During our stay in Okana we slept in a real mud hut that represents the typical vernacular architecture made of eucalyptus posts rammed into the soil and connected by smaller beams. The in-between spaces are filled with a local soil mixture. We experienced the hot and humid rainy season everyday, especially during 5-6 pm when it rained heavily and the hut's floor became wet. There was no water supply on the site, but a well-functioning rainwater catchment tank and a bore hole which we used to cook, shower, etc. We visited many primary and secondary schools and got aware that most of the youth never came in touch with ICT and computers.
The things we learned everyday are uncountable. We came in touch with the local community, got access to almost every house we wanted to see and got introduced into the local culture by an employee of the NGO we are working with.
It was a great adventure and we are happy to have got all those insights into the life of the local people, the climate and the materials.
Back in the Netherlands we miss many aspects of the African life, but we are processing all the knowledge, information and impressions from our journey and have a lot of inspiration to continue with our project!
