I have completed the last building I will be on site during construction. Please understand I am completely colorblind so the locals choose the paint colors not me plus it has a lot to do with what is available. I do understand from some that the black and white landscape does not go with the cream, red or black of the building. But it is done and we have furnished the inside and bought some new computers for the upper level staff (their old computers will filter down through the teaching pool). It took a month longer than promised but still a month shorter than I expected.

It started with the contract signing which is common in cities, but not expected when working in the villages so no one really reads the contract we prepared and are surprised when we bring up things on the drawings or contracts during construction that I am serious about having done like monolithic floors and reinforced columns.

It starts with footings and column foundations which are critical all the time but more so as we are about a month away from rainy season where it will rain heavy every day for a month and half this year. We have to get walls up before rainy season starts but we still need footings and floors to have proper cure times-also something they don’t seem to get here.

next it is placing rocks for the bottom of the footers. They they pour the footings and column footings next with rebar in place. Then they start the walls. It is common here to place the wall block up to the column rebar then cut it back by hand to give enough room for the column. Typically it is done this way because someone in charge forgets to tell the mason about the columns.

next are floors and more walls. then columns. Where we would normally do columns first and then attach the brick walls to the columns as we go up with something like a z tie. They do the wall first then the column because they pour against the masonry wall to have them “bond” together.

As the walls and roof trusses go up, they have a part of the crew break off to start the septic system which includes a separator and a soak pit. It was a little bit overkill to make one just for two bathrooms in an office, but the nearest one to attach to was uphill from our location and well that stuff does not run uphill.

roof trusses, corrugated tin room and trim boards. we work to keep the roof as simple as possible for the fewest leaks.

Then we bust the walls for installation of plumbing and electrical. The blocks they use are solid so no running anything inside the wall. You have to build it then bust it here. We install the window security bars, a requirement here. Metal doors, finish out our electrical. Plaster and paint the exterior and interior walls. The first coat is a concrete plaster and the second coat is more like a gypsum plaster. The ceilings are drywall with a full plaster coating not just the tape joints. The breakroom sink and cabinets. The three doors with a small roof covering them at the back of the building are the two bathrooms and rear entrance. They wanted the bathrooms facing out because of common myths about diseases and improper things being seen in bathrooms which I will not go into here. The blue pool noodle foam is temporary to keep snakes and insects out of the bathrooms until I buy a rubber trim piece here in the states and take over.

We had a prayer service that included all staff, the pastor (also our school director) and the student prefects in charge of religion. After that we started assembling furniture and moving things in. We even got ceiling fans for the four offices. Below is the song sung during the prayer service to ask for blessings on the office and work done there.

We also got our bulletin board and have started to convert the old offices to a new computer classroom.

The story I want to really tell was the fun of purchasing things to go in the office. I started by looking at what I would buy to go into an office I was starting-any type of office. I created a budget based on what those items would cost here. Then I took them to look and price items as construction was about to end. I told them what they would be getting from my house in December. So I let them price everything out with what they wanted to buy. Roughly twice our budget as they picked the most expensive item in every category. But I made them reduce their list down to the budget they had and what I would be giving them from my house in December. It was a learning experience about they can get what they need without buying the most expensive items available. They finally did it and cut out the really expensive refrigerators that were HUGE in lieu of the one I am giving them December which is more modest sized and free.

THANK YOU and Elephant for all those who helped make this office a reality.