Hello everyone! We are home from Mochudi after an intense weekend. I don't think I have ever worked so hard in my life. The strength that goes into building these homes here in Botswana is unbelievable. I was so proud of all the girls for all the effort that we put into this project. When we got to the plot there was literally nothing done - we started from the ground up. We dug the trench, which was 10.5 m long by 3.5 m wide and about 2.5 ft deep. We filled the trench with cement and then laid the bricks for an entire day. It was such hard work, but with the help of the professional builders and positive attitudes we did it! The last day we compacted the soil and filled the rest of the trench in with dirt before covering the foundation with cement. Absolutely everything was done by hand, even the mixing of the cement, which was a combination of sand, stones, cement and water. We wheelbarrowed all of the materials from separate piles into one, then mixed with shovels and wheelbarrowed the cement over to the trench. It was back breaking work and we are covered in cuts and bruises, but it was amazing to see how much these people value hard work. The family and professional builders were so grateful for our help and we were just as grateful to be there. It was an eye opening weekend. One I think everyone should experience. If young adults had to work like this to earn a living our country would be a lot different than it is now. The work ethic and value for hard work would be different and we would definitely be more grateful and appreciative for what we have and just how good we have it!
I will try to upload photos of the house build, and was able to email some to some of you (mom, please pass those on I didn't know everyones email off hand). I am missing everyone and these past four weeks have flown by! I know it will be sad to leave Botswana because the relationships we are building here are incredible. The children, teachers and people we meet on a daily basis are so warm and welcoming. It is such a positive and loving place - it will be difficult to leave, but I know I will bring it all back with me. Next weekend we are back in Mochudi on Saturday and Sunday to hopefully help complete the house. More to come soon!
Miss you all and love you xoxo
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