LARRY, the Moose from Maine

So often, it is difficult to assess the impact one has upon others. This is particularly true with respect to Rotary International’s campaign to eradicate polio throughout the world.  During the past ten years, I have had the honor and privilege of leading teams of Rotarians from throughout the world to India for the purpose of distributing polio vaccine to children under the age of five years during the National Immunization Days (NIDs).  This February 2012 was no exception.

My ROTARY DREAM TEAM – INDIA 2012, returned again to an area within the state of Haryana – the Mewat District – which up until recently had been a hotbed of outbreaks of new cases of diagnosed polio victims.  For years, the people of the area (predominantly Muslims) had prevented their children from being immunized because of their concern that the vaccine would sterilize their children.  Through Rotary’s efforts, this myth was dispelled and each month, more of the children in these villages received the vaccine.

The team was divided into groups of four or five, and were sent to various enclaves and neighborhoods in the towns of Bisru and Punhana.  Three other Rotarians accompanied me to the front porch of a home in Bisru.  Upon arrival at the “booth”, we met the three local ladies and one gentleman who were in charge of that “booth”.  We explained who we were and why we were there – to assist them in distributing the polio vaccine to children from their neighborhood.  In addition to my fellow team members, I had brought with me a stuffed animal toy – Larry the Moose – which my Rotary Club president had entrusted to me to take with me on this journey. 

Larry is the unofficial mascot of our Rotary Club in Sanford-Springvale, Maine. He has participated in many projects throughout the year, always wearing different outfits of clothing.  This was no exception, as Larry was sporting a jacket and pants, made of Indian cloth, as well as a Rotary pin and a “collar” with the slogan END POLIO NOW.  As I had brought Larry with me, more and more of the children were fascinated with seeing him, and I was able to use him as a puppet to attract the attention of the children and to encourage them to bring their brothers and sisters to receive the drops of life-saving polio vaccine. More and more children gathered around our distribution “booth” and as Larry “spoke” to them and waved his paw, they giggled and sometimes shrieked with joy.  Larry even grasped one of the markers which is used to mark children’s left pinky finger with purple to show they had been immunized that day.  We refer to this as the Purple Pinky Project.  Even Larry had his left antler marked with the purple dye AND he signed the official poster for the NID.

After some time, I decided to walk around the neighborhood, bringing Larry with me.  Children would walk alongside me and Larry would wave to them or speak to them, through my voice.  It was lots of fun, both for the children and for me.  I walked up the alley and spoke to a teenage boy, asking his name and introducing myself. He smiled and said his father and I had the same name – Elias. I asked to meet his father and he sent a younger brother to look for him.  Soon, his father, Elias, came to the front of their home. We shook hands and were glad that each of us shared the name – Eliash (their pronunciation). Larry even was included in one or two photos with the two men named Eliash. Before saying good bye to my namesake, he turned to me and in very clear English, asked, “Where is Sarah?”  This shocked me and I asked him to repeat his question. Again, he asked, “Where is Sarah?”  I remembered that two years before, Sarah Miller, a teenager, had accompanied her father on our trip and evidently, she had worked in this neighborhood distributing drops of vaccine to the children. Obviously, Sarah had made a lasting impression and had served to break down one more barrier of cultural prejudice and replaced it with an extension of friendship.

When I turned to walk back to the “booth”, more children had joined our walking group.  I was startled to see two children who had evidently returned to their houses and had brought their stuffed animals, presumably to meet Larry.  One child had a stuffed bunny rabbit. Another little girl had a Teddy Bear – a white one, which had a torn seam in what would be his left armpit and some of the stuffing was falling out of the “wound”.  I took Larry over to the little girl and after the two stuffed animals shook paws, we marked the Teddy Bear’s left paw with the purple marked, and again, the children shrieked with joy!  We paused for a moment so a photo could be taken of these two new “friends” and then moved on.  The smiles on the faces of the children were priceless and will always remain in my memory as an indication that again, through Rotary, we have helped to bring about peace through greater understanding and friendship, one tiny step at a time. 

Together, we will END POLIO NOW!

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BACK TO CAMP FOR THE LAST EVENING - Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Before we returned from the dam site at Teench Wala, I asked if it would be alright if we could take about a half hour and walk up the hill to see the Hindu temple we had passed earlier on. Sanjiv asked the driver to stop and park the bus and together we walked to the summit of the hill and entered the gate to the temple. It was enjoyable for me to be able to explain some of the mythology surrounding the various depictions of the gods to my friends. The temple building and shrine were built of white marble, much the same as that used at the Taj Mahal in Agra. Once we were in the courtyard area, we approached the temple and saw a gentleman, most likely the caretaker/priest, and I asked if we would be able to enter the temple and perhaps, make an offering. He agreed and gave each of us a small sweet to eat, about the size of a Necco wafer, with a sugar/mint taste to it.  The temple had several manifestations of Lord Shiva, as well as Lord Ganesha, Parvati and the three-headed representation of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It was so peaceful to be the only people there, almost like a private viewing. Each of us offered prayers and then simply walked around to take advantage of the stunning views from this vantage point.  Looking off to the distant valleys below, it was obvious to me that part of the lush green was a result of the construction of the dam from two years prior. Once more, Rotarians from all over the world had made a significant difference to the well-being of others, whom they would perhaps never meet, but whom they had served selflessly. It was very gratifying to know that ROTARY DREAM TEAM -INDIA 2010 had contributed to this. When I get home, I will definitely send on photos of the dedication tablet at the dam, listing all of the Rotary Clubs and the team members who had participated in this project. Now, back down the hill and aboard the bus and back to the village where we would meet the tractor driver or maybe, if luck was running our way, the "TING" would ferry us back to camp.  We did luck out and our regular driver was there with a big grin on his face, and we all climbed aboard the trailer and off we went.   When we arrived back at the tent village,  we were met by members of the team who had stayed behind. They all had questions about what we had seen. We enjoyed some drinks before going into the dining tent for dinner. Tonight, we would be exchanging club banner with one another, so we could take them back to our respective clubs, to include with the club's collection.  Linda Bertuzzi had also brought the banner from the N.I.D. and asked that we all sign our names to it, so she could bring it home with her to present first to her own Rotary Club, and then perhaps take it along to the District Conference later this Spring. When she asked me to make an announcement for everyone to sign the banner (about three feet by eight feet) I got another idea in my head - auctioning off that banner to the highest bidder. After all, we had all participated in the N.I.D. and would be equally proud to have the banner to share with our clubs and districts. I kind of suggested to Linda that I might do this and at fist, she was very upset. After thinking about it for a while, however, she came back to me and told me to go ahead. The moment arrived and I made the announcement that we would be all signing the banner and that I would then auction it off to the highest bidder, with the proceeds being designated to be used to the next project of ROTARY DREAM TEAM - INDIA 2013, whatever that might be.  I began the bidding with $100 and the contest moved forward from there.  There was some spirited bidding, a competition among three or four different areas - the Californians, the French, the Midwesterners and the Rotary Club of Delhi - Megapolis. In the end, we settled at $4,100 for next year's project!!! Not a shabby amount for a few minutes of work. Since this would be our final night together, before departing on our separate travel portions, with some even departing for home the following evening, we enjoyed good fellowship and then moved outside to the fire pit, where some Rajasthani performers - singers and dancers, waited to perform for our enjoyment, complete with fire-eating and two young women dancing with a stack of eight pots on their heads.  There was even an older gentleman, who had been a victim of polio in the sixties and although he had one leg totally withered and contorted at the knee, he danced for us, using a strong pole for balance. This was particularly moving for Linda, who herself had been a polio victim and who depended upon crutches for stable mobility. Dancing and singing continued for a couple of hours and then we all went off to our tents for hot water bottle enhanced sleep.

TEENCH WALA, Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Although it was difficult for some of us to get up after our short siesta, we met Dinesh near the gate and boarded the "TING", or at least that is what we thought. Actually, we were lulled into believing that a real Massey-Ferguson tractor,  pulling a proper trailer would be much better than the "TING" but that was not the case. Since Dinesh had told us this would be a bit of a long ride into the town where we would then meet one of our buses, he suggested we sit down on the bed of the trailer. Big mistake, REALLY BIG! Not sure if this trailer ever had springs, but if so, they were long since sprung! All I know is that our backs and spines will never be the same. We bounced along, causing pain and discomfort to our spines and backs and butts. All the while, Dinesh would turn and grin his famous and charming grin while we suffered, but not in silence. I have no idea which road he took, but it was certainly not the shortest or the one with the fewest potholes.  When we reached a real road, we thought the journey would be a bit smoother. Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything it was just as bad, if not worse. I was concerned for Sanjiv, because he has a bad back any way and this jarring could not be doing him any good. When we approached the town, we saw some children wearing Polio Plus caps or cardboard masks which we all had given out to children where we worked, when they had their Polio vaccines a few days prior. It was gratifying to see that even the kids in the country had been reached and given the vaccine.  We rounded a corner and there, parked at the end of the road, were our two buses, we had left there three days before.  Anything would have been superior to the ride of the past twenty minutes. Of course, kids gathered around us as we boarded the orange bus and began our drive to the country.  The village close to the first dam we had built, TEENCH WALA, is located about fifteen minutes from one of the entrances into Sariska Jungle Park.  Because the Dream Team in 2009 had stayed at the Sariska Palace Hotel, we were forced to take a bus to and from the dam site each morning and then late in the afternoon.  Our route was through the jungle park every day, which took about an hour and a half each way. Otherwise, if we had missed the timing, we would have been forced to drive all the way around the park, which would have taken about four hours!  Even taking the shorter route cut into our work time and this is why we opted to have the tent village only a few minutes away from our site, this year. Our orange bus lumbered along country roads, and as we approached Teench Wala, we saw a beautiful Hindu temple up on top of the hill and then we turned right and down the other side of the hill, to the town.  It is always fun to see how the locals look at a passing bus with Tourist emblazoned on the front since I am confident they don't see such a sight more than once or twice a year. This time was no exception.  Kids ran alongside our bus, with little regard for safety. After all, we are in India and this is the norm - that people of all ages, camels, pigs, cows, sheep, goats, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, cars, trucks, buses and who knows what else are ALWAYS in the roads. Always with the wonderful smiles on their faces, with the brightest eyes and whitest teeth. The neem tree does wonders for dental hygiene and teeth whitening.  We finally reached the village and got down from the bus. First, we walked over to the school where only two years before, we had been a total disruption in the day, by bringing lots of trinkets for the children, including frisbees. I remember it only took about three tries before the kids, who had never seen such a thing, were able to master the art of throwing, or is it slinging, a frisbee. Some of the children gathered around us, and I recognized a couple of the boys who had helped us in 2009, with the dam construction. Although a bit taller and somewhat geeky, I knew they were the same kids. We began our march ago the dam, along the path that wound through the woods but something was so different... There were leaves on the trees, and grasses growing, rather than the barren turf it had been two years before. An old gentleman from the village walked with us and at one point, turned and began to explain the difference our project had made in the lives of those living nearby. He told us that since the dam had been completed, the valley had become productive with crops, one of which they refer to as a upper crop, since  it was vegetables and not only could they eat them, but also they could sell the vegetables to others in other towns not too far away.  As we turned to look westward, it was thrilling to see green everywhere... There were even pumps and hoses running down to the reservoir, bringing water up a few levels for irrigating even more area for production. Turning again and heading further along the path, we walked up a small hill and came to the crest and looked to see the fruits of our labors - a dam that was not only finished, but that held back a good deal of water, even after seven months since the monsoons! From atop the dam, I was able to point out where we had once sat and had our dining tent, or where the potty had been located. Swimming in the captured water were cormorants and ducks. Wildlife was everywhere. What a thrill to think we had actually had a serious impact upon the lives of those living net Teench Wala.  Dinesh asked me to walk across the top of the dam and to turn so he could take my photo with the marble tablet in the background. The name of the project was engraved on the 3' x 4' piece of black marble, as well as the fact that the project was one involving the Rotary Club of Sanford-Springvale Maine, USA, and the names of all of the team members from all over the world who had gathered as the Rotary Dream Team - India 2010. Now, heading back to our bus, many more of the children in the village had heard we were there and came to walk with us. Again I recognized a couple of boys, who now must be about twelve or thirteen. One boy in particular had very light skin and light brown hair, not something one sees often in India. I aught up to him and his school chums and said I recognized him and asked if he had helped us two years before. Hi friend, in perfect English said they both had worked with us. When I said I thought I recognized his face and his hair, the other boy taunted him saying, "He is a white boy, he is your boy!" Everyone had  a good laugh about this, andre continued walking toward the bus.  Before we boarded the bus, the same old gentleman came to me, took my hands in his and as best he could explain himself to me, with tears in his eyes, he thanked me for what our team had done, and elaborated that six bore wells, which had long since gone dry, had been restored and were now gushing, due to the dam. Pretty powerful stuff to hear about a group of Rotarians who had given their time and their talent and their treasure to about five thousand strangers who benefited from it all.

WEDNESDAY, THE FINAL DAY OF WORK... Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Again, we were up and at it at an early hour and today, it really was earlier, since we had messed up the day before by not showing up for work on time, as far as the local crew was concerned. We were up at 5:30 with breakfast at 6:00 and departing either on foot or in the "TING" so we would arrive to begin working no later than 7:30. Again, this was to help avoid working at the hottest time of day, when the sun was brightest. Temperatures each day climbed well into the 80s and it was very easy to over exert and to suffer from heat exhaustion or from us poisoning, so e had to avoid that at all costs. Once more, there were definite teams which had emerged and although there was no announced competition, there was an underlying tension which those on our team felt. The one team was much larger with Dream Team members far outnumbering any of the locals. This team had its act together and began passing basins of masala almost immediately. The tough part, however, was the fact that the local ladies, who were part of the labor force, did not show up as we had planned, to begin working at 7:30. Perhaps this was a it of payback? And you know what they say about payback! Much to the delight of our smaller in number team, several of the local ladies came over and began to carry the basins of masala that Tim Mulcrone began filling. Marcia sat down on the edge of the pit and was the catcher and the passer of the full basins, first taking a full basin from one of the local ladies and the passing it on to Randy, who was already standing on the floor of the pit. He, in turn, would toss it on to the next team member, who tossed to another and so on until  reached its destination and then was dumped. The empty basin was then passed back through to Marie Unger who then tossed it up to me, where I was standing on the edge of the pit. Catching the empty basin in my left hand, I then passed it to one of the ladies waiting to return to Tim for a refill. Our group was pacing itself well, and we seemed to be making great progress, steady progress, without getting totally exhausted in the process. We took frequent mini breaks, stopping for one or two minutes only to pass water bottles, or bottles of electrolytes, for all of us to drink. One or two of the Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Delhi-Megapolis had driven out from Delhi to join us in the line. N.P. Singh and two others were part of our team. After working for about two hours, and facing the very hot sun, I determined it would be a good move if Randy and I could trade places and change r respective exposures to the sun. We switched places but did not refrain from a very active and sometimes pointed repartee between us. Tips also helped the hours pass more quickly. Even Marsha (this time I spelled it correctly) added a few barbs and this made it even more fun to be on our team.  11:30 rolled around and we all began to climb out from the pit and to move over to where Kelly was holding down the fort and watching over our backpacks, etc. Dinesh looked over and pleaded with me to have the team work just one more half-hour, until noon before calling it quits. We all agreed, or at least most of us, and we made the final push for another thirty minutes.  Again, we gathered over to where Kelly was located, in the shade, and with Dinesh to help us, we were able to distribute some of our old work clothes, some shoes, work boots, hats and who knows what. In a very orderly manner, each member of the local labor force received one item, with care be given to making as sure as possible that a lady would receive something appropriate, rather than a pair of men's work boots.  Once this task was completed, we then headed back for lunch.  Our trips back and forth in the "TING" followed a very differ route from the one used by the walkers.  Was great fun, because we chugged down country roads, passing an occasional house where mothers and children were bathing on the front patio area, or an older gent was sitting off to one side, puffing on his hookah.  Then we would look out into the fields of wheat or mustard and there, standing in the middle, was a scarecrow! This was not your average, everyday scarecrow, but rather one which came complete with turban!  A short distance further, we maneuvered our way through a small enclave of homes, where a half-dozen men sat on a cot and shared their morning hookah and where the local women squatted in front of a small fire, preparing breakfast for the family. One morning, a young woman walked holding a newborn kid goat, still wet and with its umbilicus, and the nanny goat braying to have her kid returned so she could nurse it. Talk about sensory overload!!! Just around the corner, where several women and children gathered each day to wave us through the turn, were two pens of water buffalo, totaling about fifty head. There might be a crow perched on the back of one of the water buffalo while a woman might be milking another. What we witnessed each day was the simple life at its best! When we returned to the tent village, a group of locals was kind of hanging out near the gate. You see, the "TING" attracted a great deal of attention as it hurtled across the desert terrain each day, due to the fact to our driver plugged in his mobile phone into a speaker and we had musical (very loud musical) accompaniment each day. By the time we reached the gate, some of the women were dancing. One older woman, in particular, was really into the scene and twirled around and had all of the hand gestures of a true Rajasthani dancer.  We paused to watch this display, and even some of our own women joined in the dancing. Again, we we handed wet washcloths and were able to wipe away the sweat and grime of the morning. Beer (now Foster's from Down Under, which the Aussies did not fancy) and wine and soft drinks were again offered. Linda Bertuzzi shamed Gene Hernandez and Randy Pote into venturing to the kitchen tent and returning with two small plates with sliced cucumbers for our eyes.  Another great lunch and then a siesta until about 2:30. Several team members chose to return for a last session at the dam site. Others chose to rest in their tents, while the rest of us traveled to Teench Wala, the site of our first dam project back in 2012. I was eager to see the progress since we had left the construction of the dam, and to see if it had sustained, even after many months since the monsoon.

A PLETHORA OF PIT BOSSES - February 21, 2012

After sorting out the previous day's level of production, a few of us chatted about how and when we might be able to realign the teams in order to become more productive, and whether or not members of the team would spend to gentle suggestions as to how they might adapt, just a bit.  After full consideration, we determined everyone would seek his or her own level of comfort and would also most likely not change teams, so, as my friend, Bob Weel from Anchorage, Alaska would say, "onward and upward!" Pacing ourselves seemed to work well and actually we did become more productive. We got into a great rhythm on our end of the dam, and we just seemed to be firing on all burners. Since it had been almost oppressively hot the first day, we decided to try to arrive at 7:00 in the morning, and begin work and work in the cooler part of the day, then take a longer lunch and return in the latter part of the afternoon. Having arrived later than we had planned (and had assured Dinesh that we would arrive at that hour) when 11:30 rolled around, the local ladies stopped, lined up and began eating their lunches.   One or two of the ladies also reached inside a fold in the skirts or blouses and pulled out a small pipe. I stopped to watch what they were ding, while they cleaned out and then refilled the pipe with who knows what.  They lit the pipes and began puffing on them. Seeing my fascination with the pipe, they gestured for me to join them. So as not to offend any of them, I obliged.  I did not put m mouth on the pipe, but took it in my hand, with my thumb and index finger wrapped around the mouth, and then puffed a few times. Not knowing what they and now I were smoking was probably for the better! Skew of the team members joked about getting high at work,  but truly, the heat and exertion contributed to my wanting to take a break ow and then, far more than anything else. We, however, continued working, until it was time for us to break for our lunch. Back to the tent village, either by walking or taking the "TING" and once more, the boys greeted us with the wet washcloths and beer, wine or soft drinks. Linda Bertuzzi decided that we could benefit from clearing the dust out of our eyes, and requested the kitchen staff to bring some thinly sliced cucumbers that we all placed on our eyelids, and enjoyed the spa-like cool and relief of the cukes on our eyes. Another fantastic lunch and then it was siesta time. We struggled to rise up from our beds to return to work, but somehow we made it. A full afternoon for us, but the local ladies all of a sudden stopped work, lined up and started to march away. Goverdahn shouted to them to stop but they kept walking. Finally, one of the ladies turned around and shouted back that THEY had arrived early to accommodate us, and although we had arrived late, there was no reason for them to work overtime, but that our team could work on until we had completed a full day. Back for wet washcloths, beer, wine, Scotch, soft drinks and another fantastic dinner, and you guessed it, hot water bottles in our beds. Of course, the hyena and the jackals were also adding their voices to the night.

HI HO, HI HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK WE GO... February 20, 2012

After a wonderful, tasty hot breakfast, we were told we had the choice of walking to the dam site or riding in the "TING-A-MA-JIG" but nearly all of us chose to walk, following along behind Dinesh.  Over dusty trails, which appeared to lead nowhere in particular, we came over a rise to see some of the crew from the tent village erecting a Potty Tent, not too far from the actual area where we would be working to construct the dam.  The paid workers were already there and hard at work. Some  of the women, who were clothed in bright colored salwar kameezes with orange head scarves, turned briefly to see what disturbance had interrupted their rhythm in mixing the masala (concrete mix) or in passing it along and down into the pit, where the very floor of the footing showed a great deal of progress.  The first, and perhaps the most crucial step had been taken - that of digging out the area which would then be filled with stones and covered over with dry and then wet masala mix.  In previous years, we had been responsible for the digging, by hand, of the trenches for the footing, so this was a real advance for us to have the huge trench already dug. The dimensions were approximately forty feet across to the other side, about fifteen feet in depth, and about one hundred and fifty feet from end to end. This was a good deal larger than the first two dams we had helped to construct the previous two years.  Almost immediately, we split into teams of twenty members and formed lines for passing basins of rocks or masala and then passing the empties back for refilling. Although most of the members of the team had never been involved in such a project, the team concept took hold and we were off and passing in only a few minutes. Some lines passed from one to the next person, both facing the same direction, while others of us determined it might be more beneficial to face one another, particularly if we were passing full basins of masala. When the women were filling the basins, they would double scoop them and they would be far heavier than those which were frilled with by Doug Fowler or Tim Mulcrone or Devo Ramalingam. Our own team members were a bit more cognizant of what it took for a bunch of somewhat out of shape, older folks to pass very heavy basins, and we also felt strongly by not filling the basins completely, we would be more productive and for a longer period of time than if we dropped from exhaustion and heat stroke.  "Don't forget to stay hydrated! Make sure you drink plenty of water and make sure to drink some electrolytes, too! Don't try to be a hero and not take a break!" These were all good warnings which each of us should be heeding, but as is always the case, until it is too late, a few always ignore the warnings and then get faint and drop to their knees. There were a few who sadly learned the lesson.  They were moved over into a shady area, where Camp Nurse Kelly would watch over them and make very sure they took in enough water and electrolytes. Also, when some got splinters, she offered Neosporin and band aids and even a safety pin to dig out the splinters. That first day, Kelly commandeered four bags of cement to be stacked so she had somewhere to sit that was not on the ground and full of long thorns. Every hour, she would have to readjust and face a different direction in order to avoid being in the direct sunlight. After about an hour of backbreaking work, both along the lines and in the "pit", we took our first break.  And did we ever need it. I suggested at this point that we needed to remember, "this is not a race, people! We need to learn to pace ourselves, because if we don't, we will not be good to or for anyone and every member is crucial to the mix. Take the time to assess your own strengths and weaknesses and do not over exert yourselves". Back to work for another hour and a half and the it was lunchtime. Initially, we thought we would be returning to the tent village for lunch, but we're told that lunch was being prepared and brought to us. Wow, what service! Time seemed to pass and still no lunch. Then, out of nowhere,we heard the coughing of the "TING" and soon it appeared over the hill. The boys from the camp had set up the chafing dishes with hot food and passed us tin plates and utensils. But the best part was the fact that they had placed a fifty-five gallon drum with a fire inside, so one of them could make chapatis or rotis, the nan type of bread that is a flattened ball of raw dough, that is then slapped against the outside wall of concrete within the barrel, and cooked until done. Sorry, but this is a bit difficult to explain.  If one is dexterous and wishes to practice eating in a more native fashion, one could simply use the chapati to scoop up the food from the plate, rather than using conventional forks or spoons. Lunch was delicious and finished much too quickly for some of us. After we finished eating, several of us went out to lie down on the ground and just rest before returning to "the line".  The remainder of the afternoon proceeded relatively uneventful, with no serious injuries and everyone pitching in at their respective comfort levels. When it was time to call it a day, a good portion of the team opted to take the long trek back to the tent village. A little late, I decided to walk back,  as well, but had some difficulty because I could not see the group that had left ahead of me, and to add insult to injury, I was raising a pretty good sized blister between two toes.  The "TING" rumbled up over the knoll behind me and so I took the liberty of riding the final two hundred yards and through the gate at the camp.  We all gathered in the reception tent and enjoyed Kingfisher beers or red or white wine or soft drinks. But the best part was upon our arrival, we were each handed a cool wet washcloth to wipe the grime off our faces and hands. As soon as some of us plunked ourselves down in one of the rattan chairs, we confessed we most likely would still be thee in the morning! Nobody wanted to move from their chose rest spot.  Dinner followed in the dining tent at about six thirty and the many of us sat around the fire pit and shared stories and then went to our tents and discovered a wonderful surprise... While we we eating, the boys from the camp had visited most of our tents (some had already gone to bed) and placed a hot water bottle in each of our beds. What a welcome gift, to be able to snuggle down into a warmed bed and settle in for the night.  Too bad they had not been able to provide this service the night before because that was really the coldest  of the three nights.  Falling asleep to the howls of the hyenas and the jackals as they were successful in their kills and then screamed at their kits when they may have taken too large a piece of the fresh meat. However, to my knowledge none of us poked our heads outside of our tents to take a look. Also, that night, there must have been a wedding taking place in a nearby village, because the singing (and presumably the dancing) continued on at least until one o'clock in the morning.