Howdy! This morning started early with beans, fruit, tortillas, and scrambled eggs. Today was the first of our three days working on the addition to the daycare in Carranza. Our transportation is an early 80´s Dodge Ram, fondly nicknamed Big Bertha. This precarious vehicle is well used and quite often has way too many people riding. So in the lovely contraption we started out on our 45 minute drive through steep ravines and sketchy traffic. Bertha started making funny gurgling noises. We were slightly concerned when things started to smell HOT. Matt asked if we could take a different route because he was under the impression that the smog that was actually fog was poisoning him to death. As soon as he realized it was actually Bertha, he was fine with it. As we climbed out of a very steep ravine, Bertha started to smoke and heat up. As we crested the hill, Bertha gave one final sputter and died. We coasted to the side of the road with smoke pouring out of the hood and into the cab. We kept our distance as Russell, Ian, and Raoul (our driver) assessed the situation. After some language difficulties, much to Russell and Ian´s horror, Raoul proceeded to try to take of the radiator cap while the van was smoking and running. Luckily there was absolutely no fluid or pressure in the radiator. Raoul, again to Ian and Russell´s protests, started pouring fluid into the radiator while the van was still running. The liquid proceeded to vapourize and shoot several feet above the van. After several minutes of adding water, we limped the van the short distance to Carranza. We arrived to shouts of buenos dias from all the kids at the daycare. The groups were split into four groups. Jill, Matt, Jacoba, and me (Krista), were in the daycare group and we spent the morning helping the kids colour and do their various crafts. They were younger than the group yesterday so the language gap was much more pronounced. These kids were far more rambunctious and one boy, Brandon, caused every sort of trouble he possibly could and even took to biting people. We went to the park for a bit but it was so hot that we didn´t last very long. The second group consisted of Ian, Tim, Dan, and for muscles, Laurel. This group was in charge of taking out a ¨humongo¨ tree stump in the front yard. Throughout the day we hacked, chopped, pulled, and dug at the roots of the stump. The tools of choice were shovels, pick-axes, and an axe. Progress was slow but the removal of several large roots was very rewarding. The third group was Krisha, Abby, Ryan, and Curtis. They mixed, carried, and poured cement columns all throughout the day. The fourth group was Cole, Coby, Adam, and Russell. They shovelled, shovelled, and moved dirt. Their job was to move the large mound of dirt out of the new building and to level the floor in preparation for cement. For lunch we had a traditional meal consisting of chicken, squash, potatoes, carrots, green beans, rice, and tortillas. And freshly squeezed pineapple and cantaloupe juice which was absolutely delicious. After the lunch the daycare group joined other crews because the day care itself ended at noon. We continued with our tasks as the temperature rose and for the first time a nice big snow bank would have been excellent! During one of the breaks, Ian, Russell, and Raoul took a closer look at Bertha´s issues. It was discovered that a hose leading from the radiator to the engine had a rather large crack. Luckily it was near one end. Using a saw they cut it off shorter, eliminating the hole. After Ian and Russell kind of communicated that a hose clamp was needed, Raoul proceeded to turn and book it down the street, leaving a very confused Ian and Russell behind. Ten minutes later Raoul was spotted trucking up the street with the necessary supplies. It was a quick fix and Bertha returned to her former glory! As the afternoon progressed the sun got hotter and hotter. For the afternoon coffee break, fresh oranges ( SO tasty!) were provided by a neighboring lady. Many sun burns and blisters later, seventeen extremely dusty, dirty, stinky people stuffed into Big Bertha, exceeding the number of seats by seven. It was cramped. And hot. The drive back was another good example of Latin American driving. There were enough close calls to make even Russell grab the seat. Inches separated us from losing Big Bertha to nearby buses or opening car doors. Miraculously we arrived back safe and sound. Supper was once again delicious and so ended another exquisite day in Guatemala. PS. Sorry about yesterday´s blog. Ian and Krista were terribly tired. Ian, Krista, Big Bertha, and the rest. |
No comments:
Post a Comment