Day 5 - We (almost) nailed it

Today is our second last day to Watrotka Primary school. Many of us arrived breakfast drowsy and half asleep despite sleeping early last night. Yesterday was a tiring day and today promised to be a similar one.

As today was our last day teaching at the school, we wanted to ensure that we did a proper wrap up for our lessons. We also wanted to make sure our students had actually learnt something new.

Teaching was tiring but we felt a sense of achievement after seeing the bright smiles on our students' faces.

In addition to teaching, today was also the day we were supposed to finish constructing our kitchen. We had a long list of tasks ahead of us but we endeavoured to finish as much as we can.

Our construction work started with adding water to the sand base to pack the sand tightly. What seemed like an illogical task worked effectively and the sand base for our cement floor was packed tightly.

Next up we needed to mix more cement for the floor. Compared to the previous day, we needed 4 - 5 times more cement. It was definitely a test of our arm strength and stamina.

Other than mixing cement, we also needed to continue reinforcing the structure as well as creating a wooden sign for the kitchen.

We all got a chance to hammer in nails and reinforce wooden frames despite gaining sore arms after. Following that, we needed to prepare the structure for the final stages of construction. We also started installing the zinc walls onto the structure.

It was by no means an easy task but we achieved it through teamwork and cooperation.

Slowly but surely, our kitchen started taking shape and we cannot wait for the cement flooring to harden.

The kitchen looks way better compared to our first day right?

What a day, it was tiring but it was definitely worth it. After having a sumptuous dinner, we are now back in our hotel to rest and prepare for our last day at Watrotka Primary (Games Day!)

Reflections from Day 5 -

"Today was my third day of teaching and doing hard CIP. The class was fine as they listened well. Despite being noisy, they were willing to participate in our lessons. For our hard CIP, I tested my physical prowress by helping to mix cement and hammering in nails. Today I learnt to step out of my comfort zone and approach tasks with a good attitude despite not being strong." - Fitri (3N1)

"I experienced sadness as I realised that I will miss my students a lot. I also felt accomplished after seeing how much of the kitchen was built up since starting on it since day 1. I was also taught to be happy after seeing one of the students, who has an underdeveloped arm, enjoy life as per normal. If i had the same disability, I would not have been able to approach life with as much enthusiasm and glee." - Belinda (3C)