Building a house, Israeli style!

Hello again everybody :), I had a great day at the building site yesterday and we took loads of great photos. We also made good progress on the actual building and its beginning to take shape. So, i'll give you a run down on what has been the best day of the trip so far!

It was surprisingly cloudy yesterday morning, the sun's normally fully out my around 9 in the morning, but today it was hidden behind clouds until about 10:30. Luckily it provided a welcome relief from the worst of the morning heat. Our task for the morning was to get the slope (now cleared) ready for planting. We dug the holes for Carolyn to plant in the afternoon whilst me and Jehn were at the building site. After lunch, me and Jehn packed up the truck with a new load of wood at set out around 2:45.
When we arrived we were quickly put to work destroying what's left of the old bathroom (I now know we're extending a smaller structure into a proper family home). Guy set us up with electric hammers/drills and left us to it. It was hot work even at 4 in the afternoon! After 10 minutes I was bathed in sweat and dust and had to let Jehn have a go.

Me with the first of the electric drills, we used it to remove what's left of the tiles on the wall :)

What is that?! You know its hot if your sweat is soaking through your shorts.......

After removing the wall tiles we had "afternoon-tea". The owner brought out fresh black coffee (surprisingly good even in the heat) and chocolate pastries. We all had a good chat for twenty minutes before work resumed.

Afternoon tea, Israeli style :)

The face says it all :) 

As I said before, the house is beginning to take shape. The first of the wall frames went up around mid-afternoon. Guy and the rest of the builders are sticklers for precision, even if getting it sometimes means using a hammer! After the wall frames are cut and nailed together its time to lift them into place. With four of us holding it steady Guy went round and drilled it EXACTLY in place. I have to say, seeing someone's house take shape like this is a real privilege.

The first of the wall frames in place in the left of the picture 

Me holding a wall frame in place whilst Guy puts its inner framework together 

A builder in the making :) A great photo of Jehn and Guy

So, after lifting the wall into place it was time for me and Jehn to return to our work in the bathroom, this time to remove the old flooring tiles. After using a crow bar and a limitless amount of brute force the last of the tiles were gone. However, one problem still remained.The old shower bottom was a solid slab of concrete and we couldn't remove it with a crow bar alone....

It was time to open Guy's treasure chest of building tools. What we found was a MUCH bigger and more powerful version of the electric hammer we used on the walls. Let me tell you, this was fun to use! We soon had the shower bottom removed :). Throughout our afternoon work, the local radio station had been pumping out classic rock tunes. Everyone was singing along to the words and having a great time. It sure helped the time pass quickly!

Me removing the floor tiles around the shower bottom

Me with the big electric hammer :)

After we had cleared up in the bathroom, the latest wall frame was lifted into place and soon it was time for dinner. The owner brought down salad and meat slices with pita and rolls for a "make your own feast" under the stars. We all had a great time, chatting about life and getting to know one another. We sure are working with some great people :)

Another one bites the dust :) the next wall frame in place 

Me taking a pre dinner break on the roof of Guy's pick-up 

Me and Guy load up our pitas for dinner :)

Group photo :) i'm talking with Guy in the background whilst the rest enjoy their dinner 

The owner and her kids left soon after dinner to leave us to finish up for the day. Our last task was to lift the third wall frame of the day into place. After some encouragement (mainly on the blunt end of a hammer) it was drilled into place and the day was done.

You da man! Me and guy towards the end of the evening's work

Job done :) 

We left the building site VERY late, we set off for home at 10 in the evening under a clear night sky and amazing views of the towns surrounding the Sea of Galilee. As we climbed up towards Nimrod however, the fog got thicker and thicker. Soon visibility was down to only 5 meters or so and Guy was forced to take it slow on the road up to Nimrod. We arrived home in one piece though around 11, Guy dropped us off at our accommodation where we promptly fell straight asleep. 

Whilst I had a great day at the building site it was also the last day of work for Jehn and Carolyn :(. Today is the start of the weekend and Carolyn leaves tomorrow whilst Jehn leaves early Sunday morning. Its been great to get to know these guys over the last two weeks and I'll be sad to see them go. But hopefully some new volunteers will be joining me sometime next week so I won't be lonely for long :). It also means i'm now a third of the way through my time at Nimrod. The time has passed quickly and I'm still having a great time :). 

Well, that's it for a another entry. Thanks for reading guys and see you next time :).