Construction in Haiti is Difficult!

Hello! The construction story continues, and this short bit from Sarah shows just how difficult construction in Haiti can be! During this short time I slept in a wheelbarrow one night, and then on a sheet of plywood with a rock for a pillow the next night! Thankfully I had already done both before while living in Fiji, so I was prepared! Read this short excerpt below to see just what construction in Haiti can really be like!

The Inflated Airform!

SEPTEMBER 8TH - SEPTEMBER 11TH

The equipment broke again (and again and again) so instead of it taking 2-3 hours to inflate the balloon it took four days, a return trip to Port Au Prince, two trips to Les Cayes and about 30 hours under the balloon (sleeping at 3am, getting up at 6am) to get it to fully pressurized! There are many more details to this part of the journey, but suffice it to say, it was not a smooth or comfortable few days. Dan had the guys building window frames while he was away and the crew finished the scaffolding. When they returned, Steve slept outside so that no one would steal anything - he slept in a very small wheel barrow!  Dan said it’s amazing how the balloon fills up really slowly and then all of a sudden there it is like a huge drum!

The Entrance to the Airform!

SEPTEMBER 12TH

The balloon held the pressure overnight, so after a couple of false starts they got the machines working and put mud (concrete) on the wall. However, when they were about 1/2 way round the rains came and washed it all off! And then the remainder of the concrete, sitting in the wheelbarrows for the next section of the dome, got stolen. 

Waiting to hear more from Dan.

The Beautiful Beaches of Haiti!