All work and no play….

Posted on August 15, 2019 Updated on August 16, 2019

Cross-cultural interactions during our village stay have been abundant and rewarding. And, as we appreciated participating in the local retraite de deuil ceremonies, we also have been pleased to share some of our own traditions from home.F or instance, one of the volunteers from March, Doug, left a small drone here, that we pulled out and operated, much to the delight of the neighbors and the howling of the dogs. Or, Drew brought with him his softball glove with a ball, and he pulled them out with a makeshift bat and conjured up a game with a couple of our workers. Drew made waffles on Sunday, and we even tried out some yoga positions to stretch out the sore muscles with our volunteers.

Meanwhile, work is proceeding.

— The world map mural is showing the colors of the countries with Joan and Claire recruiting anyone who drops in to help out.

— The pre-school is painted with steps out front, and Jack helped hang the blackboard.

— Dick and Drew have been fully engaged in constructing an anti-erosion apron along the front of the primary school. The apron is sloped to ensure run-off but has also required drainage pipes to be installed beneath two new stairways that cross the apron. We have also constructed a new balustrade on the front porch that safely controls student access while integrating with the original school design.

Some days the work has been long, owing to the need to pour the cement and let it set before we can move on the next project. One day, Dick worked until 9pm to smooth the sloped surface. We also work Saturdays mid-afternoon, with the rest of the weekend off (although we check in on the school to make sure that cement is drying as we want.)

Time is short with the independence day celebration this coming Saturday. We are on track to finish, but it will be a few more long days to complete the balustrade, apron, and painting.

.– We will distribute our final set of mosquito nets in Abam Eba to coincide with the independence day celebrations. There are a few days of festivities planned and we’ll write about those as soon as we can.