You may not think five days of manual labor goes by as quickly as it did for our team of 16 Global Village volunteers, at least if you aren’t used to digging ditches, back-filling foundations and mixing concrete by hand. Let me assure you, not one of us does any of these things as our … Continue reading
Tagged with Volunteer Vacation …
HFHI Women Build 2017 Paraguay – Work Days 3 & 4
A few facts you may not know about Paraguay. The country is the world’s sixth largest exporter of beef; Paraguay has twice as many cows as people. The cows are so special they are sold and flown live to Peru! It also exports soy, cotton and hydroelectric power. It’s a low-key country that flies under … Continue reading
In Defense of Leaving Home
Growing up in a blue-collar middle class family in western Pennsylvania, leaving home meant visiting my grandparents who lived about a 20-minute car ride away. Their small home in the city was my favorite place to be and if felt different enough from my split level suburban house to satiate my desire to travel. Leaving … Continue reading
HFHI Global Village Salima, Malawi – Farewell
Crafting an interesting and worthy end-of-build post has become increasingly difficult. Looking back I realize they sound the same. Not a bad thing, but perhaps teetering on boring. The countries are all so different, the culture and the homeowners too, but the emotions remain the same. Each time I want to tell you that we’ve … Continue reading
HFHI Global Village Salima, Malawi – Meet Eme
Eme gives the best hugs. As we greet each other every morning and throughout the day, we embrace. Her long sinewy arms enfold you in a gentle squeeze, heart to heart. Eme is a widow and cares for her 3 children on her own. She also cared for her 95 year old mother who would … Continue reading
HFHI Global Village Salima, Malawi – Work Days 1 & 2
Two days of building already under our belt. First chance I have had to buy Internet access and attempt to write a thoughtful blog post. It feels as though our group of 10 has been together much longer. We are enjoying getting to know one another. Working together. Sharing meals. Roommates. Laughing and generally loving … Continue reading