We Don’t Just Build Houses!
This post was written by undergraduate student Stefanie Chow ’10 from El Salvador on the Habitat for Humanity Spring Break trip.
It is the fourth day of construction and things are starting to wind down. One of the two houses we were assigned to is complete, and the other did not need too much help from us. To keep our adrenaline running, a group of us helped out at another site that was understaffed. After all, sharing is caring.
A few of us also helped one of the local families transport water. We walked back and forth with two little girls (Estefanie and Jennifer) from the communal water pump to their house, which is about 70 meters uphill, carrying bottles and buckets of water. We mimicked the locals by placing the jugs on our heads as we walked, and managed to collect 30 gallons of water after making 4-5 trips. In return, the family gave us oranges! Habitat sure is not just about building houses!! 🙂
When I shampooed my hair later in the day, my head hurt so much as I put pressure on it. I feel ashamed for being so weak and spoiled. I am so fortunate to have a family who provided me with everything I needed since birth. The heaviest thing I ever carried when I was a kid was probably my tiny Barbie school bag! It makes me sad that even if I am part of a project that provides housing remedies, there is not much I can do to change the living conditions and well-being of the majority locals.
Following all the hard work, we played soccer with the local community, as part of an intercultural activity. Representing Babson was Chandra, Andrei, and Josh; while the rest of us remained as cheerleaders. It is impressive to see how the masons could be so good at both constructing as well as playing soccer!
All in all, another happy day with lots of happy faces and good food! (You can probably tell who the foodie is!!)