July 22nd 2010

Hello everyone,
Sorry for not updating regularly, it's hard to get Internet over here, especially when there are two computers to share with 17 people! Thanks for all the wonderful comments and amazing birthday wishes, I really appreciated it and miss you lots!
I'm going to go back to Sunday and start my blogging from there..

Saturday night, Ashley and I hung low, went to the Internet cafe, and then came back to our hotel and relaxed next to the pool and had some good chatting time because everyone was either out or sleeping. We woke up early Sunday and had another full day of touring. We went to the beach close by and had 2 hours of free time doing water sports! Ashley LOVES the water and went wake boarding and tried a whole bunch of other cool things, and I hung out on the beach, and got convinced to do something called fly fishing. Over here, it's a water sport where two people sit on this big floaty contraption and it's attached to a boat. Then the boat goes really fast and the floaty gets pulled out of the water and we literally fly. So Melissa and I went on that, which was a ton of fun and when we were up in the air, the view was just beautiful. After that, we dried off and went to a Lotus temple and had lunch. The temple had zip lines and stuff which the Aussie boys tried, and a huge statue of a bird. After that, we went to the water temple, which celebrates the God of Prosperity. It is absolutely beautiful, especially because the view was phenomenal and we were just off the Indian Ocean. The pictures are amazing, I'll post some when I get back. After that, we climbed back into our bus and headed back to Gitgit for another hard week of working. Because the last hotel we stayed at was booked, we transferred to another hotel in Gitgit. Because it was dark, we didn't realize what was around us, but when we woke up Monday morning, to mine and Ashlely's surprise, we were at a dolphin and wildlife resort! There are dolphins outside our balcony! It's AMAZING! We also have seen some other cool animals, like deer's with fangs, sharks, alligators, blue tonged lizards and snakes.

After we checked out our hotel in the morning on Monday, we headed to work. When we arrived, we noticed that alot of the kitchen was mostly done and to many of my group member's disappointment, we were left digging the ground while the locals kept building the house. It was good because it was half a day, but people were really complaining which degraded my mood just a little bit. I kept thinking about what I was taught at home, and realizing that I've come to a place to build a house for someone who is less fortunate, and if digging dirt is what they need me to do, then I'll do it. It's hard to keep in a positive mind frame when other people are negative, but because I kept reminding myself that, the work was faster and quicker as the day went by. Our volunteer motto at home is Work no Words, and I kept repeating that over and over in my head which helped me lots as well. We went to an orphanage that afternoon, and because of all of your generous donations, I was able to purchase some candy, toys, and learning supplies and give them to the orphanage. The kids are just precious, with the age range from 7-17 and they even have a place for students who attend University. Most of the girls were asked what they wanted to become, and they said English Teachers while most of the boys wanted to become Guides and one little boy said that he wanted to become a Mechanic. After that, we learned that most of the money for the orphanage comes from things that they make and sell, and one of those things are teas. The tea they make is called Love Tea, haha, and they grow the tea themselves, dry the tea in the oven, weigh them, pack them and ship them off. Ashley and I helped bag the tea for about an hour, until they were all done. We also bought some tea to help with the orphanage. The Aussie boys (Alex, Andrew and Tom) and Ron, went out and bought soccer balls for the kids, and had a huge game of soccer after the tea was done. It was so much fun watching the boys interact with the kids, and they all had an amazing time. They all asked us when we were coming back... that was kinda sad. Some of the kids parents can't afford to take care of them so they come to the orphanage as a boarding school almost. I'm so thankful that I have amazing parents and am able to live in a beautiful house, eat great food, and attend an amazing school with the freedom of choosing what I want to do in my spare time. The time we had there was very touching.

Tuesday was probably one of the best days since I've been here. In the morning we went to the Gitgit waterfall, which is a tourist attraction and the biggest waterfall in Indonesia. Apparently the water comes from a natural spring, and it is amazingly tall and strong. The current flow is fast and hard. Obviously, Ashley and I ran into the waterfall right when we got there and had a great time getting under it, behind it and just enjoying the moment. Then we dried off and noticed that the boys had gone down stream a little bit, so Ashley, Wynne and I went to join them. Because there were three guys and three girls, we decided to alternate so Ron was up first just making sure everything was okay and the water wasn't too deep. The adventure got crazy when Ron discovered a dead animal floating down the river, so we all quickly turned around and went back. Unfortunately, because we swam so far down stream, we had to climb the rocks around the waterfall in order to go back to the stairs, and we couldnt swim because the water was too strong. So, it took us an hour to climb all the way back to safety, and then we all dried off and hung out on the rocks of the waterfall. Because the boys were with us, one of their amazingly intellectual ideas was to cliff dive. So they boys started jumping off the rocks and climbing back up to do it all over again. So I decided I wanted to try, and let me tell you, the experience was just great. (Sorry Mom.. =) We then headed back and went to our worksites for the afternoon, but before we started, we had lunch, and a chocolate treat. And that was the one day I didn't read the ingredients, and realized that after I ate the treat, there was cashew oil inside. I immediately had a reaction, and Wynne told me I had welts on my lips. I took down Benadryl and a Reactine and fell asleep at the worksite for 2 hours. Even when I woke up, I was feeling unwell, so I decided to take it slow and rest to get better. Unfortunately, it was the last day of our Kitchen build, so we gave everyone hugs and had a mini goodbye ceremony and I gave away the rest of the presents bought to the family. They are precious, and I'm glad that they are able to have a space to provide food for their family. Usually every morning we have Devotions, where one person says an inspiring story or thought or quote to make our day better. That day, Tom, an Aussie boy, got up and spoke about a talk he went to go hear with his mom. One of the most important things he said, was we have to remember that the impact of our work is not just going to last a couple of years, but these houses will stay up for generations, and because of our work, we are helping a family grow, but also helping their kids, and their kids grow too. We are providing a place where maybe the next amazing Einstein might be discovered. Tom's devotion was really amazing. Tuesday evening, Wynne (pronounced Winnie) had a movie night in her room, so we all got into our PJ's and watched a movie together. Then after everyone waited up until 12 to sing me Happy Birthday. It was great :)

Wednesday morning I woke up feeling great. I called home in the morning and spoke to Mom and Noonie, and then went off building. Everyone was making me feel super special all day. We combined worksites Wednesday and Thursday because our kitchen site is done, and because I didn't do much work because of my reaction the day before, I wanted to put in 10 times the amount of work. Where Ashley's site is, we are building a house for a couple who has a kid who is 24 years old, and lives in Denpasar which is about 3 hours away. The house they are living in now is small, very small, with a bed and one step away from their bed is a TV, and about 2 steps away from that is a kitchen with a table and sink and a frying pan. The house isn't built with cement blocks, rather with wood which isn't good for the harsh rain and wind they get up in the mountains. The build was great because we were all together as a team, and we had a chance to work with each other and have more a team spirit. My favorite job on the worksite is cement mixing because it's a boy job, and I love getting dirty and working up a sweat, and the cement not only sticks the cinder blocks together but it also creates a floor as well. I worked super hard yesterday and broke my back doing it, but the feeling was rewarding, and because everyone was working so hard, the walls went up quickly and the window panes and rebar went up as well. After a tiring day, Ashley booked me a back massage which was just amazing. Because mixing cement is so hard, and that's one of my main jobs, my back is in a ton of pain, so a nice relaxing massage was just what I needed. After that, I went back and had a shower and got ready for dinner. After that, Ashley presented me with a T-shirt that says I <3 Bali and with everyone's signatures and messages in the back. It was a very cute present. Beth and Wynne bought me a slice of apple pie with candles on them which I had to blow out, and a ton of banana splits. We then listened to music and had everyone in the pool, so all in all my birthday was a blast. I missed being home with my parents on my birthday but everyone here is like my family now, so it was good :)

Today was another day of building at Ashley's site, but because the house was finished, there wasn't much for all of us to do. I did lots of cement mixing, but the pouring of the cement was going slowly, which in turn made my job slow too. It was okay though, because most of us were doing odd jobs, and so when the work was slow, I was playing with the kids on the street. They all had little dinosaurs so I made the growling noise and chased them around, it was lots of fun and a fun way to pass my time hahah. Today I think we're going to keep it cool, just relax in the room, which is what I'm doing now, and then have dinner, and probably hang in the pool tonight. We have a goodbye ceremony for the family tomorrow and then we're off to Kuta until next Friday. Our whole group is staying the night tomorrow, and then some of them head home on Saturday, and the rest of us are staying in Kuta or Ubud in either our hostel or different hotels around Kuta.

So, what did I learn on my trip?
I learned that being materialistic is something that needs to be on a constant check, because falling into a materialistic pattern can get comfortable. Many people here, it's sad to say, have been complaining about the hotels we've been staying in. One even went as far as saying as the dolphin splashing is too loud at night and therefore, it's hard to get a good sleep. It kills me to hear people speak like that, especially people in my own group. We are SO lucky and unbelievably fortunate that we have such an amazing life in Canada and elsewhere. I am thankful that I have amazing parents who have sacrificed alot to give me an amazing life. I have a beautiful house and the ability to eat amazing food, and am able to live elsewhere to attend University where my dreams will be fulfilled. I know that I will become a teacher one day, but for the kids out here, it's hard to say the same. I'm thankful that I don't have to be given away to a boarding school because I can't be afforded, I'm thankful that my family has given me the security to live an amazing life. I'm thankful that we have enough money to travel, and some of these kids haven't even been outside Gitgit. I live a very blessed and fulfilled life, and I want to come back home and conantly remind myself of that. I think I'm going to frame some pictures of the house we built to make it a constant reminder that I have MORE than enough, and I shouldn't always want to want, and I should be smart with my money and save it for things that I need. I need to cherish my family more, and say thank you to them more often. I can't tell you how grateful I am to have amazing parents and an amazing life, and I want to make it a daily routine.

I appreciate all of you for helping me come here and realize this.

I'll still continue writing in my blog about our relaxation time in Kuta, but I just wanted to thank everyone for reading me, and following and supporting me. I'm planning on doing another build it two years time, hopefully to Kenya or Cambodia, and maybe after that, become a team leader and lead some trips. Habitat for Humanity is a great organization, and I can see myself volunteering with this charity for a very long time.

Thank you again for everything, and for all your well wishes and love and prayers.
I'll see you all in about a week!


Carpe Diem,
Shabana.