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PREVIOUS PLAYGROUND PROJECT: SEPTEMBER 2005
DETAILS OF TRIP
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8

Day 3 - Monday: Cotorro complete! Assembly begins at Site 2

At 7:30am, the Project and Team Leaders and some volunteers, who we fondly referred to as the "Build Crew", departed the hotel and went to the second playground site to lay out the equipment and tools so that the volunteers could immediately start working when they arrived. Half an hour later, a "Finishing Crew" went back to Cotorro to complete the project and the remaining volunteers departed the hotel at about 8:15am to go to Parque San Agustin.

   

Once again, the volunteers, along with the Cuban workers, assembled and erected the equipment in record time. There was very little shade at this particular park and the sun was especially hot this day. The volunteers took frequent breaks to re-hydrate themselves with bottled water and Gatorade. Just like Cotorro, the neighborhood also provided us with snacks and a delicious lunch. We were fortunate that a neighbor offered a nice shaded back yard for the volunteers to eat lunch in and also extended their hospitality by offering their beautiful bathroom for our use.

   

Right after lunch, the group took a short break to visit a nearby school about a block away. Upon our arrival, we were greeted by two rows of children, lined up on either side of the entrance walkway. We walked past the children to a central area where another group of children performed songs and danced to welcome the American visitors. The volunteers then presented the school principal with donations of classroom supplies and other needed items. We were then given a tour of the clasrooms where students were in session. The group also visted the nursery where the smallest of children were taking a nap before resuming their afternoon school activities.

   

By late afternoon, the concrete was being poured into the postholes and by the end of the afternoon, the second playground was well on the way to completion. Children and families from all over the neighborhood gathered around the fence to watch the construction, all of them excited and asking "when can we play?!" After a long, hot day of work, the volunteers left the site at about 5pm and returned to the hotel to enjoy their evening in Havana.


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