Dia Quatro

So day four, second day of work. And man are we sore!!! All muscles, joints and appendages are feeling a little strained but very accomplished. On Wednesday we made our way out to Villa Maria where our project is to get the low down on what exactly we will be doing.
The Project:
A school that teaches children business aspects so they can successfully bring money home to their families without resorting to theft or other illegal activities. I have mixed feelings about these goals because these kids aren't presented with a lot of time to simply be kids and have to work to support their family's at as young as 6 years old, but at the same time the families are so poor and in such desperate need of money that the kids will work anyway and learning how to sell their own products rather then resorting to illegal activities is a step in a better direction.
So right now, we are building the 197 kids, ages 3-15, a bathroom. Currently we are digging holes for piping in the designated bathroom areas, which means breaking through 5 inches of concrete with a pick axe and sledge hammer and then digging out 14 inch trenches of dusty soil and boulders. While there have been pick axes weilded in tiny spaces limiting the number of workers in each bathroom, we have also been painting the newly finished classrooms. In a row there is the Principal's office, and three new classrooms, followed by 2 older classrooms and a kitchen area. Three more classrooms are about half built and will hopefully be done within the year.
Sooo,...
Wednesday we got dirty painting and digging and I don't think I've worked that hard in a very long time. The kids came around to see what were doing and mainly to look with curiousitiy at all the white people that have infiltrated their village. This trip is definitely a learning experience - it has been great so far, meeting the kids and seeing/experiencing a different culture but, of course, in a country where 54% of the population lives in poverty, not every experience is going to put a smile on your face.
Even though Villa Maria is only an hour drive from affluent Miraflores, it is one of many barebones communities carved into arid hillsides with no sanitation, self-sustaining infrastructure or water system. For the kids, dreaming big means seeing the ocean - they don't understand how big the world really is and how many possibilities there are. Then I wonder what dreams are reachable for these kids, which leads me to asking if I am doing enough. It really makes you think, and I suggest if you ever find yourself or your kids taking anything in Canada for granted, send them here.
Thursday - pretty much the same as Wednesday - painting and digging until our hands turn into permanent claws. I wish I knew more Spanish so I could talk with the kids, because they are so interested with everything - where we are from, who we are, what Canada is like (they were asking us if we had roads, money, goats, oceans...) and what we were doing. With hand signals and a pocket dictionary I was able to talk for a bit with three girls who snuck up on me when I was sketching, which took the cake as my favorite moment of the day.
I think this entry is plenty long so I will get going and probably write again on Sunday.
So for now, Feliz Dia Mamasita and I will write again soon!