Dia # 3

Building day 3 in Paraguay and it is raining! The morning started similarly to our previous two with a quick breakfast and off to the site with the exception of the low grade headache we were all experiencing after celebrating Brian Judge’s birthday for the third night in a row. During our commute I reviewed my new Spanish words from the previous day (sandia = watermelon, roto = broken, sueno = dream and merienda = snack) with our fluent Spanish speakers, Emily Peyton and Leanna Harris and chose a few new words to assimilate my vocabulary for the day (limpio = clean, sucio = dirty, lluevia = rain and dona = miss). I am determined to expand my vocabulary on this trip but still struggle with linking the appropriate words; exemplified later in the day when I told our driver that I had beer for breakfast. As we approached the work site the weather magically transformed; the rain stopped and a light refreshing breeze cleared the air. Perfect weather for building a home!

Everyone got into their groove as if we had been working as a team for weeks. Each member has found their own niche that works for their personal strengths and particular disabilities, after all this group is from a ski town and we all have our battle wounds from years of ripping it up. The piles of sand, bricks, dirt and tile that greeted us just two days ago have taken the likeness of a house. The masons, the family that is to inhabit the home and our team seemed closer today as we joked and worked; cultural barriers have disintegrated. We have discovered a reciprocal appreciation for each other’s humor; in particular capturing each other on film “jowling” or doing the “shake face!” If you are not familiar with this practice (custom) it is not because it hails from Paraguay it is actually an exercise that we have brought with us from the “United States.” We have Kelly Brupbacher to thank for the introduction, I must admit we are all hooked and the photos occupy most of the memory on our cameras. It is near impossible to describe so you will have to track down someone from our Eagle County based Habitat for Humanity Global Village Team for the experience. Lorenzo, the youngest member of our team at age 12, takes no prisoners and has convinced everyone to participate. I’m guessing that tomorrow morning the entire village will show up to our site to have their photo taken.

Lunch today was a beef soup served in a corn based broth with sweet potatoes and corn dumplings. Baked yucca, served with all of our lunches (almuerzo) thus far, was also served as part of the meal. I am amazed at the new flavors and tastes that we have experienced on this trip, finding a deep appreciation for unprocessed foods that we tend to consume in the United States with such regularity. After lunch we learned to make traditional Paraguayan chipa. Though it sounds like it might be poultry it is actually a bread made with eggs, yucca flour, cheese and butter - delicious to snack on while building a house (and gluten free).

Upon our return to the hotel we settled in for an exciting recap of the day. We decided that we would meet on the roof where there is a great view of the city. We took turns sharing our daily “dookie” (low point of the day), “diamond” (high point of the day) and “wild card” (surprise). Very few “dookies” were expressed and everyone agreed with the diamonds that were shared, concluding that we had all chosen the perfect alternate vacation and this group of people was meant to share this adventure.

Martha Brassel