Building Seya School

22 June 2012


I have done different types of construction in the United States and I always felt like it was more difficult than it needed to be. I now have a whole new appreciation for construction in the united states. I also have a whole new appreciation for time. With the tools and resources we have available in the U.S.A., we can get things done so much faster. Getting fine sand here for the concrete entails walking up by the river, digging sand from the river bed, letting it dry, hauling it back through the rocky terrain one small milk jug-sized container at a time.

I started work on this morning walking through the trench with a sledge hammer smashing rocks into smaller pieces.

This guy on the left sat on that rock pile all day long swinging his homemade hammer. In this picture, he is crushing the rocks that the children brought from the river  to make smaller gravel that we used to make concrete. 

                               

The above picture shows the concrete making process. First make a pile of fine sand, add larger sand and cement to the pile. Scoop one shovel full at a time to the side to make a different pile. Keep doing this till all of the sand is mixed and one color. Ad rocks to your new pile. Make a channel for water. Add water (brought in one gallon at a time from the river and stored in the blue container above) to the mixture and mix again. Wow......

I cut my thumb hammering rocks and this little dude took over my job. He is a hard worker. I do not understand how they can work for so long without drinking water and eating food. I usually take a break every half hour-hour to drink water or much on peanuts or something. I don't remember ever seeing them drink water. 

Some of the kids playing soccer in the half-constructed church building. 

We waited for a long time to get motorcycle taxis home (boda bodas) and they never came so we caught a ride in the trailer being pulled by a tractor. Chelsea, Lexi, and Kristen enjoying the bumpy ride through the sugar cane fields from Seya village to Lugazi where we live.