Day 13: Sunday, June 9th
I started my day with a toasty morning on the roof. Michael, Sarah, and I have moved our cots up to the roof because the breeze keeps us cooled off at night. Yes, it’s safe (hi, Mom). In addition to keeping us cool, the roof is great because it gently wakes us up with the rising sun and sound of nearby roosters!
I put on my Sunday best: a blue kurta, yellow leggings, and dusty Chacos. After a quick breakfast of idlis and curry, I headed to church with Janet and Michael. It was my second time attending Catholic mass in India, and yet again, I felt right at home. Although spoken in Tamil, the structure of mass is remarkably similar to mass in the U.S. One interesting difference is that men and women are separated across the aisle, and there are no pews or chairs.
From church, we headed straight to the village to meet up with the rest of the team. Today, the workers were attaching stirrups to rebar using steel ties. For non-civil-engineers: we were attaching smaller hoops of steel (stirrups) around the already-present steel bars (rebar). I’m not a civil engineering major, but being on-site has given me a lot of knowledge about construction and basic civil principles! The workers taught us how to attach the stirrups, and we got to work. Zia even earned a “100% Perfect” rating on her work! We also jumped rope and did more renditions of the ever-present Macarena.
Unfortunately, our great morning couldn’t last forever. Ayah’s ear infection was worsening, and she spent a difficult afternoon dealing with homesickness and pain. Luckily, our team watches out for each other— Zia helped Ayah using a home remedy in which you heat up half of an onion and place it over the ear. Magic! While Ayah enjoyed her onion and got a doctor appointment sorted out, we had a team meeting. Because of the heat, it’s been hard to get us together in one room, but our newly-acquired fan fixed that. We sat and talked movies, books, and The Twilight Saga. Ayah and her crew visited the clinic while the rest of us held down the fort, reading and planning community engagement activities.
Because of the logistical/health problems of the day, we weren’t able to visit the site in the evening. However, I think we adapted well and got some much-needed team time. Somehow, we aren’t tired of each other yet. Ayah returned safely after receiving a painkiller shot in a tender location (butt I won’t tell you where). Ayah is usually so spirited that her pain made us all sad, but she will be back to her healthy-eared self in no time. Big thanks to our advisors, Janet and Ken, for how they handled the situation!
Jane Cloninger
PUC India 2019