Day 2

Today, eight of us went to a colony about an hour away. We were on construction duty so our day was spent moving concrete cinderblocks to a site where they are building a toilet. And when I say moving, I mean carrying them from the truck to the site about 300 feet away. A wheelbarrow would have been a helpful addition, but we did it their way. Well, not exactly their way. The locals would put those 40+ pound blocks on their heads and walk off like it was nothing, balancing them effortlessly. Maybe if I had the sense to bring a bandana, I would have tried that as well but hindsight is 20/20. My arms are now wonderfully sore. It was rewarding to work with them. The volunteer coordinator who was working with us explained that the cast system is still a factor in India. Those affected by leprosy are basically at the bottom and we, just by virtue of the fact that we are Americans, are significantly higher. I wish this wasn't so but it is what it is. But just being in their colony and showing respect for the work they are doing likely makes a greater difference than the actual physical labor.

A funny story from the colony today but first some background. When driving, no one here uses their blinker. They just honk when they are about to pass you, change lanes, etc. I could say more about the driving but that is one aspect of Indian driving. This makes the roads very noisy as people are constantly laying on their horns. While we were walking to our van today, we heard someone honking behind us, which was assumed to mean, "Get out of the way!" The only peculiar thing was the sound of the honking was different. When the motorcycle whizzed by, it was clear why. There were two men on the motorcycle and between them two goats bleating away. What I thought was honking was really a plea for help from two goats probably as scared of Indian driving as I am.

Vanakkam, blog (this is what is said instead of Namaste in southern India).