More than 20 students traveled to Sri Lanka, India and Taiwan, areas hardest hit by the December 2004 tsunami. They were a part of CAP Asia, a 10-week field study program offered by the College of Architecture and Planning.
For 10 days, students traveled 45 minutes each way to work to rebuild the village of Kalametiya, located in southern Sri Lanka.
In the small fishing village, 11 natives were killed by the tsunami. The village is home to 31 families, including 30 children and five infants. The families are living in temporary tents, waiting for the construction of permanent houses.
One participant, graduate student Mathew Hart said before the trip they met to discuss readings about the country to better understand the culture and how they build. It is part of a theme: "planning to learn and building to learn."
"Instead of figuring out things from our standpoint, we needed to learn how they viewed things," Hart said
Upon arrival, Hart said he could sense the apprehension in some villagers who may have been skeptical about their presence.
"I know they've seen groups come in as tourists take pictures, and then they don't come back," he said.
But there was a definite distinction between the reaction at their arrival and their departure, Hart said.
"There was sorrow on both parts when we were leaving," he said.
He said villagers became motivated after seeing the work students were doing. Two days later, people from nearby villages came to help rebuild as well.
They met with other students and architects who spoke English and the native language Sinhala. While there they laid out plans to build a house as a prototype for the villagers to follow and make their own modifications, M.C. Nihal Perera said. Perera is from Sri Lanka and the CAP Asia coordinator and associate professor of urban planning.
"We did more than build houses," Nihal said. "We brought life back to the village."
Graduate student Chris Kemper said a humbling experience for him was watching the villagers make measurements for the houses in 20 minutes, while it took him half of the day.
"I had to learn that there are so many different perspectives about how things can be done," he said. "And who's to say my way is the only way."
Students also did what they could for the children in the village. They built a makeshift swing from salvaged bamboo and rope and made paintbrushes from peacock feathers, Nihal said.
However, students were careful not to use too much salvaged material, for fear it was too closely related to people who were lost in the tsunami.
"Salvaging materials is not like going to a scrap yard here," Wes Janz, associate professor of architecture, said. "Everything that was destroyed is a reminder of how their lives were torn apart."
One thought that stuck with Kemper is, "What now?" Kemper spoke with local Muslim villager who asked about what he was going to do after this and how was his life going to change.
"I never felt so powerless," he said. "I literally wanted to cry."
He said he now thinks more about his contribution to society. He said coming back to the states was the most emotional part. He realized how people in the United States are so privileged.
"There is a richness about this experience," Janz said. "A piece of the project belongs to us, even though we're half a world away."
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