Last week-end we had a short break from the work and we went to the Bosomtwe lake to swim and relax all together with Frank Cristine and some of the guys here at the village. Sunday we were back on site to help the plumber to finish his job before Monday, so that the mason can complete the next part.
The team is getting very close-knit now. We have been carring stones and digging earth for many hours these week, but not to laught with Odas is almost impossible!
On Monday afternoon we tried to understand with Prof.Mantey which type of plant we should include in the concept of the patio, inside the building. He suggested the cocoa tree, as a symbol of wellness, related to the enrichment of young people through learning. We then went to the forest with him to explore the local vegetation and find out how the cocoa tree looks like.
On Tuesday 19 we built a sample of our rammed walls, using 2% of cement and 9% of sand. Edward helped us in ramming and mixing and he is very qualified. The metal formwork should work, in terms of structure, but we still need to find the best solution for the outtern face, which seems to be sticky yet. We are going to try with palm oil, dirty oil and others.
The second sample was definitely better. We used 10% of sand and 5% of cement. The exterior wall looks very shiny and smooth, therefore it should provide a better waterproof surface compared to the wooden out-form faces. Many earth parts still are sticked to the metal so we will try to use other ways to prevent it such as plastic sheets on the inside and oil with quarry dust.
On friday afternoon we decided to go to Kumasi for a concert of MusicXChange, at the National Cultural Centre, with local drummers and dancers. The performance was part of a music project held by Federico Masetti and other musicians who help with music therapy inside the hospitals. We spent a very good time after, drinking few beers with them and listening to great music at nearby jazz club.
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