My cunning plan to arrive a little late for check in at Dublin airport worked a treat as I was handed a boarding card for first class (bonus!). A few hours later the coach trip through The Dominican Republic (Dom Rep) brought me back to earth with a bang, how six buses managed to weave their way through five-man mopeds and over-laden pick-ups, whilst driving around monster pot-holes into on coming traffic is beyond me. As poor as The Dom Rep appeared, it was no preparation for what awaited us on the far side of the Haitian border. Our convoy (under armed U.N. protection) crawled through local crowds, who were out in force to greet us, as it slowly dawned on us that the reason it was so dark was that these people were living with no electricity! They sat by candle-light, waving up at us from small tables by the side of the road.
After our first night under our carefully tucked-in mosquito nets it was off to work. Clearly word had spread that I had snagged a 1st class seat on the flight and it was time for some pay back! I don’t know where Mr. Buckley found the plastering sand but it was certainly a devious mind that decided that it would all have to be sifted/riddled by hand in 40 degree plus heat. It was indeed the no.1 job to be avoided – some of us (James, Michael, Brian, Owen, myself) were a little slower than most to figure this out but on the upside we won’t need to be investing in an ab-king-pro anytime soon!
The water flowed all day and the beers started to flow well into the night, a lot of work done while the sun was up, backed up by a lot of sh**e talked while it was down. There were stories of giant tarantulas to be avoided on late night toilet runs, a lad getting a three am alarm call only to wake up staring into the eyes of a goat and not forgetting a certain foreman (name withheld for legal reasons) who we found asleep, standing up in the corner of our front room at 4:30am after the first day of work/beer!
“Work hard, play hard” as a certain Irish contractor puts it and we certainly did! The blood and the sweat were followed by inevitable tears on “Hand-Over” day. To witness the joy on the faces of the families as they received the keys to their new homes and to hear the laughter of the children as they burst through the gates to their playground has to be one of the most rewarding experiences anyone could ever have.
Thanks to the Buckley family, the fantastic Haven staff and all the volunteers for a life changing week.
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