Independence Day

Yesterday was Independence Day for Sierra Leone. April 27, 1961. So there was no work on the site. It was a good thing because it was a scorcher! Really lazy day, lots of sleeping, sweating, and a few cold Star Beers. This morning we climbed atop the hill above Kabala. Gorgeous Sunrise. Coffee and bread for breakfast at the top and then back down to work at the school. But apparently the independence day parties were pretty good cause nobody worked today except for five of us. Too much Poyo. We backfilled for one of the last slabs that need to be poured. There is a large drainage trench that is under construction between two of the classrooms. Although I have not seen it yet, apparently the amount of rain that the building needs to deal with is unbelievable! Much of the surrounding area slopes towards the long classroom block so we built the trench to direct the water around the building. Once the trench is completed and the slab complete the building will really begin to feel complete as one will be able to walk around the varandas freely from classroom to classroom. All that backfilling by hand! (read comments for a colorful description of the work by the poet Hans Doef).