016_Tool Up

Tools – one of the most essential parts of the project. Without tools we could not laminate columns, we could not easily drill holes, we could not screw poles together in a second. Without tools the whole project would definitely not be finished within three weeks. But tools are not just a problem solver, they can also create problems. It starts with the problem of finding them.
Imagine.

You need a tape measure. Urgently. You have, let us say, twelve black boxes in front of you. All look the same apart from strips of duct tape on the lids on which the possible content is  hand-written. I am using the word “possible“ here because there is a high chance, that you will not find the tape measure in the box where it was supposed to be. You rather find it in the last box you check hidden between a broken G-clamp and sand paper.
So our first task of the week was to organise the small chaos in the boxes and make the content easily visible at first sight. Armed with stencils, spray paint and a great amount of motivation we appeared at the Makerspace. Twenty minutes later we had to move our little “production line“ into the Makerspace. Port Elizabeth must have forgotten that it was supposed to be summer now…

While we were fighting with rain being blown into Makerspace and spray paint that did not want to dry fast enough the lucky rest of the team was working inside WERK_2 to finish up a washing table and the bathroom door.
Having the tools in order the rest of the week went by in a flash, especially because we were reunited with our fellow South African students. Since we have not seen them for more than a month it was almost a celebration when we finally met again. Even a pile of palettes that was waiting to be dismantled could not kill our good mood.

Days were long this week, the preparation work was hard but we wanted to finish everything before the rest of the team from Wismar arrives. Luckily the weather turned back to normal: After two days of pouring rain we had sunshine again; and wind picking up at eleven o’clock sharp.
As it was the last week and therefore the last weekend before everyone else arrives the three of us took the chance to go for a weekend trip to St. Francis Bay. Strolling across the Saturday market, visiting Cape St. Francis and enjoying the small lagoon was the prefect ending for a stressful week. Actually, the ending which made the trip even more perfect was the outride in Baviaanskloof in Sunday, especially because it was not only the three of us. Janet joined us for the ride. Unfortunately due to, again, bad weather conditions we had to interrupt our ride and postpone it to another day. Therefore the next weekend trip is already planned.