7th January Thursday
3rd day of building – another 6.15am breakfast –strong coffee, boiled eggs, doxycycline tabs, pineapple & plum jam. Not necessarily all together but easier that way.
Another hrs drive out to the building site past sights that have to be seen to be believed: A traffic officer in the middle of an intersection directing traffic & texting on his cell as well! A block of coffin shops which included a drive through ‘Drive by Coffins’ . A thought for Westland Funeral back in Greymouth? Also ‘Holy Spirit Hair Salons’.
Adele – I read an article in the local paper that suggested a decent education will prevent your child becoming a foot scrubber or worse -a common hairdresser!
We arrive at the building site, don sunscreen, hats, gloves & shiFt bricks. Although no one complains about the muscle aches, the grimaces & threats to start @ Fat Maxes gym give it away! We were told by the builders the bricks weigh 8-9kg but we are all convinced they are at least 9-12kg – at the start of the day anyway. After brick number 200, they are at least 15kg – or more depending where you are in the line.
We are starting to get the hang of brick laying although I don’t think Kevin Tucker or Dave Packham need worry just yet re their businesses being under threat. Marge has got laying mortar down to a particularly fine art so long as “Justice” – her co-worker does the brick laying. As for myself –after balancing precariously on some pretty dodgy scaffolding for at least 2 long layers of bricks, ‘Moses’ the foreman noticed my part of the wall was definitely much lower than other parts due to not enough mortar. Not to worry -they just put loads more extra mortar on the next level. Any gaps between the bricks that haven’t been filled in & not noticed till too late are conveniently called ventilation…
By the end of the day the outside of the house was complete!!!!
We visited the brick making team of about 5 who have a VERY labour intensive method of turning moist sand into bricks via a manual compressing machine. Their bulging biceps, washboard abs & rippling muscles were very appreciated by the admiring gaggle of girls who went to see them in action (again). It was a very hot day & one of them had to take his shirt off… shame. (I would like to clarify here that the swooning that resulted was actually a result of the heat). Anyway – I digress.
Jack (13yrs) has been practising hard with the local kids & builders for the World Cup. Soccer is an international language. The sight of a soccer ball will transform the shyest child into a beaming soccer maniac – with wicked skills to match despite bare feet on hard uneven ground.
Friday 8 January 2010
Another day that started much the same as the day before. Early breakfast and quick trip through the traffic to Suubi. More bricks moved and only a short day with only five hundred to lay. All hands on deck and finished about lunchtime. Mission complete. A great feeling of accomplishment.
After finishing building yesterday, us white people “mzungu” challenged the workers to a game. Moses put everyone who turned up into 2 teams – of 15-20 aside! It was complete chaos, minimum rules & consequently very noisy. Pandamonium erupted when the mzungu’s scored the first goal (thanks to some of the Watoto kids playing for us). When the score reached 2 each –Moses diplomatically ended the game. We were all completely exhausted as it was really hot & trying to keep up with these guys was a real challenge -we must’ve looked pretty pathetic!
On the way home, we had a quick tour of the new ‘Bulrushes’ – a 3 story 4 wing building where a maximum of 180 kids from 18mths -4yrs will be housed prior to being settled into a Watoto family. We also saw a hospital complete with operating theatre & nurses accommodation. This will service all the Watoto villages.
Saturday 9 January
Late start to the day with breakfast at 8 o’clock. All dressed in team uniform (red Shirts) and left for Suubi 2 for dedication of “our house”.
We got caught in a major traffic gridlock today – so bad that a truckdriver left his truck to direct traffic. Our driver, Heussien, took a short cut through a petrol station to try & get around the jam and ended up only three cars in front of where we left for but lots of fun and anguish getting there. It was the longest trip to the building site this week being almost 1 hour longer than usual!
Our dedication service was held in “our house” with us Kiwis singing a couple of songs and the local builders singing some and then some dedication prayers. It was humbling and the locals being so thankful for us being there and building a house that will house 8 orphans and a mother for the next 200 years.
We went to the local mall to visit the internet cafe & the supermarket. Soap is not found with usual toiletries but in the fats/oils dept. Plasters, bandaids are only available through a pharmacy.
Amanda must be more dodgy than we originally suspected as she has been taken aside & searched at most check points since we left NZ & even today she was escorted though the supermarket by an armed guard for trying to enter the exit door. I rest my case.
We usually arrive back at the guest house completely exhausted & stained red/orange from the dirt/sweat/sunscreen combination that we have marinated in for 6-8hrs. Showers alternate between cold, hot or absent. Any grime not washed off is rubbed off on the white towels. Then the cut throat card games begin –Jem & his bunch of dodgy players- Jack, Kate, Braydon & Olivia have all shown quite a ruthless side to them.
Marge has started lessons in cryptic crosswords & now has a dedicated following – Jack even bought a book of c/crosswords for her which she accepted very graciously!
Bye for now,
Kathy
