Week 16

The last week of work has started and there are so many things to do!

On Monday, Patricia and Mr. Matoli start the trip to Himo to collect the bamboo panels. Hopefully they are finished and we can carry them to the project site. They are so big that we have to use the truck of our friend Elli to transport them. It was an endless story to get them, but finally they are here and are certainly beautiful!

The other endless story, the cypress doors… One of the two carpenters has given up and only the other one shows up to give it a second try. Luckily the new method he uses seems to be working well and in a few hours we can see great progress. Instead of trying to fit the webbed inside the wooden frames, he starts making the frames and afterwards he adjusts inside the cypress branches, one by one.

On the site, the workers continue making the soft floor and the carpenters continue fixing the roof. This week there are always many people on the site and many things happenning at the same time. There is no time for resting, not even a second, but it is also nice to see the project going forward. We divide ourselves to be always supervising but also taking care of small things like decoration and landscaping. Mr. Matoli has a wonderful nursery garden at home with many kind of trees and smaller plants, so one day we takes us there and we choose some of them to plant around the library. From now on there will even an avocado tree in front of the building! Hopefully next time to come to Kibaoni we can sit under its shadow.

On Thursday we receive the visit of Mashambo, the engineer from the district. He is really enthusiastic with the project and is convinced to implement the techniques we are using in his own village. Together with him, we write a letter for the district officers to invite them to the opening ceremony on Monday.

Our last weekend in Kibaoni, as expected, is very busy. We spend a lot of time on the site cleaning everything but we also go to visit some friends and start packing our things. Actually we are pleased to be so busy, otherwise it would be too sad to think of leaving this wonderful place that we have loved so much since the first day we stepped out of the daladala down on the road.

The sawmill in Kibaoni. Overtime we come here we promise ourselves that is the last time but it is never the last time!

The fundi of Himo finishing the bamboo panels.

Luckily our friend Elli helped us to bring the panels to the site in his truck.

Bringing the bamboo panels to the site.

Lara making color experiments to find the most suitable for the metal door.

Small mix to make a step to protect the lower part of the walls.

Primly working on the soft floor.

Anatoli and Priscus placing the bamboo panels in the verandah.

Godfred the carpenter adjusting the last wooden pieces of the roof structure.

The cypress doors are almost finished but to place them will be another story.

Fundi making the webbed for the doors.

People in the market were really surprised to see us bringing so many mattresses. Although by this time they are used to our peculiar ideas!

Lara destroying the mattresses to make cushions for the reading room.

Patricia and the district engineer writing a letter to invite the district officers to the opening ceremony.

Primly working on the bench for the verandah.

We were expecting a 210L barrel of sodium silicate from Dar Es Salam but this is what we received: 20L! The biggest ripoff ever! Not everything is always so easy here in Tanzania…

A small fire behind the building. In the beginning we thought it was on purpose to burn the sawdust but after we discovered it was Primly who forgot a cigarette there and it started burning! Luckily it was soon under control.

Patricia choosing the best avocado tree from Mr. Matoli’s nursery garden.

Patricia explaining the engineer about the different materials we are using.

Primli chilling on the mattresses. 

A visit to Kimaniatu village to meet Anatoli’s family. This is one of the numerous bars on the road where people meet in the evenings.