Day 1
First things first. We look to our Habitat construction supervisors Sebastian and Raul for direction. These guys have been working for Habitat, and volunteers like us, for well over a decade. Monday morning, they had three specific jobs for us: build a huge fire wall that will serve as one side of the addition that sits between Claudia’s house and the house next door, in the duplex.
The second job was framing the small walls for the addition and the third making roof trusses. Right away we set to work, with power tools! The sounds of saws buzzing, hammers swinging and laughter ringing — Spanglish and all — were the norm.
Lunch was really special, getting to know Claudia, her favorite subjects in school, music and hobbies. She’s a determined young woman who has a bright future due almost entirely to her strength and the love and support of her family and community. After only one full day together, we feel so much heartfelt connection with everyone on the job site.
Day 2
Today, only the second, was particularly satisfying. The team, and slew of extended people, were humming along. In the morning, we erected the fire wall, which felt like a barn raising. All at once, the entire team, with direction from our Construction Supervisor, hoisted the wall into the air and anchored it into place.
The day continued with more framing, followed by insulation and prepping for siding. We met all our goals for the day and felt quite accomplished!
This is part of the “magic” of Global Village.
And this is the reason why we build.
Global Staci 