Shoveling out the gravel

On Saturday our matron, Daruka, went to Poktop to bring our Poktop and Patuenoi students back for our start of classes on Tuesday. It is still term break, but since Jean and I leave on February 4, we are starting a little early. Poktop is about eight miles away and Patuenoi is about three miles. It takes 50 minutes to get to Poktop because the road is so bad.

Daruka’s parents live there, so she stayed with them and rounded up the girls so they would be ready on Sunday. In Patuenoi, Manyok hired a pickup to carry aggregate for our new dorm building. The driver picked up the Patuenoi students and Manyok and drove from there to Poktop for the gravel. Upon arrival, the driver found a better job driving to Pajut, a farther distance, so he dropped off Manyok and the girls and took off, leaving them.

Daruka found a Land Cruiser to cart the kids. I have no idea how Manyok convinced the driver to fill the back of the cruiser with aggregate for our dorm, but they did it. A load of aggregate, two staff, and ten girls. The girls were already out of the vehicle before I got a picture. But I did get shot of them shoveling out the gravel.

Deb Dawson, January 27, 2013