Doing laundry Mexican style!

There are certain moments that I have on these trips when I go "wow, I can't believe how much I take this for granted"...and it's always something small, something that we as North Americans might consider insignificant. I had one of those moments today. It all started when Charles had the idea for us to learn how to do laundry - by hand. So a few of us brought some dirty clothing items to the house build, and the Mother of the house taught us how to clean it by hand. As I was washing my laundry I was calculating in my head how long it would take to wash an average load. So in Mexico, average four minutes per clothing article; and an average of 20 items in one load at home...so 4x20= 80 minutes per load...in Mexico. At home it takes me all of two minutes to throw a load of laundry in the machine. It was A LOT of work!

When I was done my laundry I went up on the roof of the house to help with the tarring for the roof, and boy was it a messy job! Within the first 10 minutes I ended up with tar all over my hands, my arm, and my leg...and believe me, when you get tar on your skin, it is VERY difficult to get off...we had to use gasoline! However we were VERY productive this morning, and not only did the roof get done, but the inside walls, the outside trim, and windows were installed.

In the afternoon we decided to head to the beach with our family. We went back for lunch and then swung back to the house to pick them up. Not everyone came, since some of them were working, but the Mom, the youngest boy, and three of the daughters did. Mario, the youngest boy really warmed up and jumped right in the ocean. Two of the daghters, aged 14 and 19 were a little more shy, but I convinced them to come into the ocean with me, and they did some boogie boarding...which they LOVED with the huge waves!
The youngest daughter, who is eight, really warmed up to me today. We had some face paints, so I painted a heart on one cheek and a flower on the other. Then I braided her hair, and she loved it. She could not go swimming since her Mom said that she was ill, so instead I took her over to the park. At first she would not go down the big slide alone, and she eventually gained enough confidence to slide down all on her own. She would laugh and giggle every time, and she must have gone down 25 times!

Today was an awesome day, and in the evening we went to a cafe where they sold smoothies, specialty coffee's, and desserts. We had our debriefing there, and then watched the movie "Pay it Forward".

I learned a lot today, and I am really happy that the family warmed more. This experience in Mexico is definetly one that I am enjoying, and I am really loving getting to know the family.

P.S. Once again, I have no pictures, but they will be posted on here, and on facebook very soon!