Through Sep 4th

04 September 2011

By now the center pier has both formwork and rebar set.  Now we must wait for the engineer's mix design, and we'll be ready to place concrete!  The south abutment also has the formwork set, and rebar has been prefabbed.  Progress is good!  Today was another lunch at a local's house.  This time it was a banker who wanted to have us over and discuss the Ethiopian banking system.  Here, unless you have collateral, you cannot get a loan!  Without the ability to own land, that boils down to buildings or machinery, no money from the bank.

01 September 2011

0530- as my alarm goes off, acrid smoke from the kitchen starts filtering into my open window.   Upon gaining consciousness, I become more aware of the sounds of Negele- the roosters, the competing Muslim and Orthodox prayers over loudspeaker, the occasional donkey, the loud talking next door, the pounding noises associated with making anjeira, a cat on the roof- the journalist who wrote something called "The Peace of Negele" must have been wearing earplugs the entire time!  Sleep here is constantly interrupted- to get 4 straight hours is a luxury none are able to afford- there is no way to purchase quiet anyhow.

Today marked the first setting of the forms.  Most of my morning was spent on the phone with one of our suppliers and with the engineer who is doing our mix design.  Thankfully they both speak decent English so I am able to talk to them directly.  Our interpreter is great, but it's still easier to talk shop in English.  It's impressive that the contractors are able to speak the trade lingo in English despite Amharic being their primary language.

During the phone sessions, the crew was hard at work building up the formwork for the center pier, and starting construction of the bracing.  This is a particular challenge, since we only have rudimentary dimensional lumber.  Since most of the formwork, etc. here is done with unmilled tree trunks, dimensional lumber is exceptionally rare.  The wood requested was 2x4s; instead, we have 1x6s- which presents a bit of a headache when constructing formwork.  To work around it, 2 1x6s are nailed face to face, then are put on edge against the plywood form, to act as a quasi-2x6.  It is a tedious process, to be sure.

The nailing brings up another difficulty.  While nailing by hand is, by nature, a relatively slow process, the quality of the nails provided adds another layer of effort.  Some boxes are good, others, terrible.  The nails often come pre-bent, come in differing lengths and thicknesses, and often are very soft and easily bent.  To add to the pain, the inner plies of the plywood were exposed when a piece split apart- the outer veneers cover inner plies that are chock full of knots!  It certainly adds to the time required for construction.

Anyhow, the form for the center pier is nearly set.

More entertaining than the simple struggles are the interactions with the local people.  This morning, a group of village elders approached the jobsite.  They seemed a bit on the solemn side as they walked up.  Our interpreter started translating- the first thing said was that the elders were sorry about the children, and that the town would improve efforts to keep them away from the worksite!  Currently, there is a roving patrol to keep kids away from the site, but, truth be told, we all enjoy the kids.  After telling the elders this, they seemed to relax, and brought up the next item of business: the goat.  They were offering us the choice of a small, medium, or large goat, which we could then slaughter and eat.  Due to legal issues and a complete lack of goat-slaughtering/cooking knowledge, we settled on the elders inviting us to feast with them instead.  No date has been set, but it promises to be an enjoyable experience.

After that, a group approached us asking or help lifting the reaping part of a combine into the back of a truck.  It is quite the sight to see a combine driving through a town of few cars!  With the excavator and a lot of coordination through our interpreter, we were able to help hoist the part into the truck, as a crowd of about 50 people gathered to watch.  I'm still not sure how they intend to get the part out of the truck at the next destination.

In the afternoon, a group of kids, led by Ramadan, who lives across from the laydown yard, brought a tortoise by; they had found it in the riverbed and wanted to sell it to us.  After seeing the kids pick up and drop the frightened tortoise, our Hilux driver scolded the kids, picked up the tortoise, and plopped it on the sand pile in our laydown yard.  It was still there when we left for the day, but it had gotten out of its shell and moved around a bit.  It should be noted that Ramadan is also the one who loves to put chickens on his head, and was also seen throwing a chicken into the air, upon which it laid an egg mid-flight- Ramadan caught the egg!

 

30 August

The 29^th was the last day of the Ramadan fast, and so the night turned loud rather quickly.  It meant that no work would happen (by the locals) on the 30^th, meaning we got to keep the total station another day.  We made good use of it, burning up both of the batteries.

Of more interest, the family that lives next to the site invited us to eat an early lunch- anjeira wot, or teff flatbread with chicken stew.  We crowded into their home and were presented with anjeira upon anjeira, with wot to match.  The flavor was excellent, but spicy!  I started sweating bullets shortly after the meal commenced, but kept eating anyhow.  At the end of the meal, they invited us to attend the afternoon coffee ceremony, which a few of us went to.  The coffee here continues to be sublime; thick and rich, it is taken with sugar only, but there is little bitterness, as the freshly roasted beans always seem to be expertly prepared.  I will surely miss the daily coffee ceremony here in Negele when I leave.

 

23-28 August

Nothing major during this time- the kids continue to be very motivating- they're always smiling and shouting "you, you!" while waving as we drive down to work each morning.

The food at the Blue Nile Hotel has been one of the biggest morale challenges faced by the team here so far.  Faced with a 4-item menu (rice, pasta, meat, eggs) that has been extremely hard on both the team's collective palates and stomachs, two crewmembers have been working with our interpreter to partner with the hotel cooks and improve the food.  Since their efforts began, the restaurant has begun to incorporate new ingredients and recipes, finally producing meals that the team can look forward to.  Better yet, the cooks are excited to learn how to make some American cuisine and plan to use the new recipes in the future!

22 August

Today marked the groundbreaking ceremony.  We showed up to the jobsite to find a tent, benches and chairs, and a growing crowd of people.  A few minutes later, a keyboard, speakers, and a few people clad in ceremonial garb appeared.  Another few minutes went by, and a coffee ceremony was set up in a corner of the tent!  This was certainly more than anticipated!  A half hour before the ceremony, the live music began, with dancing shortly thereafter.  I was invited to sit in the VIP section of the tent, and did so.  The mayor and village elders spoke to the crowd, which probably numbered in the 100s, and I was afforded the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Seabees as well.  It was by far the most enjoyable groundbreaking that I have ever attended- live music and dancing served as intermissions between speakers, and coffee, bread, popcorn, and tea were served in the midst of everything.  I shall look forward to the ribbon cutting!

Following the ceremony, the city provided us with lunch of tibes at the restaurant next to the hotel.  It was quite good- this particular restaurant only serves tibes, and had been closed throughout the Orthodox fast, which was concurrent with the Ramadan fast for 16 days.

 

21 August

Sunday is the normal day off, and would normally equate to sleeping in.  Here in Negele, this is an impossibility; the morning din of roosters, donkeys, trucks, the pounding noises associated with anjeira cooking, and the morning prayers make Sunday an early day like any other.  As such, I woke at 630 and went to breakfast, having the usual (and only) selection of eggs…and eggs.  Tea is the breakfast drink of choice at the restaurant, since the restaurant coffee is far inferior to the coffee ceremony brew.  The tea is taken with a large amount of sugar, and costs only 1 birr (1/17 of a dollar).

Following breakfast, I set off for the market, with the intention of buying a belt.  I prepared mentally for fierce negotiations, but when the price of 25 birr (about $1.50) was offered, I gave up all thoughts of negotiation.  Thus, a belt was procured.

At the market I also picked up some ketchup, jam,  NuCrema (like Nutella, but Greek), and some mango puree to take back to the hotel.  I couldn't eat dinner- it is disgusting.  I planned to eat only popcorn or bread at the coffee ceremony, but the hotel owner had other ideas.  I had sat down across from him, and when his platter of anjeira and sauces came out, he kept saying "eat, eat."  The taste was excellent; however, I have finally gotten sick from the food here.

 

 

20 August

We quasi-started work on layout today.  Since we have no survey equipment of our own, save for a tripod, we went to the city manager and asked if they had a transit we could use.  No transit was to be found; instead, they offered use of their total station and prisms.  It was a great stroke of luck- without this we would be left with only rudimentary leveling capabilities.

The need for survey gear comes from the bridge abutment placement.  Since the two ends must be at the same elevation and the center pier slightly lower, it is important to accurately place the concrete forms at the correct elevations.  With a single span bridge and an allowable slope of 3%, we would have over 5 feet of allowable error.  The addition of the center pier eliminates the option for that kind of error.  To make things more critical, the drawings that detail the existing elevations of the wadi we are bridging are not accurate, nor do they indicate the exact placement of the bridge.  One of the crewmembers had used a tape and eyeball to estimate the location of the piers, but until the survey profile was completed, the amount of cutting and filling could not be determined.

After acquiring the total station, we set out to mark the bridge centerline, and get an elevation profile for it.  Based on the span distances and elevations, we were able to site the abutments and piers, and establish cut and fill requirements.  The amount of earthwork is significantly greater than anticipated, but is well within capabilities here.  On a side note, the center points that the crewmember laid out by tape and eye were almost exactly in the position they needed to be following the survey!

Today was also full of rebar cutting.  Since we are without an acetylene torch or sawzalls, everything is being cut by hacksaws.  The smaller bar can be cut with a rebar cutter, but not the larger diameters.  Fortunately, a few locals saw the hacksawing, and stepped in to help.  With local assistance, great headway has been made.

Preparations for the town's groundbreaking ceremony also started today.  The town has requested that we wait to break ground until the ceremony is completed.  It promises to be quite the experience- the town even requested to set a ceremonial cornerstone!  After we informed the bridge council that we would be digging in the cornerstone area, and it would be better to wait until we could set a stone in concrete, they decided to construct a temporary ceremonial pier!  When it was described to us, it seemed as though it would be a simple stone set on the ground.  After a couple donkey carts dumped large stones at the site and local masons showed up, it became apparent that it would be a bit more than just a stone.  The masons worked all afternoon, breaking rocks and mixing mortar.  Now complete, the pier extends a foot underground and sits almost 3 feet high.  It is a shame that it is a temporary structure- we will try and salvage it if possible.

Since formal excavation could not start until after the ceremony, the crew constructed soccer goals out of rebar and chicken wire, then set out to play some of the locals in a match.  A large crowd gathered to watch, often cheering and laughing when a donkey cart, camel, or bajaj (taxi) interrupted play.  Cattle and goats also interfered!

Today the rebar high chair problem noted in an earlier photo was solved.  After talking to the contractor, we will be receiving concrete blocks, which will work fine for our application.

The most important realization today was the reason for the bridge.  A large portion of the town, including the hospital and all the schools, sits to the south of the wadi.  The population north of the wadi is currently inconvenienced by having to descend into the ford, to be sure, but at first it seemed to be just that, an amount of additional effort to get into town.  However, after watching the donkey carts descend at breakneck speed, then painfully climb the uphill side with drivers helping to push, it is apparent that it will greatly ease transport.  To add to this, and perhaps more important, is the fact that, when the rains come, the wadi floods with 20 feet of water.  According to the locals, lives have been lost, both to floodwaters and a lack of medical services on the north side.  Children cannot get to school, sometimes for weeks at a time!

In an hour's time, several hundred people transit the ford through the wadi; I would estimate at least 100 livestock as well.  During the rainy season this number is forced to zero when the floods come; the bridge will significantly impact the populace here.