some lighter emails

6/15/08
Hello everyone,

Happy father's day to all dads granddads, and uncles (dad, granddad and pop-pop). I don't know if father's day is practiced here in cameroon. Also happy graduation to all who have recently graduates.

We returned from village late friday after a tiring but successful week in the village. We have finished most of the catchment, which is the majority of the project. We finished digging on monday and tuesday. Wed and thurs were used to prepare for the casting of concrete on friday. friday About 30 men showed up to pour 2 m^3 of concrete. First the foundation was poured then the walls. This dam is huge, it will not move.

the top ten list

1. yesterday the Eben's (our host parents) and us went to someone 40's wedding anniversary party or ruby jubilee. The event started with a three hour long church service starting at 11 am. After pictures were taken, we were forced to have a picture with the couple probably because we were honorary guests remember we are white. Then we went to the banquet hall, which i helped build last summer, to continue the celebration with 300 other people. Some people gave toast's, the couple cut cake, then after sitting forever we ate. Then we danced until about 7, everyone says i can dance like an africa, but i dont think so. The event was like a huge family reunion it was very fun to say the least.

2. Somehow the catchment came out very well. Initially the plumber who we hired wanted to control the whole process, But I basically prepared all the form work and tied all the rebar. You cant learn about building a dam in the jungle from schooling. it was quite a learning experience.

3. Staying a village i have strict sleeping schedule. I cant stay awake past 9. Probably because i am very tired from working all day and that we just finished the dinner. and having hardly any lights in the village doesn't help. Then i wake at 6 when the sun rises

4. Us students will having a party for the workers a monday to celebrate the good work a the catchment. We will be buying beer, palm wine, wine, grane nuts, and popcorn the party. We will also buy some petrol so we can run the generator to play music.

5. I have been catching some euro 2008 football (soccer) matches at local places. That is the sporting events i have seen.

6. I forgot my toothbrush in kumba last week, so i had to brush my teeth with my fingers and use marissa mouth wash to get somewhat clean teeth.

7. We met with a government official who is in the parliament. He wants to discuss about community development and wants the information that we have. While talking with him we agreed that the funding of the projects is the hardest part.

8. the goal count is tied now justin-2 mark-2

9. we have been given nicknames: marissa-best bo (best friend) justin- k man liz - k lady and myself - boss of bross

10. the best of all was carrying 50 pounds of sand to the catchment site on my head. Villagers, Justin and I carried the sand about one kilometer through the village and jungle. We had to avoid the pipeline trench while it was raining. this make the whole trail muddy. The trek was hard but was very rewarding. Justin and I carrying the sand motivated the village to take more sand and gravel to the site and showed that we were very serious about pouring the catchment in one day.

make sure to visit the blog barombiwaterproject.blogspot.com i think justin is updating it now

peace
mark

6/22/08
Hello everyone,

Wow we just completed another long exuasthing week in the village. here is what happened

Monday- AFter travleing ot the village after runnning errands to prep the week stay, Justin and I realized that we forgot the key school house. The school house, where we stay in the village, so contains are the tools and materials for the project. We waited a couple of hours for the key, but decided to go to the catchment to wreck some form work with no tools. We were also planing to cast the second portion of the catchment, the collection chamber that day. All we could do was small tasks, then the tools and work accelerated. First we formed and poured its foundation. then while we were 3/4 finished the walls of the chamber we had to send two workers to get another bag of concrete, by this time it was 5 oclock and already getting duck. We finally finished around 6. I still cant believe that we finished in one day and half the day we didn't have tools.

That we partied. The friday before the we told the water commitiee chairmen that we were planning a party for monday night to celebrate the completion of the catchment. During the day 6 crates of beers, two jugs of wine were carried by canoe for the event. We also bought petrol for the generator we could play some music. just about the whole village came, only the ones who worked on that monday and friday were supposed to come. We still had very nice time, we danced and discussed all night

Tuesday- was a rain day no work- sat around we drank the left over wine then in the after played football with justin liz and the villagers

wednesday ( i lose track of the date and time while stayin the village)- I took forms off the collection chamber, and cleaned all around the catchment area, also the inlet and outlet pipes we set in the catchment. While the plumber did his work i took a crew of the workers to finish the trench the was previously dug.

thursday- i helped the plumber fit the first iron pipes, then i concentrated on building the rest on the form work of the remaining strucutures, one for the collection chamber cover, one for the tap stands. that night we went to someone house to watch undercover brother, he was running his generated that night, so of course many people were there.

friday- today, I layout the pipeline trench, the trench is almost finished we are out of the bush and into the village now. I carried a pipe up to the pipeline and then took a plank to village. Then i continued to dig the trench, finished the tap stand form and walked home

as requested by liz and justin i will continue the top ten list:

1. I dont know if i like drinking palm wine in the middle of a hot work day, but some how i have given glasses of the white stuff or mebo each day when i am noticeably tired and sweaty.

2. a shower never felt so nice after a long week a bucket shower.

3. the bucket shower on tuesday was the coldest shower i have ever had, it was a bucket of rain water. the water is noticeably colder when it rains, most of the time hot water was not needed but that day i needed it

4. i have another nickname now: marco

5. one day in the village, while listening the our hand held radio we( justin, julius the guy from kumba who with us, i) brought out in harmony to what was coming out of it Micheal Jackson's you are not alone. all the villagers like it and so did liz an karen, the girl from kumba.

6. Dad, your football boots (soccer shoes) are in ruins, the soles are 3/4 off on both of them, i tried to play with them one day but i could only move foward with out having soles borthering me, i should have played in shandles which would be normal here. they are getting repaired this weekend

7. in village, we hang with the area boys. These are boys in the village that are around our age. we play football with them, they are hardest workers, and they are always at our house. some of the nickname are, the game, gunshot, sexy, and "use your imagination".

8.the top of my head hurts, i carried wood planks fresh out of the tree on my head the past two days. I put roll of plantain stems on head as a pad, but my head still hurts. The top of my shoulders also hurts because that is where the pipes rest. It is hard to walk planks or pipes in the jungle while avoiding the trench. I always hit trees and get swiped by branches.

9. at night recently we have been playin check, a card game similar to uno. aces skip 7 draw two and jack are wild. one game we had ten people playing, we played until one player remained, its was the area boys versus the visitors (justin, liz, julius, karen, and i). justin and liz made to the finals but both lost to the area boys.

10.the project could not be moving any better, the whole village has been working hard the past three days. More pipeline has been dug in these days than all the day previous. almost half the iron pipes have been fitted in two days. the catchment in finished, tap stands are ready to be casted. the pipeline could be finished within two weeks. the second project could be replacing a bamboo bridge.

later,
mark