Posted by Veronica Garcia, VP Advocacy and Community Partnerships:
Today’s weather was beautiful and everyone was eager to get started after a good night’s sleep. We boarded the bus at 7:15 a.m. after a hearty breakfast. Our daily bus ride is an adventure in itself. The route provides views of small cities or villages, The Himalayan mountains, and the majestic Machhapuchhre or Fishtail Mountain. Fishtail is the second highest mountain of the Annapurna range. It has supposedly never been climbed, is considered to be sacred by the local inhabitants, and is a treasured spiritual site of the Nepalese.
When we arrived to the site, we were warmly greeted by Madu and her in-laws. Day Three work included cutting bamboo strips for weaving, weaving walls, finishing the roof and starting the finish work with Mortar. The home, when finished, will include a bedroom, kitchen, sitting area, porch and outdoor toilet. Madu, dressed in jeans and a HFH GLA t-shirt, helped us weave and assisted the entire group throughout the day. Lunch was served at House 30, which is on a hill top with a magnificent view of the lake and valley, and during lunch local women laid out their jewelry for sale. I could not help but purchase a few bracelets for family and friends back home, but it was more important to support the hard work these women do every day to simply survive.
In the afternoon, Michael, Jess, Cheryl and I took a short break and trekked up the hillside to a local temple. I have no idea how old the structure was, but it was amazing. At the end of the day, Madu presented the women volunteers with bracelets as an expression of her gratitude. Very sweet! We ended our day around 4 p.m. and after cleaning up, walked down the steep hill to an awaiting bus. Everyone was VERY tired, but all in all—a very good Habitat for Humanity day.
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| Day 3 |
Namaste!
Read Veronica's posts from Day One and Day Two.
Labels: 26th annual jimmy and rosalynn carter work project, building everest, global village, Habitat for Humanity Greater Los Angeles
