Yesterday I went with Joe, Uncle Mike, Aunt Shauna, Hillary & Emily and 40 other people to Tecate, Mexico to build a home. We went through the organization "Corazon" (
http://www.corazon.org/). We all paid $150 to pay for the supplies. The day started at 3:30 am when my alarm went off. I have to admit I was not happy to get up, but I just kept telling myself that what I was doing was worth it. We met my relatives at 5am in San Clemente and then headed down to San Diego to meet the rest of the group. From there, we caravanned our way to Mexico. Joe had never been before. He was holding on to his passport the whole trip saying how happy he was to be an American! I had been down there to paint a school when I was 17, so I knew what to expect as far as the living conditions, but for Joe, it was a whole new experience. We finally got to our location and it was basically after driving through an unpaved dirt road. We pulled up to an area that was sectioned off with barbed wire. There was a trailer, a container of water, a refrigerator, a washer/dryer, an outhouse, some toys and lots of dirt and cactus. In the middle of this was a foundation 16X20. This was where we would build this home. We were introduced to the Sanchez family-Lionel, Leslie and their cute son Elliot. They had been married for 5 years and have been living in their tiny trailer. The organization "Corazon" (means Heart in Spanish), gives back to families in Mexico that do things for others Mexican families. They were chosen and were soo excited to soon have their first home.
Elliot, Leslie & Lionel & their trailer
We were all told how the day would go, pretty much work until 12, break 30 mins and then work until we were done. We started by taking all the pieces of wood that would make up the walls of the home and painted them with primer. Shauna, Hillary, Emily and I painted alot of walls. Joe and Mike started on the more "manly" projects, such as building the frame for the home. Soon we were painting the exterior color of the home and then hammering those to the frame of the house. Next thing we knew, they were already putting the walls up. It was amazing how quickly we all got things done. By lunch break, we had put up all 4 walls, put up the frame of the roof and started to paint the interior.
Hillary, Emily & A. Shauna put on the primer & then painted the exterior walls
Nailing the exterior walls & then putting them up
Putting up the roof & then securing the roof
Moving in the loft floors & covering the roof
Lunch was soon over and my favorite part began-putting the tile on a counter Joe had helped build. I had no clue how to do any tile work, but now I can honestly say that I could do it from start to finish. Joe would lay the tile adhesive and then we would place the pieces of tile. My new friend Lee (trip coordinator) taught me how to mix grout so that we could finish the counter tiles. I became quite the "grouter". It was soo much fun. I worked SOO hard on making it look perfect. I would inspect each tile to make sure there weren't any holes. I wanted this to be perfect for the family. We finally got to place the counter in the home and Lee told us to sign the bottom of it! He said that he had never seen a counter look that good! He said that it is very rare that he allows anyone to sign any part of the build, but he knew how proud we were of it!
Lee & I mixing the grout & Joe placing the tile adhesive
Joe & I perfecting the counter & then finished product!
Our signatures under the counter & Lee with his proud counter crew
Before we knew it, the home was done. We had a ceremony for the family and they wrote a letter to all of us that a translator read thanking us for all of our hard work. We then presented them with a paper that we framed that had all of our signatures on it. The most amazing part was when they handed them their "keys" to the door!! In Mexico, you will rarely see a door, let alone one with a lock. The mexican government does not prosecute anyone for going into another persons home and stealing because if your house or car are not locked, you are welcoming anyone in to do as they please. You should have seen the look on there face when they received those keys. Their son Elliot was soo excited to go up into the loft that was built for them to sleep in. He kept saying that it was all for himself!! The smile on his face was priceless and it is one of the moments I will never forget! It was sad to leave. As we drove away we could see their home from the road and it looked AWESOME!!
Getting their keys & admiring their counter!
Us with the Sanchez's & the view of the home from the road
On our way back to the border, we stopped at this AMAZING taco stand that had the BEST tacos. Now, I am not a taco lover, but I can say I would eat there everyday! The whole drive back I kept thinking about how grateful the Sanchez family was to have that home that basically had one room with a loft. There was no carpet, no lights, no couch, no TV, no phone, no heat or air conditioning, no stove, no bed, no bathroom, no shower, no closets...basically 4 walls and a roof. When I finally got home, I walked up to my home that had a porch light lit, stepped onto the carpet and turned on a total of 7 lights, sat on my couch and looked around at the the "material" items I have and thought about everything they did not have. I couldn't help but feel guilty and spoiled. Joe told me that no matter how bad things can get, there are always people that have it worse and that everyday I should be thankful for where I was born and how I live. I cannot wait to do something like this again. I actually helped changed someones life!! It has changed me! So, the next time I think to complain about my DVR not taping the show I wanted or my home being too small, I will think of the smile on Elliot's face as he sat up in his tiny little loft for the first time!
Elliot and his priceless smile in "HIS" loft!!
