haraka haraka haina baraka

These people do live up to their proverbs. The title says "haste brings no blessing!" Ok, fair enough this makes sense but not when we don't have all the time in the world to set up a school...and with me around!!!!

After signing the contract with Moses last week it took ages before I saw any work done at the house. Last Thursday, I was at the house at 10am sharp expecting to see the little army of workmen but there was no one. I called Moses who told me they're getting materials in town and they'll be there later. I didn't believe that. Infact they weren't there either in the afternoon. He still insisted in showing me the 'work-in-progress'. Yeah, a couple of bulb holders, sockets and 2 piles of sand for flooring which stood about 10metres away from the house and cost an expensive TSZ100,000. That was all!!?!?? After a whole week of promises that the work was underway.....

From that moment I was not a happy woman!!!

Seeing my gutted disappointment and my draining faith in him, he ensured me that things will get moving the next day. I wasn't to sure whether to believe him this time or not. On Friday the Mamas came with me (thank God for them, they're 2 tough guys!!). Again there was no one (which I kind of and sadly expected). Moses came along trying to explain that the fundi (contractor) he asked to do the work in the house just didn't show up, in other words, quit before he started. And he had also given him money! What a shame (to be polite and not say otherwise!!). Even I, a muzungu know the golden rule after just a few weeks in Tanzania... 'first you get your stuff then you pay'. All Moses got was a big scolding from the two mamas!!!!
In the meantime, me and the mamas couldn't help standing and staring so we started removing weed and digging holes for new plants in the garden. We were then joined by two 'gardeners' who picked up the job. But by that time Mama Kombe was so out of her wits that she was doing the job of a man by slashing thick branches with an old-fashioned spears; a 2 foot dagger-looking tool with a taped handle!

Moses returned, covered in white dust wheel-burrowing sand and 2 packs of cement into the garden. He explained that we would have to try to make amends for what has happened by carrying the stuff himself. We left a little later praying that things would get moving the next day. I also gave him the task of giving me a breakdown of how he spent the aunt's and my money.

On Saturday, Mama Sada woke up at 6am and went knocking on the doors of people she knew would do such a job. She later told me that she was 4th time lucky and only by chance when a friend hearing her plea directed her to a 'fundi'.
And so the work began. The fundi and his helper mixed the cement with the sand and levelled 2 small rooms. Sada was happy, so was I and we cheered at that. She's such a character; a mother hen, chuckling and boistering her way around with ler little chicks trailing behind.


We set in the doorway of the house, the mamas and myself chatting while keeping a eye on the men. I wasn't too happy with the breakdown Moses had given me(to my surprise!!). It was then that I decided to become an accountant make sure that the rest of my TZS200,000 would be spent well. The rest of the day we practically spent bossing Moses around; 'where has the electrician gone - can't be for lunch, he's been to long, go fetch him back?' 'where's the rest of the cement?' 'how many ceiling boards do we need?' etc etc etc.. Unfortunately, we didn't get all we asked for or weren't too happy with the answers. For some undefined reason the shop from where he had bought the cement was shut that morning and he couldn't get hold of the owner so even though the fundi and co. were prepared to work more hours that day, they lacked the vital material to proceed :( Then seeing he's indecisiveness re number of ceiling boards I just grabbed one of the workman, a measuring tape and started taking the dimensions of the rooms to calculate the required boards. And so turned into a kind of fundi myself!

At so our first official working day went by. But there's no rest for the wicked. I was first to get to the house on Sunday morning at 9am. And again to my dismay no one around. I later learnt that the construction working day starts late anyway, generally around 10am and of couirse, Sunday was no exception.
I called Moses who had failed to persude the woamn to open shop the previous day. We didn't seem to have too much of an alternative. But there was no resigning from the deafetful-looking Mama Kombe. She asked Moses for the woman's number. No reply. Then Moses called a friend to see whether he could do us a favour and try to go to the shop himself. But there were no promises. Despite our prayers the cement never arrived. In the meantime, I became an architect as I started to draft house plan and planning where all wall sockets and switches should go so the electrician could work in a more logical way!!!!

I later seemed to have earned the workmen respect and friendship as they called me 'sister' and one actually invited me over to his house, not before finishing off this one, I replied! I felt that my supervising and managing them is what they needed and unfortunately lacked from Moses.

Gotta go now....time is up ...was a long post but Sunday was longer...so keep checking this blogsite for more...work-in-progess!!

Nicky
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