Life in a different culture
To get internet out where we are, we needed to set up a wifi connection between us and town that allowed us to access a broadband internet connection there. This was first done with a 6m pole that we mounted at both ends of the connection. Although this worked well at first, the connection at our end was not working as well as it could, so it was time to make some changes.
Looking down towards the city (shimmering glow in distance) from our YWAM Base, 6km out of town.
It had long been talked about. The possibility however, seemed far fetched at best and more probably impossible. Of course with enough money anything is possible, but we didn’t have that kind of money. Today everything changed.
Today we have internet.
Internet has had a spotted history here at YWAM Puerto Madryn.
These are the latest pics of the bathroom, just before I left Puerto Madryn on my way to Peru. The shower floor is still not done, and there is a huge kink in my main sewage pipe which I made while trying to replace a broken T-joint. The problem was that my friend who knew how to do it was not with me at the time and so it ended up flattened.
The flattened pipe. Doh!
The business end of the bathroom.
The shower floor still needs to be tiled yet.
The ceiling will be finished with plasterboard.
My first window that I have ever fitted is working perfectly.
Looking through from the main house area to the bathroom.
The outside of the bathroom with an 800 litre water tank on top.
For the last two weeks I have been stuck in the bathroom and have hardly left. There from the morning until midnight most nights, and rarely a moment to eat. What has happened to me? Some exotic disease or a severe case of the runs? Nope. Building.
From virtually nothing we have made a bathroom in only a few weeks. Most of the time I have been working alone on the project, although at times Fabian and others have come along to help out. Their help has been invaluable. The following photos tell more of a story of the development of this new part of the Prayer House…
Tues 11th: Gabriel and Juan Pablo prepare the concrete for the roof.
Tues 11th: Helping get it up to the roof.
Tues 11th: Fabian loads the roof with concrete over the foam bricks.
Tues 18th: Nothing beats matches as a gap measurer for tiling.
Tues 18th: Fabian tiling the shower walls.
Wed 19th: Putting in the window. It is held there by cement.
Thu 20th: Grouting the shower walls.
Thu 20th: Lorena helps with painting the walls (yep, white walls).
Thu 20th: Ernesto puts the dividing wall in between the shower and the bathroom.
There are more photos of how the whole thing looks as it is mostly finished… but I forgot to take them. Doh. They will come in another post later on as tomorrow I am heading towards Peru (also another post yet to come).
During these last two weeks I have hardly spoken to anybody, have slept very little, have not been near town, and have had my emails piling up without being answered. What has caused me to be so involved? A bathroom.
Plumbing and preparing the walls.
Nope, I am not talking about diarrhoea or anything like that. We are currently building a bathroom – the last part of the Prayer House that needs to be done before it is completely finished. As everybody is heading off to Peru or Bariloche within the next two weeks, there is very little time left to get it finished.
The base of the bathroom – our starting point only a few weeks ago.
So I now have a goal of having the bathroom completed to operational stage by this next Friday. There may be a few extra details to finish after that, but it needs to be ready to use by then. Once it is in use we can finish off the details with more leisure.
Right now the walls are rendered but need their finishing coats, the electrical cables are installed but are awaiting the painting of the walls first, the floor is poured but needs to be raised with a small wall for the shower areas, and the roof is in place but needs concrete poured into it. A wall for the water tank needs to be built on top of the roof too, and the final plumbing sorted out, plus floor and wall tiling.
Necessity drives… bringing needed items home by bike.
In reading the things written down here it sounds like there is a fair bit to do, but there are a bunch of people helping me out and based on the progress of last week I believe it is possible. So after today we are going to be going flat-out on it until it is done. And then I can rest.
The Plumbing
Gabriel prepares the walls for the water pipes.
Marking the pipes for cutting.
Cutting the waterpipes with my new grinder/cutter.
Juan Pablo helps me connect to the mains water supply.
Preparing the Roof
Danny helps us to lift up the concrete beams to the roof.
Gaby helps me to lay the beams on the roof.
Placing the beams on the roof with Gaby.
Paul cuts the dags off the roofing beams.
Rendering the Walls
Rendering the final part of one wall.
Fabian helps tremendously with rendering the walls.
Juan Pablo helps mix the concrete for the walls.
Other Related Stuff
To get the rocks and sand that we need, we make trips down to the local dry creek bed and bring it back one wheelbarrow at a time.
Vicky helps out by painting the main front door.
Paul helps me prepare the electrical installations.
Juan Pablo waiting for the next call for cement.
Water tank, floor and wall tiles, cement and cal – all needed for the bathroom.
A full house – foam roof bricks, toilet and lots of tools needed for the bathroom.
The main motive that I had for building this prayer house was so that it would be a place available for people to come and pray. This goal has been more than realised with the place used by both individuals and groups for times of prayer, and when not occupied it is also used as a place for various types of meetings.
A group using the prayer house for prayer.