Ray's Travels

Today is Sunday and it is an off day from work on the school project. We slept in, got some coffee and lunch and then shopped for a few things. Mid-afternoon we went to a spa. We each got a 2 hour massage and a body scrub. What a wonderful experience! Total cost for both of us (over 3 hours each) was less than $70 US, tip included. Well worth it!

I take back my comment on the beggars. Today we saw a number of them. Apparently, the store owners keep them away but on Sunday a lot of businesses are closed. Therefore, they take the opportunity. Its not that there is an oppressive number, its that today they became noticeable.

No work at the project site today. This is an R&R day. Our leaders set up an adventure for us. We took a van ride for about 1 1/2 hours out of Vientiane. There we got on a couple of small boats and went up-river for about 1/2 hour to a site where we had a prepared lunch of barbecued shish kabobs. Unfortunately, the boat I was in was a leaker and I was at the back. I spent the entire ride bailing out the boat along with one of the guides. Had we not worked hard and continuous, the boat would have sunk.

We had a nice lunch and then had to trek up the hills for about 1/2 hour. Then the adventure began. The guides fitted us with harnesses and clips so that we could begin the descent using zip lines, cable bridges and being lowered by ropes.

A zip line is a cable strung between two trees. You traverse it using a device with a couple of rollers that allow you to go from one platform to the next. It is fast and exciting. Although the procedure is quite safe, it is arduous and challenging. The unfamiliarity with what you are getting into makes it seem more dangerous than it actually is.

We all made it, had a good time and could check off “zip-lining” from our bucket list.

Tomorrow is a total free day before we resume work at the project site on Monday morning.

Me and Marie all trussed up in out zip-line gear.

Marie getting lowered by rope.

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!

Progress on the playground and the school taking shape.

Continuing work on the playground. Trying to do it without power tools was looking to be impossible. We’ve purchased a drill and circular saw. It’s cheap Chinese junk but it is what’s available and we are hoping that it will at least let us get the project done without having to hand saw through hardwood. We’re most worried about the power supply. We have no idea of the amperage so we are just going to plug the stuff in and see how it goes.

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.

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.

We are on the second day of our school construction/reconstruction project. Understandably, some of the enthusiasm of Day 1 has worn off but it was a very productive work day. We’ve focused our efforts on renovating the existing classrooms, restoring an out-building that was being used as a classroom and building a playground.

I started out working on the out-building but now I seem to have become the chief construction engineer of the playground. It is an interesting project because I’m flying by the seat of my pants and people are looking at what is going on with a quizzical eye as if to say, “what the heck is going on here?”

Meanwhile, the locals concentrating on building the new additional classrooms. We donated the money for all of the materials and they are “going to town” trying to get this building built before the school year resumes after Tet (the New Year).

If this project is any example, it makes you realize that people want to improve their lives, they are willing to make the effort, it’s oftentimes a matter of lack of capital. This community had a fundraising effort but all they could raise was enough money to construct the basic pillars, which is what we saw when we first got to the site. We are providing the money to finish the structure and the community is turning out to make the project happen. This is why CRS chose this site for us. We have experience people in our group who have done many overseas constructions projects. They say that they have never seen this level of community involvement.

The construction site of the additional classrooms. Pillars are in place but we are starting to construct the foundation.

The out-building that was being used as a classroom. The floor was termite infested. We ripped it out and are salvaging the building so that is will remain useful.

Today we started our project with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). We are improving a school, adding new classrooms and building a playground area.

It was an amazing, and very satisfying kick-off to an extensive project. The community has divided volunteers into 9 groups. Each group will help us for one day. The local volunteers came ready to work and with a high level of enthusiasm. They would literally take work out of your hands. If you were doing something and they saw what you were doing they would take the task away from you to do it themselves.

The first day of a project like this requires several hours of organization before things start to flow. This was no different but when some organizations set in, an amazing amount of work was accomplished. Of course, in the early stages when working on things like building a foundation, there isn’t a lot of apparent progress. However, it can be the most important stage.