not so fave

repair supplies

There are many things I love about my job at Nahumba. I love the numbers and office work, connecting with Zambian church leaders, sharing tea, walking around town doing errands, and all sorts of other things too.

One of my not-so-favorite parts of life at Nahumba is being the in-charge for problems—you know, when the guesthouse is accidentally overbooked, when the water isn't working and there are guests who want to bath, when someone leaves a not-so-friendly comment (complaint) in the guestbook, when the supplies are low and no one bothered to mention they were quickly dwindling, when there’s a snake sighting in the wash room (and it’s 9pm. Do I look like a snake slayer?!)…

You get the picture.

Two of the most recent “are you kidding me??”/”I didn't sign up for this” adventures included

1) A broken washing machine (washing machines are definitely luxury here, but… a very well-loved luxury considering the mass amounts of laundry due to the guesthouse) and

2) A major water leak in the guesthouse

For most of the year in this part of the world, a leaky roof isn't much of an issue. But, during the months of rainy season, even small leaks become big issues. Instead of receiving precipitation at regular intervals throughout the year as happens in Michigan, all our wetness comes between November and January (give or take a few weeks on both ends of the spectrum).

To find a remedy for said massive leak in the guesthouse toilet room, we did what all sensible people would do and contacted a plumber (I’m still a little confused about why we called the plumber. Sure, this was a water problem, but it had to do with the roof not pipes! Sometimes, it’s just best to smile and nod…)

My friend Joe Plumber (not a joke) stopped by Tuesday and assessed the situation. He gave me a list of items we would need for the repair, and said he’d return on Thursday to complete the job.

Sometimes I feel like my aunt when I go to the hardware store. Sometimes those fix-it-all fellows are the most helpful males ever, and sometimes, well… sometimes they’re so convincing they help you purchase the wrong supplies.

Anyway. For this job they were the helpful type. Purchasing the necessary supplies took five painless minutes, and everything fit in my backpack for easy carrying!

At least I thought it was a painless five-minute shopping stop.

Joe arrived the following Tuesday only to look at my bag of supplies and start chattering in Tonga. I knew what he was talking about; I had bought the wrong type of roofing nails.

Yes. Indeed. Despite my specific questioning about what type of nails to purchase, what they would be called, and which size to buy (as well as how many), I came home with the wrong item. “That’s why I was asking those questions!” I said. (I was given funny looks for jotting down notes with specs and asking for more details about what exactly I was going to purchase for the repair). Hah.

“If you’re not busy,” Joe said, “I think you can just go to town and get the ones like this.” He pulled an example out of his duffle. brother! That example is what I was asking for in the first place…

As a matter of fact, I was busy. And I definitely didn't want to run into the hardware store for another kg of nails. But as soon as my pan of cookies was pulled from the oven I rushed to town.

This trip to the hardware was at least as painless as the first. I also picked up some crack sealer, which was requested when I asked if ANYTHING else would be needed to complete the project.

Then Joe finished the job. There was a lot of hammering, a good deal of dust, and plenty of disorder (sorry to our guest!), but within three hours the work was complete and Joe rode out the drive on his bicycle.

The repair looks smart and I am pleased. Now, the real test will be what happens during the next downpour… stay tuned…

PS- and in case you’re wondering about the broken washing machine… well, the Lord heard my plea for assistance, and a little bit of glue did the repair for now.