Whats it all about?

We're Brad and Jana Collin and this is all about getting back to our roots as the nomadic couple that we became together.

Join us as we begin our adventure by truck from California to Panama.

Welcome to our journey!

Thursday, May 15, 2008

New Lessons by Brad

We didn't know what to expect before we arrived at the finca.

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Yet when we arrived we were surprised to find that the 40 foot semi truck trailer which we thought had been converted into a nice and comfy home, was no where near in living condition. Did I mention that the truck had been severly burnt in a fire in the past.

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The next 4 days would consist of 12-16 hour days of building a new home. We started with the deck, then we framed the walls inside, then we cut the door to the deck, than a window. We prepped all the electricity, we applied the drywall. Slowly but surely the trailer was beginning to look liveable.

We quickly ran out of time as Bernardo and Lorianna had buses and planes to catch back to the states. I was faced with the challenge of finishing the work we started and of course hadn't started.

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My first project was finishing the walls inside, then the plumbing, indoor and out, then the rain gutters, then the erosion control to make sure the trailer didn't wash away into the jungle.


Needless to say these were all projects that I have never done before and I surprised myself after I had carried each one out.

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Every day is a busy day when you don't have a toilet and you wash yourself and your dishes with a hose that sticks out of a 30 gallon tank that is on a tower that stands taller than the house. Fortunately we have neighbors that are kind and allow us to fill our tank with the water from their spicket.

The life we are living now is much different than the life I have lived for the last 28 years. I thank god everday for the things I have taken for granted my entire life. Thank you mom and dad as well.

What a lesson in life this trip has become.
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Chow

4 comments:

tarakiwi cottage designs said...

Y'all are nuts!! So much so that I had a dream I was in Costa Rica last night visting you all! In the dream you had permenant home in a barn with tons of beds, like crazy furniture and on the side you were fixing up a truck carton.
Are you all still coming back here in July? Are these guys getting a free pad because you all did a lot of the work?

Speaking of work, gotta run!! Miss you!!

Anonymous said...

Hi guys! Nice work on the house. Hope you are all still doing well. Scratch Morty on the head for me :)

Besos!
Alex

Unknown said...

what no kegger?

Anonymous said...

Yo T, there´s so much to tell you!

Bernardo did a lot of the work...

But, had I known that we couldn´t really get to the beach in 30 minutes during the season that we are here, there´s no way I would have committed to 3 months. We are at less than 1 month and counting to surfing freedom!