After Tihar, we started working on the foundation. Much of the mountainous land here is divided into terraces. The terrace was chosen and we began by clearing away the top soil. The earthbags must not have any organic matter in them, otherwise it could affect the structural integrity.

The terrace was not even. We dug several centimeters to harvest the calculated amount soil needed, leveling the earth as we worked. Once that was done, we stuck a piece of rebar in at the center of the future dome. We drew out the diameters of the inner and outer walls and marked them with flour. We also tested the soil to figure out how much cement was needed to add to the earth. (Yes, even with this natural technique, you will still need cement for reinforcement, but it will likely be between 5% and 10%, far less than a conventional building.) We also added flour lines to mark the entrance buttresses.

Once lines were marked to outline the earthbags, we dug down 70cm. After being dug we needed to add 30cm of gravel. The gravel was at a higher elevation. There are no roads from the gravel to the construction site, so we had to carry the gravel manually. The locals here carry loads on their backs with a head support. I tried that once and felt pretty uncomfortable. I hate compromising good posture; efficiency is always compromised. I emptied out my backpack, stuffed the polyester sack into it, and transported gravel that way. I was able to carry more gravel, travel faster, and take less breaks.

Life is good here. The labor is arduous but rewarding and habit-forming. I love living in community again. Once a week we will go out to have dinner at a local community member’s home. This past week, after community dinner, we stop in at a home that was also a shop. The shop owner invited us in for a drink of home brewed millet alcohol.

Yesterday we made pizza in the cob oven. 🙂

I continue to delight in finding the novelties in living here. One day, I walked to Nawalpur to get some rice flour. I found this plate made of leaves and sticks. I have such an appreciation for well made things using natural products. I went to a mill to get my rice flour. The entire little shack was covered in flour.

Monkeys are big nuisance to the farmers here. They travel in groups of 20 -30, sometimes up to 100, destroying crops and gardens. It’s important that around dusk time, not to allow them to be near your crops, otherwise they’ll stay overnight and eat them early in the morning. For 3 days we had monkeys near our garden. A variety of tactics were used by a number of volunteers and staff to scare them off. For those 3 days, I did my morning meditation in the garden. I noticed that they got close but wouldn’t come down to the ground if I was there.

Some tea time snacks are unusual, many times including raw flat rice, roasted soy beans, and raw onion.