What a day! I got a private yoga lesson from Shreya this morning because all the other girls were tired! I'm such a lucky girl.
We went to work a little late because the contractor was checking our progress out. The construction workers have been making fourteen iron pillars that are the framework for the boarding house. It's so funny because they are all in flip flops, flared pants, and dress shirts. It's a lot different than Canada. It was super hot today. We sung so many songs :).
Everyone showered up and Quinn and I did laundry. We had a Hindi lesson from Arun. We learned the names of fruits and vegetables as well as animals.
We ate lunch and then took tuk tuks into town! Indian markets are chaos! Everyone is moving everywhere and honking to pass other vehicles. People are trying to buy things and there are cows roaming around. Everyone stares at us like celebrities! The locals love seeing blonde hair/blue eyes and always try to talk to us while driving by on their motorcycles. We went shopping and bought cookies that looked like oreos and lots of other various junk food. We're working girls :).
We went into Jatiya Bazaar. It's mainly Islamic. Sikar is surrounded by walls with seven gates leading in and out of the city. It rained and hailed so hard. The biggest raindrops I have ever seen for sure. The drainage system is rough and the streets aren't paved so there were huge puddles. Everything is located in a stall including their gas stations and pharmacies! Madan pointed out this stall and told us that in Rajasthan the more wealthy people fill clay pots with water and keep them in train stations, markets, and other common places so people who are less fortunate can come to drink it because they can't afford it themselves.
In the afternoon we drank tea and went back to work! We moved rock again and three more pillars were put up. We came back and all the showers were infested with the most ants I have ever seen in all my days of living. Ronak and Pankaj (Madan's son) used a hose to clean them out. Thank gosh. A couple of us played dodge ball.
Apparently the children we met in Banjara Basti are asking where we have been! They think we're their new teachers because that is what volunteers that visit here do. Hopefully we will get to go back and play sometime soon. Tomorrow we get lessons, in between work, from the women at Youth Touch on how to cook, Indian-style. I'm pumped! Off to bed! Night all!
Torry Harris
DWC Student Team Leader
Sikar, India: May 2012
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