Sandpaper, Straight Edges, and Spreadsheets

In another situation that makes my internship even harder to define, I spent today as an apprentice/helper of the carpenter who is working on the renovation of Africa House for about 7 hours.

Apparently, the contractor had run out of money to hire extra helpers, so Anneri asked me on Wednesday if I could help him out on Friday. Though slightly taken aback, I agreed to and thankfully had a couple days to psych myself up and get in a good attitude. By six o'clock on Friday morning (the time I needed to get up to get to work at 7:30 AM) I was excited to experience this new profession. I was slightly sleepy on the drive to work and it was a cold day, but I felt like it was the right day to take up some tools in my hands and build something.

The carpenter's name is Hdaba, which is most closely pronounced as "Uhn-daba". Think of it as saying the short form of "and Daba" - " 'n Daba" and you've got it good enough for him to respond. He's a really easygoing, kind, and wise guy- in fact, he's a pastor of a local church! I think it's pretty cool when a pastor, who is stereotypically not much of manual laborer, has such talent and such a work ethic. I really enjoyed chatting with him as I helped construct shelves all around our new kitchen. As I became more and more comfortable with the process, Hdaba would exclaim, "You've got the vision, Bruddah!" as I handed him the right screw or placed the balancing tool level on top of the shelf to measure. He brings such enthusiasm to his work- each successful step of the job is met with a huge smile and cheer of victory. Even though he's actually a certified welder by trade, he knows a little about carpentering and seems to be doing a fantastic job at Africa House.

One of the more interesting comments he made was about the work ethic of the black population here. There's a widespread attitude among blacks that they can't do anything because they are dependent on whites to get work or make progress. This perceived laziness actually arises from the Apartheid days, when apparently a black worker had to have a white supervisor on the job. As the National Party got more control, they essentially taught the black populations that in order for them to do anything, they need the involvement of a white. That attitude has persisted, much to the misfortune of those black populations.

I enjoyed my brief, 7-hour apprenticeship, which had me using plaster to fill in holes in the walls, holding up shelves at awkward angles, removing and fixing a door, and even a little bit of sandpapering. Though not necessarily grueling, it was more physical work than I usually do, but it was worth it. There's something about making things with your hands using expert knowledge that really gives fulfillment. I still couldn't help laughing at the image of me, a city boy college student majoring in the least practical things possible, taking up a hammer and getting my hands dirty. Being well rounded has its costs. I joked that I was going to quit All Nations and start following Hdaba around learning from him instead...

After washing off all the caked-on plaster from my hands, I had another meeting with Floyd about the website, which was pretty nice. He had some suggestions and I think I'm really going to get into the thick of it next week. These days, an organization's website is one of their most important assets, so hopefully I can make All Nations' acceptable. As I sent Floyd my notes from the meeting, I noticed a devastating news story- Michael Jackson died! It's so sad to see him go, even if he was a creeper. Such talent!

The apartment is now slightly lonelier now that Toukam is stateside. On Thursday I drove him through the rush hour traffic to the airport, where he set off with his two little bags off to the land of the free and the home of the brave. He's actually coming home Monday night, which means he's spending about the same amount of time in the airplane as he is actually on US soil. Oh, the marvels of modern travel. It has been interesting having the apartment to myself, but not devastating. In fact, I even cooked a semi-elaborate dinner for myself last night- successfully. I think cooking my own food this coming year at Columbia won't be too bad after all.

When I got back from the airport I picked up some roadmaps for Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Now that I'm only about 20 days away from departure, I'm getting into the practical aspects. Surprisingly, it turns out that Anneri spent her whole childhood in Namibia and offered some suggestions that have drastically changed (and hopefully improved) my route. This trip is going to be awesome.

Turns out that we are actually going to do the quad biking through the game reserve tomorrow! Christy Ann, myself, and Beca from All Nations will be heading out in the early morning tomorrow for the 2 hour ride. It's going to rock! I'll be sure to post pictures after. Hope all is well on your end.