Day 6!

Another early 7:30 morning commenced as all the boys poured into the heavily populated wifi zone, before we gathered for another feast of Indian cuisine.

The work day started off in typical fashion with an exchange of “hellos” in both broken Tamil and broken English all met with cheerful smiles. As a few groups waited for their cement to dry, they were swiftly relocated to other work sites leading to new dynamics forming and friendly banter. Due to the unexpected merger, new dance duos were forged such as the illustrious combo of Jesse and Declan. However, Jono’s Tamil tunes failed to distract us from the hard work at hand. We continued to grout the walls and place the bricks and much progress was made before lunch.

Lunch was delicious as always, consisting of Indian fried rice, spicy chicken bits and the crowd pleaser, the staple lunch snack, homemade potato crisps, doused in pepper. With a full belly and an energised mind, the second shift flew by as fast as the buses in Batlagundu.

Sweaty, dirty, but not yet fatigued, we jumped on the bus excited once again to make new friends and memories at the Miriam childen’s village. Playing with the children allowed us to discover the impact that St. Bedes has had on the village, as we threw frisbees stamped with the St. Bedes logo of the 2015 India Outreach Program. Seeing the children cherish the seemingly insignificant gifts from the previous outreach groups made us ponder our privelage and reevaluate what is truly important, community and togetherness. Many of the boys left with memories that’ll stay with them forever.

To cap off an action packed day, Mr. Wilson hosted a screening of ‘Lion’, a film linking Australia and India, as it highlighted the vast contrasts between Australian and Indian cultures. Everyone’s looking forward to the first weekend in India, as tommorow we travel to Thekaddy for an overnight stay.

Hope all is well back in Aus, it sure is here.

Joel, Liam & Joerie