Many hands make the load lighter.
We finished the first fountain. There
were several obstacles to overcome but, for the moment, work has been swiftly
moving with everyone knowing their role. As James likes to say “Don’t tell an
old man how to do his job” so we haven't had to do much when it comes to the labor. Once we communicated
what we are trying to do, and hired the right men, the project took off.
The past week consisted mainly of me overseeing the work
being done and managing the flow of money to the project. There have only been
a few instances where I have had to step in and make a decision. Other than
that, I have been working side-by-side with the other men, straining to tighten
pipes and carefully mixing concrete.
The other day, I was helping thread galvanized pipe, a
painstaking process that we have to do manually because the machine is broken.
We were turning the pipe-threader with a massive wrench when it slipped and
flew directly towards my crotch.
For those of you who don’t know me as well, I wear a leather
belt with a large Philmont belt buckle everyday. When this heavy wrench
collided with my belt buckle it made a distinct metallic sound, leaving me
totally unharmed and the wrench lying on the ground between my feet.
Since my un-tucked shirt was covering my belt buckle, all
the Haitians around me went crazy. They thought this white kid had balls of
steel or something. I regret showing them my belt buckle since this reputation
might have warded off some of the workers from asking for pay advancements or
when negotiating wages.
I’m hoping to finish up the fountains this week but there is
still a lot of work to do. Working this project has been exhausting but
extremely rewarding and it has also really improved my language skills.
Here is a picture of me in front of the finished fountain:
Hopefully you'll see more completed fountains in the next post!
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