This week is flying by and we are busy busy finishing off both homes and yes, still playing playing with the community kids!! Last night was “side of the road” taco stand and candy store visit… way too much fun! Today we are also hoping to visit the families from last year… can NOT wait!!!!
This morning we packed up the fun pack and headed to the village of La Union. We put together a baseball game with many of the young adults and kids aged 5 – 22. They loved it, but we may have enjoyed it a little more! Many people may think this was just a simple game of baseball, but it actually was so much more. Because we were there, we gave these children and young adults the opportunity to do things that people at their age would most commonly be doing. Most of these individuals on a daily basis walk about 45 minutes or more to the garbage dump to work for eight hours straight. They often have responsibilities around the house which are not typical of an individual their age. It is a great feeling to know we could be there for the morning.
After a long 10 days an intern excursion was definitely needed! We were up bright and early to bus and boat to Paradise Island. The 2+ hour bus ride was definitely worth it. Paradise Island is more of a sandbar than an island which has been formed from the debris that has broken off from the coral reef that surrounds it.
Kindness is everywhere. It’s in the little things and in the bigger things. Today was house dedication day for our team. We rode the buses to the work site and were able to see the finished products. I’m not the most emotional person you’ll ever meet, but handing the keys to a family is never a simple moment. It is grand, so grand that it’s quite difficult for me to put it into words.
We, as a team, worked so hard all week. We were extremely focused and felt so purposeful. We toiled and sweat a lot and sometimes even bled in order to help and to give. And that is something great. But it does not compare to the grandeur of the house dedication, because so many things come together at once in that point in time that are incredibly amazing. The students realize then that they have changed the world and, to some extent, start to contemplate the possibility that they might just keep on making an impact every single day for the rest of their lives. The radiative power of that realization is, again, impossible to put to paper. It is felt. And it is one… great… feeling!
The family that we have built for feels honoured, grateful, and proud. The father is so very proud that he can provide security for his family, that the rats won’t be nibbling on his children’s fingers at night, that community members and strangers have lost the ability to walk in and out at any time they want, that when it rains they will be dry. Our family was so special, 3 children, their mom and a policeman father. He was one of the proud few men of justice who are not corrupt in Sosua. It would be so easy to give in to the temptation of corruption, but this man is choosing a different path. These adults and children were leaders in the community before they got their house. I can only imagine how great their positive influence will be now that they have a home.
To the community leader in Arroyo Seco I say thank you. I am so very grateful that you allowed us in. That you trusted us with your children and your families. That you let our Canadian youth help and experience change. They will change the world and that is because you trusted them and let them in. Leaving the build site and returning to Canada after this experience can and will generate a lot of different emotions and reactions in participants. For me, this time around, it can be summed up by compassion. I am choosing to let compassion permeate my life and to see love everywhere I go. My team chose to give and to help out a family in need this week and that is beautiful. They met with the children, conversed with the mom and worked side by side with the father.
Within hours of leaving the Hero Holiday, already life has shown me that compassion can permeate your life if you let it. And to me, that is happiness. Being able to help, to show you care, to make someone’s life a little lighter, even if it’s just for a few minutes, is the key to living an inspired life. Whether it’s buying a hot dog for a homeless man or translating for a child traveling alone (2 things that may or may not have really happened in the past couple of hours), we can choose to LiveDifferently. We can choose to speak kind words and act with compassion. We can choose to be understanding. And that, my volunteer friends, is the key. Being kind makes me happy. It keeps me sane and it allows me to continue to give. It is the path I choose today and I hope I can only be lucky enough to by given the opportunity to keep living this way.
Gen, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Teacher Volunteer, Dominican Republic 2012
When you do something awesome, and by that I mean something REALLY awesome, it makes you feel full, complete, connected. And when you do it with REALLY, REALLY awesome people, it makes you feel like you belong and have a much greater purpose.
And then you go home. And you feel like it’s just you, good old regular you, in just good old regular life. And you don’t feel full, or complete, or connected. You may even feel empty, incomplete, and utterly disconnected! I am feeling that today. Add to that the fact that for 10 days, I was surrounded by like minded people who also want to change the world and you have a great recipe for loneliness. I am feeling lonely today.
Out of all of my friends and my family, no one wanted the 30 second story, never mind the 10 or 30 minutes. And I am feeling lost, homesick for Arroyo Seco, and utterly alone. I look at every single picture that was posted on Facebook, answer all the posts and send messages to my Hero Holiday friends.
And all those mantras that I repeat to myself, all that positivity and passion, all that love and compassion, that drive, those things that define me, they just don’t feel like they have the same meaning at all anymore.
But you know what, maybe I can’t find their meaning because their meaning has CHANGED. Those ideals I had before I left, they are still there, they are still so very strong, but I simply need to figure out what their new meaning is in light of this LiveDifferent Hero Holiday experience. I need to dig deep and find it in me to take action from here and today. Because making a difference doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
LiveDifferent has facilitated my encounter with a wonderful community where my whole team was able to make a difference. And coming home to a wonderful country like Canada only accentuates and highlights the great social inequalities that exist in our world.
My message to you my Hero Holiday friends is to be kind. Be kind first to yourself. Do what makes you feel better. Be sad. Feel the feelings that you need to feel and then… then just let them go. That should leave room for action and kindness, for moving forward and for being an agent of change wherever it is that you stand in this world. Be kind to others everyday, that should bring you happiness. Every act of kindness, however random or small, changes the world for the better.
I will see you again my friends. We will be somewhere some day, making a difference and it will be like ‘Hey, remember that epic cement making day? That changed my life…’
Anonymous
Today was a fantastic day! It started off with meeting our second family – Bulmaro, Isabel, and their 3 year old son, Christian. We toured through their current home, much like the one we saw yesterday, made of twigs, cardboard and covered in plastic. At first sight of the conditions they live in, I felt devastated and wanted to bawl my eyes out – they just have so little! Very humbling!
After meeting the family and getting to talk to them through our amazing translator, we started getting busy with the build. Everyone split up and started different tasks; there was a cutting crew, painting crew, framing crew and kids crew. As soon as we started, the kids started coming and coming, …and coming! They were so excited to hang around, play, and help wherever they could. Such joy on their faces!
It was fun getting to work with the families. At first they seemed a little timid, but after a while they got right in there, painting and swinging hammers. I think we all found the communication barrier difficult. I just wanted to talk to them and get to know them as much as possible, but we did our best at the few words we know, and hand gestures for whatever else we could. I think as the week goes on, we will learn more about them.
By the end of day one, we had the roof and 2 walls framed for each house! But definitely one of the highlights was the impromptu dance party we had with the kids just before we left. Despite the communication barrier, everyone was able to enjoy that! We are all looking forward to tomorrow, and the many adventures we will have!
Marcie – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Mexico 2012
Our fun group of 30 arrived safe and sound at the LiveDifferent compound in Mexico (okay admittedly with a few sunburns already!) and after 2 full days of travelling by bus, we pretty much immediately headed straight out to meet the families we are building for. Unfortunately one of the families was not around at the time, but we did get to meet the other one… Loudes, a single mom and her 3 sons.
They graciously allowed us to ask them numerous questions, and take some pictures and even tour their current home… a small shelter built mostly out of sticks, cardboard and plastic. There was only one single mattress where we guess the mom and two younger children sleep, and then a blanket laid out on the dirt floor where we assume the older son sleeps. When asked about their hopes and dreams for the future, the mom indicated (with a tear in her eye) that she hoped that she could feed her children and give them an education… pretty humbling as those are things we definitely take for granted back in Canada.
Tomorrow we look forward to meeting the second family and getting started on building the homes and really getting to know all of them better. It was fun to see our youth already connecting through playing soccer and throwing Frisbees with the kids… a big part of our plans while here as well!!
Allison – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Mexico 2012
Often we look at people and we think, “I wonder what it is like to be in their shoes?” This question, and many others related to this, has passed through my head since being here in the Dominican Republic. Coming from a life where poverty is hidden, and life is dependent on materialistic items, the site of poverty and its extremes that are exposed here in the DR really intrigue me. The reason is because I wonder what life is like for these people.
Saying goodbye is always hard; even if it is saying goodbye to people you have only known for 10 days. Today, week one of Hero Holiday Dominican Republic came to an end. This meant that all of the volunteers and some of the staff had to head back to Canada. This was emotional and hard for the staff and interns who are staying here in DR for another two weeks. I found it especially hard to say goodbye to the team I have became so close with over the past 10 days. I have had countless, in-depth conversations with this team, especially with certain individuals, which makes me feel like I have know some of them my entire life. Like always, I look at the situation more positively. For me, the end of this trip is the beginning of many friendships. It will be interesting to see where all of these friendships go. I have a hope that I will be able to keep in touch with most of the friends I have made and strengthen the relationships. I look forward to visiting certain individuals and some individuals potentially visiting me. It has been an interesting, fun, and amazing 10 days. I would not change anything about it. I am extremely pleased about the amount of respect and acceptance our group had for each other. I feel that this has allowed me, along with others on the team, to grow. As I watched the bus pull away and I waved at many of my friends leaving with it, I began to reflect on who each of those people were when they came here and who they are now. Everyone has changed, clearly in a positive way. I am very proud of our group! Everyone worked super hard, putting every bit of physical and emotional strength, and love that they had into each day!