Work and Flexibility

Reflecting back on the day, it seems that several of our team characteristics came into play--flexibility, cooperativeness, cultural awareness, helping where needed, and endurance.

The Metz family was back at the Santa Elena reserve, continuing the arduous task of hauling rocks, as well as road repair. Added to machetes as a tool of choice was the pick ax--used to break up larger rocks.

The three ladies found the high school in a state familiar to most schools two days before vacation--students were either finished with exams and pretty much tuned into friends and cellphones, or getting ready for oral presentations. Teachers seemed to be on different schedules and no one really seemed to want three English mentors.

After chatting with students for a time, Jorge the recycle man came to our rescue. Pat was sent to the Greenhouse for sweeping(our reputation for cleaning is getting around), and then worked with students planting tiny seedlings in a large box and cuttings into plastic dirt tubes. She later joined Sandy and Pam who had been planting mature plants into holes dug by the students. The new plantings surround the pond and will attract hummingbirds. It was interesting to see the area the Metz family had been working in--pigs, cows, ducks, and a pond right next to a sports area.

In the afternoon, Pam and Pat took the same coffee/chocolate tour the Metz family had done the day before. Very interesting(as well as entertaining).