Three streams (Hair update!)

This is the newly formed Michael signing in for a very special edition of our blog..

We fly out two weeks from today.  The times are passing quickly now, and before we know it, it seems we will be back in American arms. 

Occasionally, I feel myself longing to be back there – my sister tells me this happens in waves.  I attempt to experience what’s around me when this happens, although sometimes you just have to let the fantasy and the homesickness exist in the moment too.

Anyways, that’s something of my deeper experience, but now I want to get into the meat (or beans, for you herbivores out there) of what’s been going on in our neck of the world’s woods.

The first stream I have to talk about comes from Travis, our beloved mentor who is very dear to us.  Travis is a professional engineer in Centennial, Colorado, and has taken work off to travel with us and ensure the success of our construction and implementation.  He has been like a river as our trip has become enriched by his presence.  It is his humor, his experience - in engineering, African travel, and life in general - and his strength that have brought joy to us in a new way.  As a team, we have truly become fond of him, and he of us.  He will be missed when it is time for all of us to part.

Next is Wally.  Wally, who has been working closely with us as our NGO contact has been instrumental in getting all of our materials purchased and delivered on time – and for a fair price.  (Without him, we pay what we call the ‘umuzungu’ price.)  He has made our project an extremely smooth process and it is with his help that we have made the progress that we have.

He was the first person we met when we landed over 3 weeks ago and we have always been able to count on him.  But his influence goes farther.  He has taken to me as a long-time friend somehow, easily, naturally.  He birthed my unexpected celebrity-like status among the people we work with just by the way he says my name, and he now calls me his Best Man. It is quite an honor.  So thank you, Wally

Last is the river which drew me into a Musanze salon yesterday afternoon. 

We got back from working in-community, and after some Chapati from the marketplace, I asked everyone if they wanted to shave my hair off.  They enthusiastically confirmed, and we went back to the compound of our rooms, where Travis extracted his electric razor from his room.  My only option here was the shortest length setting, and I was willing to become bald like a baby here. 

We soon found out, though, as the machine produced a puttering sound, that my hair was too thick for his exhausted razor.  He had warned me that it might die, that he didn’t bring the charger, and so it breathed its last breaths working on the first 15% of my headspace.  So with a half-shaved head and an itchy shirt, I was escorted by Travis, Xilal, and Ellis to a barber shop down the road from our hotel.

We walked up the steps of it, surely a sight to see, and I showed them my head.  They warmly ushered me inside and sat me down, and I explained to a young man who spoke English pretty well that I just wanted a buzz cut.  But as the hair cut progressed slowly, I realized the stylist was doing his own thing.  Although I was pretty concerned at the beginning, I finally accepted the haircut that was coming to me and let the world design me as it wished. 

What came out was something like a fade, which you will see below.  The man took great care in his work and did a fine job.  Thanks, universe.

Construction Update:

Our project is going smoothly still – in fact, we are looking at finishing ahead of schedule.  The masons we hired have built the 6 brick columns and have finished the foundations for our three 10,000-liter water tanks in the past few days.  This puts us in good position to put up the trusses, rafters, roof, gutters, and tanks this week, which is basically the consummation of our system. 

So again, thank you for tuning into our blog.  We much appreciate being able to include you in our time here.  Look back in a couple of days for a new post from Ellis!

Until next time,

Michael

 The team with Jacques at Gasiza on the border of Uganda.  At far right is the chief.

 No comment Nyrotosho

 Curtis being lawfully adopted by the family of Jacques.

 Travis prepares for the first incision as Michael asks for a prayer.

 "It's what I was going for, actually.."

Soldier in training 

 Michael a bit concerned as he realizes the hair stylist is doing something of his own..

The period of adjustment begins for Michael, seen here with the man who done it.

This blog coming to you from Travis, the team’s travel mentor.

According to the tradition I have created, I am writing these student evaluations and posting them publicly for all to see.  Rest assured that I have judged them with my most discerning eye and will mince no words. 

The scoring rubric is my own, and I should confess that I just made it up.  I would have spent more time on it, but this afternoon I walked into the bathroom and was spooked by a moth with a wingspan larger than my open hand.  This thing was larger than many small birds, and when it fluttered blindly into my chest, I was surprised I didn’t feel any impact.  After regaining some composure, I opened a window and watched in awe until it found open air.

I spent some time later marveling at its size, and wondering how it got so big.  Then I remembered that when in Africa one’s energy is often better spent accepting the fact that something is rather than wondering why something is.  I have tried to impart this lesson to the team, especially when it comes to whatever I am saying.  It would be easier for everybody (read: mostly me) if they just assumed that I, as the mentor, am always right because they know nothing, Jon Snow.  But I don’t think the lesson is sticking, so they all lose points for that.

Anyway, let’s get to it in alphabetical order.

Curtis – As travel team leader he has adeptly handled tasks like purchasing materials, arranging delivery, leading community meetings, and other tasks that would make the average 19-year-old head for the hills.  Unfortunately, he still has a tendency to walk through the villages like an infantryman who overslept the invasion, and insists on holding a makeshift scepter and reminding us all that he is the “supreme leader” of the trip.

Ellis – She is inquisitive, thoughtful, and engaged.  She’s can be as salty as some margaritas which actually comes in handy when we play an important game I refer to as “Keeping Curtis’ Ego In Check.”

Michael – Rwandans are smitten with Michael because he is instantly likeable and friendly.  He is the team’s ambassador and now throngs of children walk for miles to catch a glimpse of him.  The lucky few line up to take a photo with him.  He also takes an eternity to eat his meals and receives extra credit for excellent taste in music.

Xilal – I keep waiting to find a situation where he isn’t ready to smile and laugh, but it hasn’t happened yet.  He is always ready to jump into work and has a traditional Columbian hat that will bring the house down, if and when he decides to unleash it.

Together, they are appropriately irreverent toward my authority, good-natured, and fun-loving.  More than this, they are an engaged, motivated, and earnest group of young adults and I am once again encouraged by the quality of the students involved with EWB. 

At this point in the trip, they are more likely to signal affirmation with an “mmm” or an eyebrow raise than with a hard “yes” which is evidence of a certain amount of assimilation.  This is wonderful.  They are also well on their way toward achieving their goal of building a rainwater collection system.  This is also wonderful.  They all graduate with flying colors. 

And, hopefully you're surprised, here are some pictures!

A shot of our hotel. The cafe that we spend many afternoons is on the right, and these blue gazebos are excellent for relaxing.

A panorama of the view from in front of the hotel.

All six columns are up! We will begin roofing on Monday.

Musaferi, the head mason, putting more cement on the columns.

A little con-bird who tricked Curtis and Ellis into thinking he was injured and hungry, and flew away as soon as they left to get him food.

One of the other sites we surveyed for a future implementation.

Our translator, Hassan, and many bags of cement inside Japhet's house. Michael took this picture, and remarked that "Hassan was too black." Fortunately Hassan took it in good humor, but has mentioned it many times since.

A better picture of Hassan (where he's not too black) on the scaffolding with the masons as they put up a middle column. Japhet ("Legs") and one of the workers are mixing cement on the ground.

Mid-Trip Update

Blog post brought to you by Curtis

Hello friends and family,            

           

           Our translator goes to University for 18 hours on the weekends, so we decided to take both Saturday and Sunday off to give him a rest.

            With our two-day weekend, our team elected to visit Akagera national park for a traditional African safari. We took the time to experience Ethiopian food in Kigali on our way through. The luxurious smell of traditional spices was a welcome reprieve from the pollution and gasoline that typically assault our senses while in Rwanda’s capital.

            We started on Safari the next morning in a rumbling behemoth called a Toyota Land Cruiser. The day was long but it was incredible to see the gorgeous untouched Africa savannah and the animals for which this continent is famous. It was a dream come true for me who had been dreaming of such a trip since I was a four-year-old running with my mouth agape through the Denver Zoo, and it was a remarkable reminder of the primal beauty of the country we are privileged to be able to work in.

Now, down to why we are here.

            Our last update saw us leaving the Masons and a regular helpers working hard on our monolithic columns. Each one needs to be 3.8 meters high, which in freedom units is about 12.5 feet. It is marvelous to watch such skilled laborers, as they carefully lay each brick, painfully ensure it is level and square with the slightest taps of their tools producing satisfying plinking sound. They worked through the weekend, and upon our arrival Monday we saw the bottom half of 6 columns eager to reach their full destiny. To finish the tops we had to construct scaffolding; a process that takes 5 days in America was completed in about two hours. The masons coaxed massive tree trunks several feet into the ground, sending nails through them like they were twigs.

            As the construction was well under control, we headed to the town center for a meeting with the chiefs from all cells (akin to counties) of our sector (akin to states) to determine the next place where we will implement a water catchment system. U was reminded of our community’s incredible capacity for organization and desire to assist each other, as the meeting was a huge success. We received input from many community leaders, including my good friends Wilson, Ignase, and Japhet who have our current water systems.

            The committee decided upon 3 sites, Gasiza, Kabaya and Kibaya. The last two are just as confusing as they appear to be. Stories of people from these communities traveling upwards of 12 hours to fetch water were numerous. We immediately planned to visit Gasiza on Tuesday, and Kabaya and Kibaya on Wednesday to assess their feasibility. Travis and I were not looking forward to Gasiza, as we traveled there last year and knew it was about a 5-hour Odyssey up the side of the volcano to the border of Uganda and Congo.

            Tuesday, or Tyr’s day, we drove about 15 minutes past our usual stop at Munini on a simple dirt road towards the looming volcano. After another 35 minutes of walking, both Travis and I were surprised to find we were already at Gasiza. We met with the man that the community had elected to receive the water system and the chief of the village. Both men were extremely courteous and more than happy to do whatever was necessary for a successful implementation, a sobering reminder that water really is the most base of human necessities and our system can truly be life changing for this village. Turning a 12-hour trek for water into a 5-minute trip has extreme consequences on a person’s quality of life. We quickly gathered a crowd of curious onlookers as we barked our measurements to each other to produce a rough sketch. One of the smallest onlookers found himself in the path of our mentor, and he decided to offer Travis the gourd he was holding in hopes of placating the monster that loomed before him. Travis responded by accepting the peace offering, and placing it in the back of the little boy’s shirt when he wasn’t looking.

            The trip is so far a massive success, and all signs are pointing to a successful implementation well ahead of schedule. It is all thanks to the incredible support and friendship of our community, as well as our incredible implementation team. It is a wonderful thing to be a part of a group that has so much chemistry, compassion, talent, and work ethic. We have had incredible luck with everything so far, and I hope that continues.

And as promised, here are the best pictures from the last few days!

Japhet (a.k.a Moguru, meaning "legs") at the worksite with six columns

A velvet monkey in Akagera

One of many common Impalas in Akagera, a type of antalope

A hip-hop-apottomus, his lyrics are bottomless...

A zebra looking on as our driver made horse noises at it (our driver loved zebras).

An old giraffe before he walked away from us

Zebras, warthogs (called Pumba, meaning "stupid" in Swahili), and cape buffalo on the savannah

"Yeah, I crossfit." 

Travis testing out the scaffolding.

Gasiza, a possible new implementation site

There are several gems in this picture. Curtis is testing out his directing arm under the supervision of Travis, who suggested "less aggressive, more condescending." Travis is holding the gourd that the little boy on the right just gave him, while that boy has both hands down his pants. Many community members were present to observe our later attempts to fix our tape measure. We have sworn not to open it again.

A view of Uganda (the top part of the hill)

An opposing view of Uganda, with the customs check point shining in the valley

Further proof that the scaffolding works (these guys don't need to crossfit though). The two sitting by the columns are our skilled masons.

Jacques holding Michael's hand, a true sign of friendship