Day - 5

Day 5– First full day of hard labour.

Our day started as usual getting up around seven and straight up to breakfast, today we had to wait 10 minutes for Stephen to eventually find his way through the apparent maze and down to the breakfast table. Before we started, Nic expressed another side of himself by saying grace in French. For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, steamed rice muffins, toast and Filipino frankfurts. After breakfast we went straight up to the IRC community where we received matching work shorts made out of sacks of flour and then split up into our groups.

Team Alpha piled on the back of a jeep and went down to the river to wash clothes and sacks. It was a spectacular view that resembled a tropical paradise. The river had two levels, one was for swimming and one was for washing clothes. At the end there was time for a refreshing swim in the crystal clear water. There was a similar occurrence from yesterday as Evan was very popular with the locals. Team Bravo was working on construction first counting and moving the reinforcing rods that would be support for the concrete we will pour later during the week. As Team bravo were working up a sweat team Charlie was in the bakery crushing colourful bread in order to make new bread. Once all the bread was crushed finer than sand, they joined Bravo on the construction site. Both teams formed an efficient line to pass the metal rods from the floor up onto the roof on the soon to be orphanage.

After working hard and with the relief of some rain we finally finished and returned to the house for yet another delicious lunch. On offer was rice, nuggets, and a savoury jelly with corn and cheese dessert as well as soft drink. After lunch we had well needed down time, lounging around getting to know one another a little more before we headed back to the IRC for more hard but rewarding work. Almost all of us climbed back onto the roof and began the slow process of tying metal ties to the rods on the roof. The orphaned children who we are building the home for were eager to help and provided us entertainment as we worked with their unique bubbly personalities and beautiful singing. We finished the job and then spent a few minutes getting to know the children individually before we returned back to the house for showers and dinner.

Dinner was fulfilling and included rice noodles, fried chicken, rice and pork followed by a delightful mango and biscuit cheesecake. 

After our delicious meal we grabbed our journals and made our way off to the community church to complete a food challenge. There was a range of options starting with the pig intestines followed by chicken gizzards, chicken feet, chicken head and last of all the balut (partially developed chicken egg at 14days.) Emily, Emma, Abi, Keegan, Nic, Elliot, Rueben, Micalea, Chenoah and Drew braved eating the balut. Drew and Chenoah then decided to take on the unofficial world record and eat more than 9 in one sitting. This was an amazing and brave move and Chenoah succumbed on number 8 and Drew finished on 11.  What an amazing effort as most people struggle with eating one Balut.   They started off coping well but are now paying for it, and will be sleeping with buckets, also along with the other brave students that passed the 4^th challenge who are now not feeling %100. 

Goodbye from everyone in the group, today was a great day!

Tanika: Hey everyone, miss you so much, I just want to say I have felt so at home here, cant’ wait to come home though (: miss you xx <3

Georgina: Hey everyone! Having an amazing time over here, the people are so friendly and happy over here it is beyond belief! Can’t wait to come home and see you all again! Big shout out to Mum, Maddie and my closest friends, love and miss you all heaps! xoxox