La Escuelita
 
I couldn’t believe my luck when I found Gino Cacciotti through his Natural Building Institute of Ontario web page: a house building project in Zipolite. Work on the house we will be building, though “scheduled” to begin January 14th, won’t begin until the beginning of February - hopefully. Esta es Mexico, no? Meanwhile, we’ve been keeping ourselves busy at La Escuelita; a little school Gino helped build last year that has plenty of finishing work to do, and a cob oven to build. Beth is teaching english to children; Harold is focusing on completing the construction-site side of things. Me and Shaylagh, also from Ontario, Canada, are helping with this work. Beth is concerned, and reasonably so, with the hurricanes in this region. “I want at least a 2 x 3 room made of concrete cinder blocks left standing if the rest of the house goes. And I wanted the school square so it would appeal more to the local’s preference - with whom square and concrete are modern and progressive, while rounded walls and building with the earth are old news and a sign of poverty.” Though, oh my Goddess, is it fulfilling to build walls with mud, hands, and feet...http://naturalbuildinginstitute.comshapeimage_2_link_0
Natural Building: Abroad Sunday, January 20, 2008