Laying Bricks

One of the things i have really enjoyed being here in Muhanga has been the different projects that we have been engaged in. The most fun and the one where i can see a visible difference in the work that we have just completed has to involve the making if the bricks and throwing mud on the houses which i will share you guys in a post to come. We visited this house three times and the pictures below show the first time we went to built the bricks

I dont know if i will ever use the manual skills that i have learnt whilst being here but i know that the welcome that the different communities have shown us and the way that they all come together to help the poorest of that community try to better their own lives will stay with me throughout my life and hopefully i too will try to help the poorest in my community when i am back in England. Its really is inspiring when you see 10 or more people come together to do a sort of Umungada for the local poor people and they are all so happy to see both the UK volunteers and the Incountry volunteers getting involved. I think it amuses them a bit to much though sometimes seeing the muzungus playing with mud.

Some of the local children came by to see what we were doing!

Right from the start i was determined that i was going to contribute my all and would give all that i could. When push came to shove though i succeed in my mission, i have to admit that it was hard. The sun was scorching and it was barely 9am when we started and so that in itself meant that combined with the high altitude the difficulty level rose by at least 3 or 4.

We started with digging up the soil so we could get it ready to be made into mud thus enabling us to make our bricks. This was hard since the surface we were digging was made up of mostly stones and the hoes that we had kept on breaking so there was a fear that it might just fly of and hit some one thus taking of an eye.

Once there was enough soil dug up we them mixed it with the water that some of the boys got from the river to 'cook it' as the men there told me. I was really good at this thanx to my thunder thighs and trust me its a work out. It felt like i was doing about 100 swats that day and the next morning i was feeling it in my thighs. You have to hold on to a stick of a hoe in order not o get stuck in the mud and you just kind of do a funny dance. :)

We were then given a would rectangular wooden box which we filled with water and the 'cooked' mud to make the bricks. After a bit of a shake and wiggle , they come out looking good and by the end of the morning i was working at it like a pro.

Not going to lie i was almost sad to go home when we left since i had been having so much fun. But they had promised that they were going to take us to see the artificial lake. It is called Idel. Legend has it that it was actually created by the former Rwandan Kings and that there lives in it a snake that used to guard said King.

The lake it self whilst pretty was not that impressive when you consider it was built by a King for future Kings. But our group being the 'athletes that we are decided that we would use it as an opportunity to practice our jump shots and hence the following pictures.

I am quite proud of this one since the majority of us actually managed to get of the group if you discount Lauren and Hubby.

Its was an amazing experience and thank you so much to the community of Shylgwe. And thank you to Apaulinet, the man who allowed us to help build his house. Its was humbling meeting him and hearing his story and may God continue to bless him.

I will talk to y'all soon and i love y'all

Issie xox