Construction Almost Complete, Handing-Over Ceremony Scheduled

The Monday SGB meeting was postponed until Tuesday because there was not a sufficient number of parents to fulfill the parent component. At the Tuesday meeting I reiterated how little work was left on the project, how important this project was for the school, and how difficult it would be for them to organize the resources to complete the last few parts of the project once I leave. I showed them the stack of tax invoices that I had for the project as well as the itemized register of all of the materials. The most skeptical member looked at the stack of receipts and realized how much time it would take to examine them all and decided not to question the legitimacy. After being grilled as if I were sitting in front of a U.S. Senate panel at a Senate confirmation hearing, The SGB approved the measure! I received approval for R3159.20 to complete the project. I then realized on Wednesday that I needed 10 additional bags of cement which cost R650 that the principal approved without getting official approval from the SGB stating "I am an extremely powerful member of the SGB, they will listen to me"; with a Nancy Pelosi-esque demeanor.

On Wednesday we resumed construction and placed the main electrical cable and installed another part of the roof. Thursday we placed the floor topping for the cooking area and veranda. I'd never seen floor topping placed as a finishing surface before as I usually see a full slab poured followed by thorough polishing to create a finished surface. In this method, they mix cement and a fine river sand and a little water to create a dry mix; this serves as the base similar to a stone and sand mix on the roads. Then they put a thin layer of cement with water on top similar to how tar is placed on the roads. We let the topping set on Friday as we had to move the stove over on top of it to do the other room's floor topping.

Saturday was a very productive day. We placed the final pieces of the roof over the veranda, installed the garage door, installed the pedestrian door, placed the floor topping for the one storage room, and installed a large portion of the electrical wiring.

At the urging of the senior educator, we decided it was wise to put a door between the two storage rooms so that we could attach additional padbolts on the inside of the garage door to make it stronger. After I spent the morning unsuccessfully searching for a stone blade to cut an opening through the wall for a future door, we used a sledgehammer to knock out a section large enough to fit a wheelbarrow through which ended up making the wall look like it was hit by a grenade.

In order to place the floor topping in the storage room, we had to move the stove over to the cooking area; we only had only 6 guys to move it instead of the 8 who took a half hour to get it from the truck into the storage room. Our first attempt involved 3 guys on each end lengthwise using steel poles similar to pallbearers carrying a casket; since the stove was extremely top heavy and we didn't lift it up at the same rate, it crashed down on it's side and I cut my knuckle bad enough to require a band-aid. Our second attempt had two guys in the front and back with two others (one of which was me) on the sides to steady it. We successfully moved the stove into the kitchen without it tipping over or it sinking into the floor so there was much rejoicing.

We placed the floor topping late in the day and we didn't have enough time and they didn't have enough energy to place the other room's floor topping. Instead, we installed the pedestrian door. The base of the door frame had bulged out at the base resulting in a 15cm difference between the top and bottom. As a result, we had to sand down the very expensive door to make it fit "properly". It is a little off but it will do.

I have posted some pictures on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2251819&id=10505223&l=e31fe996f1

Since they worked hard and later than initially expected, I had agreed to pay them an extra R20 each (out of my own pocket). The principal explained to me that despite being a volunteer, as a project manager, I am expected to pay for additional expenses such as this. When we arrived at the tavern for happy hour, I paid for a first round and then gave the additional R20 to each of the workers. Unfortunately, the senior educator who helped transport the materials was there witnessing me handing out money and asked me when I was going to pay him the additional R100 for the transport that I still owed him. I escaped that discussion unscathed with an agreement to discuss it with the principal.

The conversation with the senior educator took a strange turn with spanking as discipline and and how spanking becomes abuse once anger is involved became the new topic. He also stated-which I thought was fairly inappropriate and offensive-that my mother was the one who was hard on me and my father really loved me more. Even further, he said that my mother has been sending me cookies in order to try and win me back! He also told me that despite greatly respecting what I am doing he doesn't respect me as a person! Although I was extremely offended by all of this, I realized that I have one more day of construction to complete this project, a week of interacting with this guy, and that was not the time or place to tell him how rude and incorrect his statement was.

I wisely left most of my money at home and could no longer pay for drinks so I left with two of my workers. On the way home, we crashed a party and got a free meal and a few more drinks that have left me full even till now. Overall it was a pretty good day.

On Monday we will pour the other room's floor topping, fill in any gaps in the masonry, install the sink and remaining electrical fixtures, paint the veranda poles and install the window panes. Thursday the school will hold an event to celebrate the completion of the construction as well as give me a sending off since school break starts at the end of this week and I will be leaving before school resumes. 4 weeks from tomorrow I'll be back in the U.S.!