Day #1 – What a fabulous morning assisting with a house build for this wee baby and his 7-member family. Watch this space as our house will be complete by Thursday. Anita and I very proudly made the stairs today but made Mr Sinn climb first to check our handywork. We only managed to secure half of the floor boards as the 36 degree heat beat us but Luke and James also managed to get the roof trusses up. Thank you, Volunteer Building Cambodia – VBC, I am so looking forward to 7am tomorrow.
Day #2 for us and Day #4 of House Build #20 with Volunteer Building Cambodia – VBC. Whilst James continued to hang from the rafters nailing down the roofing tin we nearly finished nailing #5s into the floor (2 boards short), divided bedroom (for 7) and living section, added hand rail to the stairs, put the wall supports up, chiseled and sawed the door frame and all by midday. As we left the owners were so very happy (pictured). The dad helps us daily and mum just smiles and watches intently from her old house. The grandbaby sleeps and eats. Mr Sinn held on to Luke very firmly as he was nailing in the #8s to secure the corner. Human safety harness.
Day #3 – Nearly there, 1 day to go.. Spent the first hour with [the mum] unwinding the straight line after 2 members of our team nailed the door frame on without removing it yesterday. Needless to say it was not the females who made this oversight.
Today the flooring, outside walls and verandah were completed. Looking great so far (from a distance). Thanks VBC for this opportunity.
Baby Makara is not at all fussed by the noise going on around him.
Day #4 – After collecting the ply wood for walls, window frames, sand and concrete we eagerly set off to complete House #20 with Volunteer Building Cambodia – VBC. By 11.30 our mission was accomplished: walls up, concrete poured, windows on, door to bedroom on, corner covers attached.
We return tomorrow at 7am for the final blessing so that our very happy family can move in.
Mission accomplished.
So the House Blessing is over and the family can move in. After a stop at Old Market for Nina and I to purchase some house warming gifts (bag of rice, sleeping mats, mosquito nets, hammocks, clay cooking pot, pan, cups, chopsticks, floormat, bowls, plates, spoons, basin, knife and spirit house) we arrived at our house then all knelt on the mat for a bus load of visiting Monks to bless the purchases and thank us for our good work building a house for Cambodian people. After a Khmer breakfast of currie and bread we moved upstairs as the local Monk was blessing the house and us.
Anita and Luke handed over the keys and off we went to the local Pagoda for the water blessing. There lived 30 Monks and about 300 stray cats. Again we were blessed then asked to sit on the outside steps for water blessing, where we were absolutely drowned by the old Monk. He was chanting and we were laughing out loud. Very cold but very refreshing.
This was an amazing week and I thank Volunteer Building Cambodia – VBC for having me join their project. Mr Sinn and Jason are fabulous leaders and I highly recommend this NGO to all visiting volunteers.