Day Four ... halfway there!

Wednesday 26th November 2008

Day four in India and day three of our build project.

An earlier start today as we are all keen to crack on. The weather didn't look to promising but we carried on anyway. A ll divided again into our teams and made for the site. The good thing about all of this is that people have been thrown together with others with whom they normally wouldn't be working.

Our site already had a layer of a three brick high wall around it so the land owner is obviously keen to crack on and continued after we left last night. So with no time to waste we got started. Mixing cemnet, moving breeze blocks and filling in the gaps between blocks. And before we know it we are heading to the four walls of the house.

Today has been a cracking day. I have walked around the streets and stoppped and talked with so many people. Everyone giving time and of course wanting to be on film. You only have to start filimg and before you know it you are directing a sea of children and parents who all want to wave at the screen.

I've been helping the others on different plots today. Moving 80 breeze blocks from one side of the sewer to the other. I stood on the slightly rickety stone bridge over the 'flow' so the smell wasn't too great ... or the view. Imagine Glastonbury toilets on the last day of the festival and multiply by, well, by a big number, and you probably have some sort of idea.

This house is being built next to the sewer and because of this they have to make the foundation higher. It floods in the monsoon season so can wash into the houses (and the drinking water well). The main focus of the day was watching a guy sawing down a treet next to the house. Quite impressive considering the lack of equipment they have.

Today out of all of the days we have started to get closer as a group. The overriding feeling is of excitement and a real "let's get as much done as possible before we go" attitude. I didn't realise until just before we came out here that we are the first western team to have even set foot in the slums and, better yet, to have embarked on such a project in India. Most of the projects are in the villages some distance away so we feel really honoured to have been accepted into such an amazing community.

We all left today feeling on top form (if a little tired). Tonight we have free time so have the choice to eat and do what we want. The group has divided and some of us are heading to another fabulous restaurant serving incredible food, and the others want pizza from Pizza Hut! I can have pizza back at home so won't be joining that group. I think some are fearful of disease and getting ill. I don't know when I'll be back in India so don't want to miss a thing; and to be honest I'd rather get ill knowing I have at least tried something new rather than recieved a bad dose of 'American Hot!' Still, each to their own.

Another full day tomorrow so we all really hope to see some further exciting results on the house.

I'm sure I could have said more but really, this time words cannot explain what an incredible experience this is.