Dan Coleman

Donna Mitchell, a member of our Argentina brigade, took over 600 snapshots during our build. She graciously agreed to select a number of these photos that she then organized in sequence on FlickR and allowed me to link them from our Web Site. So go to our home page and click on “Medlay of Photographs” to gain a better understanding of our adventure in Argentina

The shouting is over. Most of us are now back at home and back doing those things that we did before we set out on our Argentine adventure. So, as one of the co-leaders on this build, I would like to share with all my thoughts one week after the event has passed.

I am truly grateful that everyone returned home safe and sound. Despite spending so much time on a construction site with its inherent dangers, and in a foreign country with its unknowns, no one was injured or harmed in any way nor did anyone suffer anything more than minor health problems, and only three of us at that. And most of us ate what we wanted, including green salads with unpealed tomatoes!

I also think that everyone really had a good time, whether it was on the construction site or in our free time. There was a lot of laughing and joking around. I still remember Deb’s whoop when she heard something that really tickled her. Or the round of laughter when Frank told a story about one of his many past adventures overseas - always embellished, of course. Or just the wide grins all around when Laura came up just the right word or comment about something we had seen or done. It was, to say the least, a very compatible and happy group - or at least it seemed that way to me.

Finally, I know that what we did in the town of Recreo was a good thing, something that we can all be proud of and remember for the rest of our lives. For two weeks, we fifteen personified the term volunteer and what it means to care and give.

And this is only the start. I know that all of the members of this team will be on a Habitat build somewhere next year. Right?

Mariano Colombo, the HPHA foreman who supervised our work, prepared a list of our construction accomplishments. It was written in Spanish and I have tried to translate it as well as I could given my lack of knowledge of building terms. But first let me explain a little about our different tasks on the sites.

We actually worked on three housing units. The first was the Ramirez house which was at least 90% completed when we arrived, and our job was to do finishing work. The second was the Moreira house which we started from scratch and saw it built up to the walls. The third was what Mariano called the “Colman” house and I don’t know if that is the name of the new owner or what. We only laid out its foot print. The latter two were at a site about two blocks away from the Ramirez house. Further, I would like to remind everyone that all these tasks were carried out manually; there was no motor operated equipment for our use. So, here goes:

1. Leveled and spruced up the Ramirez family’s entire yard.
2. Dug 46 post holes 2 ft deep.
3. Placed 46 wooden posts in the holes and secured them firmly.
4. Nailed 590 ft of wire fencing to the posts, then placed 1,200 feet of high strength supporting wire along the top and the bottom of the wire fence. The purpose of this fence was to enclose and secure the area that would hold eventually 10 new Habitat homes.
5. Painted with 2 coats of paint five metal windows and one metal door of the Ramirez house.
6. Painted the entire exterior of the Ramirez house.
7. Moved 600 bricks two blocks from the Ramirez yard where they had been stored to the site of the Moreira house some two blocks away. Used wheel barrows to do this.
8. Relocated 65 concrete panels (weighing some 13,300 pounds in all) from the exterior of the fence where the vendor had left them to the enclosed interior next to the Moreira house.
9. Each day we had to transfer our tools to and from the site.
10. Removed about 2 inches of cover grass and soil to prepare the 430 sq. ft. foundation for the Moreira house.
11. Did the same as above for the “Colman” house. This is all the work we did on this 3rd house site.
12. Shoveled 565 cubic feet of dirt on to the Moreira house site to make a compacted dirt base about 8 inches high.
13. Assisted in the contruction of the Moreira house walls by putting in place the posts and the panels and attaching them together.
14. In the Ramirez house, we filled the seams between the concrete panels (already in place) to the tune of 180 linear feet of grout filler.

Mariano also informed us that the temperature had, at times, reached 95 degrees, and it was humid. Accordingly, we:
Drank more than 54 gallons of water;
Consumed more than 160 pounds of fresh fruit (oranges, apples, bananas, etc.);
Ate 175 box lunches on the site.

He did not calculate how much suntan lotion we put on.
But Mariano knows his statistics.
Thanks, Mariano

We have now finished our work in Recreo. But it is still necessary to update the events that took place between the last blog and our departure from Argentina.

We left Santa Fe on the bus in mid-morning, arriving in Buenos Aires about 5 PM. Our Habitat Coordinator, Marcelo Ortelli, was there with a mini van at the bus station to meet us and take us to our downtown hotel, the Best Western Monumental. Before going to our rooms, we met in the hotel conference room for a brief evaluation session, during which time we filled out a form and discussed the positive and negative aspects. In general, the team felt that the logistics and assistance from Habitat could not have been better and all were very positive about this. On the negative side, the team felt that some of the contruction aspects of the build could be improved. My opinion on this is that the team was facing some new building concepts and systems that were a little confusing. Regardless the team’s overall response was that the build had been successful.

After the meeting, we checked into the hotel and then went to a tango show at the Cafe Tortoni, which is oldest cafe in the city, having been founded in 1858. For anyone who has visited cafes in Vienna or Budapest, for example, he or she would have felt right at home. The cafe also has a back room where they put on two shows nightly for about 75 people. This show consisted of four man band, a singer and a dance duo. It was very traditional. They played one song from a movie that, before playing it, they asked us to guess the name. No one could, however, we all groaned aloud when they told us it was from “The Scent of a Woman", with Al Pacino. Nearly all of us had seen this movie. Afterwards we dined around the corner at the Restaurant ” Museo de Jamon".

The next morning we took in a typical half day city tour. Everyone was free in the afternoon to do as he or she pleased. That evening we had our own going away dinner at a delightfull Italian restaurant just a 1/2 block from the hotel. Frank and I were surprised when we each received a gift from the team, one that I will treasure forever, as I am sure Frank will as well. The next morning, Sunday, was the day of departure. Hugh left early, even before the rest of us were up, then Peter. By the end of the day 11 had left, then Frank and I the following day, with the remaining four straggling out by the end of this week.
I hope to continue adding a few blogs during the month of November. So please stay tuned.

A key part of every Global Village build is when we take time to say goodby to the people we have worked with over the past days. In our case it took place last night. Earlier in the day, as I mentioned in my last blog, we had participated in the inauguration of 15 new homes. Now we would return to our hotel afterwards, and once again, go this other event.

We arrived about 9 PM at the community center in Recreo where we were met by many of same people we had been with earlier in the day. (The above is somewhat rambling, since I have just returned from work and am a little frazzled). A large asado (Argentina barbeque) was set for what much have been 70 to 80 people. Habitat had prepared a certificate for each one of us, and the master of ceremonies, Mariano Moreno, also the head of Santa Fe Habitat, first called on a different family member or some else involved in our build to present to each of us a certificate and a Habitat leather bookmark. Later a local band played some music. Another emotional experience. We were home by midnight.

Today, at the worksite, began as it usually does, with a few of us working on finishing the Ramirez home and the remainder on building the new house as well as clearing the ground for even another house. However, as Frank later noted, we started to flag. Maybe because of the previous evening, maybe because it was the last day, maybe because we were kind of finishing up come tasks, anyway it was time to wrap it all up. We had our usual box lunch at noon, and then left early for the hotel, after, of course, saying goodby once again to a few people who had become our good friends in the past 10 days or so. Tonight we will dine for the last time in Santa Fe. On to Buenos Aires tomorrow.