Yesterday morning was a somewhat early start as everyone was keen to get stuck in and make a huge dent in the work.
The previous day, the ladies of the hostel had provided eggs and a sugary tea for a mid afternoon break so two dozen eggs, a number of bottles of water, electrical parts and light globes were all sourced just outside the hotel.
Straight away, it was great to see students delegating work amongst themselves. While some were painting the beds outside, others were painting the bedrooms a sky blue and some were prepping the dining room. Lawrence and Sean ended up looking like smurfs as blue paint managed its way onto each other leaving the walls begging. A time lapse with one of their cameras should reveal who made the first strike.
Throughout the day, primary aged children were fascinated with the work being carried out in the school yard. Mitch met his match as he could only lift two students at once who were thrilled with the attention. Meanwhile Christian has a series of interesting photos after a tiny girl gained control of his camera and put his photography skills to shame.
Victor and Callum were working hard painting the beds when they were taken by a number of students into the classrooms and given the tour of the library and year 1 rooms. Mind you, these students really were ankle biters.
At 4 o'clock the school was released and all students left in single file. This was a great opportunity for all St aug boys and staff to interact with the local kids. The boys were able to regain their football which had been lost during lunch.
Even more importantly, the boys were able to interact for a good hour with the blind, deaf and physically disabled students. The 3 staff were truly blown away by how respectful and delighted the St Aug boys were. All of them now know the alphabet in sign and many know the terms for asking age, name, country etc all in sign. This has broken down the barriers and has built the relationships so well. Everyone back home should be proud.
A swim in the pool preceded dinner and by 9:30, everyone was knackered after a great, satisfying days work and some R and R.
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