Bill not so well today so decides to rest up. Our team down to 3... At breakfast we decide we need a way to discuss how well we're feeling without actually going into the disgusting details, so in the spirit of 'you got a cold coz you went out without a pullover' we decide that a 'pullover' day means you're not so good, and a 2 pullover day is one where you're not going more than 20m from a proper toilet.... (I'll blame that discussion on Peter....).
New village, new style! THe local organisers here have been going since 1966, according to the 1 1/2 hour powerpoint presentation we get to sit thru. First time I've actually seen someone use EVERY SINGLE FEATURE of powerpoint in the same presentation..... They are very organised - only been working with Habitat for 4 years but they've managed to do over 300 different house projects (mostly renovation also). They do a lot of other work - micro finances, training, education, anti-smoking/drug campaigns etc. Here its the local coptic orthodox church thats running the organisation - the priest gives us a quick run down on the origins of the orthodox church in Egypt (no, actually it was quite interesting....).
Finally we get allowed to go out and bash some bricks. Our group are allocated for plastering. Bit tricky when we get there, as there are already a team of 3 professionals getting on with the job (cement plastering of the raw brick walls in 2 rooms), and our allocated guide doesn't actually speak english.... Confusion reigns, as the pro's don't really understand why these foreigners have arrived and interrupted them.... Finally understanding is achieved, and we get a go at putting cement on walls. Sadly, we're really not that good at it - although I proud to manage to do a vertical segment on a corner that didn't actually fall off.... Joan and Dot decide to concentrate on preparation : sand sieving, and I persevere with the plastering. Eventually I'm up on their 'scaffolding' (or 2 bits of wood held together with twine as we'd call it), doing corners on the ceiling.... only takes me about 20 times as long as the pros, but it seems to amuse them.
We break for tea (I figure its boiled so I'll risk it...) - and at some point in a discussion about the family I get handed a pigeon from a cage in the corner of one of the rooms. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with it! Then I get handed another one!! Not easy to hold two birds (even in two hands). We all go up to the roof, to discover this is where they keep their poulty - I throw the pigeons in with the rest (mix of ducks and bantam chickens I think).... I explain I also have 2 chickens at home, which causes a certain amount of amusement....
After lunch (back at the committee room) we come back, and more of the same. I gather there's a lot of amusement as to the quality (or lack thereof) of my plastering, but at least it stays on the wall.... Dot's not please - the plaster she had put on the wall at the start has been scraped off while we were away......
Back to the hotel, Bill feeling much better. Apparently no ill effects from the tea I drank (despite dire warnings about only drinking from our bottled water!!). Certain people (you know who it was) manage to get Sherif/Sherif to obtain some beer from the local market and we drink it discretely on the balcony...
posted by brian.wyld @ 1:57 AM
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