Content from Monica
Wednesday - 21 November
As the last brick is placed and
mortar set, this once pile of brick, sand, rocks, water and concrete powder now
forms a stable structure that will house a loving and dedicated family. The
resounding feeling is one of bitter sweetness. There is great joy in its
completion, but also sadness in knowing that this experience is coming to an
end, and we will soon have to say fare thee well.
If these walls could speak, they would
not tell the tale of how jet lag, high temperatures and humidity, combined with
hard manual labour, conspired to knock people off their feet from heat
exhaustion. They would not speak of how a bout of sickness kept a team member
from enjoying a day with the group as they were given a lift by elephants in
exchange for bananas and sugar cane, and trekked along a jungle path to swim at
the foot of a beautiful waterfall. Nor would they tell the tale of upset
tummies, achy muscles, bruises, blisters and scratches. No, these walls would
not speak of the lack of personal boundaries held by cement dust and
mosquitoes, or how one tiny bite could swell an eye so much as to render a
person blind in one eye for over a day. No, they would not speak of these things,
for they are insignificant and fleeting.
If these walls could speak, they
would focus on those of a timeless nature. Set against a back drop of rice
paddy fields and fruit trees, and the rhythmic sounds of shovels slicing into
sand and gravel, sand and gravel being dropped into buckets, buckets being passed and emptied, cement being mixed,
floors being swept with a straw broom, they would tell of the coming together
of people from different backgrounds, cultures, languages, ages, skills and
life experiences, to form such a
cohesive, synergystic unit that it would be far less if any one person were
missing.
If these walls could speak they
would tell how the spoken language is not really so important to communicate
clearly. They would tell how a laugh, a
smile, or a gesture can be understood as clearly as a word, and that ``OK`` is
universal. But, when shyness is overcome and an attempt is made to speak a
word, a name, a phrase, or to even count buckets of sand in another’s tongue,
this can draw you even closer to a new place and its people. These walls would
describe the wonder of how after only a few short days these people were
working together as if they always had, and how the air was filled with the
sounds of laughter as they joked with, and teased each other during their toil.
If these walls could speak, they
would tell of new friendships formed, and old friendships deepened. They would
tell how they were touched by each and every one of these friends as they were
being built. They would describe how each of
their components; sand and gravel, bricks and mortar, were passed hand to hand, person to person until they
were placed and set with such earnestness so as to ensure that they were as
strong and true as possible. These walls would tell of their skilled masons as
they took this motley crew from across the globe under their wings, guided and
tutored them with the utmost patience and the gentlest humour. They would
describe how these masons would often work side by side with their charges, but
just as often, give them space to work on their own; stopping by intermittently to lend a hand only when
needed, or to give their seal of
approval, allowing at first a sense of
relief, then a feeling of proud accomplishment.
These walls would describe the midday
meals prepared with such care by the families of those who will live within
them, and of how they provided needed sustenance to continue their creation.
They would describe how these meal times offered a moment to catch up, and
connect with those who worked apart, before continuing on with the day.
These walls would tell of the
stories of how all of these people came to be here, and of all those people who
helped make it possible for them to be here; and so on, until a web of
connection so expansive, wondrous and intricate is painted in the mind so it
becomes possible to envision that these walls have been touched by the whole
world.
Yes, if these walls could speak,
these are the stories that they would tell. They would tell of how they were
built by love.
And this is just the prologue.
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