Day 2 started off great with a very relaxing breakfast and some reading & napping on the roof top of the hotel. While we were on the rooftop, we received a very distressing WhatsApp message from our NGO contact, Richard. “I’ll be at the hotel in 15 minutes… only 3 members can join for the material run…” (dun dun dunnnnn…). It was not actually that distressing, we just had to make a quick decision on who goes on the run while the others would make other preparations at the hotel. We immediately nominated David, our technical advisor, as one of the members, and we decided to nominate 2 of our fearsome females, Gaby and Hannah Myers, to also go on the trip. Just like that, we overcame.
This decision turned out pretty well, as Spanish was a critical skill needed for this trip. Hannah went with Guerro and Sarahi in their truck to the local hardware store with Gaby and David following behind in Richard’s Volkswagen bug. At the hardware store, Hannah M went with Guerro to the wood section to pick out the wood for the drying racks, shelving, and pulley system. Gaby went with David and Richard to pick up final materials for our PSD. When speaking with the workers, both Hannah M and Gaby encountered a technical speaking challenge when trying to explain the exact materials and dimensions needed. However, through drawings and nearly (but very gringo) fluent Spanish, they were able to get everything we needed! From there, they went to Home Depot to collect remaining supplies and cans of paint, which were used as drums during the drive back to the hotel. As frequent Home Depot visitors, it was a nice change of pace to see the mountains in the distance instead of I-35, which is what we see in Austin! But the rest of the team was missed because it’s not a Home Depot run without everyone.
While they were away, the rest of team worked on community engagement planning and checked us out of hotel, as well as squeezing in a nap in between.
We were then reunited for lunch. However, it was easy to tell that the heat took a toll on the team, and we were all struggling to stay awake while we waited for the food. And off we went to Suchilquitongo! This came at a good time as we took the opportunity to nap in the van while going to Suchilquitongo. We were greeted with a big smile at our new hotel which we’ll be at for the next two weeks. The 3 girls were separated into 2 rooms, but they quickly realized no one wanted to be without each other J, so they’re going to squeeze into 1! The hotel is awesome with a huge pool and backyard area where we tested out the seesaws and played Frisbee before dinner.
Tomorrow we will be going to the worksite and meet the rest of the community!
Timeline Summary:
8am: Wake up & eat breakfast (chicken casserole, eggs and fruit!)
9am: Lounging on the roof (reading/napping)
10am: Team splits for Material run and Community Engagement Preparation
1pm: Checkout of Hotel Aitana and explore the rest of the city
2:30pm: Lunch at La Biznaga (good beer and Oaxacan Cuisine!) & Orientation
4:30pm: Skrrt to Suchilquitongo
5:30pm: Check-in @ El Pedregal and explore hotel grounds
6:30pm: Frisbee golf/hang by the pool before dinner
7:30pm: Dinner! (chicken, salad, quesillo)
9:00pm: TEAM TIME