The well-diggers were here today. They earth is getting softer and so they were able to finish their work by 1:30 even though they started a little later than usual. They are, however, not plastering the walls as they go along. That is the norm. It eliminates the need to put up scaffolding to do the plaster work later. Actually, the guy who took the job turned out to be a contractor. And we haven't seen him since the first day. But he does keep calling up Bhola and asking him for "advance". We've asked the labourers to send him tomorrow so that we can get this payment business sorted out. We make weekly payment. And he seems to expect us to make daily payments. That was not the deal!
The handpump near the toilets has broken down. Almost all the parts have been replaced. But it still isn't working well. Maybe the whole pump needs to be replaced! An expensive proposition. But I guess it has to be done, if that's necessary.
Today we distributed all the "goodies" that Yvonne had sent us and also some of the stuff that Franca had left behind -- pads, pencils, pens, crayons, colouring pens, markers etc. Yvonne had lovingly packed them and labeled them. But more kids have joined the school since she was here. So we have to pool everything together and re-distribute them so that everyone could get an equal share. At Assembly I told the children that though Yvonne had earmarked packets specifically for them, I was re-distributing them so that all the kids would get an equal share. They all nodded their heads wisely in agreement. Sorry Yvonne. I hope you don't mind. And Franca, thank you for the pencils and colour pencils you left behind. They were distributed too.
When class started today I discovered that ALL the Burhikura children were appearing for their Final Exams. It turns out that they are all enrolled in the government school in Burhikura as well. So I said they could go home during recess (10:30). But they would be marked absent for part of the day. It seems they have exams all week. That's ok with me. The Santhal kids, however, are attending school as usual. Unfortunately, in class 4 (which is my class) there's only one guy, Raiman, who is not appearing for this exam. He's being forced to go home because he's all alone. Hence, I've decided to mark him present.
I'm a little bit upset that neither the parents nor the children told me in advance about the situation. And apparently while we were in Dumka, the children had left early. The teachers present did not even bother to inform me!
Bruni lost a pup today. It was very weak from the very beginning. And when we woke this morning we discovered that it had died. She's now left with three pups -- two girls who look exactly like her and one black pup that's a boy. She doesn't seem particularly upset. But I am. Noir, Norman, Nora and now this pup. How many deaths do I have to witness? Wish there was a way I could get rid of all the animals from this project without being cruel.
The new solar panel is working fine. It's definitely charging the battery. Perhaps not as rapidly as I'd expect. But I'm able to use the laptop without any problems.
It's a hot day here. Wonder if there'll be another storm to cool things down. The breeze is building up to a gale. That's what happens every time it gets hot here. Last night was very pleasant. I slept well. Perhaps because I was tired after the Dumka trip. Or maybe because it was nice and cool. Let's see what tonight is like....
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