We continue to work on the playground while the others finished up the out-building and the work continues on sprucing up the classrooms. A lot of progress is being made.
We’ve got flooring down on two platforms of the playground and we built a ladder between the platforms. It has been me and Raymond Chew (the Buddhist from Singapore) with some help from a local worker that are doing the construction.
Yesterday, I found a 7” power saw for about $30 US at a roadside “sells anything” business. It’s a cheap Chinese made saw but the lumber we are sawing is very hard and hand sawing would not only slow down progress but stress our arms to the breaking point. Using cheap plugs and electrical wire I made an extension cord that we could plug into the only electrical outlet which is in the principle’s office. Having a power saw makes all the difference in the world.
Things are shaping up. The locals are doing a lot of brick laying so the additional classrooms are taking shape. We are ordering materials that the community cannot afford and everything is being used.
Anecdote:
The cheap Chinese saw I bought yesterday quit in the middle of a job today. (In American terms, we had already gotten over $30 use out of it so don’t cry tears.)
There is a local guy on sight who seems to be very competent in everything. He is small, thin, and his face, hands and feet are totally weatherbeaten. He smokes and he doesn’t speak any English. His appearance screams “peasant”.
So the cheap saw quits. Somehow a loaner saw appears out of nowhere. We change the blade so we can resume our work. In the mean time, our “peasant” laborer proceeds to tear apart the non-working saw. It’s sitting there in parts. The armature is out and I’m figuring that we should just dig a hole and give it a dignified burial.
About an hour later the saw reappears in a reassembled state with a new power cord. I check it out and its been repaired. Remember, this is in an area where power tools are a luxury. How does this guy know how to do construction and fix electrical tools? Why are these people poor when they can be so industrious and competent?
The only thing I can figure out is that this guy was probably in the military. The Laotian Army taught him to take on any task no matter how challenging. I can’t think of another explanation.
Today is Friday so we have Saturday and Sunday off from the worksite. Tomorrow the group is going “zip-lining” on an adventure trip way outside the city. Sunday is a free day. Work resumes on Monday.
Stay tuned!