Posted in Sri Lanka on November 10, 2025
Day 1
Day 1 in Kegalle kicked off under the perfect construction forecast — cloudy skies, no rain, and just enough breeze to make working on a house with no roof oddly pleasant.
We started the morning meeting the homeowner family and our in-country partners who are orchestrating this build with the amazing support of DWC. After a quick brief, the team split into two groups and got down to business.
Inside the house, one crew took on the delicate art of chiseling — carving out grooves for electrical wires, switches, and plugs. Dust, sweat, and precision were the theme of the day. Meanwhile, the second crew rolled up their sleeves outside, tackling a very different challenge: cleaning decades-old roof tiles salvaged from an old church.
Now, “cleaning tiles” might sound simple — until you realize each one needs to be inspected, scrubbed, and approved like a vintage artifact. But the team found their rhythm, forming a steady assembly line that could’ve impressed even a Swiss watchmaker. By afternoon, we had enough tiles ready to start roofing.
And then came the real spark — the kids.
Bright-eyed and full of curiosity, they hovered around the site, eager to help and thrilled to see the walls of their future home take shape. Tiny hands carried tools, passed tiles, and offered smiles that could outshine the sun. Their excitement was contagious — the kind of pure energy that reminded everyone why we were here.
Despite starting nearly three hours behind schedule (thank you, tropical logistics), we wrapped the day feeling accomplished. All wiring spaces, roof prep , and a solid plan for tomorrow — plastering the walls!
A productive first day indeed. The roofless house is starting to look like a home, and the team is already proving that with good humor, teamwork, and a bit of dust in the hair, there’s nothing we can’t build.
Day 2
Day 2 in Kegalle was another one for the books – humid, sweaty, and full of laughter, teamwork, and determination! With sticky weather (and a few sore muscles) our mission for the day was to finish the roof – a huge milestone before work can begin on the floors and walls.
We picked up right where we left off, cleaning and pressure-washing decades-old roof tiles salvaged from a nearby church. It was no small job – especially for the brave souls retrieving tiles from under a red-ant-infested tree! But, as always, the team tackled the challenges with humour and grit.
After a well-earned tea and biscuit break, a new delivery of tiles arrived. This meant more heavy lifting – carrying tiles uphill from the truck, sorting them for quality, and giving each one a thorough clean. Like a well-oiled machine, the team formed an impressive assembly line. A few hardy volunteers even climbed up onto the roof under the blazing midday sun to start laying tiles – true dedication!
Post-lunch, we divided and conquered: one crew kept the tile-cleaning operation running smoothly, while the other hauled sand uphill from the car park to prepare for tomorrow’s big task of mixing and laying the floors. Just when the heat was peaking, a refreshing rain shower rolled in to cool everyone off.
The highlight of the day, though, was the kids. Their smiles, laughter, and endless enthusiasm were contagious. They jumped right in to help, joining the “conga line” to pass tiles uphill and helping load sand into the wheelbarrows. Their joy reminded everyone why this work matters so much.
At the end of the day, the team gathered to watch the final (clean!) roof tile go into place – a huge moment of pride and accomplishment. The roof is complete! With the house now protected from the rain, tomorrow we’ll roll up our sleeves again and get started on the floors and walls. What a day – tough, sweaty, and rewarding.
Day 3
Welcome to the (Concrete) Jungle
Day 3 in Kegalle was an unforgettable day of fun and teamwork! We kicked things off by transforming the house into a pristine space, ready for our exciting cement work. The kitchen got a little makeover, too, with a bit of excavation to make it as level as the rest of the rooms.
Our day began with a lively sand conga line, where we danced and laughed our way to bring the sand closer to the house for our cement mix. It was a blast!
After all that hard work, we treated ourselves to a refreshing jackfruit and tea break, recharging our energy for the next challenge. We then formed another conga line to tackle the gravel, and the teamwork was simply amazing!
As a sweet reward for our efforts, we enjoyed freshly cut coconuts, savoring the delicious fruit while catching our breath after hauling the gravel up the steep hill.
It truly takes a village to achieve great things, and our crew showed just that by pulling a cement mixer up to the work site with sheer determination and camaraderie.
With the materials in place, we mixed up the cement and continued our energetic conga line, moving so swiftly that we completed two rooms by lunchtime!
After a scrumptious meal, we powered through the afternoon, finishing the third room and starting on the living room. By tomorrow, most of the floor should be dry and ready, and we’ll wrap up the living room floor in the morning.
No task is too big for our amazing crew, and we’re thrilled to start our plastering job tomorrow! Stay tuned for more adventures in the Concrete Jungle!
Day 4
Backpacks, Building, and a Bit of Karaoke
To everyone’s surprise, day four turned out to be the most eventful yet! We kicked off the day with a 7am start (a luxurious lie in) and began by packing over 40 backpacks for the local school kids full of exercise books, stationery, and candy.
We whisked the supplies off to two schools and handed them out to each of the children. In return, we were greeted with a chorus of “good mornings” and big smiles. The second school even performed dance routines that had the whole group cheering. We were gifted anthurium flowers, coconuts, and traditional treats to set us up for the day ahead.
We arrived on site at roughly 9am where we got straight to work hauling gravel. After this, half the group split to shift sand and half continued with concrete. Team sand had a minor set back when the wheelbarrow broke, but thanks to some quick thinking and a makeshift repair, things got back and rolling in no time.
We were incredibly grateful for the coconuts as our mid morning snack. With this extra fuel, we completed the last room just in time for lunch, another delicious meal prepared locally.
After more gruelling sand hauling, we were ready to crack on with plastering the exterior walls. Although some of the group’s techniques were perhaps more professional than others (we won’t mention names), we were able to make quick work on one side and had lots of fun doing it.
Once we finished for the day, it was time for a quick tea break before heading back to the hotel just in time to see the elephants walking home at 4pm.
The action didn’t stop after we got in the hotel pool for a quick dip. Barely 10 minutes in, the party really started when we were pummelled by a torrential downpour, a truly atmospheric precursor to dinner.
Dinner was presented beautifully in banana leaf parcels, before we shared a delicious cake to celebrate two of the group’s upcoming weddings. After dinner we sang our little hearts out in a karaoke marathon that captivated the hotel staff and other diners alike. With that said, some may have been more appreciative than others, and honestly, we can’t blame them.
Day 5
THE HEART WE LEAVE BEHIND
After four unforgettable days in Kegalle—cleaning century-old roof tiles under the sun, dancing our way through sand and gravel conga lines, hauling materials up hills that felt steeper each afternoon, plastering walls with more enthusiasm than technique, and sharing laughter, coconuts, rainstorms, and even a hotel-lobby karaoke marathon—our little construction site had already transformed into something that looked and felt like a home.
The work was hard, the humidity was relentless, and the kids’ smiles were the fuel that kept us going. With the roof complete, the floors poured, and the walls taking shape, we stepped into Day 5 with a mix of pride, exhaustion, and the bittersweet realization that this was our final day on site.
And what a final day it turned out to be…
We took our usual walk to the worksite, but something felt different the moment we arrived. The house—once just a bare frame—now stood proudly with its front door fitted in. The family had begun the morning with a quiet ritual, offering prayers to the universe and their gods before the door was placed. Watching that moment unfold filled us with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. In just four days, we had seen this structure transform: a frame became a roof, a floor, and now a doorway into a new beginning.
Day 5 was pure celebration. We spent the entire day plastering the inside and outside walls, music playing, everyone dancing—our team, the family, even the kids who had been our constant companions. But the dancing wasn’t just for the music; it felt like our hearts were dancing too. Every stroke of plaster carried the joy of knowing that our hands, our sweat, and our time had literally built a home for a family who needed it most.
And yes—plastering gets old fast. But the moment you remember that these are the walls the family will lean on, decorate, hang their memories on, and grow within for years to come, every ache becomes meaningful. Every bit of effort suddenly feels sacred.
We closed the day by gifting the family a few essentials for their new home. small things that we hoped would make life a little easier. The emotion in their eyes in that simple exchange, it felt like we were leaving behind a piece of our hearts.
It struck me then: this is what we are all meant to do. Our true purpose in life isn’t found in titles, deadlines, or the noise we surround ourselves with. It’s found in service—quiet, humble, human service. When one human helps another, something inside us realigns. Everything else is just the clutter we mistake for meaning. But this—building, giving, showing up for others—this is the joy the soul is actually seeking.
On our final day, we didn’t just finish a house. We felt, deeply and undeniably, what it means to be human.
Sugi
Posted in Sri Lanka on November 10, 2025
