Back on the Chain Gang

We reached the village of Succotz around 8:30 on Monday morning and one of our team members, Urban, gave us a brief talk. Having been a contractor in the U.S., Urban knew a lot about construction and would oversee operations at Succotz all week, providing invaluable guidance.

The Succotz work sounded pretty basic: we just had to fill the foundation walls with dirt so we could pour a concrete floor, and hopefully by our last day, on Thursday. Not a big deal, right? Oh, there was one catch: after we filled the concrete foundation with a few inches of dirt, we had to pack it down using 15-pound tampers. Tamping was definitely the hard part. Tamping dirt is a great way to take out your aggressions but, as I learned, it also wipes you out fast in the hot sun and humid air. In fact, after an hour of tamping my fingers were going numb from repeatedly lifting the heavy tamper and pounding it down.

In doing our various tasks – digging, filling, tamping – we were all soon sweating like pigs. But we were happy pigs. Working hard is a great way to bond and by noon our group felt like we’d all known each other for years.

Above: Here's a short video about the week we spent in Belize. One of my co-volunteers, Gary Martel, created the base video and I added the titles and did some minor editing. The music is by Belizean legend Andy Palacio who, ironically (and sadly), died a few weeks before we arrived.

I filled-and-tamped all morning with Tom, a substitute teacher in Portland, and his girlfriend Sheila, also from Portland, while thinking of the Pretender's song, "Back on the Chain Gang." Then I switched to wheel-barrowing with Kate, a manager at Safeway, and Forrest, an engineer. Later, I hit the dirt pile with Coleen, a nurse from Iowa, and her friend Michele from Alaska. I also worked with Carolyn, who modestly mentioned that she’d won an Olympic gold medal in swimming during the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome when she was 14 years old. It was an interesting bunch and despite the hot and sweaty work, everyone had a good attitude and a great time.

At noon we all collapsed in the shade of the veranda at the elementary school, had lunch and shared good conversation. I talked about some of my former girlfriends, and my stories about dating disasters cracked up the group – and me too.

As we were wrapping up lunch, one of our team members, Mary, told us she was having trouble with her vision. It had started shortly after we arrived at Succotz in the morning, she said, and by now she had lost all the vision in her eye. Of course, we were all concerned and a nurse in our group, Doris, took Mary to the hospital in San Ignacio that afternoon. Apparently Mary had a detached retina, so she decided to fly back to the U.S. the next day for surgery. We were all saddened to say goodbye to her, especially considering the effort she had made to travel to Belize. But we learned later that her operation was a success and that she's doing much better now.

Above left: The Breakfast Club at 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning at Chiclero Camp.

Above right: Getting ready to head to work Monday morning. We split up the group each day; half went to Succotz and the other half to San Antonio.

Above left: Sheesh (a villager), Urban, and Jonny at Succotz. Urban, a contractor in our crew, directed operations at Succotz each day. His expertise and guidance was invaluable.

Above center: Sheila and Tom at the Succotz library site Monday morning. We hoped to fill the foundation with dirt by Thursday so we could pour the concrete floor. Fill, tamp, fill, tamp... You get the idea.

Above right: Carolyn, Cecelia and Forrest shoveling and tamping to their heart's content.

Above left: The weary crew taking a break. From left to right, that's Carolyn, Coleen, Cecelia, Michele, Forrest, Sheila, and Tom.

Above right: Our work site was next to the elementary school. These are kindergartners at recess.

Above left: I won the "Wet T-shirt Contest" at lunch. It was over 80 degrees every day and very humid. Are we having fun yet? Actually... yes!

Above right: Carolyn joking around. She won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome with the U.S. swimming relay team when she was 14. Now she travels around the world and does volunteer work.

Above center: Carlos (right) is tamping the dirt. A quiet and kind villager, Carlos volunteers with the Succotz Police Department. He was stabbed during a drug bust a few months earlier and almost died. Against his doctor's advice, he worked with us each day because, as he told me, he just wanted to help.

Above left: Here's Michael, an American who's now a barefoot contractor with ProBelize. He's brusque, down-to-earth, politically incorrect and a total crack-up.

Above center: Cecelia trying to cool down after work with a shower from the ice cooler.

Above right: Forrest, Michele, and Coleen after a hard day. Michele and Coleen were college roommates in the 1970s and have been good friends ever since.

Above left: Every afternoon after getting back to Chiclero Camp, I walked into San Ignacio and gave my camera a workout. It's a fascinating city but drivers there are pretty wild and you take your life into your own hands when walking the streets.

Above right: The political commentary was interesting. The extreme partisanship was at times a bit humorous. Just like in the U.S., they have "red" and "blue" parties (in this case, the UDP and PUP).