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Monday, December 20, 1976, 3:00 pm - Day 327
The work still hasn't actually started yet, but alot of the preparation is getting done. Hopefully a few people are out cutting survey sticks for me. I got out my new transit for the first time today, and checked to make sure that it is adjusted and reads level. It doesn't have any stadia hairs on it, but by reading at the very top and bottom of the circle of vision, I will be able to do some stadia surveying. It is based on the fact that there is a linear relation between the distance from the transit to the reading rod and the length of rod which is visible through the eyepiece of the transit. The farther up the rod, the more of it that can be seen. Knowing this relationship, you can arrive at the distance by noting the amount of rod that can be seen. Also, you can shoot up and down the hill with the line of sight and be able to figure out the horizontal distance and also the difference in elevation to any point where you can see a rod from, if you also note the vertical angle.
Last night the carpenter brought over one table and it really looks nice. He is going to make me another table and bookshelves, and this morning I agreed to have him make two straight-back chairs for me. The ones I have now are borrowed and look pretty well used.
Monday, December 27, 1976, 9:00 am - Day 334
I spent Christmas here in Moyamba, and its been really fine. I am here with about 15 other volunteers and together we had a big Christmas dinner with enough good food to last all through yesterday, with another big dinner last night to top it all off. Everyone has been sleeping in until about 10 to 12 oclock in the morning all weekend so far, and getting to bed around 3:00 am each night.
The late evenings have been filled with heavy discussions about such important subjects as "trying to pick the good candy from a box of assorted filled chocolates", "the hassles of living in the same room with your little brother or sister", and others. Two of the volunteers here are a married couple from Missouri. Last year they went on a bicycle tour of Europe. It sounds like they had a really worthwhile experience, and I am now considering the possibility that I might be doing it sometime.
I have, for a long time, been seriously considering spending about 4 months and going 10,000 miles around the United States and seeing everything. I never was interested in seeing Europe before (at least that is what I kept telling myself). I think the real reason that I didn't want to see Europe was that I was just shying away from it because it is such a big unknown to me. I didn't know how I will be able to get by in Europe. Not knowing another language makes me worry that I might get over there someplace and not be able to communicate. Also, the thought of crossing all of the international boundaries sounds like it would cause some problems. Knowing that other people have done it, and knowing that there are alot of places worth seeing in Europe, I shouldn't pass up the opportunity and should overcome my lack of confidence because it would be well worth it.
Monday, January 3, 1977, 6:00 pm - Day 343
I am still here in Kamiendor and keeping busy with surveying. I am surveying the town and making a scale map of it, complete with houses, latrines, and even graves located, along with 5 ft interval contour lines. It is coming out pretty good but it is alot of work.
My co-worker arrived yesterday. He is with MEP (Ministry of Energy and Power) and his name is Foday Moiba. He is fresh out of Technician's school, so he has no practical experience yet. He speaks Kono and good English, and can read and write, and seems capable of learning pretty quickly.
I did nothing special to celebrate the new year. Yesterday I finally put my hammock up. I bought it for two Leones way back in September, but haven't had it all together until now. It's nice. It gives me someplace to relax at, without going to bed. I also put up my mosquito net yesterday for the first time since I left Daru.
It is time to cut my hair again. (Has been for some time now.) It has only been cut once since I've been in Country, and I think that must have been six months ago when I cut it myself. I had my scissors along when I was in Moyamba for Christmas, with the hopes that there would be some fine lady there willing to cut it, but it was never the right time, place, and person. I don't really want to do it myself up here in Kamiendor, so I think it will have to wait until I get to Freetown in a few more weeks.
Friday, January 7, 1977, 8:00 pm - Day 347
I have been using communal labor for the past few days to bush clear a path for the surveying. I told them today that I would go someplace else until they finished, because I wasn't going to stay around here wasting my time any longer. It needed saying, and they changed their tune and decided to work longer. On Wednesday was the first day of clearing the path which goes down the hill, through two villages, and comes out on the road about a mile away.
I asked for 20 men, and got about 10 to 15, but some of them didn't bring their machettes. We were supposed to start by 8:00, but didn't start until 9:00 and were 2/3 of the way down the hill, or 1/3 of the way done by 12:00, when they all said that they were tired and would finish the work the next day, and then they all took off to the stream to bathe.
The next day, Thursday (yesterday), was Market Day and they all said that they couldn't work on Market Day, and so there was no work yesterday. This morning, Friday, we were again supposed to start by 8:00, and again didn't get started until 9:00. there were 10 communal laborers this morning, and I checked to make sure that they all brought their machettes this time.
We were making good speed, and by 12:00 we had reached the first village, which was 2/3 of the way to the end. Again, everyone was informing me that they were tired and would finish the work the next day. That was when I told them that that was fine, they could finish the work the next day, but I wouldn't be here because I had other things to do than waste my timehere. I informed them that they had only worked 3 hours so far, and that I did not consider that a full day's work, no matter how hard they were working. I worked right along with them, and felt that I was able to work alot more, even though my hand was starting to fall apart, on the front from the blisters, and on the back from the scratches from working with a machette. I knew they were capable of alot more work, and wasn't at all pleased by their trying to get out of finishing the job today.
They finally reconsidered and decided to finish through to the road today. We did make it through all of the way by 2:30, but there are some places where it needs more work, which we ended up leaving until tomorrow. All in all, they have managed to take a one-day job and stretch it into four days.
Friday, January 14, 1977, 1:00 pm - Day 353
This communal labor business is getting to me sometimes. Again today, we were clearing the bush for a survey, and when there was only a little bit left, they all packed up and left, saying that they will do it tomorrow. This was before 12:00. I ended up doing it myself, and it only took me 20 minutes to finish. It seems to me that they don't really want a water system, because they aren't willing to work for it. They have so far been getting people from the whole chiefdom to work on it on different days. I am going to call a halt to that. People from other parts of the chiefdom don't care if Kamiendor gets a water system or not. I am going to require that any further communal labor come from Kamiendor Town itself, because they will be the ones benefiting from the water system, and if they are not willing to work, then they won't get their water system. That is the way it is going to have to be, because I am tired of wasting my time here while they all take the rest of the day off.
I will be going out to Koidu tomorrow to get some things done and pick up some supplies. It will be my first time out in over two weeks, and I am looking forward to it. I want to pick up some flour and stuff, to be able to make some biscuits or something. It has been too long since I last cooked up anything, and I miss eating luxury foods. The last time I cooked was in the Daru house, before we moved out, three months ago. It will be good to start again. They don't bake bread here in Kamiendor, and the only thing close to it are the salted soda crackers which they sell here. I have a kerosene stove here, and a frying pan and a pot. I am hoping that I will be able to set them up somehow to act as an oven, like I did in Daru with a frying pan. The frying pan that I have now is smaller, so it won't work the same way. If I could construct an oven of some kind, then I would be all set.
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