Our special couple DJ and Jackie get to experience staying in her home any from home room...
Marianne
Marianne
Friday, October 18, 2013
Day 5 Bitter Sweet...Bon Voyage...Off to see the Gorilla's
Our day started today a little earlier than
most to allow us to get as much work time in as possible before we began our
journey this afternoon to the Gorilla trekking excursion area. We continued our
concrete mixing and Congo lines for transporting the concrete into the back
room. We are so close to having all of the concrete floors completed! What a
roller coaster of emotional the team has gone through this week during the
build. Day 1 we were excited and ready to concur. Day 2 was a very difficult
day. There was a lot of heavy slugging and the reality of the extensive
labour required to complete the concrete floors deflated us. We thought it was
going to be an entire two week job. A good night's rest brought us to day 3
which was our toughest yet most productive day. We got into a rhythm and we
rock and rolled on the floor. Walking away at the end of day 3 we were all
rejuvenated knowing we would complete the main kitchen area floor morning of
day 4.
For me (Marianne), it was a better sweet day 5
as it was my last day on the job site as duty calls and I am only able to
complete one week of the build. I had the opportunity of saying goodbye to the
local trades we worked along side with and the members of Covaga weaver's. They
opened their arms to us, showed us their craft and allowed us to get to know
them and their families. They will hold a special place in my heart and I will
think of them often. I hope their weaving coop sustain and provide income for
them and their families.
We are travelling this afternoon from Gashora
and stopping in Kigali for lunch before continuing our travels to Muhabura.
Our lunch was a highlight of the day. We had Burritos and taco from a
restaurant called Maze Fresh. It was so delicious and the closest we have had
to North American food in over one week.
Next stop was changing buses at the bus
terminal. We pulled in and it was like we were steaks in a pack of lions
(Awesome analogy Shawn!). OMG Our bus was surrounded by locals and hands we
coming into our Windows to either beg or sell us things. We were able to pull
out and change buses in a secure area. Thanks for saving us Lama!
Our final stop was at Muhabura Hotel in
Muhabura, Rwanda. During our drive the highest elevation we reach going up and
down the moutains was 7012 m. Muhabura is 4127M. See the separate images posts
from along our travels today.
12 hours and counting down to the beginning of
our Gorilla trek! We feel so excited to be able to have this one in a life time
bucket list opportunity….keep you posted as long as we escape the Gorilla’s…
We taught the workers how to play teeter taughter during break time! Good laughs!
The amazing ladies presenting me with Thank you gifts! So special and thoughtful of them!
Amazing Burrito's!!! OMG!!!
The bus terminal we escaped! LOL
Notice anything interesting about the truck ahead of us during our trek this afternoon! I guess you call that free riding! LOL
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Day 4 Man Down!
Where did the day go? This was our feeling after the day was over! We continued our concrete mixing and our Congo lines to complete the main kitchen room floor. We knocked it off before lunch. A task a couple of days ago we believed it would take us two weeks.
Some of our team members did struggle today with handling the tray of concrete mix. I am told it was Kenny who dropped the most but I also saw trays being dropped by Sean, Rickie and Doug. Boys will be boys! They were trying to throw them down the line! Lol Who's buying the beers?
Unfortunately we had a man down today (DJ) due to a sinus cold. However we had his daughter Jodie arrive late last night and is a great addition to the team. Did we even miss DJ? Of course we did! The jobsite was a bit quieter! Lol Al kidding aside, we hope he is able to join us for our dinner and fire under the stars.
After work today we had an incredible experience of visiting the elementary school. The school houses 1070 students and 18 teacher's. They divide the students into 1/2 day sessions. School is provided for the children. However the parents must provide the uniform. The school has 12 computers and a satellite dish that was originally donated by Soft Choice and since the government has donated 400 laptops to the school. We proudly donated school supplies which was a collection amongst our team members! As we walked through the school yard the children came running to welcome us with open arms. We lost count how many hugs we all gave. This village has really welcomed us with open arms. This are special moments on this trip we will not forget.
Tomorrow...1/2 day ahead and then we will commute to our Gorilla trekking site accommodations so we are ready first thing Saturday morning to trek to find them. We are all so excited for this opportunity!
Marianne
Marianne
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