Well.... this is a bit disgraceful to admit. Particularly for someone who dedicates himself to humanitarian aid - but I really think that we can only work on our personal problems once we start to admit and accept them.

So, please don't blame me for those revelations on a part of my personality that probably none of you would have assumed in me.

I think I'm very tolerant when it comes to understanding differences between cultures.
I can understand that it is as much a social activity to take drugs under a baobab as to have a cup of tea in a cozy living room.
I can understand that some people don't drink, or risk their own life, drinking and eating only when the moon shines in the night.
I can understand that some people jail their many wives under burkas. I can even understand, to some extent, that some men marry only one wife and let her fly in the sun, uncovered.
I can understand that it is not polite to finish the dishes when we are a host on a continent, while it is polite to finish them on another. And polite to not finish them a few kilometers farther. And not polite to not... whatever. I'm lost.
I can even understand, now, that some people don't use a flask to drink, but a big non-disposable bottle of water.

But please.
I beg you.

PLEASE.

DON'T TOUCH MY SUMMER SAUSAGE.

Just let me eat it like that, simply sliced – and help yourself in my plate.
And you, bloody Congolese, stop cooking it in a pan !
And you, Haitians, quit freezing it, damn !

And you will notice the world will suddenly be much sweeter.

Thank you.
Francis.

PS : yes, I have to admit that, translated, this “don't touch my summer sausage” sounds a bit kinky. But be sure I am talking about summer sausages baked in a farm down the hill from my parent's house, which are DELICIOUS and which I like to carry with me when I go on missions.
And that a friend of mine fried hard when I was in Kenya.
And that I found in the bottom of the freezer 3 days upon my arrival here.

The new internet is set up, the wireless bridge is set up and working. I made some tests and I know where to place the 2 access points to have a good wireless in the new office, which walls are large and hard on the wireless signal.

The wood for the shelves has been receptionned and the shelves should be crafted tomorrow - the varnish hasn't been delivered ; a plane and a large set square were missing.

All the furniture has been delivered, but not assembled yet ; so I didn't pay the bill yet. It was a bit hard for the delivery man to accept that the charge of 15 USD for mounting the stuff was blocking the bill of more than 12 000 USD :) I smiled when I told him that if the assembly had been free I could have paid him immediately :)

3 rooms still miss the painting, some exterior parts as well, but it should be over wednesday. It's all white, with the pillars and some ceiling parts in yellow. Stunning how the rooms are light now !

We had to change the antenna wire on the mast, because the upper one (initially planned for the VHF repeater which is now in the mountains, South of the town, to have a better coverage) was not compliant to the VHF base. Then we raised the mast again, this time I asked for the help of James, our radio operator, and 2 guards, it was not so easy but the mast is raised again now.

We found an old tyre, tomorrow we can more the generator ; the wood for its shelter has arrived as well.

The new locks have been bought by a purchaser and tomorrow a ironworker unsolders the old ones to replaces them. He will also pierce 3 small windows in the gates and door. I need to identify the locks and keys before, to prevent a big mess.

I made a drawing to order a special shelf for the VHF handsets, batteries and chargers. We will have 100 of them so we need some organization. I thought about the hour schedule of the radiooperator when they are 2 ; as a matter of facts we will have to cover 7 am - 7 pm at least 6/7 so we need another radioop.

I have validated an IT assistant as well today, after interviewing 6 candidates last saturday. He will start tomorrow as a daily worker so i can test him thoroughly during a few days. He will be a precious help during the move, at least I hope :)

I asked the landlord to contact his neighbours, because we want to raise the wall between them and us of a few tiles, then add barbed wires for security reasons.

The Landlord sent a mason to see what has to be done on the roof to prevent the leaks from the big rains which starts to fall.

I asked the electrician to add a witness light on the town power line (to notice easily when it's fed or not) and a switch to bypass the repeater in case it fails. We also replaced the 2 batteries which feed the VHF base and the stand-by satellite phone (we don't have a charger yet for them and they were running low, we were risking to damage them), taking two of the 28 batteries bank of the general electric system.

Add a few mailboxes setup, some software installation and a logistic meeting, and you can call it a day :)

This afternoon, we organized a NFI (non food item) distribution for our own staff. As a matter of fact, we must not forget they are also living in Puerto Principe, having suffered from the earthquake as well.

So we gave them a tarpaulin, four blankets and a rope to set up a basic shelter. It was pleasant to serve them, and we had fun in the courtyard of the new offices that we will soon take over.

The new office is actually an old school, in which the pupils don't want to go anymore since they were inside during the earthquake ; even if the building hasn't suffered from it. We should move next wednesday, if the rehabilitation goes well in the 2 coming days.

Managing the end of the painting and the creation of shelves in most of the rooms, the raise of a partition wall and a door, building a shelter for the generator and moving it after we have found a big tyre to place it on, piercing a window in the gate for the guards to see who is knocking, unsoldering and replacing the locks, replacing the latrines with water closets, raising a tent in the courtyard for the staff who still doesn't want to enter a concrete building, setting up the wireless LAN, the internet connection and the network bridge between the guesthouse and the offices, equiping the radio room, taking delivery of 26 tables, 13 desks, 17 racks and 9 cupboards, supervising their setting up, checking the quality of the water in the tank and scheduling its filling ... then organizing the move.

Busy days... ;)

this was last thursday... far away now

One of those days you feel things are going fast and well... feels good and satisfying

Message personnel pour le Papa de l'auteur : oui, Il y a des parties pas nettes sur cette photo. Mais c'est volontaire, pas comme sur les tiennes ! ;-)

Note to the author's Daddy : don't complain this picture of you is blurr... Unlike for yours, this is intended and supposed to add to the overall effect ! ;-)