Day 5 - Catacamas Revisited This morning is our last at Cedeco. We pack up everything, breakfast, say good bye to the keepers and load up. Since I had not yet had a turn in the truck, I was given a seat there. Frankly I was a little bit disappointed since I somehow spend each trip in the middle portion of two seat sections. Having mastered the technique needed to balance on there without suffering injury, I hardly knew what to do with an actual seat cushion. I should also mention that the truck usually took third position which meant it was the equivalent of spending 3 hours traveling in a dust storm. No air conditioning meant windows open. Truck passengers had a tendency to arrive looking as if they had just tried out for the role of Pigpen in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. I was quite relieved when Wilbur noticed that I had my camera and pulled back to stay out of the dust. He also made a point to watch me and if I looked as if I saw something that I wanted to shoot, he would ask Porto? I would nod and he immediately stopped to let me out to get a shot. I should also thank my fellow passengers who were gracious enough to indulge me. Along the way, Wilbur pointed to a small house far up one of the mountains. It was his birthplace. Further up the road we stopped and looked down across a spectacular valley cradling a beautiful ranch. This was his grandfathers and it was obvious that Wilbur was very proud of his home. Wilbur was such a wonderful driver. Always a smile, always thoughtful and always ready to help. Once we reached Catacamas, we stopped at the hotel to drop off our bags and picked up two teammates who had to join us late due to passport issues. It was great that they could finally join us. We split into teams; one for projects at Predisan and the others at CEREPA. I landed the Predisan gig. Our project was to replace a wooden foundation for a picnic table with a concrete foundation. First the old wood was removed, then 6 concrete posts had to be dug up. After than we began to trench the perimeter to prepare for the concrete and cinder block frame. Ultimately, a slab would be poured on top. We finished the day for two rows of cinder blocks, ready to fill in with dirt and pure the slab. We were working next to the cafeteria and had a chance to meet some pharmacy students who were here from David Lipscomb University. They were near the end of their internship and would be going back soon. At the end of the day we all went to dinner to our translators favorite restaurant. As she described it; a place with lots of meat. Indeed it was. And according to everyone, a great choice. The contractor who was providing the materials and a mason to guide the work was a local preacher. The mason was his nephew. The next day we would learn from another of his nephews that he once had a struggle with substance abuse and was a former patient of CEREPA. He was very grateful for their help and was a regular supporter and often helped with projects such as this. Thinking about the day, a picnic table doesnt seem like much. But, one of the students came up to us and thanked us for fixing the table. It was used every day and was becoming dangerous due to the deteriorating wood. Nothing huge or spectacular. Just work that needs to be done. It seemed that everywhere we turned, we were encountering someone who had been the recipient of help from Predisan or CEREPA. Yet, they dont seek glory or fame. They just continue to do work that needs to be done. Blessings, Michael
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 05:06:08 +0000
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