Men Anpil, Chay Pa Lou

"Carpenter Mike" keeps warning us that we'll run out of work if we keep our pace up, to which I typically reply that "we only have two speeds." In a couple of cases, though, he's been right.

On our first day framing School 7, the lads and I smoked out (completed with great alacrity) all of the walls in the morning and had to call it a day. No matter, Brendan and I were able to spend the second half of the day helping Eric finish the forms at La Sous, whilst Aaron and Mike sat atop a rubble pile twittling their thumbs. Thanks to our efforts, there won't be any peeping-tommery at the public bath (see Eric's post, "La Sous").

I spent the half-day Friday cutting louvers for School 7 and assembling tables for the littluns, before the holiday revelry began (see Mike's post, Christmas in Haiti). On Monday, rested and ready, Mike and I built 20 benches for the pre-schoolers soon to occupy School 7. I was approached by several people who thought our work looked "really cute."

Today we continued the finishing early theme, completing all of the wall plumbing, bracing, and blocking on School 7 just after lunch, and had to return back to basecamp to busy ourselves until dinner. All in all, though, being ahead of schedule is a good problem to have. Tomorrow, all five of us, together on one site for the first time, join Carpenter Mike in raising and setting the trusses on School 7. It promises to be one of the best opportunities yet for us to smoke some shit out.

Although comparisons can be odious, I think each of us have been struck to one degree or another at just how similar an All Hands site can feel to a Habitat site. Sure, we have to draw our water from a well, and there are barefoot Haitian children climbing the walls and goats climbing the adjacent rubble, but engaging smiling, eager volunteers in work that they care deeply about feels much the same wherever you go.

Whatever trepidation we had about explaining carpentry techniques through a language barrier was quickly allayed with gestures and gesticulations of all manner. It was no more challenging explaining how to crown lumber to a Haitian child than to a CPA from Yuma, and the children didn't complain. While I for one am hesitant to try to guess how far we can get on this school, I think we're all excited to bust our asses finding out.

Our local cash for work crew has a motto - "men anpil, chay pa lou" - which translates to "many hands make a lighter load." Despite our motivation and fancy tools, I think we're finding that to be the case with the community volunteers, children included.

Peace and love,

Chris