Day three in Haiti

We got a lot done on day three. I mixed a lot of cement and abobe mixes, with the help of Emmanuel and James. The mixer we use is an antique, with an external belt driving cogs. The handle also needs to be propped up with a piece of rebar- slightly dodgy, and the sand used needed to be sifted, as the material we have is very rough.

We also layed a lot of plastic bottle bricks, dug out the dry well for the shower, filled the dry well with rubble (collected from the streets) and started a big chunk of the greywater planter. The plastic bricks are made from the two bodies of plastic drinks bottles (the tops are removed), with one fitted inside the other. With a lot of people on bottles today, a large ammount gt placed. he shower, cistern, toilet and gutter for the main dome all took shape today.

The planter between the shower and toilet (greywater planter) got mostly dug today. The water from the shower will drain into this planter from the dry well, and then be filtered by the bananna plants. Salty and Amzy dug the planter with the electric hand held digger. A lot of the interns wanted a go with the digger, and other power tools being used! You only have to show them once and they have it out of your hands enthusiastically giving it a go.

Phil and Rory took over the sifting of earth to make abode mix for the finish coat of the main dome. Rory is a viking who works at an almost super human speed, so much so that when you work next to him you feel in slow motion.

That night I finally noticed the city around us. Once the sun set all the lights in the hills started lighting up. The view was a shock, as i've been focussed solely on work for the last few days, going to bed early and too tired to appreciate my surrounding.