The house that Becky (and others) built...

It’s still bloody raining. Comes rolling over the mountains at about lunch time and hammers it down well into the night, which means we had to cut the project short today, pull on our sexy waterproof jackets and head home pretty much after lunch. I hate to say it but we’ve actually been hoping for rain. Means we get the afternoons free, (we’re not allowed to work in the rain, according to the boss) but there’s really not much else to do in this town when we’re not on the site, except sit indoors and type… oh, I filmed a little video on the building site though, edited it quickly and amateurishly on iMovie so you can see where we’re located and what goes on. It’s not what we were expecting at all!

I think I imagined true poverty, possibly corrugated tin walls… sloshing through mud amongst chickens as the waiting family slept rough on the opposite doorstep, watching our every move with teary eyes. In actual fact, the plot of land is spacious with a view of the entire rainforest and a pony down the road. The house will have 2 bedrooms, a bathroom and an open living room and kitchen. It has slabs of concrete for walls and when it’s done, it will have a porch with potential for hanging baskets, electricity and the Internet. We met the would-be tenants yesterday; a smiley, pretty mum of four, well dressed with bright red corset and matching lip gloss. Two of her kids were glossy haired and grinning in their matching school uniforms. The girl spoke in English as she skipped away, and I waved to her from my place beside the hole we’ve been digging in the blazing sunshine, for her family’s impending bowel deposits. Is it wrong to feel a little disappointed?

The project so far is f***ing hard work, but fun fun fun! We’ve got a pretty good group of 6 of us,… me and the man, Fel and John from Montreal, who are actually doing this as part of their honeymoon, Chantal from the UK, who’s the current British figure skating gold champion (I SHIT YOU NOT, she’s a star) and Brandon from Toronto. As if bonding over the need to dig a giant 15 foot hole for a septic tank wasn’t working, we headed to Benz, the local bar last night for some Imperial beers and met a bunch more student volunteers, one of whom is a 17 year old, chain smoking rich kid from London. You get all types, volunteering,… and some of them, you have no idea why they’re here.

Anyway, the site is about a 10 minute bus ride from San Ramon where we’re based with our host family. I am happy to report the microwave is more than adequate… the whole house is actually nothing like I expected. We’re in our own room, which is nice. Even if we’re in bunk beds. I got the bottom bunk, naturally. I hate climbing down for a pee in the middle of the night, not to mention that I’m slightly more blind than I was when I shared them with my friend Claire, 20 years ago. TWENTY YEARS AGO! Jesus, I’m old. The family are awesome, the little 3 year old is the cutest child I’ve ever met, and although I’m slightly… shall we say cautious of the rice and beans, I can tell it’s going to be an altogether enlightening experience.

Will be uploading some photos soon, and in the meantime we’re planning a possible weekend jaunt to La Fortuna to see another volcano and maybe do some white water rafting, OR we may head out to discover some secret hot springs I heard about from an expat American who's been living off the tourist trail for 20 years. Whoo hooo! Just wish the rain would piss off when we're ready to start exploring...