Day 7: Market and First Day at Orfanto Jehova-Jirah

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Journal Entry by Ben Wilson

It is day 7, almost halfway through our trip already. Today we start our big project at the Orfanto Jehova-Jirah, and orhpanage in San Salvador.  Our project is to make a kitchen shelter for their residence complex in order to make more room for the orphans in the bedrooms. Unfortunately when we arrived in the morning, the contractors and tools had not arrived yet, so we decided to check out the craft market while we waited for tools to be delivered that afternoon.

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On the way to the market, Sandy was feeling kind of sick and decided that the outside of the bus needed some more colour. After a brief stop to make sure that everyone else was feeling ok, we were back on the road to the market. A couple of people stayed in the car because they felt sick, but the rest of the group explored the merchant booths filled with trinkets, clothes, hammocks and all sorts of beautifully coloured items. Everyone bought some souvenirs and gifts to bring home to family and friends.

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After an hour or so at the market, we headed back to the Alamo hotel for lunch. We ate the peanut butter and honey sandwiches that we had prepared earlier. Four people were feeling under the weather after lunch, so seven of us headed back to the orphanage. Once we arrived, there were still no contractors but there were a couple shovels, a pick and some buckets. Today’s task was to dig away dirt and make the ground the same level to prepare for the concrete floor to be poured later in the week. After a long day of hacking away at the dirt, shoveling it into buckets and carrying the dirt to the dump pile we returned to the hotel for much needed showers.

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We relaxed for a couple of hours and then headed to an Interact meeting. We discussed our trip and projects that our clubs at home do with the Salvadoran Interactors. They were very interested in our projects and in helping us later in the week when we go to work with New Acropolis. May hands make light work, the more the better! Everyone headed to bed early to rest up for another full day of physically demanding work tomorrow.