Last week we promised to show you a picture of the school with the roof on in the next report. We kept our promise. The roof is on and the plastering is completed. Just a couple of days to do the painting, and the whole school is complete.
The roof deck is made of galvanized corrugated iron hooked into V-shaped steel bars. The whole thing is supported by 100mm I-Beams which are very heavy metal bars that go across the classrooms every 3 meters. This year we have decided to do the painting differently. One month after the plastering, we used a machine to mix spray paint with cement on the outside walls. This has the benefit of making the wall look better while making it stronger. So the painting of the school will be done in early January 2003. In the meantime, the wall will be drenched with water and leaves to dry. The community is so excited to see the school completed. They are eager to give their children a better learning environment, and they are also anticipating getting trained teachers from the ministry of Education. You will see a picture of the painted school in about one month.
This week, I also want to talk to you about kola nuts, which are a very important feature of Malian culture. A kola nut is a round fruit produced in tropical regions. Its color is usually red or white. It tastes bitter. It is used in all kind of ceremonies. The first gift you offer your family in-law when you are looking for a wife is a couple of Kola nuts. If you want to pay respect to an elderly person, you offer him or her a kola nut. As you can see in this picture, an old man from Kalakan village is ready to eat a Kola nut offered to him by his son. n the past kola nut was used as money. You can use a certain amount of it to buy a cow or crops. When someone infringes the law he is fined to pay a certain amount of Kola nuts proportional to the offence he made. So for those who plan to come to Mali one day, don't forget to bring your host family a couple of kola nuts. They will appreciate it more than money. I hope you enjoy this story.
Last week we promised to show you a picture of the school with the roof on in the next report. We kept our promise. The roof is on and the plastering is completed. Just a couple of days to do the painting, and the whole school is complete.
The roof deck is made of galvanized corrugated iron hooked into V-shaped steel bars. The whole thing is supported by 100mm I-Beams which are very heavy metal bars that go across the classrooms every 3 meters. This year we have decided to do the painting differently. One month after the plastering, we used a machine to mix spray paint with cement on the outside walls. This has the benefit of making the wall look better while making it stronger. So the painting of the school will be done in early January 2003. In the meantime, the wall will be drenched with water and leaves to dry. The community is so excited to see the school completed. They are eager to give their children a better learning environment, and they are also anticipating getting trained teachers from the ministry of Education. You will see a picture of the painted school in about one month.
This week, I also want to talk to you about kola nuts, which are a very important feature of Malian culture. A kola nut is a round fruit produced in tropical regions. Its color is usually red or white. It tastes bitter. It is used in all kind of ceremonies. The first gift you offer your family in-law when you are looking for a wife is a couple of Kola nuts. If you want to pay respect to an elderly person, you offer him or her a kola nut. As you can see in this picture, an old man from Kalakan village is ready to eat a Kola nut offered to him by his son. n the past kola nut was used as money. You can use a certain amount of it to buy a cow or crops. When someone infringes the law he is fined to pay a certain amount of Kola nuts proportional to the offence he made. So for those who plan to come to Mali one day, don't forget to bring your host family a couple of kola nuts. They will appreciate it more than money. I hope you enjoy this story.