More From Honduras

April 12, 2012

Today’s blogger is Judy Szustakowski, a long-time Habitat Wake volunteer house leader.  This is her first build with Habitat outside the U.S.

Lessons learned today: (1) Be on time for the morning meeting; (2) Don’t work with a bunch of wimps; (3) Making bricks is hard work.

A knock on my door at 7:00 am startled me, even though I was already awake and reading.  Little did I know that we were meeting each morning at 7:00.  Without my computer and calendar, I never know where I am supposed to be.  Isn’t that sad?

My co-volunteers in Honduras are a bunch of wimps.  Yes, it rained.  I welcomed the rain and the cooler temperatures it brought.  But, all of my wimpy co-workers chose to spend the time beneath the canopy, safe and dry, while I continued the laborious efforts of mixing mud and pine needles for future adobe brick making.

After the rain subsided, I was trained in the fine art of adobe brick making.  The work is simple, yet hard on your back as the work is done on the ground:  washing the wooden form, laying a straw foundation, filling the form with mud, and removing the form, hopefully leaving the brick in a solid square that will dry evenly and be useable for a home.  After enough of this, I once again realized why I chose to get a college education and a desk job.