VOLUNTEERING WITH HABITAT IN EL SALVADOR

Our group poses in front of the fruits of our labors.

Insane volcano running aside, El Salvador (and Phil) have been good to us. So good in fact, that we felt like we owed it a little something. And then, just like that, the perfect opportunity presented itself. 

We were invited to join in on a Habitat for Humanity build in the town of Juayua, with a number of US Embassy and USAID staff and friends. We've preached the merits of serendipity in the past, and this is another perfect example. Being hardcore voluntourists, it was an invitation we couldn't pass up.

What was not so excellent was the 6 a.m. departure time. That's 6 a.m. "U.S. time," not "Salvadoran time," which would have been a much more tolerable 7-7:30 ish. No matter. Phil, a McDonald's connoisseur and unofficial Fastfood Ambassador, knew of a great local restaurant where we could grab a quick breakfast on the way (see photo at right).

Once fully fueled, we were all set to grab some shovels and get to work. And there was much to be done. The house was without a floor, and hundreds of buckets of sand were needed to bring the interior floor up to the correct level. And so, we began shoveling.     

And shoveling....and shoveling.

And when we were done with the shoveling, and pouring, and pounding the dirt with paint cans filled with concrete, that floor looked beautiful.

And we were proud of ourselves. But there was still more work to be done.

We pulled weeds, moved rocks, got started on building the exterior patio, and primed the entire exterior and interior, for both plaster and paint.  Not only did we get to help out a great organization, we also got a killer triceps workout, and worked up an intense appetite.

But yet again, serendipity had our backs. The town of Juayua is also home to an incredible weekend street food festival. And this just happened to be a weekend. 

Needless to say, we stuffed our faces with grilled pork, beef, rabbit, and anything else these happy ladies heaped on our plates. Unfortunately, gorrobo (iguana) wasn't in season, so we'll have to come back. Shucks.

Two happy ladies prepping our lunch at the famous weekend Juayua food festival.