Randomness

First off, I should answer the latest few questions. Yes, TIA stands for This Is Africa. Secondly, yes, Sheryl, I did bring duct tape. ;) You know what they say... If they don't find you handsome, they better at least find you handy.... Extremely applicable in Africa as well as Canada, but that is where all similarities end, I'm afraid.
I wanted to tell you a little about something that could to some people seem very insignificant, but it is totally interesting to us. Bricks. Every building here is built with bricks, from the mushas to the guesthouse here, but it the process of which they are made that is interesting... every brick here is made out of the termite mounds, so every brick is different. Locals cut into the termite mounds, cut out basic-sized bricks, then fire them to make them hard. The result is that some have twists, some are a little longer or shorter, some break, some have holes going all the way through them, some are just too big. They sell them for $30.00 US/ 1000 bricks. That way the surrounding community gets a little cash. There are many people around here that have still never seen a US dollar!! Two years later!!
I have spoken a lot about ZESA, and I must be careful about what I say. It is a gov't-run organization, and anything political is strictly forbidden. I do not want to cause any trouble for the people that live here, so we must use discretion. We are not allowed to take pictures of public buildings, vehicles, gov't people, etc. We also will not speak of anything political, even here among friends. Please do not ask us any questions about this at this time. We welcome all other questions, however.
I will, however, explain a bit of what is up-and-coming. We are hoping to get a larger transformer soon, but we will see what develops with that. Another project that is looming is that ZESA, in partnership with us, needs to inspect the stretch of powerlines to here- I think it is about seven kilometers. We will inspect the wires and the poles, number each pole, and make recommendations where necessary. I have been selected as the person to go from this side,and we have allowed an entire week to do it. At this point, we are just waiting for a go ahead to begin. So it seems I may be a bushman for a while.... please pray for protection from the malaria-ridden mosquitoes, blister beetles, bees, wasps, vile bacteria, poisonous spiders,  scorpions, cobras, black mambas, green mambas, boomslangs, puff adders, and crocodiles( no, just kidding , they're only in the river). This could be quite the adventure. We shall see what develops. I am not stressing about it, because Jon would not place me in danger. Sometimes, you just have to understand the circumstances.