Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Block making fun!

Hello all!
   So today in the morning we did a lot of the same things we did yesterday.

 People put "stilts" or supports below the wooden roof, where the cement will be poured.
The stilts will be removed once the cement on the roof is dry.

Susan sawed pieces to go under the 2x4's (supports) to give them a little extra height.

((Picture coming... Slow Internet! That picture /\ took about 15 minutes to load!))

Some of us worked on the roof, chipping away at the existing roof to make a lip so the finished two part roof is seamless and strong.


After lunch we went to another house in La Morita to make blocks! This is something the families (and their neighbors) usually do, with the help of Roberto and sometimes other Esperanza staff, however, with three weeks of groups, we are going to need more blocks, so the small group this week is perfect for block making! I was really glad to see something new, it's great to see the work that goes into the making of the blocks, they are generally just all ready when we get here!
The mixer is orange, and the block maker is green.

After mixing the cement, it's shoveled into the block maker.

The block maker presses down and compacts the cement/sand/water mixture into a block.

Then the blocks are carried away!
And laid out to dry for a day.
After they've dried they are stacked up. They also need to be watered frequently so they don't dry to fast. If they dry out too fast they will be weak and break easily.

We played a Muskingham vs. Esperanza soccer (futbol) game, there is some discrepancy over who won... but it was a blast! I am terrible at soccer, and at one point tried to pick up a ball with my hands that was rolling towards me, while standing right in front of the goal... but it was fun!

   Peace & Love
         Rena

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