Cigar Box Guitar

As promised, here is the story of my first homemade guitar!

It started with Chabota, a student at Chodort, asking me if I could teach him to play guitar. He came over to our house on a few Sunday afternoons and played the one that MCC had in storage, which I've been using. It's a decent guitar, it looks nice, the intonation is okay, etc. I think a SALTer had left it here after a previous term. Because it is MCC property I didn't feel right about loaning it out, but Chabota really needed something to practice on. While there is an Academy of Music right here in Choma which he is a member of, his schedule doesn't allow him to go there to practice. And so was born the idea of making my own (for him to borrow).

Another spark was the visit of the parents of one of our colleagues from USA. Jan's father works with hardwood and came to Chodort to buy some rosewood for a guitar. I realized I had a treasure trove of guitar wood right under my nose! So I planed down some old window frames and made a couple of necks. They were a bargain at 15 kwacha each! ($3). I made them quite thick because I didn't want them to bend, being a six-string guitar with no truss rod.

I should also note that I don't have the patience to build a good guitar. It simply takes too much time and there are too many things that can go wrong. I found out about "cigar box" guitars online--a cheap alternative in the Bluesy Southern USA. Basically they are a neck and a cigar box. I don't have access to cigar boxes here but I knew I could make something similar. The main difference is that CGBs usually have only 3 or 4 strings, and I wanted six.

So, I chiseled out a space for the box, glued on some toothpicks for frets (using a fret calculator for spacing), and attached two metal pieces from a doorknob for nut and bridge. My parents sent me some tuning hardware and nylon strings via my brother-in-law who visited us in August. I put the strings on before I had built the box, and it sounded okay (though very quiet)! There were a few problems with fret noise and a string that kept breaking, but overall I was happy with my first attempt.

I kept waiting for plywood offcuts at work, but having found none, I bought a sheet of 6mm ply for 110 kwacha ($20) and cut it with a handsaw. It was quite rough but I wasn't going for beauty here. I attached it with screws, glue, and nails. Some watercolor paints gave it character and some sanding sealer finished it off. Tonight I re-tuned it and played some songs! It was the coolest feeling to hear the strings resonating against the box--they are now audible! It will definitely work for a learning guitar! But before I give it away...I'll have to make a music video. (coming soon) I will also have to start on guitar #2. Then, I think my career in guitar building can wait...until I retire.

Mobile Carrier Ads

In Zambia there are three major cellular companies. There are no contracts to get locked into (that I know of). If you have a phone, almost any phone, you can buy a SIM card for about a dollar (though you have to register with I.D.). This gets you a phone number. Then you buy airtime in the shops or on the street, in varying amounts. I usually buy about 10 kwacha at a time, which is about two bucks worth, and that will last me a couple of weeks, unless I have a lot of calling to do. (Since I'm not a phone person I don't make a lot of calls) :) Texts are cheap too, and you don't pay to receive them. Anyway, these three companies have different rates and deals on their own networks, and some are better than others as far as reception goes--we like Airtel for calling and MTN for internet. But they are all decent for service and reliability, I think. So I have created some ads that I will send to their advertising departments, and then check the newspapers next month. ;)

Renovation in the Bush

I had a busy weekend. Chodort was doing a quick renovation on a container computer lab in Chikanta, a 3 hour drive from Choma. We had converted it into a classroom two years ago, but some termites had made themselves at home inside the wall panels and the school asked for some help. Our initial estimate was a bit low--the damage was greater than we thought. So I found myself leaving early on Friday morning with three other guys to join the two that had already been there since Monday. We took more timber, paint, tools, and food.

When we arrived in the afternoon we found the container gutted, the brandering (studs) replaced, and the original particle board panels going back on. We got right to work and worked into the night--we had solar-powered fluorescent lights. No one slept too well that first night--we camped in the container. I suspect the hot still night and the ant poison we had sprayed might have been part of the problem!

Early Saturday morning we went back to work. I had packed some food so I ate a bit, but most of the guys waited until lunch and were getting dizzy with the heat by that time. (A line of women with water buckets on their heads went by as the sun came up. I only managed to get a picture of the last one!)

There was beautiful singing from a nearby chapel as we worked--many of the students are Seventh Day Adventist in this area. We worked hard again all day and managed to make good progress, but unfortunately we had to spend one more night. I was persuaded to take an African bath at the water pump that night, under the stars. It was very refreshing! The other guys took good care of me--they were sensitive to the fact that I'm not used to the water, the food, etc. I felt a bit babied but mostly respected. :) Sleep was slightly better that night except for the paint fumes and a squeaky cabinet door that started swinging with the breeze at 3am. I finally put some cooking oil on the hinges and tied it shut with my handkerchief, but couldn't sleep.

We started work at 6am on Sunday. Our driver, Mr. Banda, made us an excellent breakfast of rice, eggs, tomatoes, and onions. Soon we were installing the desks that we had modified with keyboard trays, and other furniture I had designed such as a battery box cover and a teachers desk made of two student desks.

Around 10:30 we started packing up, and soon started the long, bumpy drive home. Peter and Mr. Banda posed in front of the finished container for a picture.

Not far from the school I took a picture of Peter sitting on an anthill, where there was better phone reception (we had seen someone sitting in the same place previously, talking on their mobile). I am planning to make a mobile carrier ad and send it to the various cellular companies in Zambia.

Overall it was a good experience, though tiring. Some volunteers from Intel were coming the next day with some donated desktop computers, making the computer lab functional for the high school. Aside from some sticky varnish on the desks, everything was ready for them!

Kitchen Cabinet Project - Zambia

When we first learned of our acceptance with MCC, we were told there would be a house for us in Choma. We didn't know much about it other than that there was a nice covered porch area and five bedrooms. Then I also learned that part of the rental agreement with the landlord was that I would provide cabinets worth one month's rent. There were some cabinets already but they were not all in good condition.

Due to the pantry room having some great shelves, as well as some other portable cabinets and a table MCC provided, we were able to manage fairly well using the space we had. Still, this agreement was always in the back of my mind, and as I designed cabinets for other houses in the area as part of my work at Chodort, I learned about the materials available and figured out the most cost-effective way to build new ones.

However, one month's rent was only enough to build two large boxes, and the countertops are just melamine particle board with an edge tacked on. I was not able to replace the uppers or the sink section (not pictured). But, having finished today (almost 11 months since we moved in), I am quite pleased with the end product. Kate and Michelle have already filled up the drawers and some of the shelves.

Here's what the 'old' kitchen corner looked like:

I built some boxes out of particle board and installed them on crooked floors, against crooked walls!

I ordered the doors, drawer faces, drawer sides, plinths, and veneers from Chodort. To save money I ordered it all unfinished and then put everything together and sanded/sealed it.

The doors etc. are all made from a local hardwood called Mukwa. Normally it has some beautiful white veins, but the carpenters at Chodort prefer to cut that (softer) part out.

Now I can finally focus on some other projects--next up, cigar box guitars!

Churchy

Kate and Malachi's cars gassing up at the Fruit of the Spirit tree (!?)

I recently read an interesting book by Bruxy Cavey about religion vs. spirituality. It's called "The End of Religion." I think this copy is probably an abridged version of the longer one, and it's nicely written for Christians and seekers alike. It starts off documenting some of the evils of religion (including Christianity), and is mostly about how Jesus came to dismantle religion, rather than start a new one. I had heard of this book a couple of times and seen the author in a different video series, so when Michelle borrowed it from a friend, I was excited to read it for myself. While it may sound controversial, it's actually pretty standard material for most Christians--focusing on our personal relationship with God rather than the structure that sustains it. As I walked to church this morning I was reminded of this quote:

"So, ironically, Jesus wanted his followers to use organization to help spread the message that organizations are not the answer. Christ-followers read the Bible to learn of Jesus' teaching that reading the Bible is not what makes us a Christian.... And we go to church to collectively celebrate the message that going to church is not what makes us God's children." (Bruxy Cavey, The End of Religion, p. 113)

I've enjoyed the laid-back structure of our little church here in Choma. It starts on African time, which is different every week. There is always time given for testimonies or special songs...anyone can participate. Sunday school? That's me taking the kids out during the sermon sometimes to hear a story and play in the dirt. Maybe sometimes it's a little too laid back--but it's refreshing compared to a structured church where 'the show must go on.' We can spend so much time getting the first song's musical introduction just right that there's no time to be God's kids together. Or be so worried about meeting the budget so that we can pay the pastor and the rent that we take the offering at a Sunday picnic.

Winter nights in Choma

It's a little weird having winter in June, although I guess I shouldn't be surprised after experiencing a southern-hemisphere blazing hot Christmas. Mostly it gets dark early, and a little chilly at night. There is not really a concept of heating here, since during the day the sun warms everybody up again. We do use a couple of space heaters when it gets below 22 degrees. :)

So, what do we do on these cold winter nights? Well, same as usual, I guess. We lock up the house and try to get the kids' bedtime ritual going! Do the dishes, clean up a bit, read a book, do some work on the computer, watch a DVD...

Tonight Michelle was joining her weekly Bible Study in Canada via Skype, so the kids and I built a tall tower out of some wooden blocks. Then they had fun throwing stuff at it until it fell down. They liked that so much that they built one by themselves, but it didn't get too high. Here's a few pictures!

Overall we're doing well, having a few struggles, but plugging along as good as we can!

Rockstar

I was about 24 years old when I got bitten by the Canadian Idol bug. I borrowed a Lifehouse CD from a friend and practiced singing one of the songs over and over in our little basement suite office…must have driven our landlord nuts! I told myself that it was all for God's glory…but when the time came to actually go in to Vancouver for auditions, I backed out…and was glad I did when I watched the season on TV later. It wasn't me, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made the first cut anyway!

I medicated my 'rockstar syndrome' with worship band involvement--leading the church youth, other music teams. I also recorded and mixed my own music. I have always loved the stage as much as I fear it--perhaps because of the attention an introvert sometimes craves? (The same may go for acting on stage.) I struggled in one situation where I felt my gifts were being overlooked in an over-talented church, but that is part of worship team dynamics, which always require a servant heart!

Church in Choma doesn't value six-member worship bands as much as Abbotsford. The higher-end churches have a keyboard and a couple of choirs. Ours has three different dog-eared hymnals and some enthusiastic a cappella singing! There's not too much room for rockstars.

So tonight, here I lounge in my pyjamas, playing soft nylon strings, accompanied by distant crickets and barking dogs, performing for mosquitoes (everyone else is sleeping already). It's a sweet sold-out concert for an audience of One.