May 20th 2009

Things went much more smoothly on the construction site this time. I picked up a drum of porridge for the crew’s breakfast, which a woman in the market prepared for us. The workers still complained the porridge was too light and wouldn’t give them enough strength to work. It needed to be accompanied by bread or cakes. That one I couldn’t have seen coming. I’ll buy bread with it tomorrow.


The men continued to dig the trenches, form the blocks, and cut the sand. I stopped by the Sirigu market on one of my cement runs to pick up a bag of rice for lunch. The women prepared it for the workers by mid day. The meal was satisfactory, but I think we can still do better by buying bulk ingredients from Bolga.

The work is co-managed by Pok. He is much more knowledgeable about construction than I am, but seems to avoid calculation whenever possible. Between the two of us, we handle the site pretty effectively. One unexpected help came in the form of a young man by the name of Edward. Edward has emerged as a leader among the workers. He keeps the men on task and takes careful record of everyone in attendance. I left Pok and Edward in charge this afternoon while I made the trip to Bolga for supplies.

I’ve been feeling a bit off for most of the day. I wasn’t able to take dinner this evening. I suspect it may be the result of the borehole water I’ve been drinking. The Ghanaians say the white men’s stomachs are too weak for their food and drink. I was hoping I’d be over that by now. Maybe I can sleep it off.

-John Yatsko