DOMINICAN REPUBLIC HFH BUILD - APRIL 2013

After a great experience doing a HFH Global Village build in Mexico February 2012, I took the team leader training in order to lead a team myself.  For various reasons, it didn't work out a build in El Salvador I hoped to do, so I joined with a great new friend, Sally, to go to the Dominican Republic.  As always, I enjoyed working with some fantastic volunteers from all over the U. S., as well as host country volunteers and Haitian men who were happy to have the work.

This is the monument where the above photo of the base is from.

Sight-seeing in Santo Domingo before the build.   We stayed at the Hotel Mercure in the Colonial Zone (old downtown).  We then travelled by vans to our worksite town.



Daily team meeting on top floor of little hotel in San Juan de Maguana.  Rooms very very basic, two to a room.  We ate up in this area as well as had evening meetings to debrief and share our thoughts and feelings about the day.

Day one, pouring concrete panels, which are used for those who can't afford a block house.  We only did this the first day.

Cutting, bending, and tying rebar kept all of us occupied.

Connie bending rebar

This is result of the bent rebar

To be used for these supports.

With one of the family couples at a work site.  They both were employed so were unable to work with us.  We worked at three different sites, pouring a floor at this one.

After work we checked out the local market.  Sally Fillmore, our team leader, looking at me.

Danger, women at work!  And hard work it was!The woman on the far left was 78 years old; 
this was her 13th HFH-GV build!

Here we are pouring a roof.  Their system was unique,
 however,  we were not there to advise, but to work with them as needed.

Miguel, Jeff, and Bobby...
our hardworking wheelbarrow brigade!

Connie enjoying a break with some of the DR HFH volunteers/interns



All work and no play...so rather than be dull, we walked up
 a river bed near the mountains and had a great time cooling
 off in the wide spot where we could really get wet!

Cultural exchanges occurred every day. From river
walking/swimming to learning how to cook plantains,
 and also included salsa dancing. 

Last night at our work site hotel, with one of the families. 
We worked on several homes and met all the very grateful
 homeowners, who were all hard at work at their jobs so they
 could afford the payments they would be making.

Back in Santo Domingo, and enjoying our last afternoon
 at the non-tourist (used mostly by locals)  beach before departing the next day for home.