~FLASHBACKS~ Memory Avenue: Escape to Isles Nostalgia ~Part Two

Then from there, we headed to a village school about 30km away. It is here that shall be our new humble abode. Initially though, this was not meant to be where we were suppose to be staying. It was originally arranged such that we stay in the village we were supposed to work in. Toilets were even specially constructed in preparation for our coming of stay. Yet, as it happens, the toilets could not be fully constructed in time. Thus, by the good graces of St Josephs College we were blissfully whizzed here to stay in two of its class rooms for the duration of the project.

When we first arrived, we had to rearrange all the tables and chairs. Dust the floors and prepare our very own makeshift kitchen. We were probably quite the distraction. Students of the school lost interest in whatever they were doing and could not help but look at us in amusement as we buzzed around the school with our activities and babbled strange foreign languages.

Allocated to us were two classrooms, one at each end of the teaching block. “Da Boyz” room was on the side nearer to the kitchen and open bathing area while “Da Ladiez” was on the side closer to the field. This later turned out to be a problem for the girls as 14 of them have had to share the use of 3 toilets for “business” uses and 1 for showering. Contrast that to the guys side that while there were only 10 males, we had the use of 5-6 cubicles and an open bathing area. Whatsmore, the ladies had to draw water from the bathing well on the guys side for use on the girls side but oh well, they had the guys to do that chore for them.

To prevent an onslaught by the national bird of India, we had to set up mosquito nets in our rooms. This proved to be a challenge; we had to figure out how to suspend 10 nets at a comfortable height above the floor. That as well as the direction we should all face when we sleep. The nets must also be easily removed when we don’t need them in the day to allow for other activities. This figured out, we would have to repeat the steps every night and morning over the course of our stay.

Then there was the kitchen, which was actually the ground floor of a building and is what seemed like a miniature hall with many benches and tables. For us were provided the use of a fridge and a stove. As well as a storeroom with which to store our cutlery, dried foods, fruits etc. For one reason or another, this room was always very warm.

Outside of this place is a large rectangular well similar to that of the bathing area where we can draw water for the washing of our cutlery. Water that was for the use of drinking and cooking however, wasn’t drawn from any of these wells. It had to be pumped from the local community pump outside of the school about 5mins walk away, beside the road and among some tall grasses of a grassy field. This water was then boiled but even so, grains of sand can still always be seen lingering in the pot. Reminiscent of where it had came from…