Today was a day like many others this week in the sense that we arrived at the job site and work was already well underway. However, a couple of new tools were added to assist in the job namely, a long string for levelling and a square. We were wondering how they managed to get these stone walls so straight. And there you have it folks, simplicity at it's finest.
There was a little excitement later in the morning with the arrival of the local "doctor." Yesterday he introduced himself as Dilpat and stated that he is a physiotherapist who works in a private clinic in Bhinder. He came out yesterday as word of our arrival has clearly spread. He indicated that his dream is to go to America to study there. Crossing our fingers that neither Kim nor I return home married - ha! It turns out that the Dilpat is also the medicine man who visits the surrounding villages and treats some of the more common ailments. Unfortunately one of the young kids was sick. Sick with what exactly is still a bit of a mystery but she was given an injection of some type of medication that apparently aids in the treatment of malaria, typhoid, and just about any other common illness.
Close to finishing time we were invited to an impromptu visit to the home of one of the local villagers for chai and corn. We couldn't refuse the offer and we're happy we didn't. Three generations (12 members in total) living on the same property. The entire family was so warm and hospitable. Their home was atop this knoll overlooking the rolling countryside. You'd pay huge dollars back home for a property with that kind of a view. After photos and some pleasant chitchat we headed back to the hotel for lunch and to pack for our weekend trip to Udaipur.
Over the course of the week, there have been many moments when we'd look at one another in our group and raise an eyebrow or two based on some observation made. However, even the most skeptical among of have come to shrug our shoulders and respond with a "Meh, why not? We're in India!" I think it's become our new motto.
We spent this evening wandering the streets and trying our hand at negotiating. It became very clear that Bob has done this once or twice before. The rest of us are going to follow his lead from now on. We purchased a few standard items before stumbling across one of the local tailor shops. Not sure how David and I faired in terms of our negotiation skills but man are we going to look good in our custom fit clothing! The night was topped off with drinks and good laughs. Looking forward to the arrival of Denise and Tommy tomorrow morning.
Anya Malda
DWC Participant
Udaipur, India: October 2014
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