Walls

Some days I get up in the morning wondering why I am awake when even the birds know it’s too early. We climb onto a bus, lug three tons of gear into a school, and set up a wall of production and sound equipment big enough to make even Kanye West feel like a superstar. But why?

Everyone knows that high school can be the hardest years of your life. So much happens in these four years that can easily define a person. As a teenager sometimes you are just doing what you can to keep your head above the water. Some students come to school to get away from the chaos that is in their home, and some seek refuge at home to hide from the ridicule they receive at school, and some ultimately are unable find peace anywhere. Amidst the whirlwind that is their life, the youth of today have to keep up a positive front because in our culture today more then ever, “image is everything”. In order hide the brokenness that is within, they have built a facade made of trends, music, fashion, parties, and all sorts of other things that don’t really grab a hold of the human heart. To be a teenager is to be superficial.

Instead of setting up lights, speakers, projectors, and band gear, we honestly might as well be setting up a wrecking ball. One-by-one,as our team members step on stage and shares from their life stories, you can watch the bricks fall. As we talk about our darkest moments, share our biggest secrets, and become vulnerable in front of the multitudes, the facade begins to break.

It grieves me to hear a student share about a lifestyle of addiction that was developed after experiencing sexual abuse from a family friend, or a failed suicide attempt caused by the dark side of bullying or a destructive family. But this is what we see when the wall begins to break down. When the walls are down, the idea of change becomes realistic to them. Every single day I get to look into the eyes of students and give them hope – real hope. With sincere gratitude and tears running down their faces, I have the privilege to hear things like, “today meant the world to me,” or “this honestly changed my life.” As we begin to listen to their stories and hear about their struggles, we can see the root of inspiration; of hope and purpose growing through the rubble.

There is a generation of youth who are yearning for hope and hungry for change. As we wake up at ungodly hours, lug our gear, and raise our wall of lights, I know it is all a means to an end – we build these walls, to break down theirs. 

– Johnny, Road Team Leader

The Bigger Picture – Faze Magazine, Issue 44

Broken Hearts: Mission Accomplished

When facilitating the experience of the young people who spend four months in Mexico with me, one of my goals is that their hearts would break when they have to say goodbye. Not because I like to see people suffer, but because then I know that they have really experienced true friendship and the Mexican culture. The people that I have gotten to know here are some of the most generous, determined and resourceful people I have ever met. If people are willing to try new things and put themselves in awkward, unfamiliar situations, they are bound to have their heart stolen by the people and this place. This spring the girls have thrown themselves into this experience in a way I haven’t seen previous groups do. And now as they wrap up their time in Mexico, I can see that my mission has been accomplished. In some ways I wish I could take away the ache in their hearts as they say goodbye to the friends they have made. But in other ways I am proud of them for spending four months cultivating relationships with everyone they met. They no longer focus on the differences between them and others, but see the similarities and how we are each an important piece of a larger family. And I am proud of what they have learned about their world and about themselves.  When they talk about the things that they have done in Mexico, there is a sense of awe and pride in their voices. This is one of the best rewards I could ever ask for in my job.

On Friday we start the journey back to Ontario to spend a week with the other team and celebrate their year. From there some of them are off to university, others to continue doing humanitarian work and others will be working and volunteering. I will be returning to Mexico to lead another Hero Holiday group and to prep for a summer of building 13 more homes. While the girls’ hearts are breaking as they say goodbye to this place, all of them are venturing off with names and faces of friends that will be their inspiration to do what they can to make this world a better place. They are not going to be paralyzed by the enormity of poverty and injustice in our world. They may not be able to do everything but they have learned the power of small actions, and that when everyone does their part, it’s no small thing at all.

“Once we have experienced solidarity, we can never forget it. It may be short-lived, but its heady sensations remain. It may be still largely a dream, but we have experienced that dream. It may seem impossible, but we have looked into the face of its possibilities.” – Ronald Aronson

– Rose, LiveDifferent Academy Facilitator

A Wooden Bell

As a previous Volunteer on Hero Holiday in Dominican Republic in 2010, I am so happy to be on my second Hero Holiday. I remember being in grade 9 sitting through my first LiveDifferent Motivational Presentation. It blew my mind, but like many others I went on with my day and forgot all about it. When I was in grade 11, the same thing happened again, I was so interested in these trips they kept mentioning, and how little old me could actually go to Haiti myself and make a difference. It was right then and there in my high school cafeteria I decided I would set out to LiveDifferent. And now I LiveDifferent everyday. I am so excited to be here in Haiti. Right now I am on the roof of our guest house in Port-au-Prince, and I am enjoying wonderful laughter and music in the distance, as I sit here with a nice cool breeze and wind chimes all around me. But before I was able to sit here and enjoy all of this, I had to work REALLY hard the week before. 

When we first arrived in Haiti we flew to Cap Haitien. There, we finished building the ceiling to the washrooms and to the principle’s office/teachers lounge area. We also picked up some very heavy rocks. We had assembly lines to get them to the retaining wall we also helped start. We were able to work alongside incredible men who were so great at their jobs and so patient with us as we learned how to get things started. During recess we would take a break and play with the kids. It’s always so fun to play with the kids because we need to know their faces and smiles so that when we look back on this trip, we think of them. I always had to put a child in my mind that I really wanted to see so that when I would be struggling up the hill to get to the school, it would be worth it.

One young man in particular stood out to me the most. It was our last day on the work site, and I was having a really hard time getting up the hill because I was so exhausted. Wesley is his name. He would always hang out in front of our hotel and come with us to the work site and lend a hand – he was a volunteer just as much as we were. He became a part of the team and everybody loved him. He was far ahead of me up the hill and he was carrying the green soccer ball we always brought with us to use to play with the kids. He turned and saw me in the distance struggling to walk up. He walked down to me, reached out his hand and nodded his head to the top of the hill. How could I give up now? I put my hand in his and we walked together.

Those moments are the ones that will stick with you forever, the good ones, the bad ones, the hard ones, and the painful ones. But the moment when you are supposed to be out there helping others and those others help you even more, that stays in the back of your head forever. When we arrived in Port-au-Prince we visited the orphanage, where it was hard for me to see so many kids so happy with what we gave them, even though they don’t have parents. The kids were playing hop-scotch together, laughing, and having so much fun with the chalk they were playing with. I noticed their hop-scotch was a little small for their feet, and so I drew them out a big one; their eyes lit up, their smiles hit their ear lobes, and they were ready to play! One little girl grabbed my hands and she pulled me behind her a thousand times and we played as one. Hop-scotch was something I used to do in grade school as a kid, and I never thought I would be doing it in Haiti as an adult.

When I come on these trips I am able to help the community, my friends, my family, etc. But the kids help me, change me, and love me more then I could ever feel or see or breathe or think in any place in Canada. As I sat with my roommate, looking at the nice art work in our hotel room, we came across this bell. Neetu read out loud the quote on the bell “No one listens to the cry of the poor or the sound of a wooden bell”. She turned to me and said, “well, we do.” With a smile on my face I agreed. I had an amazing experience here in Haiti, I am so sad it’s going over soon, and I will hold it close to my heart forever. 

– Cassandra, Participant, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Haiti

Citadels, Twins, and Bubbles

As a third year Finance student at the University of British Columbia, the need for me to expand my horizons and widen my perspective has become almost imperative as I transition into my final year before graduation. Despite being a business major, I have always been fascinated by the rich history of many cultures and nations. Having played integral leadership roles on various on-campus clubs and volunteer initiatives within the community, I wanted the opportunity to help on an international scale and when I heard of LiveDifferent’s collaboration with UBC for a trip to a nation struggling to survive in poverty and being the poorest in the Western hemisphere, the choice became clear. Today I got to experience Haiti’s Citadel and it is definitely something I will never forget. Seeing real cannons and cannonballs and dungeons above a 3000 foot mountain was extraordinary. However, I personally felt my hike up was an accomplishment all on its own. Despite being out of breath and sweating profusely after the hike, the breath-taking view and exceptional restoration of the Citadel makes the hike worth doing several times over.

This afternoon we were able to finally celebrate our wrap up on what we had come here to start- an expansion on a school for one of the poorest communities in Cap Haitien. It was now finally our chance to celebrate this accomplishment with the teachers and workers who helped make it possible – along with the students themselves. I cannot express the joy that was felt when we were able to hand out cake to the students and teach them how to blow bubbles (which always causes quite the excitement and awe!) However, during my time I was fortunate enough to connect closely with a few students in particular. One specifically being a ten year old boy, one of a twin. On the day of the party, as he has always done before, he met me on the bottom of the makeshift steps to the school. He would grab my hand and help me up and then proceed to dust the dirt off of me before guiding us to his seat – always making sure no other kid, including his brother, stole me away from him. I must admit it was hard to hold back a tear saying my final goodbye to him, and the look on his face as I squeezed him goodbye indicated the feeling was deeply mutual. I wish him, his brother, and all the students at the school the deepest amount of luck and good will. I have never met students so eager and desperate to learn; whereas we in Canada, myself included, tend to take that opportunity for granted. I will never forget seeing all the students who would show up for classes in the oppressive heat despite terrible illnesses or in some cases, extreme hunger.

As we left, I felt a certain level of pride to see the roof and retaining wall we had all struggled so hard to build.I have suffered from back problems for years and the buckets of cement that needed to be carried was definitely not an easy task. We were finally also able to raise the Haitian flag for the school. Seeing that flag rise and wave established a sense of hope; it solidified the emergence of education for these children who otherwise would not have had the opportunity. When walking away from today’s community party, the one prevailing thought that continued to run through my mind was how much I felt these little Haitians had changed and helped me, when really I had thought I was coming to help them. Through my various associations on campus I hope to fundraise funds for this school as donations are still needed for windows, classrooms, etc.This small community in Cap Haitien will stay with me as I head back to Vancouver in the next few days and I think that a part of me will always stay there with them.

Nina – Participant, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Haiti

Bon aswe ki soti Haiti! (Good evening from Haiti!)

My name is Cedric, I am 22 years old, traveling to Haiti all the way from Norway. Co-writing this blog is David, who is 18 years old from Canada. We are both attending university/college in Canada, but are currently in Cap Haitien, Haiti, completing a building project for the school here in Calvaire. We both feel extremely proud to have lived through a life changing experience down here in Haiti, and to have completed the roof on the new school building today.

So Much for So Little

Haiti…this country.. there seems to be so much to say. Its people, their encouraging smiles and friendly attitudes, their tireless ability to work hard, the culture, the hot piercing sun, the beautiful terrain – the list goes on. I have traveled before, I have seen some awe-inspiring things, I have even seen harsh poverty before, but I have never seen anything like Haiti. This is such an amazing place! Haiti, a country with a rich, deep, yet young history, that grew from a revolution of slaves. It went from being known as “the jewel of the Caribbean”, one of the richest lands in the West, to becoming one of the poorest countries in the world. The Haitian people have seen many natural disasters, repeated dictatorships, destruction and abuse of their land and resources, and contamination of their water systems by people who are supposed to be here to help. It would seem only natural to be angry, to give up, to lose hope and to stop trying, but I have never seen people work so hard for so little.

The Many Languages of Love, Hope, and Change…

Hero Holiday Haiti team today teaching French, Norwegian, Punjab, and English at our LiveDifferent school in Cap Haitien.

Trees Growing from Rocks

Today was the third full day of our amazing adventure in Cap Haitien, Haiti.  Each and every day in this region has provided me with what seems like a million new insights and memories that I want to hold onto and grow with.  I personally have never experienced first-hand what it is like to visit other countries, unless you count driving ‘across the border’ to the United States for a day of shopping! This trip has been such an experience for me, beginning with the simple fact of taking my first long-distance plane ride, down to the first time coming face to face with extreme poverty.  

Three Countries, Three Experiences, Many Lives Changed

Since I first heard about LiveDifferent and their Hero Holiday trips from my husband in 2009, we have had the amazing opportunity to embark on 3 different Hero Holidays and 3 very different adventures. The first Hero Holiday we went on was in May 2010 to Haiti. Most people, including myself, had never even heard of Haiti before the Earthquake that January. I can honestly say that Hero Holiday changed me in a way I never knew was going to happen. What I loved about Haiti was how full of life the people are. In the state they were in, (the recent earthquake and just the overall reality of how poverty stricken the country is), one would kind of expect the people to be feeling sad, sorry for themselves, and hopeless. What we saw was the opposite. In the orphanages run by David that we worked in, we met kids that would melt your heart. They were loving life with the little they had, and wanted to share with you what they did have. The girls orphanage holds so many memories for me – from the first day where all the girls did our hair in cornrows, (which came in handy throughout the next few days), to the times they would be singing songs while helping us sand the walls we were going to be painting. I have wanted to go back to Haiti to see the work LiveDifferent has been doing in Cap Haitian with the school they are building. I know that the impact they are having there is huge. The time I spent in Haiti has turned me into a lifelong humanitarian, and started the journey I have been embarking on that has taken me to Dominican Republic, and now Thailand.

The Dominican Republic in July 2011 was unreal! I was one of the leaders of Team 4, (aka- the best team ever), and that in itself made this Hero Holiday a whole new experience! In the D.R. we built a house for an amazing family that the team grew to love and who we are still in contact. The connection made between the team and the family was incredible. It was nice to get to know a family so well: you really felt like neighbours, lending a hand when a rough time had come along. Seeing how the trip was changing the lives of our team was the most rewarding experience of the entire trip. To go through the debriefing each night with them and see their perspectives change and their entire lives change in the matter of 10 days was something I feel privileged to have guided them on. My favourite debrief with our awesome team was about needs vs. wants. This debrief has the team go over what they thought were the three basic needs and three basic wants of humanity. I loved seeing their minds work through what they were privileged to have in North America, and contrast it with the reality they were facing day-to-day while building a house and working in a garbage dump with people who are stateless. We had decided on the three basic needs being food & water, shelter, and love. Three basics needs that, for most of the world, are also their three basic wants. During that trip, with those budding humanitarians, it was decided that it was time to make my longing to go to Thailand a reality…and that a few of the people on my team were going to be joining me!

I have wanted to go to Thailand since I first heard about Hero Holiday. I was never too sure why, but I knew it would hold something special for me. The timing to go was great, the fundraising for the trip went well, the flights, (while long), weren’t as bad as I thought being on a plane for that long would be. From last year, aside from my husband and myself, three other people from Team 4 from the previous summer were with us. While being in Thailand, I’ve been the most in awe of the amazing culture. It’s a place that is so beautiful and respectful. I’ve definitely had a few “AS IF I’m in Thailand!!” moments being here. Working in the Buddies Along the Roadside children’s home has been pretty surreal. Knowing the backgrounds these children have makes it almost unbelievable to see them there every day – so happy and energetic, and so full of life! If you’re wondering about their backgrounds, it’s less than an ideal childhood that we would expect them to have in North America. Many of them have been rescued from exploitative situations; human trafficking, slavery, orphaned from things like AIDS and Malaria, or they are considered “at risk” of being involved in any of those previous situations. When you know that, and then see the kids, it’s hard to connect the dots…which is actually hopeful. To know their pasts and to see the lives they are living is so inspirational. They are going to school, are learning valuable skills for the future. and are learning how to be proud of who they are. There is actually no other word to describe this trip other than incredible. For myself, taking part in this Hero Holiday is special, as my humanitarian journey is continuing this summer with an internship with Not For Sale who is committed to ending modern slavery in our time, and also plays a huge role with Buddies Along the Roadside. 

Since being on this Hero Holiday with people who haven’t been on any, I’ve done a lot of comparisons of the three destinations I have been blessed with the opportunity to experience. Each one has shaped me and has taught me new things about myself, the world, and those who are here in this world with me. The few things I have learned are that the only difference between us in North America and others around the world is the place we were born, and that not standing up for someone is like saying the injustice is ok, and that each and every single person, no matter who you are, CAN make a difference.