Tatoos of Tomorrow

Tattoos of Tomorrow

Ethan 

Tattoos, the theme of this morning. Some get them for love, some for fun and others for motivation. After our stomachs were filled with scrambled eggs we squished into the Daladalas. Everybody was hyped to start another long day of work. My creative juices were flowing and i decided i was going to give out motivational tattoos. I was gathered with all girls in the back of the vehicle and i had my pen and started righting words on the back of there wrists (our form of a tattoo.). The motivational words went from "Faith" to "Fly" They were all metaphoric. When we arrived at Camp Moses we started bringing the words into reality. 

Kenya's tattoo said "Determined." That single word defines everyones work ethic today at the job site. There was dust flying, shovels digging, picks picking and sweat drops forming on the heads of the workers. We almost finished the digging  for the foundation today. The trenches all have to be a meter deep which may not sound like much, but trust me it is deep. We had work songs singing and everyone was covered from head to toe in dirt. 

As everyone may not know i recently had a meniscus repair and then got a staph infection. This means that i am not allowed to do much manual labor. I love doing carpentry so i made it my job to build new seats on the swings. I finished them and started to dig; however, everyone got me to stop because they know i can not control myself. I got put on sawing rebar. I think my right arm in now noticeable larger than my left. It may not be a dirty job, but it needed to be done. 

Our lunch was an eye opener. We were each given a fruit leather to share with one of the kids. They were sitting eating their lunches. This experience gave me a sense of joy to see that something that costs 50 cents back home can bring so much joy to a child. These children are some of the most intelligent kids i have ever seen. One child took my moms camera and started to take pictures. He could use the zoom lens and go back to see the pictures. Everyone has a personality and everyone is intelligent.

After lunch I went into town with Lindsey. We went to the big store and got food, went to the ATM, the pharmacy, and then hopped back on the Daladala. It was awesome to see the other part of town and having Lindsey who is almost a local to show it to me. It is weird to be known as the tall white guy walking down the street. When we returned to camp everyone was working like crazy. The work day was slowly winding down. We cleaned up and went back home. Tonight we leaned how to make Mandazi. It is pretty much fried dough. It was a very tasty treat. 

After a long day of work we will meat up on the balcony talk, relax, rest and get a good night rest. The tattoos may have faded, but our determination has not.