Our Habitat Team

Our Habitat team consisted of 16 amazing individuals from all over the world. We had two architects!  Most of the team had participated in Habitat builds in the past, some as many as 10. We had three couples. One of the most inspiring team members, Woody, has Parkinson's disease and starts every day asserting that it is the best day of his life. He and his wife Deb are trying to do one Habitat build a year for as long as they can. One of the strongest workers on the team was a 65 year old, a retired computer network salesperson--he was a machine!

Lake Titicaca!

Our last day together involved a drive to Lake Titicaca, a traditional lunch on a boat, and the opportunity to spend some time on the highest navigable lake in the world.

Bolivian Urban Cowboy Architecture in El Alto

Most of El Alto is permeated by architecture that is brown--tile bricks stacked to make geometric buildings of multiple stories. But from time to time, you can see these fanciful buildings--all shiny, with bright colors, unusual designs. My teammate Pete called this "Bolivian Urban Cowboy Architecture." But there is an architect behind it! Freddy Mamani. More on him here: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/architect-freddy-mamani-transformed-el-alto-bolivia-into-mecca-modern-architecture

Valley of the Moon

Before the build began, the team made a trip to the Valley of the Moon on the cable cars--providing great photo opportunities! The Valley of the Moon is right within the city of La Paz, and is composed of sandstone formed into amazing shapes by the weather.

Last Build Day!

Our last build day involved us getting further along on the sewage hole, laying stones in the new kitchen to start the floor process, then starting to lay bricks on the foundation for the new kitchen. And finally, a moving celebration with the family!

Day Four: The Longest Day

Apparently Thursday is one of the most difficult of all the days on Habitat builds. Our Thursday was pretty brutal. Three of our team members had to stay back sick that day, making our crew even slimmer. But we made more progress on the hole and mixed and poured concrete in the living room.

Gooooaaaal!

After our half work day, we headed to the arena to watch a Bolivian soccer game! Bolivia was playing the worst team in the division. While it started slow, the game ended in a 6-2 win! A super fun way to see a new side of La Paz and its people.