It looks like the playground project is mine even thought that wasn’t the original work plan. That’s OK. It’s a real challenge. We are told that kids get bored at school and they need some outside distractions for their energy. As I said earlier, I’m flying by the seat of my pants. I want something substantial but I am totally unfamiliar with construction methods in this part of the world. Also, the desired hardware can be difficult to find. It’s a constant challenge to construct with the limited resources that are unfamiliar. We found some very hard lumber (I think it is some variation of cedar) to construct the core frame. We are told that soft woods get destroyed during the rainy season. With the hard wood it is very difficult to drive a nail through it. We are doing our best.
We set the vertical columns in concrete and treated them with a solution that is suppose to prevent termite infestation. With the vertical core columns in place we can construct play areas around it.
I am working with Raymond Chew who is a Buddhist from Singapore. He works for Citibank. Culturally, we are two entirely different individuals but we are working well together on the project. Personal similarities mean nothing. It’s all about wanting to accomplish a mutual goal.
Marie is working on painting and refurbishing the existing classrooms. She is working hard and is accomplishing a lot. The classrooms will not be dreary grey cells any longer.
A typical day is suppose to go like this:
– Up at 6:00 am.
– Breakfast from 6:30 to 7:30
– On the bus at 7:30 am
– 1 1/2 hours to the work site. More time if we have to stop to buy supplies
– Lunch at noon
– Work until about 4:00 pm
– Get on the bus at 4:30 pm
– 1 1/2 hours back to the hotel in Vientiane
– Meet for dinner at 7:15 pm
– After dinner get back to the hotel and go to bed.
It’s a full day but a productive day. it’s a great group of people and we are really enjoying the experience.
We’ve set the pillars for the playground in place. They have been sunk into the ground and set in concrete. The diagonal boards are there to support them until the concrete sets.