Day Three: The Work Begins

Laura and Lena love to wear their safety helmets on the construction site!

Our first day at the Habitat construction site was a day of wind, laughter and the ringing of hammers on wood. After an early wake-up, we arrived at the site and had a brief safety orientation with the construction site managers. 

We also got to meet Adrian, Vali and Marianna, the three young adults for whom we are building a triplex of studio apartments. All three have grown up Habitat's partner organization, Caminul Felix, which cares for abandoned children in Oradea. Now, as working young adults, they have been volunteering with the organization and are able to start with small apartments of their own.

Heading to the work site for the first time. On the left are other Habitat houses built for a local orphanage organization.

The team on the foundation of the triplex.

The morning was sunny but windy and very cold, so we were happy when we began to move and work. From a bare foundation and a pile of lumber, our goal for the day was to get the walls framed and the trusses for the roof finished. We split up into three teams, some cutting boards, while others hammered together the trusses and walls.

Some of the team spent the day sawing boards for the frame....

While others created trusses for the roof...

And the rest framed the walls!

The work site in mid-morning, with one wall raised.

Thomas puts finishing touches on a living room window frame.

Throughout the day of hard work, we enjoyed conversation together as a team and with the others on the work site. The Romanian workers were patient and friendly, helping us to learn how to work best and creating a great atmosphere. It was exciting to see everyone working together, and amazing how much we accomplished in a day! By the time we left in the late afternoon, we had raised all four external walls and most of the internal walls, and finished all 25 trusses for the roof! 

Angela and Megan with Marianna, one of the three young adults who will be living in the triplex.

By the end of the day we were weary but happy, excited to see the progress of the triplex and to keep building community as a team and with the other workers.