Day 10 (July 20, 2010)

So yesterday was our first official day of construction. We woke up bright and early! Breakfast had been moved to 7 in the morning. Some people originally wanted it to be at 6:30 (thank goodness it was a half and hour later!) We then dressed for the site and set off. I'm not sure anyone realized what to expect for the day, even PRP veterans. When we got to the site it was very, very windy and still cloudy! Perfect work weather. We then were given an important safety lecture by Kyle and Chuck. We then were roughly put into groups. The groups were, digging up rocks/clay to make a trench for one of the outer walls of the site, moving and collecting rocks to put inside the trench, and staking out the perimeter of one of the park's 2 spirals. I was in the digging up rocks and clay group. We set off with our shovels over our shoulders and went to where we should start. By this time the sun had started to come out but the windy breeze cooled and stirred the 90 degree - humid air. As soon as we started digging, I realized this was not just going to be a walk in the park! It was going to be dirty, dusty, and muddy. Not to mention a workout! By Twelve ' O clock, Jim had laid out the spiral and we were 3/4s done digging the trench, and collecting the stones were an ongoing process. Everyone though, was caked... and I mean caked in dirt. We all had looked like we had gotten great tans. We ate at the restaurant right next to our site. Just as a little reminder, our site is at the beach where some of Jeju's Women Divers dive. The restaurant is owned and operated by the women divers. I was obviously expecting fish for lunch, but we got delicious breaded pork curry and pasta salad. I'm not sure if it was really as good as it tasted, but after all of the morning's hard work it was one of the best meals that I have ever had! After our lunch break, we were rested and refueled and went back to work. Soon it was time to start filling in the trench with large stones for the foundation of the rock wall. Other people were still collecting stones. Eventually, we ran out of stones to both collect and to finish the foundation and had to wait for more to be delivered in order to complete it. It was mid - afternoon by this point. (If it was possible we were even dirtier than we had been in the morning). Kyle and Jin went and got us popsicles and milkshakes (they were in a bag with straws). It was much need considering it was getting very hot. People also started to get burnt. We had originally been told we weren't allowed to swim in the ocean, by the Women Divers, but luckily they changed their minds. Unfortunately, no one knew this until yesterday and no one had new clothes or bathing suits. On today's afternoon break, you can be well assured we are all jumping in the water. Finally, we ended our break and went and dug two more trenches. One trench was for another wall's foundation the other was to help with storm water drainage. We got ready to leave and were told we were going straight to dinner. It was a funny thought. Our entire bodies were the color of the reddish - brown clay and dirt we had been digging in. Thankfully, we got to go home and have a quick shower first. Although you should never do this on vacation in a foreign country, we went to the same restaurant twice - we went back to the Shabu Shabu place in Jeju (I'm pretty sure no one cared we were all exhausted). The food was just as good as the first time and the Soju (Koren style vodka) was just as strong. We then did a little shopping at a local convenience store. Some of the Korean girls and I got animal hats. I got a cow. We then went back to the hotel. We stayed up hanging out until around 11 at night. It felt like it was much much later. Then we all went to bed and I bet it was the best nights sleep anyone has had since getting here!

- Jordan