Day 1

Well today was our first day of work, and man did we get worked!  Our hands are blistered and bleeding, our backs hurt, our legs hurt...  pretty much our whole bodies hurt.  We began to dig out the foundation for the kitchen and the dining room.  We have to dig 3 to 4 feet deep and as our co-workers keep reminding us: "here in kenya, we don't use machines" so we do everything with shovels, mattocks, mallets, wheelbarrows and crowbars.The first foot was easy because it was simply dirt but the further into the ground the more and more rocks appeared, seriously making the work harder and slower.  Here is a story that sums up the day. 

It was 12:00 and the supervisor called for a break.  We were so ready for lunch as we had spent about as much energy as we had that morning working under the hot sun. JP and I ran for the shade to sit down and try and enjoy a cool lunch. As we were getting situated, pouring dirt from our shoes, washing our hands with that evaporating gel, drinking from our "spring water" water bottles and eating our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we watched our the other workers as they remained in the sun. They went out into the adjacent lot from where we were working and pulled up some roots, hacked them open with a machete and began eating them. We were amazed at their skills and knowledge of how to find what roots were edible. After scarfing our sandwiches and some crackers we rested our heads against the rock wall just as the supervisor called us back to work, it was 12:15. We were shocked as we pulled our exhausted bodies from the ground, grunting with each movement, recognizing new pains. We tried to grab one last sip of our spring water, realizing our lunch break was a mere 15 minutes and our co-workers just had a lunch of native root under the hot sun.  JP asked the time and commented, "3 hours of digging done, 5 hours to go" we realized that compared to the local workers, we were sissies!


At 12:45 our supervisor informed us it was lunch time and we were to return at 2:00.


Martin the supervisor about to hand JP and I the tool that we will be using the most for the next 5 weeks.


JP felt awkward in his steel toe boots..!