We Risked $5,000 On This Roof (Mid Rainy Season)

This week felt like one of those weeks where everything happened at once. After months of planning, mistakes, delays and countless hours sweating in the Salvadoran sun, we finally finished the roof on our hostel dorm. Seeing the building covered for the first time was a special feeling. Of course, finishing a roof only creates a whole new set of questions... Mainly, will it leak..? Young Sam is volunteering with us, which is fortunate because there is no shortage of work to be done. We also welcomed Rosa and Maitiú to the crew, just in time to help us tackle the never-ending list of jobs around the property. Harrison is still on the video editing, Chato laying blocks and Margarita runs the kitchen. Away from the roof, we finished our rustic stone steps, seasoned our homemade rebar grill to freshen it up and collected four gallons of fresh milk from the farm. Not everything went according to plan though. A storm rolled through and knocked down one of our trees. The kittens nearly got themselves lost. Then, for good measure, we somehow managed to set our oven on fire. Building a hostel is proving difficult. Making these videos every week is proving difficult too. But, we're grateful for the opportunity. Every day feels like a choice between picking up a shovel or picking up a camera. There is always concrete to mix, materials to move, animals to look after or another problem waiting around the corner. Still, documenting the journey feels important. One day this construction site will be a hostel full of backpackers, volunteers and good craic. When that day comes, we'll be glad we recorded how it all started. Thanks for following along.