Army of Workers!
We arose early to greet the children as they arrived at school. It
was one thing to see the state of the old buildings empty last year,
but quite another to now see the classrooms jam packed with excited
kids. The sight of this school in use increased the value of every
dollar raised for this project!
After leaving
the kids to their classes we got straight to work digging a metre wide
path around the parameter of the back and one side of the building. In
some spots we were clearing soil up to half a metre deep. Tools and
equipment in the mountains are scarce, so armed with a couple of
shovels, one wheel barrow and a stack of buckets, we began digging and
moving dirt.
Yesterday, Nyoman mentioned that
the kids would join us after their assembly to get involved with the
project to encourage a greater ownership of their new school. We were
not expecting the army of enthusiastic kids that swarmed us with empty
cement bags to help move all the dirt. They were simply extraordinary!!
And innovative! Some kids carried bags of dirt clutched to their
chest, others on their shoulder or back. Some used a bamboo pole to
carry two buckets between them, while others also paired up using an
open cement bag like a stretcher to carry a load together. 
Jill had a
group of helpers using rocks as hammers with sticks to pry loose large
rocks that were buried in the dirt. At one stage Tony could barely keep
up with dozens of kids presenting him with bags to fill all at once. I
was amused to see a couple of young boys mimic me by lugging heavy
buckets of dirt on top of their shoulders in an attempt to show me how
strong they were. All the dirt moved was used to fill a large hole at
the front of the building in what will become their courtyard and
assembly area. It was incredibly inspiring to see the level of
enthusiasm and endurance of these kids and their teachers as we worked
alongside each other. 
Once the kids finished
school it was back to reality for our team with some extremely hard work
in the heat to finish the rest of the excavating by hand. By lunchtime
we had finished the longest stretch at the rear of the building,
exceeding Nyoman's expectations. We all agreed that this would not have
been possible without the help of the students and their teachers. It
was difficult to get moving again after a well earned lunch break, but
we were determined to finish the side pathway. Our energy levels
dropped rapidly by late afternoon, but we soldiered on and got the job
done, despite encountering a stubborn tree root half a metre from the end!
Is
it possible to be exhausted and exhilarated at the same time? Well we
were. It was great to finish a hard day of manual labour with a deep
sense of satisfaction. Even the cold shower (aka trough of water and
scoop) felt great!!
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