Today the same world challenge people were there, but they
seemed to be doing good work today. In the beginning, Michael actually told me
to teach some people to mix cement. After I showed them how, one asked how long
I had lived in Africa. I considered both
of these things to be honours. Later on the building site, I subconsciously
understood the Siswati word for brick, though I cannot remember it at the
moment. The local builders asked me who my favourite musician is, and when I
said Miriam Makeba they smiled. I feel like I am finally beginning to fit in
here. We made great progress today; the building is very near completion.
Michael said it will probably be done by Saturday, so I plan to go into work to
make up for skipping on Monday. I bought a six pack of Kola to celebrate with
all the builders.
A quotation by one of my favourite African leaders of all
time:
“Whenever I ask about Pepsi-Cola or Coca-Cola, people
immediately say it is an American or European drink. This is not true. The kola
is African. They have taken the cheap raw material from us. They produced it,
they made it into a drink, and they sell it to us for a high price. Why are
Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola expensive? Because they have taken our kola, produced
it, and sold it back to us. We should produce it ourselves and sell it to them.”
-Muammar Qaddafi, Conakry, 2006.
Sorry I don’t have a lot to post about today, but I am
feeling good. I think the trip to Mozambique will be perfectly timed so that I
will finish the day before I leave.
See you!
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