On Christmas morning we went to Iliria’s home so we could start working on her tamale stand and cleaning up the yard. She was not expecting us (because we told her we would come back in three days not the next day) and was not home when we arrived. The bad thing was all of our supplies were inside her home, the good thing was, where there was a will there was a way. And we found a way in and was able to begin our work.
All of our group assembled at Iliria's because none of the other projects were ready for anyone to start. It was a very large group and we all miraculously found something to do.
Some began taking down the old tamale stand while others started putting together the new one. The rest worked hard at cleaning up her yard. The young boys were tasked with pulling the nails out of the wood from the old stand and taking it apart.
I think the young boys had fun using all the power tools.
Mexico does not have a garbage system like we do in America. Nobody comes by once a week to pick up the garbage and take it to the local dump.
Instead, the garbage gets tossed out in the streets and the wind comes along and blows it where it may. I was astonished and quite saddened to see the blatant disregard they had toward keeping the land clean and seen garbage everywhere. Iliria had her garbage in a huge pile in the front yard and we picked it all up and hauled it away for her.
There was a big pile of bricks in the garbage pile that we decided should be saved. So we created a production line where we sorted and placed the bricks in a nice pile on the edge of her yard.
The production line worked quite well and moved the bricks and cinder blocks nicely.
This method proved to be a faster and easier way to move the bricks and we finished moving them all in only a few minutes.
Some of the nicer bricks were used to make a walking path, front steps, and placed around trees and shrubs for a decorative effect.
It was nice to see everyone working so hard and the weather turned out to be perfect! It was sunny, and if you were not standing in the shade it got a little hot. I was wishing I would have brought shorts that day, but as the days went by, it got colder and was glad I didn't.
I did say everyone was working right? Yes, even the two love birds were working! They kept us entertained everyday with their matching shirts and oogling eyes.
Liz, Samantha and a few of the other girls passed out gently used toys to the local children who came and visited us. Later in the day a group of us went to the gas station down the road. While we were there, a nice gentlemen approached us and thanked us for the gifts his children had received earlier in the day when they stopped by the tamale stand.
This was not a typical Christmas day for me or my children. I didn't get awakened by my children early in the morning as they run down stairs to see what gifts Santa Claus brought them nor did I get to smell any turkey, ham, or even apple pie cooking.
Yet, I never was sad and neither were my children or anyone else for that matter. Everyone was happy and we all kept busy painting or doing what ever was needed to be done! My children even said they can’t wait to work in Mexico next Christmas. Who would have thought my children would want to work on Christmas day and in Mexico!
On Christmas morning we went to Iliria’s home so we could start working on her tamale stand and cleaning up the yard. She was not expecting us (because we told her we would come back in three days not the next day) and was not home when we arrived. The bad thing was all of our supplies were inside her home, the good thing was, where there was a will there was a way. And we found a way in and was able to begin our work.
All of our group assembled at Iliria's because none of the other projects were ready for anyone to start. It was a very large group and we all miraculously found something to do.
Some began taking down the old tamale stand while others started putting together the new one. The rest worked hard at cleaning up her yard. The young boys were tasked with pulling the nails out of the wood from the old stand and taking it apart.
I think the young boys had fun using all the power tools.
Mexico does not have a garbage system like we do in America. Nobody comes by once a week to pick up the garbage and take it to the local dump.
Instead, the garbage gets tossed out in the streets and the wind comes along and blows it where it may. I was astonished and quite saddened to see the blatant disregard they had toward keeping the land clean and seen garbage everywhere. Iliria had her garbage in a huge pile in the front yard and we picked it all up and hauled it away for her.
There was a big pile of bricks in the garbage pile that we decided should be saved. So we created a production line where we sorted and placed the bricks in a nice pile on the edge of her yard.
The production line worked quite well and moved the bricks and cinder blocks nicely.
This method proved to be a faster and easier way to move the bricks and we finished moving them all in only a few minutes.
Some of the nicer bricks were used to make a walking path, front steps, and placed around trees and shrubs for a decorative effect.
It was nice to see everyone working so hard and the weather turned out to be perfect! It was sunny, and if you were not standing in the shade it got a little hot. I was wishing I would have brought shorts that day, but as the days went by, it got colder and was glad I didn't.
I did say everyone was working right? Yes, even the two love birds were working! They kept us entertained everyday with their matching shirts and oogling eyes.
Liz, Samantha and a few of the other girls passed out gently used toys to the local children who came and visited us. Later in the day a group of us went to the gas station down the road. While we were there, a nice gentlemen approached us and thanked us for the gifts his children had received earlier in the day when they stopped by the tamale stand.
This was not a typical Christmas day for me or my children. I didn't get awakened by my children early in the morning as they run down stairs to see what gifts Santa Claus brought them nor did I get to smell any turkey, ham, or even apple pie cooking.
Yet, I never was sad and neither were my children or anyone else for that matter. Everyone was happy and we all kept busy painting or doing what ever was needed to be done! My children even said they can’t wait to work in Mexico next Christmas. Who would have thought my children would want to work on Christmas day and in Mexico!
Comments