One Last Leg

We certainly had a boat ride today.  The first part of the trip was very choppy.  We were treated to a saline shower while we sun bathed.  The last part wasn't bad at all; the trip took about 2 hours so it wasn't much longer than normal.

This was a day to rest and relax -- even take a nap.

Tomorrow will be a long day with a 6 1/2 - hour layover in Miami and a scheduled arrival of 9:47 pm in Philadelphia.  There's not likely to be another post before Sunday.

Phase Final

I think we sweat more today than all the other days put together.  The temperature was high; the work environment was dirty; surprises lengthened the work; just a typical work day in Haiti.

Phase two was the demolition of four ceiling panels.  The panels came down; dust clouds filled the air; all kinds of fuzzys and termite rotted wood covered the floor and us; and we uncovered an active termite nest.  We discovered that significant termite damage had occurred beyond the area we had first identified.

Phase three was the replacement of the damaged panels and battens.  All four of the initially identified panels have been replaced and most of the battens are on.  The remaining battens will be put on after additional panels have been replaced.

Tomorrow we're scheduled to take the Wesleyana to Ortlip; we should be on the mainland by noon.

Phase One

Preparations for replacing some ceiling panels in the station manager's house have been completed.  A couple panels were cut to size; all the battens (3/4" x 2") were ripped from 1" x 6" stock; the panels and battens were sprayed with Zincomat (probably unavailable in the USA); and hopefully enough screws were scrounged in the depot to complete the  job.

We also mounted several termite bait traps on the walls where there was evidence of termite activity.

Tomorrow will certainly be an interesting day.

Surprised, Not Really, Oh Yea

The unexpected is so common place in Haiti that such occurences should not come as surprises.  The project for today was the replacement of a couple ceiling panels in the station manager's house.  Disassembly of the first panel revealed active termite activity so the approach was modified.  The old material will be left in place until the new panels and battens have been cut to size and spray treated with appropriate termite inhibitors (the task for tomorrow).  Once the house has been vacated on Thursday morning, replacement will continue.

In the meantime there was an opportunity to observe a C-section procedure at the hospital.  While these procedures are rather common here, the one today turned out to be not at all typical or ordinary.  Thankfully, both mother and baby girl survived, but not without close brushes with death.  Matt will remember this day and this trip for a very long time.

We brought along some newborn and infant clothes that will be given to the mothers.

Another One Done

Replacement of another termite rotted door frame has been completed. This project was much more straightforward than what was anticipated; we are thankful! Next project is replacement of a couple 4'x8' sheets of ceiling board in the station manager's house.