Cement and Dirt
Today was the first full day of work at the Habitat site and painting the elementary school. The group was split up into two different teams and we were both at the Habitat site. Our first jobs were bringing cinder blocks and sand over to the house site which reminded us about how hard work is in rural Lesotho.
After we collected all of the materials we began mixing cement, while there was a group mainly Grace F, Bailey and Jack from the beginning that separated to dig a trench along the side of the house. The purpose of the trench was to prevent water damage to the foundation of the house because it is on the side of a hill. The first batch of cement we mixed had stoned included for the flooring of the house. A few people continued to mix the cement together while Alex Joseph worked with one of the Basotho construction workers at the site to spread and level the flooring.
Before lunch the floor was laid and we made significant progress on the trench. We enjoyed our ham and cheese sandwiches with the beautiful mountain view; then had 45 minutes to relax and Taryn even took a nap. After the break we continued to use the pickaxe and shovels to get deeper and further along with the trench. We started to lay the blocks making the exterior walls for the house. While one group mixed mortar, another laid the blocks, and another continued digging the trench. Aaron, Quinn, Rachel, Fran became expert masons by learning to smooth out the floor. While digging the trench Dr. Rosenberg's radical opinions had us create a union for the pickaxe and shovel workers.
After the rewarding day of hard work and being able to see the progress we had made in just a day we returned home to take warm showers and have some well deserved relaxation.
-Aaron & Grace F.