Our Lives As Teenagers

Any average 17 year old living in Penticton, British Columbia, is going to school, hanging out with friends, and going to the beach. However, here in Mexico, we met two teenagers living lives very different than our own, with responsibilities we can’t even imagine. They are inspiring women and they make us appreciate the opportunities that we take for granted at home.

Katherine is married and raising a child at 17. When compared to someone in the same situation in Canada, it would be a negative thing, where as here it’s a common occurrence. Katherine is extremely mature for her age and has been through things that you couldn’t even imagine. When the LiveDifferent Academy students first met Katherine she was 6 months pregnant, but lost the baby shortly after. Her and her husband and 9-month old baby had no home of their own and were living with her mom and brother. When giving her the keys to her new home, she was overly thankful and made us a meal that their family struggled to afford. She beamed all week as we worked together on their house and as she said good-bye to us, she gave each of us a special hug.

Sara is a 14 year old girl in the other family we built for. Her dad had surgery a few months ago and hasn’t been able to return to work. So, Sara had to drop out of school to work in the fields in order to help earn money to support her family. While we were talking to Sara she said the thing she wanted most was to go back to school. This really made us all think about the way we take education for granted back home. Sara’s family was living in a home made out of cardboard. We are so happy that we had the opportunity to give this deserving family a new home when they were struggling the most.

These families thanked us for building them a home and said there is no way that they could ever repay us for what we have done. What they don’t realize is that we could never repay all that we have learned from them. They helped us realize how thankful we are for our homes, our families, the opportunity to go to school, and so much more.