House Building Completed!

Dr Bailey treats one of many villagers

Today started with an early 7am departure from the hotel to the village where the building continued from the previous day. With our experience from the first day each group felt confident in its building ability and had developed strong teamwork skills. This enabled us to complete the remaining 12 houses by lunch time. The period after the completion of the building was very rewarding and proved to be a great opportunity for us to interact with the local people. We played duck-duck-goose and the hokey pokey with the children who joined in energetically while the rest of the village watched smiling.

Dr Bailey dresses this little boy's badly cut foot

After an emotional house handover ceremony and a group photo, we returned to the hotel at about 1pm. We then had free time until 3pm which many people took as an opportunity to catch up on some sleep or relax and enjoy the hotel’s sauna and pool.
 

The building complete - time for some fun with the locals

It was then off to the large bustling Russian Markets filled with overwhelming smells, sounds and goods to purchase, all seemingly for “One Dollar!”. After exploring the labyrinthine passages of countless stalls, and haggling with the unrelenting owners over prices for an hour or so we returned to the hotel. We then had our daily devotion in which we contemplated the effects of our house building endeavor. It seemed that the community was very appreciative of our efforts. 

The experience has also challenged us all physically and mentally, as well as our perspective on what we wish to achieve in our lives and the incredible fulfillment and satisfaction that can be found in helping others.

Duck-duck-goose

For the rest of the night we were able to go out in groups to explore the immediate area next to our hotel and eat at a restaurant of our choosing. We also checked out the impressive break dancing circle with some locals displaying their amazing talents to hip-hop beats. This was an extremely enjoyable and worthwhile day and has left us all exhausted but happy.

By Matt Francis

Hokey Pokey

Each house family receives a blanket as a special gift

The final handover - 34 houses complete!