team number three!

well the Stellinbosch team hit the ground running. on there first full day at the farm we needed to take the truck to transport Fred's maze from his corn crop (mashamba) to his house. there was one minor problem that prevented us from completing this task. the truck just got back from South Africa and it had a 3 ton block machine on the back of it. this of course needed to be dealt with first. why was this not taken care of before the team arrived? well that was the plan but Nat and Domingo got stuck in costumes, in Maputo, awaiting import papers for, get this, three days!welcome to mozambique! so the Stellinbosch's first job was a little unexpected but they excepted the sudden change of planes. you pretty much have to be overly flexible if you want to stay sane in a world that is not controlled by schedule. i have to admit that i quite enjoy not knowing what each day brings and the challenge of dealing these minor set backs.

the first challenge was finding a way to level the back of the truck with the ground so we could drive the block machine off the truck.

bags of maze has been purchased by ASAM to store during the famine season. November becomes a difficult time here as most local run out of food. i'm reminded of a famous story that was read to me back in elementary about the chipmunk who worked hard to store up food for the winter while the other foolishly played all day living in the moment and not planing for the future. it seems like it would be common sense to save a little food when you know a dry season is coming and you may not have food. the temptation to live in the moment and get the money now over rides the sensibility of planing ahead. as i ponder this thought i realize that we are no different in the western world. Calgary in itself is riddled with people who spend their last paycheck on a pair of jeans that they really don't need but we have credit waiting at our front step for the chance to find it's way into our pockets. so what drives a person who does not have easy access to "until-next-pay-day-loan" to sell the last of their food for some money? some out the desperate situation of a sick loved one i'm sure but some just can't escape the drive to have more stuff. this simple truth sheds light on the fact that black or white, poor or rich we all humanisticaly live in the moment.

with 40 people and only two small baskets we were left throwing the corn in one my one but unloading was a lot easier....and a lot more fun too. with this seemingly simple task taking us most of the day we were all pretty tired when it was all said and done.