Puerto El Morro Construction: Week One

Every morning starts bright and early with the sounds of the fisherman banging barnicles of off the sides of their ships docked right below where we sleep, and every day ends with similar sounds of the fishermen returning.  They leave early when the tide is low to get the lobsters out of the holes in the mud banks below the mangrove islands.

After being here about a week the house is starting to appear, coming along slow but steady.  We have all the holes finished and concrete poured around the rebar pillars, we have 6 workers pouring more right now into the base for the walls.  They are working hard, we have a good team today.  Its very hot outside and they mixed a huge batch of cement this morning on the ground, shoveled it into buckets and carried it to where it was needed.  We ran into a little speed bump yesterday when there was no water in the afternoon because a tube broke in town and was under construction.  We were so happy to hear this morning that it had been fixed since there is a huge amount of mixing to be done.   We are hoping to start the block laying process for the walls tomorrow or the next day. 

Crucita took her sick baby to a mobile medical truck that was in town last week and the doctors gave her a prescription for him.  Carrie and I went to town for her yesterday to pick it up and bought some Pediasure and milk for him which was recommended by the pharmacist.  We mixed it for her and although he didn´t want to eat she fed him a little.  We hope it is better than nothing.  She says he only wants water.  She thanked us by offering us some fresh (and I mean very fresh) ceviche. Mmmm...O, boy!  

Please keep this baby in your thoughts, he really needs help.  She loves him so much but doesn´t know what to do.  She said he has had parasites in the past but not anymore and she said that his blood test was not bad but the doctors said he is underweight and should be walking by now at almost 2yrs old..  He just appears very malnurished and beyond the point of wanting any food. 

                                                             The rest of the crew seems to be in good spirits.  We keep them full of Coca-Cola, water and occasionally an icecream sandwich.  They find something to laugh, sing or joke about.  They laugh when they can´t pick up any more containers of concrete from exhaustion, they laugh when one of them yells for coffee and bread and nobody brings any because there is none and its only 10 am.   The guy in the hammock in the picture below is always chuckling and showing me his shoes because they are falling apart saying ¨Mira, tienen ambre. (Look, they´re hungry)¨  He´s  hilarious, especially to himself.

So overall we´re doing good.  The people are some of the sweetest and most giving I have ever met.  Carrie and I are headed back to have lunch and then back to the jobsite.  Gotta go for now!!