building a hutt

so we have started construction on my nipa hutt. YAY!!!!! the land has been cleared, the holes have been dug, and my coco lumber and bamboo have just been delivered. on monday i bought all of the cement, wire and nails and tools needed - for P11,171 ($199.48). i bought the coco lumber for the studs, posts and trusses for P10,399 ($185.71) and the rest is pretty much labor. so labor works differently here in the philippines, you pay the workers weekly, that part is pretty normal -- but they also expect you to feed them while they work. i told them that i'm not feeding my workers, ill just pay them more. i don't know how to cook rice and pork fat -- so pesos will just have to do. so basically i am building my house for around P50,000 -- which is less than US$1000. Alot of the material are being donated to me. The mayor is giving me sand and gravel, and the nipa for my roofing. The vice mayor said he will come out and help build for free, so my community is really being supportive. They just don't understand why i would want to move out of a host family's house and live by myself. My neighbors are constantly telling me that they know of someone who will be my companion, and stay in my house with me. I just tell them that American's are used to living alone and it's normal for us, and i won't be lonely. i don't have the heart to tell them that i can't wait to get out of the host family's house, that they are constantly in my room going through my stuff and asking permission for everything just isn't working any more.