Once we arrived at the border we went through Mexican Customs, which was an intriguing experience. As we went through the gate, we were told to push a button. If the light was green we could pass through with no inspection, if it was red we would be searched. The light was green for each of us and we passed through without even having to show identification.
We are staying at The Posada, in La Gloria, just south of Tijuana. The grounds and campus are beautiful with many forms of native plants growing as well as a flowing fountain in the center of the campus.
Monday was our first day of work. We arrived to a beautiful landscape with a view of the Pacific Ocean in the distance. It provided a bit of a breeze, as there were no trees. The current house of Paola (and her three children) is located at a higher elevation. We are to build an addition to their small home giving them "dignified human housing." Our first task was to take up the old floor which was approximately 10 x 12 ft. We were able to finish by lunch time (sooner than the Esperanza staff expected). This would allow us to begin to dig the foundation trenches after lunch.
Paola and her friends prepared a delicious lunch for us. We had pasta salad, frijoles (beans), flavored rice milk and tamales. Muy deliciouso!
After lunch we began to dig the trenches to create the foundation of the home. This is back breaking work and was very tiring under the bright blue Mexican sky, with the hot sun beating down on us. This is only day one, but seeing Paola's family's reactions to our hard work and dedication motivates us to keep going for the rest of the week to come.
