My mother would be jealous

Yep that's Tripe waiting to get cooked for lunch the other day. It brought back many childhood memories - there's nothing like that smell (it pongs!). The finished product was nothing like my mother cooked but I still couldn't eat it!.
(Sorry Mum - nothing against your cooking but I never did like the stuff).
For the uneducated Tripe or "guatita" as it is called here is cow stomach. Everyone seemed very excited about having it so they must love it. I was wondering how Mark would cope with it but he ate it because he said it was cut up very small and cooked in a sauce with potatoes.

Good Times

Just wanted to show that we do smile and have fun in the kitchen too - I may have been sounding a little negative lately - it's amazing what a good sleep will do. Everyone is working hard and the job is getting done. The brothers and sisters will be able to look proudly on their brand new Salon de Reino with joy - knowing they have all had a part in its construction.

So here's how the empanadas looked as they were being fried first thing this morning. I have to say while they were ok - I wouldn't rave about them and they certainly were not worth all the bother.

Mark is on the mend although he has lost a lot of weight (some people have it good) - he went back to work today although he still wasn't feeling 100%. Chad too was working so it seems us gringo's are back on deck. We girls in the kitchen are still doing a lions share of the work but hopefully there will be some changes as the brother in charge of the construction team has noticed that we are there making and serving every meal and doing the dishes as well. Of course it is a privilege and I am not really moaning - just venting.
Tonight though - I was much more comfortable with the preparation of dinner, as Pizza was requested. Finally I could make something without having to ask for directions - I think they went down well too so I am happy.

Sorry this photo is a bit off - but I wanted to give you the idea

The women here go to a lot of trouble making their food and it seems like a big waste of time and energy to me. Today we spent 2 or more hours making empanadas (not sure of the spelling) out of green bananas - first they had to be cooked till soft - then minced up (top picture). Then they make a dough out of it with butter, salt etc and roll it out between plastic. Cheese is put in the middle and then it is folded over cut and pinched together. This lot is for tomorrows breakfast so I imagine they will be fried as always. I am sure they will be very nice but really not worth all the trouble and manpower involved.

Not a particularly good day today. I woke up with a headache but headed off to work at 6 am drugged up. Chad got a nail through his foot the other day and the tetanus injection he had to get made him feel pretty bad. Mark came home at around ten and flopped into bed - he's got some flu with high temperatures (lets hope it's not THE flu eh) and Michele, well she is exhausted. This build is killing us "gringitos" off - maybe we are just not strong enough for it - having all been used to 4 day quick builds!

Dia especial de asamblea

Today was our special assembly day and guess what - after nearly 20 years for Mark being on cleaning and me in the audit department (not for that long but a fair few years) in New Zealand - we both had the exact same jobs and that meant we were last out again! Thankfully Hermano G waited for us to finish to give us a ride home with the rest of the Gringo Team. On the subject of counting money - I have never been so confused in all my life. They do things so differently here and of course there is a bucket load of coin to count so we had a mammoth task. I hope I don't ever get that job again!
Tomorrow I have the day off but poor Mark has to work half the day guarding the bodega - he will get to sleep in just a little though so don't feel too sorry for him! Then on Tuesday we have the CO and his wife coming to stay for 2 weeks. The first week they will be in another congo and the second week with us. Phew - stop the world - I think I want to get off!

Progress report:

This was the hall before work started last Saturday

And this is what it looks like now