Trip to Build Homes

I have always been interested in signing up for one of those week-long / 2-weeks long build-a-house-or-school trip for the indigent villagers in rural areas of developing countries. However,  I have also heard stories (from people who went for such trips before) that the living conditions, especially sanitarian, may be unbearable. Hence, when opportunity arose for me to volunteer for a day to do so in a certain island of Indonesia, I jumped at it.

Prior to the trip, there were briefings and photos for us to have an idea of how the whole event was to be like. We were also given a kit containing everything from a Tee-shirt to mosquito patches to gloves, cap, poncho, list of itiinerary etc. I'd neglected to snap a photo of that.

So we set off early in the morning and boarded the ferry which would take us to a neighboring island where we would begin a laborious but meaningful day. Before the trip, some colleagues and friends were teasing us, especially the girls, "what could you do there?", thinking that we were probably too weak or pampered to be of use. Here we were about to prove them wrong.

We had thought that we would be laying cement and piling bricks though, truth be knownst. When we got to the construction sites, we were briefed not just on the jobscope and worksite safety, but were also taught certain cultural ethics such as not to greet the  workers when our backs were facing them, not to touch the neighbors' kids if they pop by to say hi, etc.

It was raining, which did not dampen our moods despite our worry that the mud might stain our footwear, we donned the ponchos and continued to learn from the seasoned workers on site. Some of us chose to do digging - with the pitchfork and wheel-barrow literally.

Some of us helped to create the wire frames to used to secure the base when they lay foundations for the houses. Do not be fooled by this deceptively-simple looking task, it got rather tedious because the knots had to be perfect, and very tight.

We also helped with bending the wires to make them into tiny rectangular frames, and other manual tasks as required on-site. It was an enriching learning experience, and initially we were all so green and clumsy we felt we were more trouble than help. As the morning progressed, we got the hang of it and came in very handy.

These houses were rather simple despite their solid facade, and we were amazed by the satellites on the rooftops. The villagers were very friendly and helpful in general. Was our contribution significant overall? I should think so, since we were informed that the houses here took 20 - 30 days to build only.

Lunch was a treat - a neat box filled with a portion of rice, keropok, chicken cooked adabo-style, chilli fish, cabbage, honeydew slices and mineral water. We gathered around the worksite to take our lunch just like the construction workers themselves - a rather interesting and humbling experience.

We continued with our various tasks on hand. Some of us headed to learn to make cement from scratch literally. It was very gratifying to actually watch people create something out of nothing - I mean, look at them, they don't have the sophisticated machineries or cement trucks we have here in Singapore, so they do everything by hand - and still are able to build houses this way.

Came 2.00pm, we actually had tea-break, a surprise delight - a lovely box containing an egg tart, a nine-layer kueh and a pastry that was indiscernable because I did not eat that. We were grateful for the rain earlier on because it kept the scorching heat at bay throughout the day.

Finally, at around 3.30pm, it was time to clean up the tools, wrap up whatever we were doing, and call it a day. There were thank-you speeches from the villagers and we had certificates from the organiser etc, but the take-home rewards were far greater, I feel.

The tiny fella that kept us entertained

We see another side to life and appreciate how fortunate we are here. We learn to work together as a team, and some cultural lessons, as well as the humbling experience that makes one feel the need to be even more generous with their resources (at least for me). We were tired at the end of it all, but everyone enjoyed the meaningful experience, enjoyed the great workout, and made new friends - some of us even wished this event was longer than merely a day.