The Heat Is On

Day 3 - It's really hot. Like, really hot. Fortunately, we now have our bags and with them our sunscreen. I'm sure all our moms appreciate that. So today was our first day of putting in real hard labour for the orphanage. In the morning there were three jobs to be done: rebuilding the front wall of the main project, moving the older girls' belongings from their old, smaller space to a new, larger space, and painting & refurbishing one of the guest houses. By far the most rigorous was the wall building (Max, Daniel and Jackson, with a little help from Mr. Brickell). Despite the 100+ degree weather, furious red ants, unfamiliar Indian tools, garbage, shrubbery, and a crumbling mud wall, the boys persevered and succeeded in not only preparing the wall for repairs, but in avoiding heat stroke as well. The other jobs did not merit much description. Apparently, some of the girls' possessions were a bit hefty and the smell of turpentine was mildly unpleasant, although these claims are not verifiable (and probably dubious). The he-men of the wall then ate lunch with "the others" but quickly moved on to the next grueling task before them. The job was described as a quick bit of shoveling dirt into a hole, yet upon arrival at the work site the men found it to be a gaping abyss the size of which was mind blowing to passersby. Unmoved by the impossible task in front of them, the boys began to work, lifting great boulders overhead and throwing them incredible distances to fill the septic reservoir. After spending hour upon hour completing this chore, the boys were then told they must use the remaining rocks to level 50 x 50 m field behind them. Somewhat thrown by the ludicrous request, the boys gave it a chance, and worked for another several hours. Somewhere in between, Josh Wynn showed up to say hi and throw a couple of pebbles, although this may have just been a mirage. Barely able to move their powerful bodies, the boys moved at a snails pace back to the house, where they showered and restored the liquids they so desperately needed. Feeling refreshed and all the more accomplished, they wasted no time in sprinting to the field, several miles away. After an utterly exhausting frisbee throwing session, the boys were asked to play in a soccer game with the older boys of the orphanage. Although having trouble speaking, thinking, or moving due to extreme exhaustion and heat, the boys were unable to deny the request. Scoring a combined 15 goals, the boys quickly became mythical legends among the locals. After a quick jaunt to the next town over, the boys returned in the nick of time for dinner. Their peers were engrossed by the stories they had to tell, and related their own hardships, which were cute. As a side note, it was Matt's birthday yesterday, so good for him. A misnamed cake was presented in his honour. Indeed, a good day was had by all.

- Jackson, Max and Daniel