08/07/2011 Building

The rest of Thursday was pretty chill. I hung out at the jazz café with the girls to use the WIFI and then we came home to nap. That night we went out to eat with some of the boys for their last night. They really wanted steak and eggs. We went to the place and I just indulged in eggs. It was kind of gross. We all walked to the jazz café and I stopped at a street stand to get a delicious tofu kebab. At the jazz restaurant we enjoyed pretty good yogurt milkshakes and pineapple juice. I decided that night that I wanted to go to the building site the next day. I didn’t do much on my day off and didn’t like just sitting around in a foreign country. So I told the boys I would be joining them.

In the morning I let Mrs. Chin (I don’t know if that is the proper way to spell it but that’s how it sounds), the housekeeper, that I was building with the boys and she made me her delicious egg sandwhich and café sooda for breakfast. I don’t know what she does to those eggs but they are always so amazing. I hopped in the taxi with the boys and we drove a few minutes out of My Tho city, past markets covered in fruit baskets and seafood. Then we stopped along a stream and a pathway and walked down the pathway through jungle from there. We passed a few homes, some nice and some complete shacks. Then we arrived to the building site where a two room brick home was standing, almost finished. The boys who have been here for a while told me that this is the finished product after 3 weeks. One pointed to the bamboo hut-like home next door and said that is what the family used to live in. We walked around to the side of the house and put our bags down on a bed with a canopy above it. There was a mirror and a drawer under the canopy as well. I looked at the children’s toys and clothes that were lying around the area. The boys confirmed my suspicion that this is where the children have always slept and will sleep until the house is finished.

I should explain that the government has a list of poor people who do not live in proper homes. The list is a lottery and then when it is time and there is enough money available a house is built for the next family and I-to-I helps with this. The volunteer team works with a man with the English name of  “Bob the Builder”. He is a funny man, constantly smiling. He knows not one word of English. He was so happy I was there. He kept smiling and pointing for pictures. You kind of have to communicate with him by using hand gestures. It’s pretty funny.

I unfortunately didn’t get as muddy as I thought I would have but I did help tile the floor inside the house. It was so hot. I was probably dripping so much sweat that it would push the mud off of me anyway. Eventually, the first fruit break came. We had dragon fruit and my new favourite fruit: a small, round, spikey, pink which when cracked open housed a white fruit that literally tastes like candy. I keep forgetting what they are called. They are definitely not found in Australia or the U.S.  Along with the fruit came the children. I have heard many stories about these kids from the boys. They described the smallest child as the devil child. I soon found out why.

The kids were nice. They were also playing with the neighbour’s kids. Their father helped us build while his wife washed clothes in the stream behind the house. The neighbours sat on lawn chairs in front of the house and watched us build. There were dogs running around but they were too scared to come over for us to pet them. Random chickens kept walking around the site. After a few more sweaty hours, it was time for us to go on break.

We had a two hour break at a temple near the site. Mrs. Chin brought us lunch. I got a special vegetarian tofu and shrimp noodle dish with dragon fruit (another amazing fruit in this country). After, I had a nice nap in a hammock near a pretty garden. When break was up, we continued to work. I ended up learning Vietnamese by the little girls. The one knew English very well and pointed to the trees, dirt, rocks, spiders and pretty much everything and taught me what the words were. I really don’t remember. The “devil child” started climbing on my back like a monkey and Dave came to the rescue and asked if I wanted the child on or off of me. I asked him to kindly remove the child. Then the little girl who was teaching me Vietnamese grabbed my hand and led me down the sidewalk into more jungle and then around the corner was her house.

It was your standard supersized bamboo hut. It had fairly decent furniture, was quite open and it had dirt floors. The girl led me past a man who I assumed was her father. He was snoozing in the hammock. She took me to her room which was a separate hut outside. Her bed was made of bamboo and a mosquito net hung above it. She showed me her holy oil that she sleeps with and began pointing around and teaching me more words. She pointed to the dirt on the ground and said the name again. Incredible. Here I was being taught Vietnamese by a child who was living in not the best conditions. Yet she continued to smile and laugh. All of the children were so happy that I was in their company. Eventually, after yelling the name of a giant pot into the pot several times, I headed back to the building site. Soon, it was time to head home. One of the little girls made me a flower bracelet which was quickly broken by devil child. Then Bob the builder gave me a piece of fruit wrapped up nice in a plastic bag and thanked me with his smile. The entire day was so rewarding and an amazing experience.

When I got back I quickly showered to go teaching. The boys were going to come along and try teaching as well. They wanted pork and rice but I decided to get some vegetarian food near the school so I told them to meet me there. When I walked outside, Mr. Lin, the man who would take us on the Mekong tour the coming weekend was there. At first I was hot and in a hurry for food so I didn’t feel like talking. He was trying to ask me if I knew how to ride a motorbike. I said no but I have been the passenger of one. I don’t think he understood. Anyway he asked when I was teaching and what I had for dinner. I explained that I was on my way for vegetarian food and that I was meeting the boys and teaching after. He offered to drive me there. So I hopped on his motorbike. When we got there, the vegetarian place was closed. It was only open in the noon. So he took me to some other place I knew. I don’t know what came over me but the soup was amazing (veggies and several types of tofu) so he asked if I wanted another bowl and he ordered another. He told me that if I ever needed any help ever or wanted to go on a day trip he would gladly take me. After, he dropped me off at the school.

I took over teaching a bit in class that night. The teacher wasn’t really practicing English with the kids and Dave was watching my class so I wanted to do something other than have the kids ask millions of questions. So I reviewed some exercises with them and of course they still loved us.

After, we all went to the jazz café and sat on the top floor. The river looked so pretty at night. We all played card games and said goodbye to Olly and Johnny (two of the guys who were leaving us the next day). I went to bed completely excited for the Mekong tour we would go on the next day.