Our new house project is still moving along, and now we are mixing concrete for pouring the footers and columns that will be the first floor.
🪖 Soldiers & In-Laws 👷
Lately our construction has consisted of three brothers-in-law because my nephew-in-law left to pursue a training program offered by a factory soon to open here in Cambodia. With only three folks and a lot of concrete to be mixed and poured, we decided to hire a couple of infantry men from the village to help for a few days. They gladly laid their weapons down to earn a little side income on top of their government salary.
👷♀️ The Wife Joins In
My wife has been helping when possible here and there, and I occasionally come out to check on things, but as we have very limited funds, my time is better spent online trying to earn more funds so we can keep this whole project steaming ahead. Besides, I have a bit of a construction background, and things are done so differently here than what I am used to, so I know I would only get in the way, frustrate everyone, and slow things down.
It is actually kind of nice to hire someone to do something for you in life, a privilege I've rarely had in life, In the USA mechanics, veterinarians, craftsmen, and other skilled workers are so expensive compared to my income that it was always cheaper to do things myself, whether it be fix my car or even do amateur dentistry and surgery on my own dog. In Cambodia I can earn enough in a day to cover the labor costs of two in-laws, not enough to fully fund the project, but it stretches our meager savings a little more.
We've stolen quite a bit of rock from the roadside, probably at least $100 worth by now, but I've lived here for nearly 15 years without having a chance at residency, citizenship, even basic rights that Khmer citizens have, and through the years I've given the government thousands of dollars in visa fees and corrupt unnecessary permits, paperwork, etc., so I don't feel guilty for taking some rocks to build a house on land I'm not even legally allowed to own in my own name.
🚧 Not A Bad Construction Sight View ⛰️
Recently my wife and I went to the Chinese depot to ask about a concrete truck coming to pour our foundation slab and second floor. Our conversation with the Khmer workers had us guesstimating it to be around $1,000 USD for this. That's a pretty big hit, but there are only a few more big expenses left before we're building with supplies we already have on hand.
I realize we are building a home for a cost that may be a few months salary in many countries, but for my wife and I, this modest 12mx6m home represents our entire life savings. I guess you can assume we're both not university graduates, but hey, we have survived life this far and managed to obtain land in a place with the best view I've seen yet in Cambodia. We might not have had financial success in life, but we've had many other types of success. Tomorrow morning we drive 45km to the town where we'll seek permission to build a second floor, so stay tuned.......
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