The Village

The next morning I was awaken at about 5AM by an Islamic prayer piped through speakers by the mosque next door. Surprisingly India isn’t very Buddhist, especially in the south. Most people are Hindu and after that a small percentage practice Islam and Christianity. I decided I better get a little more sleep before I was required to wake up and head to the village at 7AM. The village, Chevuru, as about 30 minutes by bus from Gudivada.

Upon arrival we were greeted by the villagers dancing and playing drums in clothes reserved for a special occasion. We were then paraded through the street of the village and greeted by many of the children asking us our names. Since we were only the second group of volunteers, and the largest ever, to come to the village, it was a bit event.


Welcome party

After our welcome party, it was time for breakfast. Indian bananas, curry, bread and yogurt that tasted like cottage cheese. The curry in south India is like nothing I have ever tried before. Since most Indian restaurants in foreign countries serve the curries of northern India, it was definitely a new culinary experience. Not to mention, this is the food that many Indians eat every day in rural and poor India. Curry 3 times a day.


Average breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After breakfast it was time for work. We were brought down to the incomplete cement houses and told the basics of what we were to do. Basically skilled labor was left to the masons and our job was to get the materials to them. This meant forming an assembly line and passing large bowls of cement from the ground to the roof. Working in the hot Indian sun side by side with volunteers and villagers and seeing the houses take shape before my eyes was a satisfying experience. It was a welcome change since I am accustomed to sitting at my desk and not really see the fruits of my work.

A few hours later it was time for lunch. Most of us were exhausted, not because of the manual labor but because of the 40 degree (105 Fahrenheit) temperatures. Lunch consisted of breakfast. All the volunteers were surprised that they could drink cups full of Chai since it was a hot drink on a hot day. Actually due to the lack of refrigeration, we never really got a cold drink. After lunch we had a 2 – 3 hour break. This was good, since it was usually the hottest part of the day.


Hanging with the village boys.

The evening consisted of more work and playing with the children. Which was then followed by dinner, which consisted of breakfast and lunch. Most days seemed like repeats of the first.