Zippin'

We went back to the latrine this week. Some serious progress has been made, we ferried water for the mixing of cement. When we started out I thought we would have a giant spinning bowl that would mix the cement. But when we arrived it was a circle made of bricks which was used as the base to mix the cement. It was hard work and one bag of cement took about half of that large blue barrel of water. It was hard work, but it was really fun to learn. 

       

We had to ferry tons of water, but the school's water pump was broken so we had to go about 3 km away to fetch the water. It was so hard! The native women carry a huge water drum on their heads and a child on their hips. I, on the other hand, had no child and could hardly carry one small drum. I have never been laughed at so much as while I was trying to carry a small drum of water. They are so heavy, and even though I am a tough cookie I am nothing compared to the natives. I am not African strong. The whole town came out to watch the "mazoongooz" carry water. This is the term they have for white people. Hahaha 

Many people here think that white people are too rich and fancy to do manual labor, so we try to show them that we are just like them. We have to work for what we want. This brought me a lot of comfort as the people laughed at me. 

       

We went two days in a row and my shoulders are so sore. I found that the best way to carry was to put the drum on one shoulder and hold it with the opposite hand. It was easier, but not by much. Hahaha 

I also spilled a ton of water on myself and then I sat in some clay...so it looked like I pooped my pants. Every time I past children they just busted out laughing. It was pretty bad! ;) 

                               

The second day we went to the latrine we ferried bricks for the walls of the latrine. It was pretty hard work as well, but better then the water. It was a wonderful day, mostly because the children all got together and made an assembly line to carry the bricks. It was so beautiful to see them pitching in and having a blast! 

                                 

                                 

                                 

I love the people here. They are all so fun and hard working. The constructor that you see above in the blue, is named Sula. He is the best. He knows everything and he keeps a positive attitude in every situation. He always takes time to smile for pictures. Hahaha his whole team is amazing and they work so hard. One worker specifically, never takes a break. He works through lunch and last time we used a stopwatch to see how many minutes he sat down...it was about 5 through out the whole day. 

We got a lot done on the latrine and I was so sore! Then we scooted out for a weekend trip. We went down to Jinja and went zip lining. It was so beautiful! We were in the middle of nowhere in the jungle. We slept and the next morning the adventure began. We had a 20 minute hike to a giant tree, which we then climbed. Yes, we climbed it...it was terrifying!!!

       

                                   

       

I was so worried, but it wasn't that bad. Watching everyone else climb up was harder than the actual climb. I made it up in one piece and I think I am getting over my fear of heights! 

The two "sky captains" that came with us were so funny! They are  locals that live in the surrounding villages and they decided to start a buisness showing off the beautiful landscape. They were so hospitable and helped us out so much. The zipping was really fun, but the last one was incredible! It was double the length of the previous 4 and crossed a river. You had time to look around and really get a feel for your surroundings. I was in heaven! Jeremy, the sky captain, told me that I was high enough to communicate with God directly! ;)

It was absolutely breathtaking! 

        

                                      

                                       

         

         

I have quickly come to love my fellow volunteers! They are all so wonderful and we work well together. We also have a ton of fun together! I feel so blessed to be here in the pearl of Africa! ;)