Project Septic Tanks = Completed

It is Monday…..five days before we leave from Rising Star. Our Scorpion group’s task is to complete the septic tank project. This project has been ongoing throughout several months. When we got on site we found out that we had to fill in dirt for two septic tanks. Today was very humid and hot. Water is essential and taking breaks to get it is important.

 

Filling in dirt is hard work on a colony. We lack proper tools to make this easier. A wheelbarrow would be helpful. A decent shovel would be nice. Instead we have homemade bowls, two shovels that are the equivalent of a large gardening shovel. One of the shovels has a crack on the wooden base already. We will wear this one out for sure.

The first location had a large mound of dirt and a huge hole to fill in. The dirt was a challenge but the Indians were in the way too. One of the men wanted to cement the inside of the septic while we were doing the dirt. This wouldn’t be a problem if it weren’t for the fact that he would get a little miffed when we would get a little dirt on his hair. We also were maneuvering around saried women bringing cement or water on bowls on their heads. There always is extra people that feel the need to visit with the man in the septic hole oblivious to being in the way. It all worked out and we got it filled in.

The next location was a home with the outhouse in the backyard along with a couple of cows. We were glad they weren’t in the front as where they are there is manure. The outhouse had a pipe running under a fence made of branches to the front yard, where the septic is located.

Filling this one in was a challenge. It was a large hole, the dirt was located in various locations and we were feeling the heat. Both shovels broke, so a lot of it we were pushing it in with our feet and using the bowls. We were able to salvage the shovel for a short while. Kim, our volunteer coordinator, has been doing this five days a week for months. She works so hard and today was her breaking point. While shoving dirt in her knee buckled and she fell to the ground in intense pain. She has had knee surgery on one or both of these knees. I was a little worried she had damaged it again. As she lay on the dirt I helped her up and hugged her. What happened is she broke down and just started sobbing. It felt as if she just needed to let it all go. She had worked so hard day in and day out, her body was spent, she had gave her all. She just needed a hug and some reassurance of a job well done. She needed a mom to console her, praise her, allow her to cry and tell her to rest. This is where my age is an asset. I was glad that I was here when she needed that support and I always will feel a little closer to Kim because of this moment. She also needed to know that our team would make up the difference and take the weight off. As hard as it was for her to sit on the porch and let us work, she still managed to help lift us up with her humor and gift of motivating others to do hard things.

At the tail end, when our team really needed it, Joel joined us from medical and helped us finish. It was nice to have a fresh pair of hands to help us complete this job. We worked together as a team relaying dirt over the fragile branch fence to cover up the septic pipe to the outhouse. Victor, the Indian guy in charge of this project, pitched in and helped as well. As I dumped that final bowl of dirt, I had a feeling of relief and could say it was a job well done. Victor’s smile said it all. He appreciated our laborious efforts.

One thing I have learned through this experience is that I can do hard things. At first the job may not be appealing, but by having a positive attitude and seeing the greater good of what is being done, it is powerful. I fed off of the motivation of others and that feeling of accomplishment through teamwork.



I have gained a great deal of respect for the volunteer coordinators and for my team mates. We all maintained a positive attitude and put our whole selves into each task. The coordinators have been powerful in their leadership skills by allowing us to capture their enthuisiasm and passion for what we are achieving on the colonies and on campus with the children. I am the oldest volunteer this session. These are all young people below thirty. I have faith that our world is daily becoming a better place with young adults that are here purely for the reason to give of themselves.