Moving

Yesterday, we (meaning about 30 or 40 people) helped a neighbor migrate her entire house to a different plot.  I woke up around 7:30 (it was so nice sleeping in!), and they had already begun placing posts in the ground at the site of her new house.  Wood and other materials were being carried on heads from one place to another.  Silivia and I went to see what was happening around 9:30, and posts were up with a string level tied to the top.  The women were seated on the ground preparing uji (porridge from maize, millet, and sorghum) and tea for the men.  They gave me a seat on a couch and I watched a women cut mudfish the size of my arm.  She hacked the vertebrate with a large knife as it twitched in her hands. 

I helped carry some furniture and other belongings with the other ladies.  They place everything they carry on the top of their heads.  I tried doing this with a small suitcase, failed miserably, and carried the rest on my shoulder or with my hands.  There was a lot of laughter from everyone during this process. The men took the iron sheets that made up the roof off of the old house, and carried them over to the new house. 

When most of the belongings had been transferred, I watched the building process on a couch in the shade.  The wind blew and children ran up to me to greet me, and then ran away giggling.  I watched as small branches were tied laterally around the house with twine.  Silivia explained that the men had to build the frame, and the ladies would then smear it with mud and cow dung when they were finished.  They were busy cooking and washing while they waited for their turn. 

I helped (or attempted to help) smear.  They use cows to plow up dirt, and then pour water over it so it makes mud.  They then use wheelbarrows to dump it at various points around the house.  You take the mud in both hands, and roll it into a long barrel, then push the sides in to form a brick.  They make this process look so easy, but my bricks were round in shape and crumbling in comparison.  You then take the brick you’ve just made, and jam it between the frame of the house.  All this is happening while the roof is being nailed on.  I said silent prayers that it wouldn’t come crashing down on my head – obviously it did not! After they finish packing the house with mud, they then smear it twice with other layers.  The final layer is cow dung, and it is smoothed out and then dries hard. I left before they got to this part, because there was no water to continue the smearing, and people were breaking for lunch.

Silivia and I left around 3 to wash up and come back to the house.  There was a football match that we were going to around 4, and we were both very tired.  I walked to the match, and watched in amazement as boys that just built this house played an entire 90 minute game.  My arms felt as heavy as lead as I watched them run up and down the field.  I returned home when it became dark.