The past 2 weeks we have had the privledge of building a house and raising a roof for the 2 phenomanal women, Estella and Antonia, that cook for us here at Vision Nicaragua. It has been so incredible to work hard for these 2 women that work so hard for us everyday. As most of you probably know, I don't have much expierence building houses. And by not much expierence I mean absolutly none.
A few days ago after shoveling more or less a gazillion tons of concrete, Mario (a worker at Vision Nicaragua) asked me if this was how we did it in the States. Haha. Riiiiight. I mean, even in my complete lack of building knowledge I know that at home you just call the concrete man and he brings the fancy spinning truck to deliver how much concrete you need. Not here.
For your entertainment pleasure, please allow me to walk you through our Nicaraguan concrete making process:
1. Sifting. Crucial for getting that pure and smooth final concrete product. This step is a personal fav of mine. It's a pretty good arm workout and if you want to get crafty you can add some dancing or quick feet to it. It also reminds me of baking with my mom when I was little and getting to sift the flour.
2. Walk to the well, pump your water and then carry it back. Preferably on your head, like Dan.
3. Get 6 buckets of pretty sifted dirt, one bag of concrete, and an undeterminable about of water and mix it up like crazy! My fav pastry chef Dan (above) explained that it's like mixing cake. Or something like that.
4. Make pretty designs. Why? Because it's fun. And everyone loves fun.
And there you have it! Step one to building your Nicaraguan dream home! I haven't yet been entrusted with measurements or anything else technical (thank goodness), but I can mix concrete like a beast! It has been so fun to work hard and know that the result is someone getting a place to live and raise their family. And you never know, maybe i'll take up masonry when I get back to the States.
To see the sifting process in it's full glory, check out the video below:
