Hi everyone, it's Caroline G. We began today at 7, when (most) of us woke up, migrated downstairs, and has a delicious breakfast of french toast, fruit, bacon, and sausages.
After we finished, the work began. We carried the MannaPacks, which is what we distribute on the bateyes, to the med team bus, which arrived first, as well as all of the meds that will be distributed today. We then packed the construction bus with MannaPacks as well, and then we were off to Batey 50!
A “short”—and immensely hot—pitstop was taken to buy a new wheelbarrow for our work today, which substantially improved our operations today.
After arriving to Batey 50, we split into two teams, one shoveling rocks to become concrete and the other to finish digging the trench. “I thought we were going to finish digging the trench, but then realized we were already in the trench. The Trenches.” -Caleb Gottesmann. I was on the digging team, but after finishing, we all joined the concrete team as they began mixing the concrete, by hand, to pour in the trench for the new house foundation.
It was very hot, so we traded off frequently to take water breaks or to play with some nearby children.
Excitingly, it was also Elizabeth’s 13th birthday today, so we all sang to her and Hayden brought some gifts. Elizabeth is a girl on Batey 50 who I met last year, but the team has been involved in her life since birth, so it was very special to be able to celebrate her birthday with her both this year and last.
We took a late lunch of rice, meat, sandwiches, and cookies after finishing all of the concrete, before heading to Batey 30 to do some food distribution. There were also some very cute kids on this batey, who followed our two teams around as we walked.
We headed back to the compound, which luckily took much less time than our earlier voyage. After unpacking, showering, getting dressed, and having some rest back in the dorms, we got back on the bus with the med crew to have dinner at the hospital. The hospital is gorgeous—much nicer and more modern than any hospital I’ve been in. Dinner was vegetables, potato salad, chicken, plantains, and bread. Cake(s(!)) of the day were carrot, oreo, and vanilla(?), among others.
After refueling and engaging in some scintillating conversation, we heard from Moises—surprisingly not about how he parted the Red Sea—about how his upbringing and life on a batey shaped the man he is today; Moises is the coordinator of the Good Samaritan Hospital, and his story stands as a testament to the importance of treating and loving other human beings. He’s probably one of the busiest men alive, so we were very honored that he carved out time to talk to us. Most of us spent the bus ride back to the compound reflecting on what we had heard. It was late, and most of us were tired, so we packed MannaPacks quickly and did work signups for tomorrow before the majority headed up to the dorms for a deserved rest, before getting up bright and early for another full day tomorrow.
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