Estudio Damgo - Week 2

This week on the job site in Malaunay, it's all about site work, excavation, and getting dirty!  Student's learn first hand how important site access is to a construction site.  The project is located in a rural barangay, or small village, in the foot hills outside of Dumaguete.  The road we take to the site is narrow and follows the Okoy river.  There are a lot of twists and turns in our commute, and to make this journey even more difficult, the last kilometer of the road is under construction, which means we have to off load the dump truck and trek everything up a steep and rocky hill to the job site.

This glitch in coordination lends to creative problem solving methods on how to haul 100 hollow concrete blocks up the hill.  The students approach is to team up and slip the blocks onto a wooden post.  This method looks easier than it was.  It was challenging to haul even two blocks up the hill, we had to take several breaks in the shade.  Nevertheless, as we were climbing the hill, the elementary students came running down to greet us.  Some even helped carry the blocks up to the job site.  It was very heart warming to see two girls, no more than 10 years old, take a stick and haul a concrete block in the same manner.  They managed to get the block all the way to the job site, proudly smiling with sweaty brows.

Students unloading the 100 concrete blocks from the dump truck.

Much progress has been made by the full-time, fifth year students.  The daycare foot print has been marked out by nylon line.  Our task today was to erect a shade tarp and shovel out the new septic tank.  Many of the students find it easier to work barefoot.  This would not be tolerated in the states, but everyone is very aware and agile, and nobody came close to stubbing toes or clawing their foot with the shovel.  Thank goodness.  At the end of the day, we managed to excavate about 1/3 of the total volume required for the new septic system.  Fifth year students will enlist volunteers to help finish up the work to stay on schedule this week. 

Fifth year students, Rick and Von with foreman Jay, plumb temporary forms for the the hollow blocks soon to be placed in the newly, excavated trenches.

Fourth year student, Efren, lifts a huge rock from the septic excavation site.  It was the largest of a number of stones we ran into all day.

Students wait out the heavy rains that suddenly rolled in at the end of the work day.  We had to pull over the dump truck and take cover on our trip home until the rain lifted enough for the passengers to ride in the back without cover.