Felt and plaster

Azedebo's got a new clean look, and Fundame's walls are starting to take shape.  

Noteworthy accomplishments for the day:

Fundame:
The last of the  felt split this afternoon.  1750 in total.
We re-plumbed the unused school water storage and created a handy staircase to dump thousands of lieters of water into the 7 foot tall bins top hatch.

Azedebo:
Plasters almost complete.  Paints next.
The perimeter stone work will be finished in the next couple days.
The cement work will be finished by the end of the week.

1 of 1550 split timbers used o the Fundame build

Ejigu guiding the Fundame crew throw leveling magar as its nailed into place

Sallamnesh showing off some of her hard work in the schools libray

Getch  leading the way in his Roto stairs

Roto stairs complete

Felts almost finished

Desaleng felting away

Another day in Fundame

Two coats of plaster complete

4 for 1: HPL and few Mudula projects

Had looong day out of the normal Azedebo/Fundame routine.  Ejigu, Temesgin, Sigamo, and I made the drive to Mudula today.  The 108 mile round trip took nearly  five and a half hours. The time in between, was spent in some very productive meetings, and program/site visits.  We debarked at 8 am and returned at 10 pm, famished and dust coated. Was an eventful, and at times frightening ride. Though out here, with these "roads" and our work, I wouldn't expect anything less.  And to be honest, Im pretty dang elated that not a minute of the day was spent in a busyard or on the back of a gas truck.

We tried to do too much.  Its Ethiopia, correction its rural southern Ethiopia, things dont go as planned, let alone happen on time often.  Yet we were committed to try to fit as much in as possible so not to take away from our work in Azedebo and Fundame. 

To begin the day we visited Kololo to help with last minute preparations for Kololo's first Horse Powered Library Program.  Legessa, Sallamnesh's father, as well as a former volunteer neighborhood preschool eacher was chosen as the perfect candidate to facilitate the regions revamped Donkey Mobile Library.   We of course had some of the local fare, washed it down with butter coffee and then watched Lagessa trot off towards Tupa to initate the first program.  It went wonderfully.  Local kebele officials came out, as well as over 20 children and some excited family and friends.  Ejigu and I explained the program, held a Q and A and listened in as Sigamo shared stories of our work in his own community.  Everyone was won over, and then Lagessa took the reins.  

We didnt have time to stay for the duration of the program because of a full Mudula docket.  We had plans to meet with Worader (regional) officials to discuss, and do some general problem solving for next year’s two school/ library builds, as well as finalize the process for submission of design of the Degale Weema International and ER KT hub.  It was also market day.  The attending kebele officials kindly asked if there was room for them in the car... we all piled in and headed off.  

14 people in a 15 year old Ethiopian Landcruiser, on some of the roughest roads Ive ever traveled on (recent rains have eroded the dirt and gravel roads to the point of being partial ravines).  Part of the car’s rear suspension completely failed.  Getch (our driver and good friend) and I climbed under and temporarily tied together the broken parts to make the rest of the journey to the city.  Somehow we made it.  Ejigu I visited with the officials, Sigamo went to market with Temsgin, and Getch found the closest mechanic.  

Meetings were delayed but they were very positive.  We have a followup this upcoming Friday to finalize the build site for the Mudula city KG, visit potential beneficiarry communities, and receive a detailed rubric for in city construction project submission.  It was already 330, but Ejigu and I decided that we should push through hunger pains and get up to the Koshinda spring while we had the chance.

We happily spent the next 2.5 hours climbing up and down small mountains tracking the projects progress with a couple of the site managers.  We were able to meet with community member assisting on the project, as all as walk the route of the first couple kilometers the piping will follow.  It was some of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in all of KT, and a much appreciated respite from our short lived visit to Mudula. Market days arnt to kind to white guy with depleted patience reserves.

At 6 we piled into the car, along with a few Kololo friends that happened to be in Mudula, and headed home.  Originally we hoped to also visit the Ambakuna clinic to check in on the use of Clinic at a Times recent material donations, but thats before it started to get dark.  By the time we reached Tuno, it was black, the roads were full of people and animals, and the air was thick with dust from passing dumptrucks and seemingly un-phased bus drivers.  Were traveling back to Mudula next week with a less intense schedule, no real harm done.

We got home safely, only had to make a single pit stop to adjust some of the Mudula "mechanics" wielding.  Driving at night in Ethiopia should be avoided, but driving in KT at night is now forbidden by me and the ER field management team.  According to my local buddies I'm about as habasha as ferengies get, though it will be a while before I develop that fatalistic attitude that so many out here showcase when transporting themselves at night.  

The photos tell the story just as well.

After the snap

Good ol Kololo

Lagessa and fam

Alazar, Temesgin's son is a little unsure of his new Ethiopian L.A. lights

Legessa and steed after galloping in

Local kebele officials enjoying the program

Charlie Brown shot

Everyone happy to get a ride

The springs tap point

Ejigu testing out the water; "yea, it probably clean."

The piping trench

Ejigu and I agreed that the water access points just look like thrones

Community workers

Second water access point

That view

Pit stop 2

Melcom Gena ( Merry Ethiopian Xmas)

!WARNING!

Not for the squeamish. And for those that get upset by the death of animals, even live-stock, just remember the context.  This entry captures an important chunk of Ethiopian culture; the slaughter and consumption of an animal to celebrate a religious holiday of great significance. 

Today’s Sunday, my day off, so I sleep in ‘til the church music starts blaring at 7:15.  During the last 8 weeks, I have grown accustomed to the long drone of Pentecostal preaching over the tickling of synthesized keys projected on blown out speakers.  Not a small feat considering the church and its goliath sound system are literally next door, but then again I grew up with train tracks and a freeway in my backyard.  I'm a talented sleeper once I get going.  But this Sunday’s alarm was accented with Sigamo and Tamri effectively chasing down and wrangling the families newly purchased goat.  Hooves scrabbling against broken cobblestone, heavy breathing, and some peculiarly human sounding guttural noises.  The latter also from the goat.  Any-who you know where I am going with this. 

No sooner was the goat’s femoral  artery slashed and bleed dry did Sigamo show up at my bedroom door enquiring if I was skilled in skinning, and sectioning off the meat of a freshly slaughtered goat.   With a serious amount of man points on the line I of course replied “ sure, I’m game to try”.  At that Sigamo chortled and handed me a knife. 

Sigamo, Tamri, Kia (Sigamo’s youngest) and I worked as a team to hold different appendages in different angles as Sigamo skillfully undressed the meat.  Skin was scrupulously fileted with a combination of delicately slicing and brutal pulling.  In less than 10 minutes the pelt slid off in one strikingly clean section.  Sigamo exhibited little astonishment.  Unlike me, he’s been at it for a half century of holidays.

 

I could go on, but I feel I’ll lose more readers than I’d gain by better illustrating the morning butchery.  Though, on a side not, all four of us were wearing flip flops, though Sigamo and I were especially smartly dressed with shorty shorts.  Nice little mental gem huh?

That all said, about 13 kilos of meat was beautifully sectioned off and piled in a large basin to be cleaned and prepared by Mom, Sahi, and Meta.  The pelt was put in a bag to be given to a friend (he is a furniture maker), and the unwanted parts were taken by Tamri to the far end of the property to be given to the birds.  While Sigamo and I were busy cleaning our hands and legs, Lolo was busy sniffing out those bird scraps.  I figured Tamri was shew Lolo away if she got curious.  Silly me.  When dogs in Ethiopia are fortunate, they are able subsist on holiday meat scraps.  That said, when Tamri noticed Lolo picking at the leftovers, unannounced to me, he thought nothing of it.  I didn’t see it, but I imagine Lolo chowing down on what was left: stomach and skull innards.  

While all that is going on, the family and I are happily eating a morning feast comprised of fresh eggs, milk and raw goat liver powdered with burberry (Ethiopian spice).  When you take part in the death of an animal its wrong not to take part in its consumption, right? Lolo and I both were chowing down.  30 minutes pass and my belly's swollen with good eating and butter salt coffee; another holiday delicacy (celebrated on daily basis by my fam) that  I’ve come to think of it as a stew in a coffee cup.  I said my thank you’s and walked over to my room to change into some running clothes for my Sunday work out.  That’s when my morning took a Godfather turn.   

I entered room, and then enthusiastically shouted my first English of the day… “awe you got to be kidding!”  Cute little Lolo was splayed out on my pillow, covered in goat and contently gnawing on the animals now empty skull.   Upon my shout, she just looked up at me with a… what’s your problem scowl.  After taking the whole scene in, I snatched up the head by one of its horns and walked into the dining area to play some show and tell with my family.  They thought it was hilarious, well so did I, I guess.   With incessant laughter in the background I stepped out to the family’s porch and slung the skull into the back yard.  Of course Lolo chased after it, somehow she successfully burrowed under the old corrugated door, and then gave it one last go. 

I had to take a couple photos, the damage to her GI system was already done, and then placed Lolo's holiday chew toy on top of the compound’s 8 foot tall stone wall so the birds could finish it off.

Merry Ethiopian Christmas from Azedebo!

5 weeks in

After five weeks of living in Azedebo, this is some of what we have accomplished.

First week of meetings with community, village elders, and local government officials.

The digging and framing of the schools pit latrine.

Weeding and leveling 45 meters by 45 meters of chunky farm land.

The creation of a fence that wraps around the schools entire perimeter and has a nice little pocket for the schools bathroom in the SW corner.

Planting over 250 timbers, some in excess of 6 meters into the ground.

The primary, secondary and tertiary framing of the two structures.

The creation and installation of nearly 2000 felt (split timbers)  

The hauling of over 40 square meters of dirt into the mixing pond (to be explained in detail later.

Moving 10,000 of pounds of boulders and rock into classroom spaces for the eventual creation of the foundation.

The list goes on and on.  

We are going to finish up the felt work and start mixing the cob (5 day process) Monday morning.  Along with that we will be finishing out the framing of the roof (rafters and perpendicular bracing for the corrugated), and  carrying in the rest of each classroom's foundation rock.  By the end of the week we will be ready for cob application and the installation of corrugated.   

Lolo and I are going on or first run this afternoon.  I'm hoping for a couple kilometers at a walk and jog type pacing.  It should be interesting. Enjoy your day.

Measuring for diagonal braces.  

Usual scenery

Felt Team A

Felt team B

Hammer's take allot of abuse out here. When handles snap we just make new ones.

You can really see the shape of the classes coming together.

View from the rock pile.  The cob mixing pit is right in front.

Framing and felt complete 

A days work

Where my fresh habasha ibe (feta like cheese) comes from.  We are always eating it at the  house.

Sahi roasting some Kolo to go with the coffee for our early evening snack.