difficult (the pounding of a nail is easier said than done). However, as the day went on, even those of us who had just learned to properly use a hammer became experts of the craft. One of our site leaders, Pat, not only reassured us of the numerous bent nails, but he also spurred us on with words of encouragement and tips on how to hammer well (some of us only needed to use three strokes for each nail by the end of the day!). Once we became comfortable with the hammer, there was heavy competition to see who could put up the most siding, and who could nail most efficiently (Steve especially became quite aggressive with his wall building and smack talk; he even nailed some of his competition to the wall. Literally!!!). By the end of the day, we finished the front porch and filled most of the wall frames with siding. We had spent nine hours in the sun and were exhausted, but the smiles and good feelings from the family made it all worthwhile; in other words, we ended the day with contentedness, having immersed ourselves in the local culture: attempting to speak Spanish, going to the local store, playing with a soccer ball in the street, and so many other great experiences. 

Blog team tonight: Aaron, Lindsay, Peter, Kelsey