The director put me to work immediately on several projects. Wiring up some security lights and street lights. Adjusting and evaluating the solar systems. Extending and correcting the plumbing. Helping with the dam to create a big pond. Most importantly, watching over the builders to make sure they aren't cutting corners and to keep them on schedule. This is going to take a bit to explain so hold on tight.
First, the school is not using the traditional building method of burnt mud bricks. The burnt mud bricks are cheap, but they are basically Styrofoam filler in an otherwise cement wall. They use an inch or more of mortar on all sides of the bricks because they are not uniform at all. Getting a level course is damn near impossible. The bricks themselves can just about be broken with your bare hands. Not only this, but it takes an enormous amount of fire wood to cook the bricks. In the last ten years, Uganda has lost almost 40% of its forest. Trees are on a serious decline. Add this in with how expensive (both in dollars and environmental effects) cement is and the traditional building method is crap. Plus the buildings fall down in a decade or two.
So OCJC is using interlocking stabilized soil blocks (issb). These issb's are pretty sweet. They use a hydraulic press to compress sandy soil with a little clay and cement mix. The result can be seen here: http://www.hydraform.com/ImageGallery/Index.asp?IGImageCategory=Walls+and+Stables. In the end, it is cheaper to use the issb system because you don't use any mortar between the issb's or cover the inside and outside with mortar like they do with traditional burnt bricks. It ends up saving you about 30% of the over all cost. So it looks like some engineers do get to play with Legos when they grow up.
But that brings to the builders. Unfortunately the issb's have only recently been introduced to Uganda so not a lot of people know how to lay the blocks properly. So the school hired a construction crew out of the capital city to come and do the work. In my opinion they are gouging the school really bad. For every person I see working, I see another literally sleeping on the job. No shame, no effort to hide, just flat out on his back snoring. It isn't really allowed, but no one does anything to stop it, except me. Only, I don't really have the power to dock wages or fire anyone so I end up being all bark and no bite. I'm working on that though.
We just finished, for the most part, putting up the classrooms and are now working on the boys dormitory. In Uganda, it is quite common for secondary schools to be boarding. The girls dorm was already finished when I arrived. At the moment, we have only the freshmen and sophomores because the school just opened three years ago and we are taking in one class at a time. Most of the girls dormitory is empty so I get to have one of the prefect's rooms. It is convenient and the layout of the dorm keeps me pretty separate from the girls. I moved in all my bamboo shelves, the bed was already there and the door has a lock. So now I'm all set. Oh, and living on campus means I get to eat with the students. My diet isn't all that varied, but I don't care so long as I don't have to cook. Mostly beans and cornmeal with rice on some days and meat usually once a week. Compared to other schools, we are living pretty high on the hog.
Well, there is a lot more to explain but we just had two rain showers back to back in the middle of the dry season. It is both a relief and a curse. Relief because the heat and dust were killing us and we were running out of water. Curse because right now the mosquitoes are eating me alive. Time to crawl under my mosquito net and read "Lies Across America." Excellent book by the way, but if you are interested in it then I would suggest "Lies My Teacher Told Me" first.
While I've been writing all this, I've also been letting some pictures load. I hope this helps to shape my descriptions into something comprehensible.
Dude putting together the re-bar for the wall beam of the boys dorm
That giant hole will be an underground cistern for rainwater. Roughly 20' across and 15' deep. It ought to hold about 15,000 gallons. However, 300 students will still make short work of that during the dry season.
George, a volunteer with the Jesuits from Germany, and the construction bosses
Finishing up the classrooms. It is a square with a round hut (soon to be thatched with grass) and under the hut is the rain cistern, just like the dorms only smaller
Just outside the classrooms
The boys dorm will have a urinal, latrine, bathing area, and washing area separate from the sleeping areas. These are the foundations of such. The owner of the construction company is Lawrence in the kaki shirt, his right hand man Moses is in the blue jumper, and George.
Finishing up the walls. The blocks stack together so easily. As long as you keep things level, one man can lay 1000+ blocks in a day. Well, that also assumes you can keep him awake and working.
Cistern getting deeper
Common work practice: everything stops to say good morning, ask about work, ask about home, ask about kids, ask about crops, ask about the weather, and ask about extended family. Its actually a very nice practice and helps to keep the community strong, but it sure can get frustrating when you want to get stuff done.
I like working with the women the most. They are usually more dedicated, hard working, and willing to learn than the men. Part of that is because they are accustomed to taking direction much more than men in African society.
Hut (soon to be thatched) and water tank for the girls dorm. The cistern is also under the hut just like the boys dorm. The boys and girls dorms will be just about identical. You can see a small water pump for getting the water out of the cistern.
Just outside of the girls dorm. When we have freshmen through seniors living here, all the rooms will be full of girls. I will not be living here at that time, praise the Lord.
Just outside the classrooms
Fire in the distance and a storm coming to put it out.
This is the scene 3 - 5 days a week at 4:00 pm during the rainy season. Amazing!
More blocks. I love Legos!
This shows how the blocks lock together, both vertically and horizontally.
Got to cover the blocks as they cure so they don't dry too fast. Too fast and they crumble.
This is the shop, the place I call home during day light hours.
This is Ojok Francis, the carpenter whom I work with nearly everyday. One of the few men I've meet who is nearly as concerned with learning new skill as he is with getting paid. He's quick and hard working. I would say he is my apprentice, but he has taught me far more than I have taught him.
Just outside the shop
Tool room on the right, office in the middle, loft up above where we keep all the big stuff, pvc pipe, sewage line, lumber and such.
I climbed up the water tower we have and snapped a lot of pictures. Right below is the solar array that runs the pump that fills the water tower. The solar array tracks the sun, its a really nice set up.
Far left is the temporary shower room for the boys while we finish their dorm, middle is the toilet, and the far right is the corner of the shop.
Shop, the four tanks on the corners each hold about 3,500 gallons which then feed the buildings down hill with running water for everything but drinking. The water tower gets ground water from 100' down. We get it tested every year and it's what we drink.
Far right is the roof of the boys temporary dorm. It will become classrooms when the dorm is finished.
Down the hill towards the left are the classrooms, on the right is part of the boys toilets
Far down the hill on the right is the girls dorm, just up from that is the Jesuit's house. That is where the priests and brothers live. The nuns live in an apartment that is part of the girls dorm.
Far center is the construction of the boys dorm.
Neighbor's house and cows. They are pretty well off, that is how they were able to afford donating the land that the school is being built on. Their cows are even part Holstein, that is a major sign of wealth.
Neighbors
Top of boys temporary dorm
Road headed to the nearest trading center (group of shops and houses) called Unyama. It'a about 2 miles away.
Other neighbors, they are all related though. Cousin brother's wife's sister's mother-in-law's aunt.
Nice house, very cool during the dry season. It costs about $40 to build a house like this, and that is if you hire someone to help you. Usually you just get family and neighbors to help out, then when they go to build a house you return the favor.
Eucalyptus trees grow straight and fast, sell for good lumber or telephone poles and repel mosquitoes. The downside is that they soak up water like it's their job and will quickly dry up your soil. It is best to plant them in swamps that you want to dry up, or in dry areas where other trees won't grow and you can't farm anyway.
Storm blew itself out before it got to us. Good thing too, cause half way up this water tower was a small wasp nest, so I wasn't going to make it down the ladder until some one gave me a pole to knock down their nest.
And that's all for now. I'll add words soon. I don't have any more pictures.
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