Bricks and Vacation

It’s been a while since our last check in…. We’ve been busy with work and a little “vacation.”  Work status: the first 2 renders (chicken mesh + 2 plaster layers) have been applied and dried on all 5 holes.  The masonry above-ground section has been started and almost finished on all of the holes.  All that’s left now is the waterproof layer, the lids, the pump and the first flush system.  Additionally, we have some community education sessions coming up in the next few weeks.

Since we were waiting for the renders to set and Nalan is leaving from Entebbe tonight, we decided to take a short vacation to Kampala.  Deborah and her family were gracious enough to host us for the weekend.  She lives in a beautiful neighborhood right by all the national embassies and UN centers.  The first thing we ate when we got in was ice cream. So refreshing!   The chocolate ice cream tastes a little different here, but in a very good and yummy way.   And of course Deborah’s house has a real bath/shower and sit down flush toilets! Our first in 4 weeks!  Living with solar showers and pit latrines really makes us appreciate (and miss) the simple things of back home.

We also went shopping for touristy things and chocolate.  Near Deborah’s house is this really cute coffee shop that was full of fellow Muzungus.  We had some delicious milk shakes and sandwiches.  Last night Deborah’s mother took us to the Ndere Centre for a performance of traditional Eastern African dances.  At one point in the show, the women were balancing 7 pots on their heads while dancing beautifully.  I doubt any of us could balance 1.

After this weekend, I think everyone is recharged and ready to pound out the work for the rest of our time.  It’s hard to believe that there is only 2 weeks left.  It seems like both a short and long time.  Today we will bid Nalan good bye.  She has been a huge asset, particularly with understanding and solving technical challenges.  And we’ll miss her dancing, singing and obsessive need to take pictures!  We’re already talking about our post trip reunion… We are all excited to get back to Boston and share stories and photos.  90% of our free time is spent discussing our favorite foods and Boston restaurants, so I’m sure we’ll have to hit up a few when we get back.

-Becca