We set up our gear in a concrete block walled community center that had been built by Bridges to Community. We had cots and mosquito netting and it looked like a military camp. Our leaders in Nicaragua, two relocated Americans Bonny and Jim, had us set up our gear, fed us breakfast and started us off on our adventure. Our task was to build two 15’ x 18’ concrete block structures with a steel roof in less than one week. Impossible? Not the way Bonnie and Jim have it organized. We walked over to the work site and met the families we’d be building for and also met our Nicaraguan work crew. We started by digging out for the footings and foundations followed by mixing the first of many batches of concrete. Unlike the states where you call in a backhoe then a cement truck, ALL of the work was done by hand. We broke up the ground with breaker bars, dug with shovels then sifted twelve wheel barrel loads of sand, followed by 7 loads of pebbles. To this we added the concrete mix and, starting in the middle, we had to turn out the mix into two piles then mix it back into one uniform pile. Once this was completed was dug out the center, added 12-15 buckets of water and added the mix back into the water. Quite hard work for a bunch of business professionals. While we did this, others in the group bent reinforcing bar, made rebar ties and prepped the site. In the week we were there we mixed and moved dozens of yard of concrete and over 1,000 concrete blocks. By the end of the first day we had the footings poured. All this in 90 degree plus heat. You’d think we’d be miserable but, I forgot to tell you we were right in the middle of the village surrounded by children of all ages. There they were living in this squalor but we all began to notice something; they were all always smiling. Though I should have been exhausted at the end of the day I wasn’t. Instead, I was invigorated. We went back to our “barracks” and relaxed for a while. It was at this point I was introduced to the quaint practice of “bucket showers”. For those who’ve never experienced one, you take water in 55 gallon drums that’s been heated by the sun all day, you dunk a 5 gallon bucket into this water and you bring it into a “shower” that has no shower head, no drain and no faucet. Oh, along with the 5 gallon bucket you must bring in a one quart Chinese food soup container hereby known as the shower. You take your soup container, dunk it in your bucket and dump that over your head. Add a little soap and you’ve got a shower. Actually, it feels great at the end of a hard day. The night ended with a bunch of us playing a ridiculous card game known as “Oh Hell”. It was a fun way to get to know everyone and is also where the week long abuse sessions and inside jokes started. We were becoming a family. I went to bed in my cot and mosquito netting not wanting to leave but beginning to see what this whole trip was about. We had begun to bond with each other and with the Nicaraguan workers and the locals. Maybe Bridges was onto something? I awoke around 2:30 am to the first rooster crowing. This was followed by numerous others well before dawn. At 3:30 am the first bus rumbled down the road with air horns blaring picking up the locals to go work at the sweat shops for $3.00 per day. I just found out why the Bridges packing guide suggested earplugs which I had left in my bags and had no way of finding at this moment.

“Little Hilda”

I got out of my cot at 5:45 am and walked out of the barracks. I saw some of my colleagues sitting out front. I grabbed a cup of coffee and joined them which began our morning tradition of watching the locals walk, drive, bicycle and go by in horse drawn buggies. Each and every one of the slowed down to wave to and greet the “gringos” with a Buenos Dias or Hola. The smiles and the greetings were all sincere. I was beginning to realize they were slowly drawing me into their world and alleviating the pressures of my normally fast paced cell phone and e-mail driven world. You see, there was to be none of that in Nicaragua.

Day two at the work site began by loading 300 concrete blocks into the center of each of the building sites by human train, mixing another batch of cement and starting to build the concrete walls. By lunch time we had the first five courses completed and by the end of the day we had the structural concrete with rebar poured. The balance of the work days consisted of mixing, hauling and pouring concrete and installing block. By the end of the second day it was beginning to look like a house. Enough about the physical labor. Though it was extremely rewarding, something else was going on. I was beginning to fall in love with the Nicaraguan people. I found them to be a warm, caring, hard working very generous people. Though they were poor they seemed to have something we so dearly lack in our society. There was a love of life, a love for the things that were important; family and community.

At the end of day one I introduced the Nicaraguan crew to whiffle ball and at the end of day two Terry Flood, Dr. John and I played hardball with them on a hilly makeshift ball field using tree leaves as bases and hitting an old torn up baseball with an aluminum bat that had seen its better days in the 1990’s. I couldn’t have been happier had I been in the middle of Shea Stadium and I’m sure Terry will back me up. We all bonded that night even though we were separated by our different languages. Some things transcend all obstacles. By the end of day two I had stopped thinking about leaving and started thinking about whom I’d be bringing with me next year! I started to understand the name Bridges to Community. Though we were building homes for people more importantly we were bridging the gap between our two cultures, building trust and self-esteem and a sense of hope for these people. We were letting them know they were not alone. They, in turn, gave of themselves. There were too many of the type of instances described above to relate to you. I’d need twenty pages and several hours. I guess the best way to describe it would be to tell you each of the moments now hold a special place in my heart. They are moments I will never forget! Along with our hard work we also played. We played cards every night we had energy left. We also spent an afternoon visiting local shops and markets and swimming in a crater at a volcano that became extinct over 18,000 years ago. We talked to each other and passed on our thoughts, our emotions. The first few days I felt I was on sensory overload. I wasn’t able to process all of the emotions or feelings racing through my mind. That was just a prelude to the final day, Saturday.

Saturday started with us visiting a local village that produced beautiful pottery. We learned the art and also toured the market purchasing the local wares. We went to lunch at a restaurant (one of only a few meals we ate outside our site) and watched a mime troop, a clown and a Mariachi band. After lunch we were to go to the house dedication ceremonies where the houses are turned over to the deserving homeowner. We loaded up the bus after lunch and were unexpectedly joined by the Mariachi band who decided to come along and play at the ceremony. How many of you can say you’ve ridden a bus with a Mariachi band? I can! The ceremonies began with the clown blowing up balloons for the children, the Mariachi band playing music and the locals dancing traditional dance in ceremonial garb. The entire village showed up for the dedication! When the houses were being dedicated we found out the husband of one family has been in Costa Rica working full time and rarely sees his wife. She was in tears when she told us “The Gringos could have been anywhere they wanted this week but God sent them to us. You have built me a casa de dignida (a house of dignity) and have given my family a home and hope.” There wasn’t a dry eye there. The ceremony ended and everyone milled around. It appeared as though no one wanted to leave. I know I didn’t. Then the strangest thing happened. We’re on a job site with a Nicaraguan construction crew and they started coming over to us, hugging us, shaking our hands and, breaking the language barrier, told us how they felt about our efforts. Many of the villagers followed. I’ll guarantee you this never occurs on a NYC jobsite! Then it hit me!! This trip was not only about helping two families get their dream, a home; it was also about the relationships we built. Bridges to Community was named for just this kind of moment. We bridged the gap between our community and the Nicaraguan community. We circumvented all of the politics between our countries and brought it to a human level, a humanitarian effort. We used blocks and concrete instead of guns and built a bond that can’t be broken!

I went down there with duffel bags and boxes to give away. I went there as the American going to rescue the Nicaraguans. I went down there with all of the misconceptions of an ignorant American. I came back wiser and I left with more than I brought. I came back with a respect for the Nicaraguan people and their love of life. I went down scared and unsure and at the end I did not want to leave. I would advise every one of you to take this trip. You won’t be sorry! Are you ready?

John Natale
First Adjustment Group, Inc.