We HAD liftoff on April 7^th for a few mere moments until someone had an idea to change the plan. Instead of going larger and do add-on’s like the offices and conference room that were never part of the original idea. So why not do just the library and lay it out so that in future the rest could be added. It then would become an incentive for the community to use the library and show that more investing in the community would be a worthwhile project. So we made the library bigger and got rid of the rest and sent it to the contractor. THEN I hear from the contractor that the materials are bought and paid for and we’ve paid for the area of the original building, which would’ve been helpful knowledge back when we had the original building that didn’t quite fit and I would’ve made it fit!!!! So now I went back to the original plan and did some CPR. Now I have the original building with some changes, AND I suggested that we kit out the library and leave the rest, explain we are doing what we originally agreed to and the community needs to kit out the offices and conference room by donation or fundraising or whatever, but then they take responsibility for the building. So it’s been a week of back and forth and I feel like nothing has been accomplished. But it’s not just about the drawings I seem to be doing many jobs and spend the day doing various things and accomplish little in various areas and not making any big strides in fewer areas.

MY DAY

5:30am. Up to let Molly out

6am. Clean up her room, make her breakfast, she eats, I shower, eat and get ready for the day

7am. The phone starts to ring, usually calls from the contractor with the days events, my local colleague with the days events, my job to fit it all in

8am. Collect emails and send emails from the evening before

9am. Site meeting

10am. Deal with morning emails

11am. Start working on drawings

12pm. Lunch

1pm. Work on various things that have come up in the morning, currently that’s game plan and ideas and furniture for the interior of the building

4pm. Write out new emails and send them out

5pm. Check in with local colleague for any updates or issues

6pm. Dinner

7pm. More drawings and dealing with afternoon emails

9pm. Let out Molly for the last time and put her to bed and a little r and r

10pm. Bed.

Lots of this depends on ZESA, which recently has cut out at the WORST times and obviously causes things to take longer like cooking. Now you may wonder where do domestic duties come in, well along with my house came domestic help a fantastic person named Jonathan who has become my saving grace, I would never have clean dishes, laundry and my house would look like a frat house if it wasn’t for him. The yard would look like a jungle. My other saving grace is coffee, I know this sounds bad but it makes me happy and it keeps me going plus I don’t think it’s as potent as Canadian coffee because I can drink 5 cups a day and have no issues sleeping, although to be fair sleeping has never been an issue for me and I guess with working like I do, sleeping comes easy. This coming weekend is a long weekend due to Independence Day. 31 years ago on April 18^th Zimbabwe became a “free nation”. A little piece of trivia for you, Robert Mugabe was not the first Shona president of Zimbabwe a man named Canaan Banana was, that’s right President Banana was the leader of Zimbabwe at Independence, there isn’t much out there about him and he’s not talked about and I’m sure if you asked a ZANU PF person they would say it’s always been Mugabe.

Late yesterday good news came my way. A decision was made that the original plan with sections moved around in order to fit was the way to go. The building area and materials used would remain the same. It took a slightly different shape but it will work!!!! So now construction digging has started full swing with no turning back and I can finally do the drawings full out without any changes. A huge weight has been lifted and we’re back on track.