Wednesday

Hi Everybody,

I haven't been able to get on the past couple of day but tonight, SUCCESS!!. 

The past two days we have had regular work days at the site.  The team I'm on has made great strides on our house.  However, they told us today that we may not finish.  Although disappointing, they assured us that, even if we don't finish, they will send us a picture of  it completed.   We mixed cement 12 to 15 times today, worked on the supports around the roof, layed the floors and also layed the porch area.  I think today was the hardest I have worked so far because mixing the cement by hand, filling buckets and working on the roof  are all really hard!   I love it !

I will tell you a little more about the Habitat program we are working under.  It is called "Habitat House for Widows".  Habitat, together with village officers find a poor widow that needs help with safe housing.  They have this program for widows because in Bali women have a weak position in the family.  With the Habitat program, they help  widows who live alone,  have no income and who need housing.  This program also requires the family to do sweat equity to help build the house. 

The widow we are building our house for is Wayan Rebet.  She is 70 yrs old.  She is currently living in a wooden house by herself where she lived with her husband until he passed away.  The 20 minute walk each way each day to her sons is a very difficult walk, even for us.  She can't live with her son because there isn't room and they are also very poor.  The house we are building is next to her son.

It is really fun working with the family.  They have three children.  One little boy is about 9 months old.  He is teething and has been so uncomfortable this week.  I have been able to make up to him and when he giggles he is so cute.  All of the family works very hard with us.

We are very lucky to be staying at a very nice hotel now.  It is right on the beach.  Yesterday, before work, we went on a dolphin excursion.  I didn't get any good pictures of dolphins but the sunrise was very beautiful!  It is strange here because, since we are very close to the equator,  we have 12 hrs of light and 12 hours of dark.  Consequently,  it gets dark around 6:30 and light around 6:30.  

I don't remember if I told you  before but our group of 22 are from all over the US and world.  We have some 17 and 18 year olds and then there are 4 like me,  in their 60's.  All different backgrounds, personalities and abilities.  What brings us all together is working toward one goal to make life better for another human being.

Good night to you all...miss my family and friends.  Hope you are all doing well.

Love...Linda  :)