Latrine Shizzle

In case my loyal blog viewers were in the mood for a "real work" update, here are some interesting facts for ya:

176 sacks of cement, each weighing 50kg, are necessary for the latrines. This is literally TWO TONS of cement. Which doesn't even include the sand, gravel, and water, necessary to make cement bricks. This is just one example of the immense amount of stuff necessary for a construction project on this scale.

The brick makers do not speak French, English or Pulaar. Yet we seem to understand each other with the help of charades type talking. If good for nothing else, living in a foreign country has been excellent for my miming skills.

My good friend the mason underestimated the prices for basically everything we need to purchase including but not limited to wire, PVC pipe, and latrine doors. I am maintaining the "not panicking yet" mode that I have been able to hold on to since day 1, when I landed in the hot hell of Nouakchott. With this new budget surprise we are talking about reducing the number of latrines to 7.

Only Allah knows what happens from here.