The Third Work Week and the 4th of July

Okay, I know that this is actually getting posted at the end of the fourth week I’ve been here, but I did not take any pictures at the end of the day today, so this is what I’m going with.

For those of you who have forgotten or are just tuning in, I am currently working as a construction volunteer with an organization called Maximo Nivel in San Jose, Costa Rica. My project is based out of an area called the Tibas which is a squatter town that the government has relinquished any right or claim to the land over to those living there. I have a few pictures from the end of week two that I have not posted yet, but I feel that they give an even better view of how intense these living conditions really are here. 

Kate and JP2 walking down one of the many cramped and winding allies that wind their way through the Tibas. 

Backside/storage area of one of the houses. 

TV and other electronics housed in a two room shack. 

Kitchen/Laundry room of a house with 8 kids. 

Anyway, back to our progress. This was the first week that we have not had a huge truck full of rocks and dirt and rebar to unload. This was probably a good thing because after losing Rory and John, we had no one over 5’10” and that wall seems to just get higher and higher. We were, however, able to get quite a bit of the finishing work done on our first wall, begin the second, and laid the foundation for the third. Jorge even let Jackie and I place the bricks after a quick tutorial on how to use an old-fashioned method of leveling. Granted, we got it wrong a lot of the time, but it was still really fun to try. 

First wall, now almost complete. 

Second wall, now three lines in. And for John, Kate and Rory, we were totally right,  the wall is WAY too close to the side of that house and it is causing some major problems.

Trench dug, re-bar frame made and placed, and foundation poured for the third wall. 

With our amazingly skilled labor family gone, we had to cut the re-bar for the third wall's foundation frame ourselves meaning that I got to use the circular saw. Don't even worry about it, I am that cool. 

In addition to performing new tasks, we also had a few new people join us this week. Now mind you, we lost Rory, at the end of my first week here. And then we lost Kate and John at the end of the second week. So there was actually one day where it was just Jackie, the JP's and myself manning the construction site. But the very next day, we were joined by these lovely folks:

Nicole and Jackie chilling after a long day. Nicole, on the left, is from Switzerland and has one more year left 

of high school before she goes on to university in the UK. 

This is Sorana and Josh. Sorana is from Romania and is currently attending school in Paris. You can actually see the Eiffel Tower from her apartment. Josh is from England originally and now lives in Scotland. He just graduated from high school and is planning on attending Queens College in the UK. 

The entire construction crew on Jackie's last day. 

The caption on the above photo was indeed correct. Jackie had her last day on the Friday of my third week. And the JP's actually left today (Friday of the 4th week) which means that of the original construction crew I started with in June, I am the only one left. Everyone has been absolutely wonderful to work with and I am sure our new peeps will be just as amazing, but I sure do miss all of you guys.

John, Kate, Me and Jackie after a farewell dinner at the end of week two. 

And now onto the 4^th of July. This year marked the first year of my entire life where I have not seen fireworks or participated in some kind of celebration on the 4^th. Jillian and I had originally planned on attending an event put on by one of the ex-pat organizations here in Costa Rica, but after discovering that it was two bus rides, and potentially 2 hours away with traffic, we opted to not. Instead, we grabbed one of the most two American foods we could find (chocolate cake and a hot dog) and watched 1776 the musical. It was no Sugarhouse Park Firework display, but it was a whole lot of fun nonetheless.

The hot dog. Topped with nacho cheese and ketchup. 

Mine and Jillian's attempt at eating the hot dog Lady and the Trap style.

So there you have it. Half way through my time working construction in Costa Rica and I have not collapsed from exhaustion or majorly injured myself. I feel like that qualifies as a win.