Trusses

School 7 has been our main project since we arrived; I built the trusses and cut studs and components, Mike, Chris, Aaron, and Brendan poured the foundation, framed the walls,and built furniture. We all got the chance to work at the school together last week. When we arrived on Tuesday we worked on straightening walls and installing blocking. We had Ramselee and two young kids volunteer with us from the community. They were sharp. Despite the language gap they were quick to understand and eager to work. Ramselee, an older man, and Aaron were able to communicate in Spanish. With these three volunteers and carpenter Mike we had assembled a crew.

By mid afternoon as Chris wrote we had finished for the day. The logistics in this nation is one of the harder parts of rebuilding. Wednesday morning we were still coordinating with the Koreans from the UN to deliver the trusses from Base to site. We went to work; Brendan, Mike , and myself hanging three doors and two murals at School 6. Aaron Chris and the community volunteers tied up loose ends for the first half of the day. As lunch was beginning we saw the white UN flat-bed truck round the corner.

With the help of Gabby and the crew that loaded the trusses on base we off-loaded the truck. We ate quickly and positioned ourselves to load the trusses on top of the wall. As the school is different from the homes we've built, Carpenter Mike took the lead. The five of us, Carpenter Mike, and the community volunteers were all operating in the first room with the trusses spanning the front half of that room. Aaron and Carpenter Mike were on top of one wall Chris and I on the other. Brendan and Mike were on the ground lifting the trusses one by one with Ramselee. I do not know what happened to the two kids.

The sun was high and cast few shadows. The trusses stood and were shuffled back and forth. Brendan and Mike had begun to work on securing the front truss. Chris began on the rat runs securing the base in place. I jumped down and began throwing up trusses with Ramselee. Carpenter Mike and Aaron took the lead on cactching and standing them. Simon, the younger of the kids had returned. The sound of hammer hits beat like drums. At some point Carpenter Mike and I had switched where he was on the ground and Aaron and I were communicating up top.

"How you look?"

"Half inch toward me," a brief pause," okay."

"I'm setting."

Brendan and Mike were climbing the trusses setting the pearlings and braces. Chris and Simon set the rat runs. Aaron and I caught trusses while Carpenter Mike and Ramselee threw them up.

We stood the final truss and everyone worked on the bracing. When the tap-tap arrived we stopped and loaded up. As we drove away the 84 ft long frame of School 7 stood tall. It's wood skeleton cast long shadows in the low orange light.

-Eric