India: building homes, building lives

On November 20th, myself, 19 students and two other teachers boarded a plan to India for my second Habitat for Humanity trip at KIS. This trip was much anticipated. We’ve been fundraising and planning since last February and for most of us it was our first trip to India. The trip was almost cancelled twice and we were warned repeatedly to say we were “tourists” and not volunteers for Habitat. Apparently the Indian government is so leery of Christian missionary groups right now that they’ve been turning people away. Even though we were not doing missionary work, Habitat is christian affiliated and we didn’t want to take the chance. On top of that, along with the 10 different brands of diarrhea meds, malaria pills, hand sanitizers and theft warnings, I was wondering a little what exactly we were walking in to!

DAY 1: We landed in Bangalore, India at a ripe 3am. We were met at the airport by one of the Habitat coordinators named Stalin (yes, Stalin. And he didn’t appreciate our humor as much as we did). We threw our luggage into a sketchy looking truck and reached the “Royal Suites Apartments” around 4am which we were happy to find clean and comfortable. We spent most of the first day eating amazing Indian food and discovering the local area. Breakfast included chana masala (yum!). Lunch and dinner was an assortment of curries, ciabatta, ice cream with fruit, and fresh squeezed pineapple juice. I knew I like Indian food, but man, I can’t get over how amazing it is. Creamy, spicy, flavorful, veggie and meat curries with amazing bread (ciabatta, roti, naan) always complemented with fresh squeezed juice and tasty desserts. Seriously the best food on the planet. Now if my digestive system could only handle it a little better... It’s rather mean of them I think to serve “all-you-can-eat” buffets 3 times a day.

Walking through the streets of Bangalore was a unique cultural experience for both myself and the students. No sidewalks or traffic control. Open sewage on the sides of the street. Cows meandering around as they feel. Chickens being slaughtered in alleys and open butcheries hanging the lamb for display. And a blend of religious customs stemming from Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. A place like no where I’ve seen before.

The day ended with a powerpoint orientation or our build sites. We got to talk with Stalin some more and his boss, Joseph (again, I’m not making this up, lol) For those not very familiar with what Habitat does, yes, they fundraise and build houses. But these homes are not a handout and families must pass a strick screening process. First of all, the family must be in great need and currently living in substandard housing or homeless. Next, they have to be able to pay the morgage on their home (Habitat provides the no-interest loan). And finally, they have to put in “sweat equity” hours. They have to work with volunteers and Habitat employees in building their house or the house of other Habitat families. It is a very unique organization that helps people become self-sustaining or as they say, “A hand up, not a hand out.”

What was most powerful for us to find out was the $2,000 we paid to go on the trip could build an entire home in India! And the $70 most students spent in duty free at the airport was more than two months salary for the family who’s home we were working on. The orientation was a great way to put perspective on the work we would complete throughout the week.

DAY 2: Today we finally started work! It took a 2 hour, scary drive out of town to the worksite (literally the scariest traffic I’ve ever seen), but man was it worth it. The day began with an traditional Hindu opening ceremony at the “auspicious” hour. Don’t really understand this, but we were not allowed to begin until this “time” which ended up being about 10am. During the ceremony we were brought up in front of the whole village and honored with a ring of flowers, die placed on our forehead and ears, and a traditional candle lighting. What I didn’t know was that I would be expected to give an impromtu speech in front of hundreds of Indians! Good thing most of them couldn’t understand my English. We also got the chance to meet the husbands, or head males of the households we were building for. In Indian culture, the man is indisputably and in all cases head of the household. So even though these men were jobless and useless as the women struggled to balance work and home, they were the ones that got the recognition. As I realized many times, women are respected for their talents but rarely in any leadership or control role. As I tried many times to input in conversations and give direction at the worksite, I learned this applied to me too! How rude! I tried to be understanding, but it got old, fast. I’m sure you all can imagine how easy it was for me to take a backseat role :)

Children of Habitat families that sang a prayer for us during candle-lighting.

Work started with taking hammers to walls and moving bricks from one location to another. We split our group of students between two worksites and also worked at digging the floor two inches deeper in the other house. This was for the purpose of “installing” the granite floor. (yes, granite is naturally everywhere in India and very cheap).

Village life was much quieter than the city and far more beautiful. The people that lived in the village were interested is us, but VERY shy and kept their distance the first day. I even tried to say hi and play with one of the children and I made cry and go running back to her mother! I know, surprise, surprise, lol. At lease I had a pack of boys in love with me :) There was about five twenty-year-olds that couldn’t get over my white skin and blonde hair. I felt like quite the celebrity :) See picture of me and my gang below!

DAY 3: On our second work day, we started to run into a few problems. First of all, every english-speaking Habitat employee seemed to have disappeared. We struggled to communicate with giant hand gestures and acting out. Not very effective for construction work! And we also discovered what I would describe as the “Indian Bobble Head” which seemed to be the universal response to every questions we asked. I would struggle for 10 minutes to communicate my questions, think they finally understand, and waited for a yes or no response on what to do. But instead they would do this ‘bobble head’ thing that was neither a nod or shake! I didn’t know what the heck it meant! And with my cultural background it was also quite humorous :). Much later on we found out it did mean “yes” but not before getting thoroughly frustrated!

Example of the Indian "bobble head". You tell me what it means:


In the afternoon, while communication started to get better, one of my students (Ed) got hit in the head with a hammer! He got too close to the cement demolition and was hit with a backswing square on his forehead. Of course full-on drama ensued and I went with Ed to what could most closely be described as the local “clinic”. And I use this term loosely. The clinic consisted of an alley lined with people waiting to be seen and a small building with a curtain pulled. Luckily the doctor himself looked clean and professional. He assessed that Ed was just fine, prescribed some mystery meds and sent us on our way. It turned out fine in the end, but what an experience!

DAY 4: Today we spent almost the entire day digging. And for those of you who have never spent an entire day digging, it is NOT fun. Probably the hardest work on the planet. On the first site we were digging to find the septic (STINKY) and on the second we were digging the foundation of a new home. Complete with creepy crawlies, the students got a real taste of 3rd world construction. I did my best to entertain them and even ate a termite to prove that nature can be fun :). They kind of have the flavor of carrots. I bet they would taste good in a soup!

I would also like to note that Indian women are ripped! They are decked out in colorful saree’s even at the work site yet they are harder workers than the men, can lift extreme weights and just never quit! While they worked their baby sons ran around the neighborhood with jingly anklets and little baby thongs on. Quite amusing. See pictures below.

DAY 5: Last work day and also last exhaust-filled drive to the worksite! We had a quite beautiful ground breaking ceremony at new location. Blessing of the tools, burning incense, prayer, and of course food. It was a very cultural and meaningful way to end our last work day.

Today we also visited the village school. Our students shared gifts, song and games and the local children did the same in return. I really think we could have stayed there all day! The school was quaint, but beautiful and the children were just giddy with excitement to play with us. They treasured all our gifts and even refused to eat the candy we gave them because they wanted so desperately to savor it and make it last. The students also LOVED the digital cameras. They would beg you to take there pictures so they could see the result. So cute! It was a great experience for our students to realize how lucky they are to receive the education they do.

Teaching the kids a KIS sports cheer, lol:


How fitting that today was Thanksgiving day. And wow, do I have a lot to give thanks for. I have to knock myself in the head sometimes and remind myself how amazing my life has been and continues to be. Also very fitting that I had an amazing Indian dinner on thanksgiving. Get it, “Indian” dinner? Yes, you can appreciate the irony.

DAY 6: To round out our trip, we spend the last day as tourists. In the morning we went what could be described as a “Safari” searching for lions, tiger and bears, oh my! A bear even mounted the side of the bus we were driving in and a tiger even took a poo in front of us (see below)! It was very exciting for everyone. I have to admit though, that I’ve always found a certain sadness in zoos and enclosed animal habitats. While amazed by the beautiful creatures we saw, I felt immense guilt that their life was enclosed on these boundaries for our entertainment. The ‘wildness’ was gone and replaced by complacency and even depression in their eyes. What amazing creatures that certainly below in the wild.

My students inspired by the Safari:

Second Pic: Bear on Bus! Last Pic: Taking a poo!

But by far the most meaningful and moving experience of the week was visiting the orphanage later that night. We were again amazed by the hospitality, welcome and love shown by those that have so little. The orphanage we visited was run by a reverend and his wife. About 20 children lived there ages 2 to 17 years, 4 of which are affected by HIV/AIDS. It was amazing to meet these children, play with them and watch them perform for us. On the surface you could hardly guess that they had so little with such a rough life ahead. But it was the older children that gave it away. The young children had tons of life and enthusiasm, but the progressively older they got, you could literally see the life being drained from their faces. Almost like they knew now how little they had and what life had in store for them. I couldn’t stop crying. It was really difficult to just be there and enjoy our time with them. I wanted to surround them with love and hope and care and show them the good that life can give them. I vowed in that moment that I will one day adopt and provide this for some child somewhere...

To conclude, I found India to be a true stimulation of the senses in every way! Noise and lights and every smell imaginable. Health, wealth, poverty. Happiness and sadness. It was quite the roller coaster of the week, moving me in so many directions. I took home with me (actually, back to Korea) lasting memories, a small sun tan and about five pounds (Man, I love Indian food!)

To see all my pics, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/theroadgoeseveronandon/sets/72157625366611215/

Here are a few more highlights: