Dec. 7, 2008 Recta Final - Push to the end!

Hello friends! I just wanted to share with you that after almost three and a half months of arduous collective work building Manuel and Rosaura's house, and working with a diverse group of hard working volunteers; on Monday, Dec 15th, official construction of this extraordinary home will come to an end. Rosaura and Manuel need a warm home to spend the holidays in, and I have to take care of urgent personal matters left pending in Cusco (another part of Peru), so, with all this upon us, we must finish all major details in the house by the 15th, and give Manuel and Rosaura their house back. It has been an interesting journey, and a heck of a learning experience for me, but most of all, building this home has been for me, an incredible opportunity in many ways to grow, reflect, expand, decide, confirm, discard,observe, let go, enjoy, etc etc . I have felt every emotion there is to feel I think while building this house, and that alone has been an interesting ride that I am thankful for...
I can say lots about my construction experience, but a word that is popping in my being now is THANK YOU! GRACIAS to every person that decided to come to Chincha to work with mud...(Abel, Maestro Moises, Andy, Tim, Jonathan, Pilar y sus SUPER senoras de Psj. Castilla, Roger, Maiwenn, Pauline, Jake, Christa, Mark, Rosae, Michelle, Tory, Miguel, Ines, Emily, Jake & Gema, Max & Jeaninne, Alexander, Andy, Christian, Eddie, Mari, mis ninos, Neiba..GRACIAS!!! you are now forever exclusive members of the 2008 Chincha Mud Crew...your hard work helped make the house a reality, and I can't adequately express my gratitude to you, for committing your time, energy, resources and talents to the Manuel and Rosaura rebuilding project. GRACIAS to every person that made a donation...Sand, Patri y Nacho, Shi Shi, Shirley's friend, Andy, Andy's parents, brother, aunt & uncle, Christa, Roger's mom, Roger, Michelle and Rosae, Gem & Jake, Emily and Ines, Em's mother Wendy, Mark, Miguel de Italia, Colette, my brothers and sisters and my beautiful mom Margarita!! May life give each of you 1000 times what you gave to this project...GRACIAS! Big THANK YOU also to Tim and to the Pisco Sin Fronteras guys for lending me the essential tools, I desperately needed to build this house...gracias muchachos!
Manuel viendo su casita! Manuel & his new house!

Last, but NEVER least, Gracias a mis ninos, thanks to my kids, for letting me go off to that construction place...for understanding that I was either too busy or too tired to give a workshop many days. Mis ninos y jovenes, ustedes son verdaderamente generosos, aprendo mucho de ustedes y de su indescriptible capacidad de amar. yo, ninos-amigos mios, los quiero con mi vida, con mi energia, con mi trabajo, con mi compromiso, con mi tiempo, con mi casa, con mis ganas de darles todo, con todo los amo, y les agradezco que me quieran y entiendan y que me hayan dado el espacio para construir esta necesaria casita para Manuel y Rosaura. Ya pronto regresaremos a nuestro ritmo de antes, nos veremos mas, cocinaremos, viajaremos, y haremos cosas INCREIBLES juntos! yo quiero volarrrrrr..:) ustedes son el mundo! valen todo el mundo! merecen lo mejor! Desde agosto 2007, ustedes son mi mundo, y mi mundo no podria ser mas maravilloso. Los quiero tanto como a mis sobrinas y sobrinos que son oxigeno para mi!!!!
If I have forgotten someone, please forgive me and kindly email me to remind me a name...these days I have too many things in my head...perdon in advance!

Eddie y Christian voluntarios Chinchanos barnizando el techo! Gracias!
Eddie & Christian local volunteers varnishing the roof!

The bathroom's brand new floor!
El nuevo piso del banho!

Andy, un chinchano muy generoso haciendo nuevos pisos y resanando!
Thanks Andy & Christian for helping us with the floors!

Manuel & Rosaura's room primed
El cuarto de mis viejitos listo para pintura

Alex, un amigo chinchano haciendo la conexion del tanque de agua!
Alex, a Chincha friend helping us do the water tank and electric connections!

Em Chiseling the bathroom's old floor
Em sacando el viejo piso del banho

Roger y Eddie barnizando
Roger and Eddie Varnishing

Beautiful moseic in the bathroom courtesy of INES! Gracias!
Lindo mosaico en el bano..gracias Ines!

Tiling done by Ines, and both Andys
Mayolicas en bano hechas en conjunto por Ines, y los dos Andys!

Nice tile work Ines!
Lindo trabajo de Ines con la mayolica en la ducha!

Manuel's room from a different angle
cuarto principal de diferente angulo

Ines tiling shower and Em helping
Ines poniendo mayolicas en la ducha y Em ayudandola

Voluntarios del pedagogico!

Eddie y los muchachos del pedagogico ayudando a pasar adobes
Guys from pedagogico helping fill pits with adobes

Back room looking better every day
El cuarto de atras viendose cada dia mas lindo

Ines and the two Andys working the tiles
Ines y los Andys trabajando con las mayolicas

Max showing off his skills! LOVE the pants Max!!!
Max mostrando sus habilidades y su pantalon!

Erickson ayudando a poner imprimante en las paredes
Erick helping us prime walls

Jeannine, the priming queen..showing her work!
Jeaninne mostrando el resultado de su trabajo!

Andy ensenhando a Ines y otro Andy a poner mayolicas
Andy, showing Ines and other Andy how to place tiles

Ines leveling wall for tiling
Ines nivelando pared para poner las mayolicas!