NOW We're Getting Somewhere

I slept terribly and woke up in a bad bad mood.

Then I lost $50 in fees getting money from my US account, to give to the builder. Hidden “5.6% commission at the ATM.”

I will file this under my “tuition” category in my budget. The price I am paying for learning what to do, what not to do. I guess that’s an expense that needs to be factored in when we embark on big stuff we know very little about. Which I seem to specialize in. So yes: the tuition category.

As of 10 am, there was no excavator in sight. Nothing was moving and I was grumpy. But then Jorge mentioned that two piles had been delivered: one pile of sand and one pile of gravel. I immediately drove over there to admire these two little mountains which with the help of water (how are we getting water? I am still not sure) will become cement. I don’t know yet whether we are getting a mixing machine or whether this is happening by hand. I have a feeling I will know this shortly.

2.5 k of wire, 16 steel beams, and 40 length of rebar.

Then I was told that the machine would arrive tomorrow at 2 (which could mean 3, or 4, or not at all), which is the time at which I teach a little kids painting workshop, darn it. So I will boogey right on over there afterward and see if I can catch a ride in the bucket, or at the very least smile a lot.

Things were looking up.

And a 4,:00 I got a call asking if I could meet the metal delivery truck and escort them to the site. HECK YES! At 4:02 I was out the door and had the guy follow me through under-the-bridge-and-over-three-rivers where he proceeded to unload 16 big bars of steel, 40 small rods of another metal – or maybe steel – and 2.5 kilos of wire. I think these are going to be for the ceiling. I’ll ask more tomorrow.

Sand and Gravel. The collagen of my house :)

Having unloaded, he left me alone over there until the little crew of three arrived (Jorge the contractor, Anselmo his main guy, and a young man whose name I don’t know yet).

They decided to move the stuff to a different spot and because I want to get my hands in as much of the process as I can, I grabbed one end of a steel bar while Jorge looking surprised grabbed the other. Between the 4 of us, we moved all 16 pretty fast and I felt kind of like a badass even though I don’t think I could have done 2 more.
I am told the blocks arrive tomorrow at 9 and then well, the excavator at 2.

On the way back Jorge asked me what colors I was going to want my floors to be (we are doing tinted concrete and I get to choose the color for each room). I smiled and said I didn’t know yet but very possible turquoise in the bathroom.

Patience, trust – and maybe muscles.