El Havillel

5-22

I woke up this morning and for breakfast had plaintains and the corn drink. I'm horrible at compliments so the only thing I could say was that the corn drink tasted like hot yogurt. Justin could barely contain himself. I guess it wasn't really a compliment. Seriously though, gravy + yogurt = corn drink.
I could tell when I showed up that everyone was really tired and worn down a little and I knew they needed me. I got my shovel and started shoveling loads of concrete with the sun beating down on me. It's so hot that we have to take breaks pretty frequently. Sarai is joining us for the day to shovel as well! I'm glad she gets to meet everyone on the trip.

We continued to work until 5pm when pretty much all the kids in the village came to play soccer with us. I thought that we were stared at in San Miguel but in El Havillel we are like Justin Bieber. Children and adults alike watch our every move. They follow us from the work site to Dorita's house (where the women sleep and all of us eat our meals). The men sleep at the church. The church is gorgeous and simple. It's really pathetic that those are the only words I have to describe it.

 You wouldn't believe the living conditions of the people here. They have livestock, mainly chickens, that are allowed to roam around the village-- including the houses. The other night, Zach was eating lunch and was pecked by a chicken! They typically don't bother you though. The bathrooms consist of toilets that don't really flush. If you go numero dos you have to pour a bucket of water into the toilet. Toilet paper doesn't go in the toilet. That's basically the worst thing you can do because it kills the plumbing. Your shower is a bucket of water that you pour on yourself. Sinks are made out of stone, as is most of the house-- with rusted tin roofs. The only things they have that even remotely come from this century are Tv's, cellphones and bicycles. The tv's are older, like the ones I grew up with. I'm wondering what they think of the people they watch on the TV. What do they think about the houses that the people live in? They way they live their lives? What if they knew that that way of living is normal in the U.S.