Day 2 and 3 pics!! All about the desks!

Do everything without complaining and arguing, --Philippians 2:14

I want to start by thanking Dawn.  She sent me a great little note on FB with a word from Philippians which led me to the above verse.  Its what I needed to get this post started.  I wasn't sure where to start because I just have SO MUCH to say!!   But I also recently heard I should try to keep my posts shorter...  well.. I don't think that's going to happen..  but we'll see!


On day 1, Don's big discovery of the state of the desks was a downer.  John, Don and I all tried to justify and rationalize that it would be OK and they would hold, but we all knew that this was not the case...  The desks are kind of important to hold up the computers and screens so we decided we would fix this ourselves.  All we need is a little plywood and some screws and we're good to go.  OMG!!  This started us on another African/Zambian experience that I will not soon forget.


Before I get into it though, I wanted to give all who are in the know an update on this infamous container with the computers,...  Well..  there is a small chance it will be here this week...  Its somewhere by the border, on the border or past the border right now..  There is even a chance, it will just show up here tomorrow...  or maybe Friday, or maybe Saturday, or maybe Sunday, or maybe not before we leave...  We still have to work without those ten systems and i keep planning for the possibility it will show up at any time... (what will i do if it comes in today is my waking thought.)  On to day 2...


Day 2

The day started with us going back to the college to finish up the wiring and get a good look at the tables and take more precise measurements.  Here is a good look at the tables...  ugghhh...  


After looking closely at everything, we decided (well John decided.. because  I am about as handy with a saw as I am with a battle ax... not very...) that the majority of the tables were solid enough to screw a new top to it.  The brace in the back was mostly good everywhere and the legs were nice and solid too.  So just some plywood sheets bolted on top would be A-OK...  
Had we been in Canada, I would probably have been very lazy about this, called reno-depot, told them what I need and probably even asked them to cut and deliver it...  Okay...  maybe get a friend with a pickup and pick them up.  In Zambia, not so much...

After we left the college, we started by going to a little restaurant cafe called Wimpys that serves a decent cappuccino to plan out the day.  We were still on the spare I installed on Don's car the day before.  As there was a tire place near the hardware store, we started there to see if Don could get a deal on some tires...


Well...   ~ 1 1/2 hours later, we had one new used tire on the car that pretty much matched his existing set, tires rotated, spare back in the trunk and ready to go... All a little wiser as to the inner workings of the Kitwe garage system.

Now off to the hardware store...  The first store we went to did have some plywood, but it was much too thin and that's all they had.  We also looked for the screws and nails we would need, they had screws but no nails.  (This is what they call a hardware store)...  So we were off to the next store..  There they had almost everything, Don was ecstatic that we were going to get everything we needed in one place..  As much as we teased Don in saying its all the same In canada... it really isn't...  we very rarely need to settle on something we don't want because we know we will always find what we want somewhere... here its not about finding what you want... its just about finding anything that may potentially work!  


I don't want to go into too much detail about the whole four step process required to make a purchase or the adventure of loading this up on the roof of the X-trail and driving that insane road (road?!?!?) back to the college with 6 sheets of 4 x 8 plywood on the roof and me hanging off a huge cable in the back seat trying to keep it all from sliding off the car...  Needless to say, it was somewhat of an adventure and we were able to get the wood back to the college!  Thank God!

John with the circular saw... kind of scary...

Yes, I am holding plywood sheets...  I know, crazy action shot, right! 

At some point in all of this, I am sure both john and I thought to ourselves...   "This is not what we signed up for!"  But we never complained, just did what needed to be done!  


I held boards, John did the cutting and Don ran them up to the second floor..


(There are a few pics...  so just scroll... I'm tired of writing right now)

Don as the wood runner!

Last sheet!! W00t!!

Much time passes....

Lots of sweating...

...

..

.

TADA!!!   :)

Look at that new table top!!!  WIN!!

The day ended with dinner at our hosts house.  Marie-josee made some delicious chicken breasts, beats, rice and this crazy fresh avocado salad with feta.  It was awesome!  If I have not said it before, our hosts, Don and marie-josee Mann are two angels!  They have to be the best hosts on earth.  And I am not just saying that because they might read this and i want to keep eating... I really mean it!!!

All in all a wonderfully productive day!

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Now in the interest of time and catching up...  I am going to post Day 3 as well...  I won't go into as much  detail as the other days, so if there is anything you would like to know...  Please ask in the comments, on facebook, G+, twitter or by yelling really really loud and I'll do my best to answer...


Day 3


I am finally caught up...  today was day 3 of the setup...  :)  (well its past midnight over here...  so it was 50 min ago)  And it started with Don coming up with a pretty awesome idea...  "Guys... since we are well underway to getting the new desks finished, why not paint them ourselves too!"  


As I am learning how things get done here in Zambia, I have to agree, this is about the only way it will be done.  My second thought is that I am less handy with a paint brush as I am with a saw...  (see note above)..  This might get ugly...

I am so very lucky and blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful people while I am out here.  I ended up not ever picking up a paint brush.  As Don and John put down the primer, I worked on finishing the router configs and spent some time with MJ talking about maintenance requirements.   John and Don were able to complete the primer before we left for the day...  Have a look below at how things are looking...  

The place is looking amazing!  Tomorrow the painting will continue as I work with someone from the college on training and probably write up a whole lot of documentation...  Or I can paint...  But i think Don and John are happy I am not painting..  :)


Just a couple more pics to close out the evening...  

Dinner at Arabian Nights in Kitwe...  It was delicious!  Roll call...  I am at the top left of the pic, John is next to me on the right, Marie-Josee is across from me and Don is next to her across from John.  

Just as the evening ended with this licorice ice cream with english pudding and a syrup dipped pear... So does this post..

GOOD NIGHT!!  :)