BACK TO PROJECT
JOHAN’S DIARY – 29TH OF JANUARY 2016
7:00 I wake up and slept really well last night. It’s a very beautiful morning today; I start my fire, and get water to boil for breakfast and coffee. While the water heats (I always boils my water) I take the opportunity to film and take pictures as the sun creeps over the mountain peaks and begins to warm the earth. It is stunning scenery as the sunlight shines through the clouds. It takes me a little while every morning to get ready, I first have to change my clothes which is a little difficult in a freezing tent, start the fire, fetch water and firewood, boil the water for food and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. At 7:30 the welder shows up, he was late yesterday morning as Shyam told him to get up extra early. It’s a good thing good Shyam is in charge; it makes me feel more relaxed.
08:15 Heading down to Shyam’s house to charge my phone and the computer, the only problem is that you do not always have electricity when you go to plug things in. But today there was electricity. I talk a little with Asha (Shyam’s wife) and have a cup of tea.
09:00 I get back to the tent, and fix some bamboo sticks into a stand for my camera when I take photos. The other workers begin to arrive, all a bit earlier today, so that we can cast the entire side of the walls in one day. Many school children run past on their way to school.
10:00 I am helping with the welding for the reinforcing bars (also known as rebar’s), it feels good to help hands on. The work typically gets done quicker when either Shyam or I help with the work. Today, it’s lovely weather, really feels like a fine spring day in Sweden. However in the evening the temperature plummets quickly to about 5 degrees.
12:30 The reinforcement is finished, it went faster than I thought, which makes me feel hopeful that we will have time to pour everything today! Now it rice beer for the workers and powdered mix with coffee and a tangerine for lunch.
13:00 Molding work takes off along with mixture for concrete, everything is done manually and I am fascinated by their cooperation and the how relatively fast it goes. The casting begins, as the molds are ready. I jump in line with the other workers passing concrete from one person to the next, and make sure to film and photograph while I wait for the next piece of concrete to be passed to me.
14:30 Lunch for the builders is Asha’s every day cooked food, today she boiled 40 eggs along with grains (such as oatmeal but rice) and a mixture of dry noodles and nuts with added flavor. She also had homemade rice and some liquor. I shall confine myself to taste only two hard-boiled eggs and a bit of the dry rice and noodles
15:00 The casting continues.
17:10 The casting is finished, it went really well, not everyone thought we would be able to finish today. I start my fire and heat some water for dinner. Shyam and two others join me. I give Shyam one of our books called “Dreams of an Orphanage” where we have written about our journey building Home of Hope, and the devastating earthquakes that hit Nepal in April/May, 2015. Shyam really likes what he sees; I even show him a photo book from the Charity Gala we held in October 2015 in order to raise money for the rebuilding of Home of Hope. He says he’ll show the rest so they understand how we managed to raise the money. He sinks into reading and it feels good that he liked it. I get internet on my Nepali SIM card, which makes me happy, because now I can start to send the pictures and videos in a simpler and cheaper way to Sophie.
I eat cooked noodles.
19:00 I message Sophie and my kids over the Internet. It is really dark and pretty cold; luckily I have the fire to keep me warm.
19:30 There are jackals about 50 meters from the tent, howling and standing close by, the villagers and dogs start to chase them away. I feel a bit uneasy with them being so close so I put more wood on the fire and crawl into the tent. I solve crosswords and message a little.
21:15 I lay down to sleep, feeling really happy with the work accomplished today. This is the time when it is completely silent and darkness has fallen. I lay here in my cold tent alone. I am feeling a little homesick, and longing to see Sophie, our kids, and sleep in a warm, soft bed.
Thanks for today!
P.S. You can purchase our book at www.looffoundation.org