Unforgettable views and hard work
Over the hills and far away, the Steiner children come to play……… The most memorable thing in Spain were the views. From Alcaparain we could see at least 100 miles in all directions, we were on top of the world. From our camp we could see the mountain, towering above us. And below a river flowing endlessly. I don’t exactly know how to describe it but this was the most unforgettable experience I’ve ever had.
Day in a life of a slave. Work… The one thing every adolescent fears. I must admit, I complain when I have to take out the trash or tidy the lounge. But digging a trench, or building a wall? In England we call it child abuse.
Each morning we woke up at 7 ‘o’ clock, ate breakfast and brushed our teeth. We got ourselves ready and assembled in the middle of the camp where we were met by Martin. From there we would discuss what needs doing or what can be done better. We then set out with our water bottles, sun glasses and hats to work for 2 hours on the Finca (the olive orchard). There were three jobs that needed doing. Pruning the branches, cutting undergrowth with sickles or cutting off the branches along the base of the tree (it has a name but I have no idea how to spell it) with billhooks. About 15 minutes before we finish we’d all glue our eyes to our watches and tidy up the discarded prunings. Then we headed back to camp and rested for 45 minutes.
When we were done resting we would resume working for another two hours doing a specific job. Mortimer and George were assigned to making a patio, Jamie and Jess were told to build steps, Connor and Tali also made steps but on the other side of the patio. Leon, Mollie and Bjork were digging the foundations for a wall and Barnaby, Ella and I were digging a trench for water pipes. Both Barnaby and Ella were on a cooking roster. So I only had 1 person helping me 2 days in a row.
We finished our job first though and were reassigned to help dig the foundations for the wall. When we finished it was time to put the wall together. Leon and I lifted the stone blocks and fitted them. Of course not all fit. So we had to use our brains as well as brawn. Each stone must have weighed more than me, and even some required 2 people to lift. At the end we had lifted about 5 tonnes, And we did it in 2 days. The amount of satisfaction when we were done was great. The most work I’d ever do at home was lift a 6 foot fence post or dig a 3 foot deep hole. This was something a lot bigger and we were proud of it.