Final reflections

So now another trip has come to an end.  As I reflect on all aspects of the trip I would say that this is the best international trip I have attended.  I loved the interaction with the home owners.  To see the impact our presence had on them made a lasting impression on me.  To see how emotional they got when talking about what our team meant to them made me feel like we made a difference.  It also made me realize what a great need there is in that country and how much more there is to do.

I am so grateful for my teammates on this trip.  Each person had something unique to offer and something I could learn from them.  Whether it was Patti and Linda's zest for life, or seeing Allison and Amanda embrace the new adventures life has in store for them now that they are graduated.  Each person's sense of humor, willingness to work so hard and the spirit of adventure made this trip one I will never forget.  I look forward to staying in touch with you all.

To Scott, who put this team together, you have an incredible ability to match people and personalities to form such great teams.  It was indeed a pleasure to participate on another team led by you!

Thanks to you all for making this trip as special as it was!

Wrapping up the week

So Friday arrived and we were anxious to finish what we started.  Team "septic tank" was fired up to strike water i indicating that we had dug deep enough for the septic tank to be installed.  Unfortunately, the only water to be found was coming down from the sky along with thunder and lightning so we shut down the worksite.

Here Cory,  Michael and Linda prepare for bucket duty

House number 3 - we wanted to get the rest of the foundation poured, but it was not to be

Some of the team takes shelter in one of the "seed houses"

Patti gets a back massage from her boyfriend

We headed back on the bus.  Cory found a new calling as a hairdresser as you can see from the new hairstyle she gave Carlos

 After removing a few pounds of mud from our boots we changed clothes and headed out for a tour of the city.

Here the gang tries to clean off mud from their boots.

We headed into the city for a short tour before meeting up with the families at the community center for a late lunch.  The ladies made us homemade Empanadas from scratch.  They were DELICIOUS!  Julia joined in and helped with the cooking.

The families each talked about their reflections on the week and what the week meant to them.  It was humbling to see the impact our team had on these families.  They were so gracious and welcoming.  These families worked so hard side by side with us this week.  I wish we could have stayed to finish each of the houses! 

Here Allison and Amanda pose for a picture with the kids.  The two older boys helped thoughout the week where they could.

Omar and Maria serenaded us with a song

Maria and Nester  pose for a picture with me

Here is the whole gang -

Later that day we went out for our last dinner in Santa Fe - we went back to one of our favorite locations.

Here's me, Carlos and Cory - for some reason Carlos decided to go back to his old hairstyle....

Carlos convinces us to try the local drink Frenette (sp).  Judging by the picture below, I think it is safe to say that Allison is NOT a fan -

The next morning, the bags were packed and we were ready to head back to Buenos Aires

After another 6 hour bus ride we arrived just in time for one last Happy Hour - really just a happy 15 minutes and then head out to a Tango show

Rachel models the bottle of wine

Michael models the fact that we don't need wine glasses :)  While  Rachel cheers him on!

Dinner was great, even if Allison was convinced not to order the Tuna but the steak - after all Allison, we ARE in steak country!!

Another great meal was had by all.

Me, Cory, Allison and Amanda at dinner 

Then it was time for a little Tango!

After the show, we decided to go out for a nightcap.  After making an attempt at one establishment, a very quick retreat was made and we embarked on a new location.  We found a much better local that was a less scary

We decided to call it a night.  Unfortunately, that would not be the end of the night for two of the group.  When Allison and Amanda went to the store to buy some water, they were mugged - not before Allison, aka Rocky, got in a few good licks on the mugger!  Thankfully they were not harmed and only got one purse.  The girls got to enjoy one more day in Buenos Aires and many of the team were staying over a few days anyway.  Amanda was able to get a new passport and I feel fairly confident that if you need to get a passport photo in Buenos Aires she can tell you where and where NOT to go to get that taken!

We did a little shopping on our last day and then some of us headed to the airport.

We shopped a long a HUGE street market that spanned over 10 city blocks

Cory got in her "jump shopt"

One last cerveza before we headed to the airport

It was a beautiful last day!

Happy Hour - Room 407

So we had such a successfull Rosh Hashahana happy hour we hosted a 2nd happy hour Thursday night - aka Karaoke Night.  We had the whole team in our spacious room.  As you can see, we had no room for a dance floor.

Then Rachel and Mark led us in some Karaoke

Let's review the rules - Safety Blog Entry

Okay, I thought I should document the rules of the work site for anyone interested in attending a trip like this as they are STRICTLY enforced!

Rule Number One - No Alcohol on the work site

Rule Number 2 - No Shorts on the worksite

Rule number 3 - Hard hats must be worn at all times

Rule number four - Don't pet the animals

And lastly, NO children on the worksite

So again, remember safety first everybody!  A safe work space is a fun work space!



A bunch of dirtbags!

I mean that in the most positive way :)  Today was another day of incredible labor intensive tasks.  The added "bonus" was the wind.  It did help keep us a little cooler, but in 90+ degrees, sweating and add a constant covering of dirt blowing through the air and you get the picture of how dirty everyone was at the end of the day!  I may have to have a total body chemical peel to get all of the grime off my body!  The work, albeit hard, was very rewarding.  This team is a very task and goal oriented team.  When we arrived Nester was ready to help pour the concrete for his neighbor's house.  A team of about 12 of us were on that detail as it involves running buckets of rocks, sand, cement and water to the small machine mixing the concrete.

Here's Cory delivering what I am sure turned out to be 2 of the 1000 buckets of rocks needed for the cement - at least it felt that way!

These girls "rocked"   Here's Patti, Cory and Julia

The other part of the team was working equally as hard fininishing digging out the foundation of the 3rd house.  Did I mention these trenches are close to 3 ft deep and about 18 - 24 inches wide???  Then you have to move THAT dirt to a spot a lot further from the house which involves more shoveling and wheelbarrels.

Here Rachel is THRILLED she only has about 6 more inches to dig out.

Linda and Amanda dig each other

Taking a shorty break with Cory on the dirt pile

Nester takes a well deserved break after we finished pouring the cement for house number 2

King of the swing - Michael - finds his true calling - digging a hole for a septic tank

Allison lifts the dirt out of the hole - Cory is the "safety girl" on this rotation.  We took turns in the hole, lifting out the dirt, "safety" person

After lunch, the younger ones of our group, Allison and Amanda, still had enough energy to play soccer with the neighborhood kids.

Allison has a new boyfriend/shadow - Ricardo.  He absolutely adores her.  Where ever Allison goes, Ricardo is sure to follow!

There are several reflections I have on the day.  The first is that it took a team of 12 of us to keep up with the work of Nester.  We hustled all morning with a non-stop moving of buckets.  As fast as we could fill and deliver the bucket, Nester made and poured concrete.  We have had such a great time, I can't believe we only have one more day.

Ciao for now!