Breakfast was a challenge. We looked at the bland noodles mixed with really moist rice and a side of canned refried beans, and the generous women who graciously fed us were watching our every move. We swallowed every spoonful, feeling guilty.
After a while, Ricardo picked us up and we walked over to the house where they were building the newest stove. It was one of the first times that I’d been inside a house, and it was definitely one of the nicer houses in the community.
The woman of the house was outside washing some clothes, but she showed us the place in the kitchen where she grinds the corn for the tortillas.
So we got to work, but of course we didn’t help all that much. First, there was a lot to discuss in q'eqchi and no one was particularly worried about translating conversations.
Ricardo knew what to do and he lead the construction process. We gathered dirt and poured it in the holes of the cement blocks. When my sister and I grabbed the shovel and bucket and tried to gather dirt ourselves, the kids made us hand the tools over because they just did it so much better.
Jarret’s a certified mason so he helped with the cement and also the digging part. He tried to show them a cementing technique, but they didn’t repeat it. My guess is that it looked like too much cement would be used that way. But, it's always a struggle to convince other people to do anything another way.
As always, the kids demanded our attention. So, we appeased them and they sang for us.
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