Wow, I have been waiting for this page to load forever...I have managed to increase my level of patience simply because everything takes longer here, nothing is as easy as it seems, and its easier to relax and just let things go then to get upset because things don't go according to plans (which they never do). Now that I am done philosophising, let me get down to bizness.
Monday: We made it to the village (the two men in the group) early in the morning, but we had to wait to begin work because the keys were with our good friend Julius, aka "Wise Dog", and he was behind us in Kumba. We dismantled the formwork from the dam (catchment) while waiting and once he arrived, we perservered the work day until 6pm in order to accomplish an important task: casting the concrete collection chamber that sits after the catchment. This is nearly unheard of because most work days end by 2-3 pm depending on the amount of work. It was imperative that we cast the collection chamber so that work could progress as the week went on.
After work, no football because it was nearly dark when we returned to the house. We had our baths and then dinner and then sponsored a party for all those in the village that have been working with us. We carried 6 crates of beer across the lake, some cheap wine that tastes like juice 5 gal jug, and bought some white stuff (palm wine) from one of the villagers. We also had ground nuts (African peanuts) and puff corn (popcorn). Elvis was the DJ and the party lasted until midnight. Everyone had a nice time.
Tuesday: Rain de fall hard. Rain de fall plenty. No work in fact. We spend most of the day in the house playing cards, a game called "check" that is similar to UNO with regular cards, and just relaxed. Football in the afternoon, and after that took some white stuff at the local pub (a small room in front of one guys house where people congregate around vats of palm wine at any hour of the day.
Wednesday: The plumbers got to work by cutting and dicing the galvanized iron pipes, attaching valves and the inlet to the pipe line at the collection chamber. Digging continued in full force as the chairman of the traditional council returned and decreeed that any man who did not dig was required to pay 24 bottles of beer (2 crates) to the traditional council and he was planning on traveling to the Senior Divisional Officer of the Meme Division in Kumba to turn in names and make if official. Football in the afternoon, got me two goals and one of the guys said it was "christmas" for me. We played through the rain and after we went "down" to drink some white stuff and catch some fun. Great dinner of Ndole (probably my best African dish) and sleep.
Thursday: Work progressed again at an alarming rate!!! Digging continued and the laying of galvanized iron pipes went forth. It is a difficult task because of the terrain, but its moving. We built the forms for the tap stands that will be located in the village (3 of them). To do this, we carried planks from the catchment to the village. I carried one on my head, 12" x 1" planks 20 ft. long. Probably more difficult that the bag of sand.
Friday: Again, digging and laying of pipes. I dug my own section of the trench on Friday. 4 meter section, just like every other man in the village, and I have the blisters to prove it. The way I see it, people will be talking about this project for many years to come, as well as the people who orchestrated it. I dont want them saying that we forced them to do all the manual labor, but that we contributed just as every other man to realize our common goal.
Weekend: Shacking and sleeping and football.
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