We woke up, headed down to breakfast and grabbed some coffee. First pot was ready and I grabbed a cup. Second pot was being made on 'island time.' Breakfast buffet was set out and we ate and discussed the expected events for the day. There were four projects on our agenda:
-dig a new latrine as the porta-potties that have been supplied by a charitable organization would soon be going away
-lay the foundation for a new free-standing school room
-build benches for the school rooms
-provide English classes and art classes for the children living in the camp
I had opted out of the teaching as I am not a good teacher - I lack the patience needed. That left digging, mixing cement, carrying buckets of dirt, sand, gravel, water, etc, and maybe some basic carpentry work (thank God for wood shop back in Junior High School). The day was promising to be a hot one.
We left the hotel and walked over to the camp to learn that in our absence the evening before a decision had been made to change the size of the classroom. The staked rectangle was slightly narrower than what we had left, but more than twice as long. The ground within the rectangle was slopped and the far end was at least 18 inches lower than the height of the originally planned room. We would have to build this up before we could begin laying concrete. Luckily, we had a source of earth - the hole we would be digging for the latrine.
My first job of the day was at the latrine. The dirt in the area of the camp is more clay then soil - heavy, thick and difficult to dig. Down in the hole we would break it up with pick axes and then shovel it up and out. There people would fill buckets and wheelbarrows and bring the dirt down to the classroom where it would be used to make the ground level. For hours - shovel dirt from the bottom of the hole up and out. More people with shovels fill the bucks and wheelbarrows. Finally, carrying the the dirt down the hill. This consumed the morning.
While a group of us were working on this others were trying to refine the design for the benches - really bench/desk units that would seat many children with an attached writing surface. Some changes were made, ideas exchanged and a design was finalized. Finally parts were cut that could then be easily assembled into the finished product.
Still another group set to work with the children. They used chalkboard paint to create a message board on the side of the school and used the board to advertise classes to the community. The kids have come in droves.
Lunch was a 2-hour affair, mainly to take a break during the worst of the day's heat. The pool looked inviting, but I can only imagine that if I got in I would never get out.
In the afternoon we had to big post holes to support the walls of the school room and begin mixing cement. We did not have a post digger, we we would loosen dirt with a pick axe and then dig it out most by hand. I have to say there is something extremely satisfying about swinging a pick ax. Cement mixing on the other hand has got to be the most physically grueling thing I have ever done. Sand, gravel and cement, mixed in large batches directly on the ground - it is back breaking and aerobically taxing. Please, nobody ever tell the trainer who leads boot camp about this, it might put ideas in his head.
The sun sets fast so close to the equator, so work comes to a halt shortly after 6 pm. We return to the hotel for cold beer, a dip in the pool and a delicious dinner. We laugh and tell stories and are all exhausted enough to be heading to bed by 9 pm.
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