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Friday, October 5, 2012

The Construction Story Continued!

.... The Construction Story Continued!


SEPTEMBER 5TH
Dan is slowly being able to enjoy the process rather than just being in survival mode, although says that seeing all of the poverty is incredibly exhausting. He said he went for a walk in to town yesterday evening and that the brightness of the stars was incredible, he said he really felt that he could reach up and touch them, that they really felt part of the landscape in a way that he’d not experienced before. Also he nearly stepped on the largest tarantula that he had ever seen - he said it looked like it was about to reach up and touch him!

SEPTEMBER 6TH
I’m going to copy here the email I just from Dan.... (From Sarah)

“We got the airform attached tonight - it was quite a circus with the whole community getting involved. It's hard work moving the airform around. Anyway we'll hopefully get it sealed and inflated tomorrow morning. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the finished slab before we placed the airform on it. We went into town to continue the search for the illusive compressor. We found one but the guy wants $1,400 for it and it’s not a new machine and hasn't been new for 20 or 30 years. I'm not even sure it will do the job, but we're going to take the sprayer into town and test it there. Bear in mind going into town involves a kidney scrunching, neck dislocating, rib Rolfing one hour journey there and back reminiscent of the Dakar rally. The welder was doing his thing - there was enough power in the line he has strung up in the trees to finish the hold down levers, most of the time the power starts and stops.
 

When all 15 of us first moved the airform there was even more shouting than usual.  It took me a while to realize that they were trying to get my attention to look under the pallet. Yes it's a pallet, I thought, until I realized that they were pointing to the biggest spider I have seen. The one the other night was nothing compared to this gargantuan monster tarantula. It's one thing to see one in the zoo but quite another to see one next to where I sleep! It was bigger than an outstretched hand - it was absolutely humongous. Hopefully we can get the airform inflated, the compressor back here and working and I can start on the carpentry - always an interesting proposition in a place where you can't buy wood screws! Steve has a few odds and sods and I brought spade bits so hopefully I can make it work. It’s hard to explain but absolutely nothing here can be planned or scheduled it all sort of happens in its own time and way.
 

All twenty people who helped attach the airform were absolutely soaking wet with sweat when we were done (imagine doing incredibly hard and deeply claustrophobic work in a sauna with 600 lbs of plastic on your head) attaching the airform. Everyone walked down to the river and swam - it was really fantastic, the water was lovely and warm and all the kids were mucking about. I even managed to forget that whole communities wash, bathe and let their animals poop in it, upstream!!!! Right now I'm trying to get some sleep but it is probably in the high nineties and incredibly humid as always! But as always there is much to be thankful for- I can never have a bad hair day!
 

In town the relentless grind of standing around while people shout at each other for ages before you drive to another shop and stand around shouting at each other before being directed to drive thru a huge open air market to find a man who stands shouting in the back of the pick up directing you to his 'bodyshop' where you stand around shouting about the blatantly expensive fifty year old piece of crap that we sort of have to buy does get a bit wearing. Although I'm learning to relax and laugh at it in the way that Steve does."

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