The Build – Day Two
On day two, I find myself back to cleaning bamboo, our group is now divided, some of us are weaving the bamboo to make walls. Others continue to clean the bamboo and make sure the weavers have something to weave with. I’m cleaning for now. We had an extended break in the morning to do our group shot for HFH in a nearby tree. Our presence has attracted the locals. There was some debate over whether or not we’d be able to safely get up and down the tree until one of the kids practically runs up it and starts walking down the long branch where we’re to sit as if it’s a tight-rope. I’m amused but at the same time I’m worried about what would happen if the kid slipped. However, the kid is clearly a pro, he waits at the end of the long branch for the rest of us.
We make our way up the tree, lacking the child’s grace and expertise. But nonetheless all of us manage to group together on the branch to get a group shot for the trip. The other kids are now up in the tree on other branches watching us, amused with our clumsy efforts. Cameras come out and the kids wave, smile and pose. The tree is like a playground, one that was hundreds of years in the making.
We took the scenic route back to the build site, and the kids from the tree followed us along much of it. This area is absolutely stunning. Some houses are bamboo, others bamboo with mud plaster that’s been painted. Some are painted with solid vibrant colours, other have designs on them. The locals we pass press their hands together, smile and say ‘Namaste’. I respond in kind. Occasionally I work up the nerve to ask for a picture, and they generally respond with that kind smile and a little figure-eight nod of the head.
Back at the site and I’m again cleaning bamboo. Towards the end of the day the weaving group needs an extra hand to work on the long wall so I join them. We’re all confused at first at we each try to figure out how to do this effectively, but after a little experimentation, we have a system a the job goes smoothly and quickly. We start on the end as one person feed the bamboo into the wall. The next person drags it to the end. My role in this was to hold the vertical pieces up and down as the bamboo got fed through to the other side. The feeder and I would then tap the bamboo in place. Once the long wall is complete, our work for the day is finished. The kids have warmed up to us quite a bit in just a day, they teach me their name and are amused and delighted by my poor pronunciation. They’re also teaching me how to count in Nepali, another group member and I play a little hacky-sac (which I am NOT good at) with them before heading back to the hotel.