We just finished our full first week of work. Calling it strenuous would be the understatement of this trip. We had to demolish the house that was in place of the kitchen. The only tools we have are hammers and shovels so you have to rely mostly on your own physical strength. The heat of the sun made the work that much more difficult. By Thursday it cooled down and we had finished digging. Members of the community were helping us on the project and it was amazing to see how efficiently and accurately they were able to do some of this work. And they’re all so resourceful. Every plank of wood and nail from the original house was carefully removed and repurposed for something else. The dirt that we dug up was used to then relevel the ground.

By the weekend we were all exhausted but felt so accomplished that we made it through the first full week. On Saturday it started pouring rain which cooled us off and lifted our spirits. We got to go into Mazan, the local town. We could by some snacks and wander around. The change of scenery was also really refreshing. And the junk food that we could buy tasted better than it ever had since we have no access to it at the station. We also got to go into the internet café for about 20 minutes. A lot of us were able to contact our families which made us all feel a lot better. Going home seems so far away at this point but I know these remaining weeks will fly by.

Today, Sunday, we got to go down to the river and fish. We made our own fishing poles from tree branches. Luckily our caretaker, who is quite the handyman, made us significantly better ones. We spent the morning kayaking and fishing and taking in the beauty of the Amazon River. Being back at the station and reflecting on this week is making us realize how hard yet rewarding this journey will be. We got week one of work down and now that we’ve figured more of life out, this place is beginning to feel like home.

• Carrie Stouffer