Greetings Friends and Family of D-lab,
From working alongside some of Africa's most talented and innovative artisans to learning how to order Hausa koko from street vendors, it's been a busy week! It is somewhat surreal to be putting names to faces and places and to see the finishing touches on the prototypes and machines we have spent all semester designing and re-designing. Under the constraints of limited resources, the people of Suame Magazine have helped us to realize the technical piece of the projects we hope to implement in New Longoro and beyond. After scrambling and sifting through the market for spare parts, learning how to operate a stick welder constructed from a car battery and metal rod, and sharing many a laugh with the artisans at Suame (mostly at our expense when we fail to complete a task with quite the same level of skill and speed that they can), we have churned out an improved moringa seed sheller and press for an income generating project, a more sanitary toilet, a water pump, and a day time lighting mechanism for dimly lit shops to name a few.
As if experiencing the mechanical artisanship of this beautiful area wasn't enough, today we got the opportunity to travel to a village to see traditional cloth woven on looms at breathtaking speed. Everyone we have met so far has been amazingly genuine, friendly, and rightly proud to share their culture and country with us. We've made lots of friends and learned a little Twi.
We miss you all back at home, but your January weather most likely can't compete with a consistent 85 and sunny, so no promises about hurrying back :)
Best,
Emily