Day 9!

Back at the site following a big weekend, we all took a while to get back into the groove of things. Motivation was low when we heard the majority of the groups would be spending the day digging septic tanks for the houses. With very mediocre digging tools, (or average at best as Kai would say) the layers of rock, roots and hibernating frogs were not easy to penetrate. The sun was out in full force and plenty of drinks were required as the boys rotated through the excavation. One of the lucky groups worked on cement as their septic tank was completed last week. The boys claim to have done this themselves on the first day, however evidence of this is yet to be provided.

Over lunch a tailor came to take the boys measurements for our custom-made shirts which will be made later this week. After another hour of work in the heat we returned to the local kids eager to play and get to know us further. This evening we were blessed with an invitation to attend a gala at the girl’s resort, as they celebrated the anniversary of their school’s establishment. We enjoyed seventeen performances from a wide range of age groups, with a special act from the house mothers. Fortunately, the boys they were not asked to perform a routine of their own, as the dancing skills referred to previously in this blog have been wildly exaggerated.

On a serious note, the four of us have been thoroughly impressed with the boys work ethic and willingness to embrace everything RTU and India has to offer. They’ve remained positive under tough conditions, open to new experiences and some have even attempted to learn the local language in order to better communicate with the children. We look forward to spending this last week with the group and seeing our hard work pay off as the houses reach the final stages of completion.

The Staff