Early morning, off to the quarry to pick up stone. The order was in a week ago and the stones have been placed along the meandering road of the quarry as they have been "hand sculpted" out of individual pits. The truck loads the stones that we accept as "suitable" for construction.
Fundi Minor with strict orders to keep his feet off the ground. Not Happy!
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A string line and an experienced fundi...the building begins to take shape.
There is an incredible art to the construction. The perfect stone shaped by a well placed hammer strike then set with precision along the string line taking care to offset the joints for strength. The concert of people--Dominic and Kamao, the Fundis; Joseph, the apprentice; Antony, John's talented brother; Holly and I, skilled laborers in our own right; John and Fundi Minor all working together. The banter in English, Kikuyu and Kiswahili. Dominic is surprised to find out that there are Americans who do manual labor- much less two women. Their perception of our society is one of wealth and privilege...they have no idea there are poor people in America. It is not hard to understand how that occurs...one of the first days we were there, a big truck pulled up to the school with two wazungus and their entourage , along with a new 1500 gallon cistern. They were given a tour of the school (not the bathrooms), a festive native dance presentation by some of the students and then were gone all inside of two hours. Don't misunderstand me the gift of the cistern was very generous but it is still sitting where it was unloaded, empty and unused 10 days later . It is unclear whether or not there is a plan to actually provide water. The donors are long gone...a flash of wealth and seemingly poor follow through.
Kamao in action Joseph seeking the perfect stone.
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| Set the stone |
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| Mix the mortar |
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| Organic Construction |
Two courses of stone in place, time for a break. Off for Chai and True Tea with ginger at the "Hotel" across the road from the school. A hotel in Kenya is a restaurant. Our local haunt has seating for twelve. We walk in in mass and overwhelm the place. The owners are so courteous and look to make sure we have everything we need. They brew the True Tea (black tea) on demand for Holly, John & I while the rest of the crew drinks Chai. Our attention is held by the small TV in the corner with the latest news about the upcoming Kenyan elections. The candidates are talking about a peaceful process. The electorate we are sitting with doesn't hold out much hope. A stark reality bite but back to work.
Three courses left to set overnight
Day is done...Dillon's and a hot shower!!
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