Toilets and Rain

Today was our first day our in the colonies doing construction. Rising Star’s whole construction goal by the end of the summer is to build 30 bathrooms throughout various locations in the colonies. Since we are the first session, a big part of our work has been simply moving the materials to their designated locations. You would think that moving sand, rocks, and bricks would be a relatively easy and quick job with the use of shovels and trucks…well, simple jobs like these are slowed down quite a bit when we don’t have modern technology and tools available to us. Whether it is sand or rocks, we moved it from one place to another by loading the material into shallow bowls that we would carry on top of our heads. Indian men and women make this look so much easier that it really is. It is amazing how strong their necks have to be to support the weight of such a heavy load. It was very hard work, but very rewarding work indeed. One of our favorite parts was when we would see this massive pile of rocks or sand that we had to move, and then with the help of the 10 people in our group, were able to see that pile diminish significantly as we worked. It helped us realize that even something as simple as moving materials was a huge job and is just as important as building the structures themselves. By the end of the day, we were proud of all the work we accomplished.

Despite the fact that construction was hot and tiring, by the time 4:30 came around, we were ready for playtime. It is so amazing to me how we really start to miss the kids when we don’t see them for hours at a time. By the time we got to the kids hostel, all the boys were ready to jump on Uncle Jordan’s shoulders and play soccer. I was very excited because today was a very special day, it was Archena’s birthday! Archena came to playtime all dressed up in her bright blue birthday dress and with flowers all tied up in her hair. She was so excited when all of her friends and I all sang happy birthday to her and played hide-and-go-seek with her for playtime.

 For the past few days it has been overcast for most of the day and in the evening we start to get a few sprinkles and maybe a small shower or two. When I ask the kids if they like the rain, it is so funny because most of them respond, “no, I get all wet!” The volunteers on the other hand are all so excited when we get rain and we all rush out and just stand in the rain while it soaks us through and through. After working hard all day and being constantly sweaty, there is nothing more wonderful than getting to dance in the rain...well…except for maybe a bucket shower! Those beat everything hands down! Today we got the biggest torrential rainstorm since we have come to rising star. The wind was whipping the mango trees around like crazy and the raindrops were so big that we were literally instantly soaked. As I was standing in the dining hall watching the rain come crashing, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite sayings, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storms to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain.”