4/4/2017 3 Comments First day on site...We awoke to the tastefully dismal surroundings of our pale and foggy Thai Binh Hotel. It was 6:39 AM (as I had hit the snooze button and was now already behind schedule), and I quickly got up, doused what I could in Head & Shoulders and ignored the stained walls of my spacious bathroom. I then dressed myself in beige baggy clothing, hoping to stay as cool and comfortable as possible throughout the day. As I walked down to breakfast I felt that natural surge of positive and exciting energy that most of us get when we long for the day to begin, and our stories to develop. It was a strange breakfast (meat and noodles) but thankfully I had bought my cereal the night before and poured it discreetly into my bowl. We then stepped into the familiar and colorful comfort of our Habitat bus and started to make our way towards the build. Unexpectedly we were dropped off at the local community and government center for a welcoming celebration. The walls doused in red, paired with hammers, sickles and statues Ho Chi Minh. Taken by surprise Ms. Ho Tai and Ms. Tonge were forced to give speeches (as well as myself and Rebeca) after receiving beautiful and eloquent bouquets and loud rounds of applause. We then introduced ourselves one by one and said where we were from. This part was particularly interesting because they clapped exceptionally loudly at "Ivan from Russia" and there was hesitation and scattered applause when Ms. Ho Tai introduced herself as "Amy from the United States." Finally we arrived 2 hours late at the building site but we were still met with smiles and thank yous. The day was a blur, whether mixing cement, passing bricks, or taking breaks we seemed to work hard throughout and were showed more than enough gratitude. We did try to communicate but it was difficult; it was a mixture of unrecognizable hand signals and awkward laughter (we seemed to be a great source of comedy). Now there was one thing that definitely surprised us when we first arrived, a beautiful German Shepherd tied loosely at the back of our hosting family's temporary home. We first asked if it was a pet and they laughed. They quickly told us that one day she'd make a delicious lunch. (And yes I know she's female, we checked.) Other than that, the rest of our day was talking loudly amongst ourselves and Valeria groping and grabbing every adorable child she saw. We then made our way back to the "Thai Binh Dream" slowly dazing in and out of consciousness, our heads softly pressed against each others shoulders, quietly suffering from jet lag.
Great first day of work. Great fun. Great team. Great everything. - Diogo
3 Comments
Mr Kennedy
5/4/2017 02:32:55 am
That looks like hard work!
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Mrs Brown
5/4/2017 10:35:38 am
Glad to see you have all the protective clothing on. Just stay away from that cute dog! I'm envious of that tired glow of satisfaction radiating from you all, what a sense of satisfaction isn't it? Rest well and take care of eachother.
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Ms Boland
6/4/2017 10:07:13 am
An unforgettable experience... you'll deserve a well-earned rest after all your hard work..
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