It's Friday Again!

It’s Friday again, and the end of another week. Darlene’s course is going well. This morning, they did ears and eyes! I know, because while Darlene was lecturing I installed a sink into the cabinet in her Nursing lab, and cared for a number of other repairs.

I also got two bicycles ready for delivery to students, and Darlene gave one away this afternoon, to a needy Nursing student.

I am engaged in a process of evaluating the administration of HAU. This week I completed an assessment of Admissions, Registration and Record-keeping. This afternoon, I am interviewing the Vice-Rector (=VP) of Academics.

This afternoon, we also have to prepare more drinking water. This is not hard, but takes some time. A handyman from the US, who came to assist HAU set up the radio station this fall, installed a filter in one of the showers downstairs. So, we first fill four 5-liter plastic jugs with filtered water from that shower, and carry it up the three flights of stairs to our apartment (we do it in two trips, two jugs per trip!). Then we pour the water into pans (ca. two liters at a time) and use a Steripen to sterilize the water (via UV light). This device (which we purchased at Eastern Mountain Sports) is handheld and takes ca. one minute per liter. Including time for getting the water and pouring it back and forth, and into an 18-liter jug, the process takes ca. an hour. That supply of water, which we use only for drinking, lasts three days. (At 90 degrees—which it is today, and 90% humidity, we have to drink a lot of water!)

Tonight (Friday) is our weekly meal out by the lake with other missionaries in Burundi. (Last week, we were joined at the dinner table by three from Great Britain.) It is a time for venting the week’s frustrations, and celebrating another week in ministry in central Africa!