On the road again

Today brought a bunch of good news!

We will be able to finally make the trip to Villamontes on Sunday to get started on the houses there. The road blocks are starting to lift for a few hours at a time, so it should be possible for us to leave Sunday afternoon and start in Villamontes on Monday. Those who know me well know that I have a hard time relaxing if I have a goal in mind; I am happy to have news of our trip. I also found out that the houses in Villamontes will cost less than I originally estimated, anywhere from $4000-$5000 depending on the cost of materials when we can buy them.

(A side note... if you are hoping to provide a donation and are able to do so now, it would be most appreciated as it gives us some financial flexibility to acquire materials strategically and lower the house costs. You can click here!)

Despite the good news, it was also a tough morning for me emotionally. We went to deliver materials to a group of 10 houses together in a barrio that Habitat is building here in Tarija. It was really hard to see that 3 of the 10 houses are only 2 rooms, because that is all the family can afford to pay the mortgages on.  It's hard to see how excited the families are to move into 2 rooms instead of the 1 cramped shambles of a room they occupy currently.

Provided I raise the money to support it, I am planning to have the houses in Villamontes be bigger, and still have the mortgage be that of a smaller house, in essence giving the 2nd or 3rd bedroom to the family, rather than them paying the mortgage. It's just too hard to fathom a family of 5 or more in such a small space.

In other news, if you are going to be roadblocked in somewhere, you could do a lot worse than Tarija. The town is very cute, with nice streets and plazas and numerous good restaurants. It is on a trickle of a river with a nice boardwalk. So I am enjoying my time here. I will post more pics once I find a faster internet connection!

My time here is also providing me lots of opportunities to talk with Bolivians about the political situation, because Tarija is in the middle of a struggle with the government over it's petroleum reserves and natural gas. I am learning a lot about the "average" person on the street's perspective. In a word-- concerned.

More photos from today can be found in the folder on the right "Week 2: Tarija" or by clicking HERE.

Saludos,

naomi