Every day after dinner the Malawi team meets to discuss the how the day went, plans for the next day, and any problems, issues, or concerns we anticipate in the project. After all our business is wrapped up, we go around the table and each team member states their rose, bud, and thorn. A rose is a good thing from your day, a thorn is a bad thing from your day, and a bud is something you are looking forward to for tomorrow.
Tonight my rose is that we have accomplished our goal! The people of Mphero have clean water! The results from our pump test on the first borehole show that it is very productive and could even supply an electric pump in the future. The Malawi team has been working for years towards this goal and it is finally realized on this trip. My second rose tonight is that I am so grateful for our amazing travel team. This group does an incredible job of supporting and caring for each other, thinking fast and collectively on their feet, and simultaneously having fun.
My thorn is that our team is exhausted. We have been working full-steam, non-stop since the moment we arrived and operating on 5-6 hours of sleep a night. This morning everyone was really struggling physically and mentally. Every member of the team is so deeply dedicated to this project that we are all willing to work as hard as possible to make the project in Mphero a success and also begin exploring potential future projects in the other 4 villages EWB partnered with in June 2014. I am in awe of our commitment and drive, but also concerned about the need to protect our health so that we can be fully present and productive. Hopefully, once the drilling of the second hole is complete and tested we will be able to take a day off.
Yesterday in the village Emma took a video of two little girls who have been playing with us during our down time in Mphero. In the video (see below) they say what they want to be when they finish school, and one of them says she wants to be an engineer. The accomplishment of the partnership between EWB, VIP, and the community of Mphero creating a source for clean water in the community means that this little girl has a much greater chance of living a healthy long life and growing up to be an engineer. So tonight, my bud is that I look forward to finding out what the healthier children of Mphero grow up to become.

Zikomo,
Meredith