Tuesday, March 18

    Today, our entire group worked on construction. I have laid block for other Maranatha projects before, so I was able to teach others from the medical team how to do it. To lay a block, you have to pick up mortar on the back of a trowel and put it around the edges of the previous row of blocks that were laid. Then, you have to put mortar on the sides of a new block, hoist it over the rebar, and place it on top of the mortar you put on the previous row of blocks. The next part is the most tedious and important part of the process: leveling the block. You must tap down all sides of the block so that it is evenly laid according to a leveling tool. There is a string that marks how high the blocks are supposed to reach, so you must also ensure that the block sits perfectly under it. Finally, you must put mortar in the cracks between the bricks, which is tricky because mortar tends to fall when placed vertically. We completed four layers of block all around the building today! Construction work is especially tiring because it is extremely hot and sunny outside, and each block weighs sixteen pounds! Additionally, we have to build scaffolding as we get higher up the walls and fill every four layers with cement. Finally, after a long day of work, we drove back to where we are staying for dinner. Tonight, for dessert, we had fried plantains (one of my favorite fruits) and passionfruit popsicles!

 

The construction group for one of the walls

Me putting mortar on the wall

Our progress so far


The passionfruit popsicle

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