Building the Dream - Continued

The foundation is almost completely dug, and the columns are being set, even as I type.  At least, the rebar skeleton of the columns are being set.  These columns go in a hole four feet deeper than the foundation.  They are about 18 ft long, and the rebar does not come pre-fab. They are held in place by a couple of feet of concrete, then large rocks are put around them and pushed down into the wet concrete and  and more concrete poured up to the level of the foundation.  The rocks cannot touch each other, the rebar, or the sides of the hole.  After they are all set the gang will build a wooden frame around each one and fill it with concrete.  After the concrete sets, the form is removed and the columns are kept damp for  few days.

These are our cement mixers.  We have used several hundred bags of cement by now, and it has all been mixed by hand, fifty shovels of aggregate to a bag of cement.  The cement and aggregate are mixed together until fully mixed and then water, by the bucket, is poured in and the cement mixed until it is a slurry.  The blue barrel holds the water.

This is our "cement truck" ;-D.   That's Marvin filling the hole around the base of the rebar. The rocks in the trench will become part of the foundation.  We will use a total of about 1,200 bags of cement, .  The columns being set now will go up through the floor of the second level and the 2 ft of rebar that are not in the concrete will become part of the column that goes up to the roof.  The extra rebar on the second level will be twisted around the base of the trusses and tie the roof to the house.  This house is hurricane proof, mud slide proof, and earthquake proof, or so I am told.

Here are some of our gang.  Honduran men love to smile for the camera, and they will always fix their hair and clothing before they will let you take the photograph.

 

Who is that handsome man with the chain saw?  Why, it is Macho Man!!!  Macho Man forgets that he is not as young as our other workers, and he comes home wringing wet and so tired he just wants to lie on the floor.  I told him that he should remember he is the Jefe and he needs to sit under the mango tree and direct what is going on.  He disagrees.  He says he has to set an example, and also make sure everyone is working where, when and how he wants them to.

Under the mango tree - break time.                         

We freeze water in the big soda bottles to provide cool water for most of the day. That is Marvelous Marvin with Macho Man

The office of Ramirez and Company - inside the little house Macho Man built about 40 years ago.

We have been truly blessed. We have a good, hard working crew. It has not rained. The materials have arrived on time. Macho Man sprayed the property so the chiggers and ticks are mostly gone.

Building the Dream

I know most of you are wondering if we really are going to build a dream home here in Honduras.  After all, I have been talking about it ever since we got here, then posted nothing about our progress.  Well, here is what you have been waiting for.

This is the property before the bulldozer came

We broke ground last week, but before we could get the bulldozer in Macho Man and his helper, Marvin, and whatever family he could round up, had to move most of those rocks  have been bragging about.  Now, these rocks are another thing Honduras has with Georgia.....our rocks are not some soft old rock you can split easily.  Our rocks are pure granite.  These rocks have to be dug up, broken up, and moved by hand.

  Macho Man and Marvin working on the rocks

You will see piles and piles of these rocks, and when you see a new surface, that rock has been broken up with a pick axe and a sledge hammer.  Some of these will be used in the foundation.  The ones with the flattest surface will be the parking area and walkways.  I hope there will be enough to build the fence, too.   Some of the boulders will be left in place, because we can't move them.

Last Thursday the bulldozer came.  They worked Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  The driver was so good at what he does that we will have to back fill only a less when we do the foundations.  I commented on Face Book the other day that Honduras and Georgia have red clay, chiggers and ticks in common.  Here is the proof of the red clay.

Once the excavation was complete, Macho Man and his helpers starting leveling off and marking where the foundation will go.  They did the leveling with a long, clear plastic tubing and water.  First they put stakes in all the corners and along the sides, and then, somehow they filled the tube with water and were able to mark the levels of the foundation.  They measured horizontally, vertically and cross-ways.  MM said they were off less than 1/4th inch.

 

                                                       Macho Man and Chico inspecting the work yesterday       

Today we have five workers out at the site digging the foundations with shovels.  MM as been tying rebar, getting it ready to put in the columns that go every 10' around the house.  They are 6" square of solid concrete with a 1/2"  rebar circular reinforcement the entire length of the column.  These are not decorative; they become part of the walls.  The columns help make the house hurricane and earthquake proof.  

Let me say a word here about Marvin.  Macho Man found Marvin when he was working on my SIL's house and offeredd him a job.  Marvin is 17 years old, and he works literally from sun to sun, and sometimes later.  He is on the job by at least 6:30 a.m. and he has to be told to go home at night.  He also has to be told to take a lunch break.  While they have been busting rocks, Marvin has started a fire under a rock and then come back later at night to pour cold water on the rock so it will split.    He is a blessing.

I will be doing more on this as we progress.  In fact, I am going out tomorrow to take pictures from today's work.                                   

Surprise, I'm Back!!

I cannot believe it has been over a month since I posted anything, me who always has something to say!

We made our trip to the States.  We had a pleasant surprise when we did our taxes.  For the first time in the 23 years we have been filing jointly, we are actually going to get a refund,  We did the doctor appointments, amd that was all good.  We visited my sister amd my aunt and uncle in central Florida, and we spent precious time with my daughter, her husband, and the Grandbrat.

The first thing we noticed  that we missed was sitting on the balcony in the morning amd watching the iguanas play while we enjoy our coffee.  I was really amazed at myself because I missed the tranquility of our life here.  I even missed the condo with no glass in the windows.

While we were standing in line at MIA getting checked in, I looked up amd there was Elisa amd the Grandbrat.  Elisa said after they dropped us off, the Grandbrat was crying so hard she had to turn around and come back to the airport.  They stayed with us until we had to clear security.  It is a shame to love a child as much as we love Victoria.  Even Chico was glad to see her again.

We are going to the property tomorrow and stake out the footprint of the house.  Juan will finish up the estimate and submit the plans for the permits.  Hopefully we can break ground this month.  I will be posting pictures of the progress we make while building.

Life is good, and I am blessed.

Claro Came Today

It is Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Honduras.  Yeah, I know, it is Holy Week wherever people are celebrating Easter or Passover.  Holy Week in Central America is somewhat different than most of us Norteamericanos are used to observing.  Here, it is almost a national holiday.  Almost nothing gets done during Holy Week, except going to the beach and partying.  Many people get the week off.

This morning, when I got up it was raining cats and dogs, so, first I just lazed around in the bed.  I got up for coffee that my loving Macho Man made for me. I thought I would make the bed later.   I decided just to put a housecoat over my night gown and not get dressed until later.  No need to get gussied up, right?  After all, it is Holy Week and there is a monsoon going on outside.  Nobody in there right mind is out in this. Then I got busy checking email. 

I was playing yet another game of Spider Solitaire, when MM came dashing through the door to my little room and said, "Claro is here!"  Right behind him are three strange men, who have just now walked through my bedroom, into my GTH room, and caught me at my computer with my nightgown on, my hair uncombed, and no makeup, and my bra thrown across the cedar chest, where I left it last night.  MM did throw the covers over the bed and put the pillow shams in place

We have been waiting almost four months for Claro to show up and install the satellite dish.  MM has called them every day to find out when they were coming and every day he has been told a different story, but consistently they have said:
(1)  We have no way to contact the installers.
(2)  We cannot give you the telephone number to our home office.
(3)  The installers will just show up when they show up. 
(4)  Maybe next week.

Why today?  Latin Americans have some strange misconceptions about American women, and most are not very flattering, so I try very hard to avoid embarrassing Macho Man.   I keep the house straight.  I don't wear shorts in public, except at the pool or the beach.  I don't drink from a can  or bottle in public.  I try to be pleasant to everyone.  I don't laugh too loud, or talk too loud. 

Boy, did I blow it today!!!

BTW, the installers forgot the bracket for the satellite dish, so I still don't have TV.  They will be back tomorrow, sometime, maybe.

Road Trip to Novillo

Yesterday Macho Man took me on a road trip.  This one had a purpose.  I have an Internet friend, Jennifer, whom I wanted to meet in person and become "real"  friends.  I  knew Jennifer and her family have milk cows and I wanted some fresh milk to make cheese with, so that was another reason for going. 

Jennifer agreed to let us take some of her valuable time, and believe me, her time is very valuable.  You see, not only does she live on a farm in rural Honduras, Jennifer has eight children of her own, and two that belong to her husband from another marriage. 

To say that Jennifer and her family live out from town is an understatement to say the least.  The directions are something to the effect of  'turn at the intersection between the pink house and the pulpuria, go about 10 minutes, go down the hill and cross the bridge and then cross over the little ford.......We found her though, without any problem.

What a great family!!  Did I mention that eight of the ten children were at home?  Did I mention that the six youngest ones are stair-steps from about age seven down to about one year?

What a great Mom!  The two oldest children are teenagers.  They are polite, with great manners.  They helped with the younger children, and carried on intelligent conversations.  I phrase it this way, because so many teens today can't say three words, without saying "like, you know", or really murdering the English language in some way.

The six younger children were all friendly, outgoing, and very loving.  They are extremely well behaved for their ages, and again, those beautiful manners.

Jennifer and I got along as if we had known each other for ages.  She is a very kind, outgoing, generous young woman.  Nana, you did a great job of raising her.  And, Nana, I got to rock Lara almost to sleep.  Be jealous!

When we started to leave I had about 8 liters of milk.  Jennifer had asked if I wanted some green bananas, and I said sure.  I didn't realize she meant a whole stalk of bananas.  Plus, she threw in a big bunch of chatas, a kind of banana that you cook with.  When I asked her how much for the milk, she told me to put my money away.

Friends are always a blessing.

Two Sides of Honduras

This is Honduras, or at least the Honduras that the developers, real estate investors, and tourist guides want you to see.  It is beautiful.  I love it. It is the only thing you will see if you only go to the resorts or to the gated, gringo compounds.
                                                 
                                                     
                                                        

Honduras is a country of marked differences, from the tropic heat of the North Coast to the moderate and sometimes cold Western Mountains. We have sunsets that are some of the most beautiful in the world...Sorry Key West, but it is true.  We have some  of the best diving you will ever do off the Bay Islands and Los Cayos Cochinos, better even than the Caymans in my opinion. 

                    You can live in a metropolitan area, and have almost all the amenities you find in the US.  You can live in one of the old colonial towns which are very picturesque, and show the influence of Spain.  You can even live among
ancient Mayan ruins dating to 900 B.C.

This is where I live.  This is considered upper middle class housing-upscale housing.   We have what is listed as a third bedroom and bath.  It is actually the maid's quarters. 



                            

This is my Sister-in- law's house.  This is middle class housing.
She lives here with a daughter, and sometimes another daughter and a grandchild.








This is subsidized housing.  These little houses are two and three bedroom with electricity, water and plumbing.  They cost $10 - $15K USD.  The Honduran Government backs the loan.  It must be paid off in ten years.  This is how many Hondurans are able to buy their own home.

This is my neighbor's house up the mountain.  Can't find him?  I made it easy for you.  It is that little brown blob right in the middle of the picture.  This house is probably somewhere around 10' x 12' and has a thatched roof.  It is made of mud packed into interlaced tree branches, bamboo, or whatever can be used for lathing.  It is a casa de tierra, a house of earth. There is no running water and no electricity, no plumbing.  The kitchen is outside, and probably only consists of a fuego, which is like a BBQ pit covered with  piece of sheet metal and it is wood-fired; and a pila, which is a concrete sink with two sides.  One side holds the clean water, and the other is dirty.  The clean water is carried from a nearby creek in buckets.  You never allow anything dirty to contaminate the clean water.  If there is a pila, the lady of the house uses it to wash dishes, clothes, and children.  If there is no pila, she goes to the creek and beats the clothes on the rocks to get them clean.

Then there is this.  A small village of this.   Many small villages of this.  Again, no water, no electricity, no indoor plumbing.  No outhouse, just a latrine.  These are probably squatters, because Honduran law allows squatters to take land that has not been used for any purpose over a number of years.  The  casa de tierra is actually the better deal, because it does keep out the rain and some of the heat and cold.  There are actually families living here,  The Honduran government says a family is three adults and two children.  Most families are much larger.  This is the reason the Castro/Chavez Socialism/Communism model can easily take hold of a country, by promising to take land from the rich and give it to the people living in places like this.  The countries who profess to be democratic, especially those in the Western Hemisphere, need to take action, or the wolf will be at the door.

Honduras is a country of approximately 8,000,000 people.  The median age is 20.3, but most of the population is well below that. According to the CIA World Fact Book about 36% are un-or underemployed,  nearly 60% of the population lives in poverty. and of those employed, only 20% are employed in industry.  The rest are almost evenly split between agriculture and services.  We have a very young population ready to come into the job market, and virtually no jobs.

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ho.html

The minimum wage, after is was raised 61% last year, is L5,500 ($290.70) per month.  Many people work for less because they have to, some because one whole area of the country was exempt from the raise.  The canasta basica, the basic grocery cart,  contains contains 30 items.  As of 2008 it costs L4,309 ($324 USD), and it has gone up since the increase in the minimum wage, and the recent political turmoil.

So, what can be done to change this?  I believe the answer is in education.  The school system here is deplorable.  Children are not taught to think logically and strategically.  Last year, the children only went to school 100 days, due to a teacher's strike.  The teachers strike for just about any reason, and the only ones to suffer are the children.

As expatriates, we cannot change the system.  What Macho Man and I have decided to do is mentor a child.  This child is a family member.  We will see that he gets an education.  We will probably do some home schooling.  He wants to learn English, so he can talk to me, but that may be because I buy him chocolates.  ;-D  We will try to make sure he learns to make his own decisions, not based on propaganda, but on facts he can document for himself.

I am blessed.  I am very rich compared to most Hondurans.  I have potable water, electricity most of the time, enough to eat, and a roof over my head.  If I am not my brother's keeper, I am at least his helper.  I keep remembering, "Even as you do for the least of these my brethren."  I don't believe it is optional.

Clearing Up Some Misconceptions.

I had another article planned for today, but it will have to wait for another day.  This one is brought on by some comments I have received recently.

1.  Sleeping under a mosquito net in Honduras is a necessity, not a sexy, romantic decoration.  It especially not romantic at 3: AM, when you have to fight your way out to go to the bathroom. 

2.  We did not move to Honduras to avoid paying taxes.  The IRS insists that we pay taxes no matter where we live or where we earn our money.  My Social Security is taxed, even though I paid taxes on the money before it went to Social Security.

3.   We did not lose our rights as US citizens when we moved to Honduras, not even the right to pay our taxes.  We are allowed to vote in any Federal election, either by absentee ballot from our former State, or by absentee or personal ballot at the American Embassy in Tegucigalpa.  Florida allows us to vote in State elections by absentee ballot.  Not all States allow this.

4.   I have no problem being a Democrat and a Catholic at the same time.  I guess this was referring to the abortion issue.  I do not condone abortion.  It would never have been a choice for me.  On the other hand, I do not think I have a right to force my beliefs on others.  I also do not believe we can legislate morals. 

5.  Here comes a sticky one.  I do not believe in socialized medicine, but I do believe in a national insurance program.  I believe that health care is a basic right, not a privilege for those who can afford it.  I don't believe anyone should die because they have no insurance.  Before you start throwing rocks at me, go to http://www.factcheck.com/ and see how many lies have been told about the bill before Congress, on both sides of the aisle.

6.  Here comes another sticky one:  I do not believe in being soft on illegal aliens, but I do believe we need to make legal entry to the U.S. affordable.  My husband came to the U.S. legally.  It took us almost a year to get his green card, and three years to get his citizenship.   It was very expensive.  We were lucky because we both had good jobs and were able to pay.  It cost us another $10,000 to the State Department to bring my Honduran children to the States.   That was 1989.  Today, it costs more that $20,000 for a family of four, very hard to come by when you are working for about $200.00 USD per month and the basic foods for a family of five cost approximately $330.00 USD.  That's a subject for a later blog.

This year we went in the opposite direction and I now have my Honduran green card, only it is blue; and cost a lot less. 

7.  I am not a bleeding heart liberal.  I am actually pretty conservative.