Day 9

Today our day started with prep for breakfast. We were assigned dish duty and were also responsible for bringing out the food. Breakfast today was oatmeal and beans. Our group was assigned to work at the school, and long-term volunteers Hannah and Cecelia joined us. We carried sand from the front of the school to the back. We were helping the contractors prepare to build the foundation for the new building. Lunch was rice, chili, pineapple and watermelon.

After lunch we returned to the hotel to freshen up and prepare to go to the Women’s Center. We piled into the back of the pick-up truck with the Marywood crew to get to there. At the Women’s Center we were taught how grind the mas and the corn mixture. 

We were then given the chance to make tortillas by hand from mixture that was previously made. Everyone in the group enjoyed hand-crafting the tortillas. The best part was being able to consume them fresh off the fire. 

We then made our way over to the wash stations. At the station we were taught how to properly wash clothing by hand. Everyone took their dirty article of clothing and got the chance to hand wash it. 

 After wringing out our clothing, we placed it in a bucket and went back down to center. The women showed us how to carry a bucket of clothing on our head. We all enjoyed watching each other try to balance the bucket and gained a greater appreciation for the women who can carry over 70 lbs. for many miles. 

Next we were taught how to carry firewood on our backs. Some of us attempted to carry the wood using the forehead strap. This was very difficult as the “small” load of wood weighed 75 lbs. 

We were also given the chance to shop in the store for goods made by the women. All the profit from each good goes to the woman that made it. Lastly we enjoyed dobladas prepared for us by the women at the center. Dobladas are tortillas filled with peppers, onion, and carrots then fried. They were served with red sauce and cilantro. We crammed back into the bed of the pick-up truck and returned to the Mission. We met up at 6 pm for a delicious dinner of rice, vegetables, chili, potato skins and chocolate chip cookies.

-Tyler and Alfonso