Today is the day that dreaming ends…it was the most we ever worked, the most we ever loved, and the dirtiest we have ever gotten. Today we arrived at San Jose Villanueva at 8:45am. We began as soon as we arrived. To start, we created an assembly line, passing buckets of dirt from a ditch that was being dug. This will be the foundation for a retaining wall. We will begin building the wall tomorrow. The wall will help the houses to be maintained during the wet season. In the past there has been much destruction (hurricane Stan) and that is what we are trying to prevent. We worked continuously 30 minutes on and 10 minutes off to start with. In the heat the hard work became harder and the breaks became longer. As we worked, new relationships with the local children were formed. We came to realize that being without any Rotarian chaperones from El Salvador, and just with the locals, lead to a different feeling for the day. We felt closer with the people, because we found our own way to communicate, without a translator. We were exhausted; yet being with the hard working young children gave us a new found energy. Their inspiration kept us going and allowed us to forget that we were even working. By 3:55pm we prepared to depart. We said adios and waved goodbye while shouting Mañana or Tomorrow! (This was the only way we knew how to say that we would see them tomorrow, and it was a happy goodbye).

Today was also a very important day, because Jennifer turned 18. We celebrated for the third time at a restaurant called Los Bambues. We swam and enjoyed the refreshing water after being so drenched in dirt. Then the dinner was all but inhaled. Jen was embarrassed for the third time as we all sang happy birthday, while her cake was brought out. We know that this was a birthday she will never forget. We all wished her a happy day and presented her with a birthday card signed by all of us. When the dinner and conversation were through we left the restaurant to find Carlos, our beloved bus driver waiting. Jen provided us with another laugh, when she greeted Carlos with Muchos Biene! This means ¨Many Good¨. Carlos joined us in a collective laugh.

Right now we are organizing the rest of the donations for the remainder of the trip. We are looking forward to another day full of hard work and meaningful memories. We are bringing many things for our new friends and we look forward to seeing them again.

Room 4: Amanda, Caitlin, Jody, and Kerri

Buenos Notches!