The Beginnings of Carson Graham in the Dominican Republic

First Work Day – Summary by student participant Ella: This morning we went back to La Union for a sports camp. It was fantastic, we brought lots of toys with us such as soccer balls, tennis balls and skipping ropes. It touched my heart to see how much all the kids appreciated these little toys. When we arrived we ventured down the hill to the field and all the kids came out of nowhere and claimed their “gringo” for the day.  It made me feel so special how much they loved us all.  Our time there was incredibly eye opening. It is amazing to see how happy these kids are when they hardly have anything and they constantly face tragedy in their lives. This really made my problems seem microscopic. We played all morning and when it was time to leave, all the kids were given some small gifts, pencils, candy and tennis balls. Then we said our goodbyes. Which was very hard….After lunch we went to Chichigua to start our work project – building a shower and washroom facility for the community. I have to say it was back breaking work! We shoveled dirt away from the hole that had been dug to house the refuse. I thought about how people have to do this for 10 hours a day. For $7-10 per day…one hour was more than enough for me. After our work, we rotated and were able to sit with the kids and color in the books we brought or play ball. It was really nice. I have started to see things through a new lens. I am really looking forward to discovering more new things about the culture here and gain a better understanding of the struggles the local people face. Plus to see how much this Hero Holiday is going to change me! At the end of the day we all were very tired. So much to think about so far…Additional Comments submitted by student participant Lucas:I just got back from the village where we are building the washroom units. It was a tedious task to shovel a pile of rocks and dirt away from around the foundation of the building. We had to use shovels and picks to move large and small rocks.In the morning, we went to the very first village that we went to yesterday and played numerous different sports. There was a boy that loved me and I got lots of pictures of him and I. We played soccer, basketball, frisbee, and I let him use my camera. I have about 25 pics taken by him.The morning was amazing because I was surprised of how high the kids spirits are despite living in pretty much a dump. The houses are made of metal sheets that rust and disintegrate, leaving holes in roofs and wall panels. Half the houses have no bathroom and some rarely have a kitchen. Sleeping on the floor isn’t uncommon and a lot of the time people suffer from malnutrition. All of that is 15-30 minutes away from our all inclusive resort…it is a shocking difference.I have really enjoyed trying to communicate with the kids, adults, and the jefe (head) of the villages. My petite French skills are coming in handy at times and I feel like I’m learning tons of Spanish and Creole.Today was really tough because I wasn’t feeling well at all. My stomach wasn’t where it should have been and I had an upset you know what. Linda, the nurse, gave me Imodium or something along those terms. Feeling better now but still not great. Apparently it’s from the heat and lack of sleep. I had a tough sleep because Vancouver is 4 hours behind and it is hard to fall asleep at 8:00pm Vancouver time.Last night was karaoke night…it was…interesting. I was able to get my teachers to sing Stop by the Spice Girls. That was hilarious. I sung Imagine by John Lennon with all the other guys. I thought the song suited why we are here. It is 5:10pm ish here and it is still a very nice temperature. I have been getting some color but mainly on my burnt neck.Loving all aspects of my trip so far! Hugs!