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Johan’s Diary- February 8th, 2016
I slept really badly last night because there were lots of noises from chasing away the jackals and a dog that didn’t stop barking. It did not help that it started to rain at 3:00am. I woke up at 7:00; it was still raining but now just a light rain. I get up and get going with my usual morning chores. For breakfast I cook noodle soup with two eggs, coffee and juice.
I saw some timber for the rafters since the rain stopped around 10:00. Some workers even start to appear. Brecht and his two friends from Germany and Holland, who came to Ratankot two days ago, take off for Kathmandu. Brecht does not feel very well from stomach problems. It starts to rain again, and it turns out that there will be no work today. I am feeling thoroughly frustrated, but I work on instead and continue to saw wood for the rafters.
Unfortunately I can not nail up any more pieces of wood since there were not enough nails in the truck delivery last night, but we are in Nepal, so that’s how it is sometimes.
In the last few days we have made great progress with the walls. They are half way completed, up to the top edge of the window frame. We will be casting a row of concrete again. Some internal walls have also been started.
At lunchtime the rain increases and it feels and looks like we’re in the middle of the rain cloud, which we certainly are. And below in the valley, I can see the second rain clouds from above. There is no point to continue today when I am getting thoroughly soaked, so I crawl into my tent. I fix a few things in the tent and arrange some administrative items. I read a little and drink tea; it is great to have a thermos. All of my electronic things are out of battery, since there is no sun for solar energy and no electricity available today. A little later the rain stops and the sun tries to come out. I go down to Shyam and Asha’s to charge my computer and phone since the electricity is back on. Shyam is on his way in Kathmandu today, and will be back tomorrow, hopefully bringing our sweaters/jackets, shoes and socks.
Shyams mother and Asha keep on making a new pot of rice beer, it will be interesting to see how they are afterwards. The baby goats have grown a lot and climb around everywhere. I go back up to Home of Hope to cut more wood. It takes quite some time to hand-cut with a fairly lousy saw. I regret not bringing a good one from Sweden, but I get exercise and slowly but surely have growing piles of finished lumber. My two bonfire friends show up with eggs as they cook them on my fire, they are not quite sober. This is what happens when there is not work.
Later on in the afternoon I go down to see if my things have charged yet. The phone and PC are charged!
I get back to the tent and message Sophie a little and send some photos and films. I continue to saw, it’s best to use the last hour of light.
Eating dinner a little late, consisting of freeze-dried rice and chicken casserole that tastes pretty good, but I start to crave other foods. Sophie wrote that they had eaten lasagna and I start missing food from home. Darkness settles and I crawl into my tent, I write my diary and then do a bit of a crossword.
That’s all from today!
Johan