Blog #2

            We have always done some kind of manual labor on every trip with CGA, but it has always been building something, helping repair something, or even cleaning. This trip is different. Here we are taking people’s houses down from top to bottom. Due to the impact of the earthquakes, some of the homes were damaged, but not destroyed, yet deemed un-livable so they now have to demolish them. Because it’s not our house, we can’t truly understand how difficult it must be to have to destroy your own home. It’s still difficult and makes us really think about how fortunate we are. Their livelihood, memories they’ve made, and hard work they’ve put into creating a place to call home, has to come down. Every once in a while you stop to think how sad what you’re doing actually is. To take down someone’s home and think about the fact that they will have to rebuild their home, and stay in extremely undesirable conditions until they do so, is heartbreaking.

            On Saturday we went to a local family’s home, close to where we are staying, to help them begin taking down their homes. In a few hours we managed to remove an entire floor. From the bricks making up the walls to the wood making up the floors everything came down in a huge process of dust, sweat and hard work. Even though it is extremely sad taking down someone’s home it still is satisfying knowing you helped in some way. The sweat, aches and blisters are more than worth it when you get the honest thanks from the families.

            When school started again on Sunday, I was assigned to Class 5 which is equivalent to around fifth grade. It was challenging because as newcomers you haven’t earned respect yet and you have to work for it. Kids see some volunteers come in and out of their school all the time and for the most part they take pictures, teach one class and call it “volunteering.’ So it’s no surprise why respect isn’t just given, but the challenge is worth it when you do finally get through to them. Giving the kids a little extra attention and showing them that you are truly there to help, definitely gets through to them. Whether it’s at home or in the school these kids usually don’t get the kind of attention they deserve. So coming here and giving them 100% of your attention and effort really goes a long way and you can see their smiles get a little brighter every day. Slowly you can see the kids start to listen just a little more and stay a little quieter which gives you hope for the days to come, which turned out to be exactly what we needed.

            On Sunday night we reviewed our days as a group and gave each other tips for teaching. Kevin and I were going to Class 3 on Monday which Ava and Nicole were in on Sunday. We were told Class 3 had been the most challenging class and they were extremely hard to control and to keep their attention. Kevin and I were nervous, but came up with a point system to keep the kids focused. We divided the room into three tables and told them whoever paid attention the best, raised their hands quietly, and showed the most participation would get a sticker each time they did something well. At the end of the day the table with the most stickers would win a prize. This ended up being exactly what the class needed. On Monday, Kevin and I had a complete breakthrough with the class and were able to go through the day with very minimal amount of problems. The kids were great and hardly ever needed reprimanding; they listened and participated. The sticker game was perfect and kept the kids’ attention all day. It was truly amazing because you’d seen your ideas really come to life and directly affect the kids’ learning in a positive way. Having your hard work pay off like that is one of the most fulfilling feelings but knowing that you really did impact the kids learning and affect them for days and years to come is what’s truly amazing.

            On Monday and Tuesday, Kevin and I taught primarily all the classes. Monday was Class Three and Tuesday was Class Four, but you could tell that throughout the school a certain kind of respect was beginning to appear and a level of trust was being earned. There is still a long way to go but the future is hopeful and each day gets better and better even if sometimes it is two steps forward and one step back. Helping not only the kids but also the teachers has been really cool to see; the teaching methods are so different here from how they are in America, both positively and negatively. Introducing new methods and seeing them really click with kids is very satisfying knowing what you do will stick with them forever.

            After each school day (which ends at 4) we go to our driver, Puniram’s, house to help dismantle from 5:00-7:00pm. It gets exhausting teaching and then going to do more work but being in such close relation to Puniram makes it even more fulfilling and personal because you can tell how much it really helps him and how much he appreciates it. Over the past 3 days we have successfully taken down 2 floors and gotten the house ready to survive monsoon season. The ground floor has to be left for the monsoon season but today it rained for the first time and knowing that we got it done before the big rain provides a huge sense of accomplishment.

            Helping in the school and with local houses is unlike anything I’ve ever done. It gives me an extra sense of accomplishment because I know not only that I’m helping in the school but also with local families and being able to physically see the improvements I have directly helped to make is incredible. Being a little more tired, my feet hurting, blisters on my hands and overall exhaustion is 100x more worth it when I know what I am doing is changing and helping the lives around me.