Roof work

This week we replaced four sections of our roof which had been damaged by hail and had been leaking during the recent heavy rains.  Now hopefully we can put away the buckets which have been sitting in our living room for a while!

Floor and plumbing

We put in the plumbing and started pouring the concrete floor of our house.

We are pouring the floor room by room because we have to mix the concrete in a small mixer, so it takes a while.  Each section will be pond-cured for a week to increase strength.

Sports court

This week we saw a new sign down the street from our house announcing the opening of a new sports court.  Michael walked down the short side dirt street to take a photo.  We are always glad to see people taking initiative here!

Church blessing

A few weeks ago we received an announcement under our gate inviting us to a "church blessing event" for a church in our community that had bought new land and was moving.  The flyer and envelope were announcing the celebration service and asking for donations.  

The previous church building was made of steel roofing sheets nailed to wooden posts.  It was near our house on borrowed land, but they recently took it down and we weren't sure what happened to it.  A couple of weeks ago we found it being built next to the community soccer field!

Police records

As part of the yearly renewal process for our residency here in Guatemala, we went to the police station in a neighboring town to request documents showing our police record.  Fortunately, our records correctly showed that we are not guilty of any crimes!  Heather and Veronica waited in the car for Michael, who went to request the documents, and this was the view.  The police station is the nondescript gray building in the center of the photo.

Traffic jam

A couple of weeks ago we went shopping in town as usual, but the traffic was very congested.  In fact, on the way home, it took us 40 minutes just to get out of town, instead of the usual 5 minutes.  The main problem with traffic jams here are the old U.S. school buses and large 18-wheelers trying to navigate the narrow roads in town with 6-point turns at some corners.  This happens because the main highway that runs north-south through Chichicastenango goes through the narrow grid of streets that were created before cars existed here.

We later found out that the "traffic police," were absent because the town mayor called them off the job to help him with some other business.  Three of these officers direct traffic in the three main intersections in town rather than traffic lights.  We heard that there was a lot of frustration with the mayor over this issue!  And we found out how important those three traffic workers are!

House foundation

The boys poured the first section of our house foundation this week.  They did a great job digging and setting posts, then pouring the bottom concrete base.  Now they have five more sections to go, and then they have some foundation blocks to lay and columns to pour.