Last moments at Mukti

This week has been varied. Despite my weekend frustrations I completed the fence late on Monday night and early on Tuesday morning. I have worked very hard. This morning the bible study was in the hospital so I asked a nurse if I could use their scales to weigh myself. When I came to India I weighed 83kg. I now weigh 75kg. My gloves are a good reflection. I have absolutely destroyed them and they are not much use any more.

Gloves

My angry fence to keep out pooers has failed. Andrew vs. Poo 1 – 1.

Stones rolled away

I have rebuilt another angry fence just to let this person know that it is not their land. Andrew vs. Poo 2 – 1.

Anti-poo MkII

On Tuesday I called home and spent some time completing some work for Ericsson. I also spent some hours writing my adoption story for one of the staff members.

Wednesday was much the same. Although it was time to clean up my look. I went to a local barber shop and got the works for 60 cents. Here is the before photo, people kept suggesting I look like a cave man or that I was from the Jesus movie (1979).

Final moments with crazy beard and hair

I was asked to speak on Thursday morning at the staff prayer day about my story. I spoke briefly about my adoption and God’s work in my life. I also spoke about the value of human life. I have been asked to speak to the staff again on Saturday morning.

Today I finished the short book about my adoption and had it printed for my friend. We talked about the contents and I shared some of my motivation behind each chapter.

It is sad. Just two days left here before I travel to Mumbai. Tomorrow is my farewell with the staff team.

Indian Management 101

This week has come with many challenges; I have had a difficulty sleeping, many volunteers have left Mukti, and there have been set-backs to my fencing project.

Katie, Dave and Di returned home to Michigan. Alan and Elsa finished work on Wednesday and left Thursday bound for Australia. Faith has left to travel Nepal. I am the last non-Indian volunteer here before the summer heat arrives (The food is also getting hotter as the westerners leave).

Alan and I had a few salary workers join our project to build the fence. In two days Alan and I wired two strong fences and a gate. The three local workers wired one fence and destroyed many of the concrete posts. I was left in a difficult situation because Alan had finished and I could not trust the quality of work from these other men. I also need to finish the project next week.

On Thursday I drew several fencing diagrams. I took the head of maintenance and the workers out to the fence posts they had destroyed for a talk. We talked about the importance of the fence; we also talked about new ways of working. These workers don’t take personal criticism well. It was also very hard to convey tone quickly through a translator. These workers are not committed to working hard. That day we did two small fences and I was pleased with their improved quality of work, but not their speed.

On Friday I ditched two of the salary workers for two previously mentioned contractors Meinudin and Saddam. I was expecting to complete one large fence that day. We completed three fences. This was a fantastic result! I also used ‘Pintu’ - pictured below. Pintu has a mental disability. The others often yell at him or hit him because his brain does not work as well as theirs. They will even hit him in front of me. I almost suggested that I should start hitting them because their brains do not work as well as mine.

Fence

Meinudin

Pintu

Pintu - 'Water Boy'

Not bad for boy with a disability. He worked very hard for me that day.

Friday night I did not sleep again. At this point I was grumpy. On Saturday morning none of my workers arrived (salary or contractor), I was now feeling frustrated. I began by making the four remaining gates when I found some of the fence had been damaged by trespassers. I was now annoyed, and I stopped to repair the fence. While making repairs to the fence I slipped on some human mess and had to wipe it off shoes, gloves and trousers. I was now exceedingly angry.

The local people have been entering through a gap in the existing external fence to cut across the land, or in most cases poo. The plan was to fix the gap in time. I was steaming so I stormed over to the gap with all of my off cuts of barbed wire and some tools. I spent all of my anger on lifting heavy boulders and stones to block the gap. You can tell that this was built by a desperate and angry man!

This lizard was watching me make the angry wall.

A cow died last night. I do not know the cause of death but feel that it is important to finish the fence before I leave.

I did not work this afternoon and today was really wasted. I also have a bite mark on my side the size of a ten cent piece which I am not pleased about.

Cement, Sleep and Sanitation

Our work continues to build a fence with reinforced concrete posts (concrete is no good for posts but all other materials get stolen) and barbed wire. The fence will segment an unused 10 acre block into 5 paddocks for grazing. Better nutrition and exercise will allow Mukti’s cattle to produce more milk.

Alan and I worked full days on Friday and Saturday last weekend, finishing 175 concrete posts and around 30 support posts in our first week fencing.

Fence Posts

More Concrete Fence Posts

Somebody watching

I have come to know the contractors well. ‘Meinodin’, ‘Hardave’, ‘Pablou’ and ‘Saddam’ have worked very hard for me. On Friday I gave them some sunscreen because they were fascinated by it. Meinodin rubbed it into his arm with one finger. After I explained that I paid Rs. 500 (AU$10 ~ 2 days wage) in Australia for the bottle they tried repaying me with tobacco. On Saturday I worked out that they had moved from Gurapur to Maharashtra to find work. Hardave and Pablou are Hindu, Meinodin and his son Saddam (15yo) are Muslim. 

Pablou - My best worker

Hardave - Having a sleep

Pablou and Saddam

Thursday and Friday last week I had some trouble sleeping. Saturday night after a full day in the sun I could not sleep all night. Sunday Church was a blur and I lay awake in bed all afternoon trying to sleep. On Sunday night I resorted to medication. Monday night I had the same problem again. I am very tired and relaxed at night but I cannot sleep.

Several local people come through a gap in the external fence where we are working to do their morning business. They will walk in casually with their bottle of water to clean up afterwards. I am thoroughly sick of the human stench that wafts across the area. On Saturday I started shouting in Marathi “Get out, Mukti Mission property” and they leave and cross the road. One man I sent away mid-act and he was very upset. Also in a similar fashion I was trying to chase a pack of dogs off Mukti land when I accidently hit one with a large brick.

On Saturday night we had a special dinner and party for the local reverend’s grandson who turned 1.

On Monday we finished concreting all 207 posts and 60 support poles!

Concreting Finished

Today we began stringing barbed wire. Alan leaves on Thursday and I will have just over one week to complete the project.

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Tuesday - Wire

It looks like a fence

Dig dig dig... fence

This week I have had some internet trouble. A bill was not paid and my only link to the outside world was cut off for a few days. On day one I attempted to troubleshoot the internet situation before discovering the unpaid invoice. I checked a few things from a few places and logged into the router, double checked DSL connection and then followed the wiring out of the communications room. The wires ran through the wall, across the landing and down the outdoor passageway. I eventually found the local terminal exchange.

Mukti Internet Terminal

We have started building a five paddock fence. Alan and I have 207 30kg concrete posts to cement into the ground and a few kilometres of barbed wire to string to complete the project. The work is hard in the sun. I would say harder than manual irrigation but easier than being a concreter or a brickies labourer. Alan and I have been working hard but it is around 35 degrees Celsius and dry. The holes are dug by crowbar and fingers and the cement is mixed with a hand tool. Water is supplied in three 200 litre tanks that we have filled in the morning.

Our contractors do not speak English; they don’t speak the local language Marathi either. I have started learning a few Hindi words so that we can work together. I can request certain things and encourage them in Hindi, and I can talk numbers with them in Marathi. Anything complex is a struggle.

I currently drink about 5 to 6 litres of water per day. Each night I sleep more than 10 hours. I eat lots too.

Day 1 - 40 Posts

Day 2 - 'Digging' 70 Posts

Day 3 - 100 Posts

Day 4 - 150 Posts

Here is a photo of our contractors. I am starting to become friends with them. Today one of them grabbed my hand to take me across the paddock and talk about our work for the day.

The Team

I mentioned a man in an earlier post who was encouraged to hear from me about my adoption and life growing up. He has asked me to write down some short stories about my life and my parents that might help him with parenting his son. I am flattered, excited and nervous. I will try to write some stories for him while I am here. I hope to make lots of comments to highlight the context of my childhood as it will be very different for this man’s son.

Odd Jobs and Adoption

The last few days have been filled with work. Alan and I worked a full day on Saturday as well to finish off bits and pieces before we start fresh on Monday. We did some work on a bathroom, curtained some windows, fixed up a metal bench, painted our shelves and bench black and meshed another staff house with new mosquito wire. Here are some photos.

Shelves

Table

Alan with new mesh

Completed

Two more

Another two

Same two

Last one

Mesh Kings!

A lot of people have been visiting and staying for a few days. I have met people from many countries. I have become friends with some of the visitors / volunteers and some of the local staff. Before coming to India I was expecting to be frustrated working with local staff because of cultural differences. It has not been like that at all. The workers here are fantastic. I have been frustrated with a few isolated westerners who have dropped by. They talk without listening and draw excessive attention to themselves. However they do seem to have good intentions and are an encouragement to the local staff.

Most of my time here has been a two way experience. Much of what I do only helps a little bit, if at all and often I learn or get given something in return. Yesterday I had a more significant conversation with a person about adoption. He was very interested in my adoption and hearing about my life. Later he shared some photos of his child who he had adopted just last year under unusual circumstances. It felt good to be an encouragement and it was good for me to meet an adoptive father at the start of parenthood.

Back to work…

This week has been filled with some good tasks. We have been reviving a house for a married couple who have come to serve at Mukti. Alan and I spent two days dismantling the old windows to remove dusty rusted mesh and replace it with new mosquito mesh. Here are some photos of the finished house and one before/after shot.

House #1

House #2

Before

After

The rooms inside were a lot lighter after we had finished.

Today we spent the morning building some free standing shelves from scrap wood for an older lady.

Free Standing Shelves

There are a few things that are starting to seem normal. I can easily walk down a busy street with vehicles flying past in all directions. I am also used to washing with a bucket and living in a simple room.

However I am still surprised by a few things. Yesterday I bought an ice cream, two packets of chips and four Kit-Kats for under a dollar. Some things are just as expensive as they are in Australia and some things are very cheap. The other thing that still catches my attention is a certain smell along the track. It is not offensive here to do your business in public.

All in all I am doing well. I have started really enjoying the local food again. I have been going back for a second helping at lunch and dinner. At night I read and work a bit before bed. The most pressing need is for a more steady sleep. Nevertheless I feel healthier here than I do working indoors back in Australia.

I hope you are all well back home. I only have one month left tonight until I leave India. I think the time will go quickly. I am hoping to start and finish a major project before then to build a fence so that the cattle can graze in a paddock. Hopefully I can fit it into three working weeks.

Dropping like flies

Last week I was in bed on antibiotics for a few days. I feel better again now although I am lighter and a bit weak.

Of the seven that came to India with me five caught a bug. The weekend came and we all seemed to have a blockage issue that was getting serious. Multiple treatments prevailed at about 5am on Sunday. Needless to say I don’t want to keep getting sick.

Here is a picture of the fence I built last Monday with Alan. I've returned to work outside in small portions performing ad-hoc carpentry. Soon we will start on a big project to fence a new paddock so that the cattle can graze in an open space.

Fence (last Monday)

I have started to get to know some of the young girls living at Mukti. I have enjoyed going on walks with the Orchid family and learning some Marathi. I won’t talk much about them or post photos for legal and privacy reasons. I will say that it is amazing to see these young people’s lives and their attitude to life is very positive considering the trauma some of them have experienced.

Today all six of my travel buddies left Mukti. Roman, Paige and Jesse left at 5am for Mumbai / Chennai / Thailand and then on Melbourne. Jacquie, Emily and Glenda left at 2:30pm for a car trip to Pune, flight to Mumbai and then the flight home to Melbourne via Singapore. I have just heard that their flight to Mumbai was delayed. Hopefully they have made it to Mumbai to catch their international flight in time.