Boston Pizza Day 3 – Cinderblocks, Gringos, and Kung Fu Panda!

Our days start at 9am with an open-aired, windblown truck ride to our work site where we’ve spent the last two days. What started as three skeleton buildings are transforming before our eyes into homes for our new friends. Each home is no bigger than 250 sq.ft., but surprisingly, the number of people working in the congested area work cooperatively and functionally to reach a common goal.I had no idea there was a tradesman inside me. I’ve learned to build walls with mortar and cinderblock; mix concrete, and haul it by bucket-loads; and sieve sand for wall mud. But, what surprised me even more was the participation of the community, who join us each morning with smiles, to work hard to build homes for their neighbours.Our labour intensive days are broken up by time to play with the children and interact with the community. While most of our Spanish vocabulary is limited to “Hola” and “Por Favor”, the children are most receptive to the universal language of “play”. Game boys, Ipods, and gaming systems are substituted by basic skipping ropes, colouring books, and frisbees, bringing joyful shouts of delight from the children and “gringos” alike. By the end of the day we climb back onto our trucks, tired, dirty and sweaty, but a happy crew.This evening we were treated to an open-air theatre in a small Haitian/Dominican community. Each one of us had at least one or more children in our laps to share the movie experience with. Half-way into the movie I recall looking around, and thinking that there was no other place I’d rather have been at that very moment. I was covered in sweat again, but this time not from the sun or the hard work we’d been enduring all day long, but from the body heat generated from the four little humans that surrounded me. A blue tarp was laid out on the ground in front of a big white screen featuring “Kung-Fu Panda”, where we sat still for the next two hours under the star and moon lit sky. I’m not sure who enjoyed this evening most…Julie

Second Work Day for Carson Graham

On our second day at our work project, I was asked to carry water to the work site from this big brass or iron tank that looked like a submarine. This town does not have any waterlines to it so they have to get water shipped in and stored in large containers like this. It’s hard to imagine life like this…we had to dip the bucket in it and sink it to fill it up. After we took our filled bucket back to the work site it was dumped into a metal barrel. From here the workers could use it to mix cement. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this water transporting job! On our fifth trip back to the water container, Cole told us to place the water buckets on our heads and support it with our hands. All the women who were outside washing their clothes started laughing. I don’t blame them, it was funny! You see Haitian women everywhere here carrying things on their heads.In the afternoon we were split into groups of 3 and asked to prepare an English lesson for the local school. My group decided to teach numbers and fruits. Other people taught the colors, animals, and members of the family. It was fun and the students were fast learners. We drew posters and stuff to make our class more interesting. It was cool because some of the students could speak French so were able to speak a bit with them. Over all we had a great day and it is awesome to see the progress our team is making on the washrooms and showers facility.~ Sophie

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!

Carson Graham’s First Day in the DR

March 12, 2011Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see today. The entire day was a constant wave of emotions sweeping me of to new adventures. The first place the trucks took us to was a poor community that was bursting with friendliness, and surprisingly high spirits. Who would have ever guessed that people could be so happy with so little?As we stepped off the truck, we were greeted by an array of shining faces that belonged to children. The children were thrilled to hold our hands and join us “gringos” on a tour of their village.  A little boy who held my hand for some of the walk was quite a camera star. He was totally over joyed to pose for pictures, and gave a BIG grin when I showed him the picture I had taken of him. I also found it hilarious when he laughed menacingly and pointed at a boy on our teams braces. I don’t think I will ever forget the girl who came and gave me a hug before it was time for our team to leave.Back tracking a little, this is village is home to most of the people we will be working with in the garbage dump. The community is quite a site, definitely opposite of what you would find in a Canadian town. The houses are tiny, spacing is uneven, clothe lines hang from most homes (which by the way are extremely bare looking inside). You will also see pigs, dogs, chickens, and other animals roaming freely in the lane ways. The people who lived there have cut wire from the main power line and connected it to their home. It is an easy way to get free power but very dangerous. In fact, we were told that electrocution is often the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in the Dominican Republic.We hopped back on the trucks again waving randomly at citizens as we drove across the scenic landscape. Then it occurred to me how strange it was that nearly everyone we waved to waved back or smiled. If we were to wave like that through a community in Canada people would be all weirded out and just stare. We pulled to a halt at our next stop around 11am. It was a community centre, school, and church in one building that other Hero Holidayers have helped build on past trips like ours. Behind this facility there was a small basketball court were some teen-aged guys were playing basketball. Our group challenged them to a game after taking a peek at the school. It was fun! Also, when playing a sport, you don’t need language to communicate. Lucky for me, since I do not speak any Spanish. Later when I sat down next to a new little friend I attempted to ask what her name was in Spanish, “Como se Llama?”. Or at least that’s what I thought I said but my pronunciation must have been disastrous since she stared back clueless. After that it was time to return back to the resort for lunch. I dragged my feet to the bus because I really did not want to leave my new friends just yet.After a buffet lunch, we drove off to our final stop of the Awareness Tour. We stopped at a tiny community of primarily Haitians that have are extremely poor and many without work since the sugar cane industry took a bad hit. The house were in rough shape with patch work tin roofs that apparently leak during rain falls. We meet the “heffa (boss in Spanish), a kind hearted man who never goes anywhere without his horse. We also got to meet his daughter, a pretty young girl with mental and physical disabilities that have put her in a wheel chair. Her smile and joy could light up a room! She enjoyed our company and watched us from her wheel chair as we played a game of soccer with a group of teen-aged boys. We got to see our building project for our trip. We will be constructing a bathroom and shower facility for the community since at this time they do not have any in the entire village. Up until we complete this project they have been using the field behind the community.We drove back to our hotel after that. Our minds lost in thought. I finally feel like I am beginning to see through my heart, not just my eyes.~ Cholena

Some Final Highlights from St. Louis Travel Club

Some Highlights from our experiences with Hero Holiday.

-Everything we’ve done here in the Dominican that we would of never done at home.

-working at the garbage dump and watching my partner Carlos find a bottle of water and using it to wash his hands and feet.

-The movie night was a real highlight for most of us too, the way the screaming kids swarmed the bus as we arrived, cuddling with the kids while watching the movie and some fell asleep on us, and how safe the kids felt with us. Its amazing how something so simple as sitting and watching a movie with them could make them so happy and feel so close to you.

-being swarmed by kids at Auga Negra on the play morning who all wanted to try our cameras and see themselves in the pictures. They would get a big smile on their face. They enjoyed all the time we spent with them.

-The special feeling we felt when cuddling the little kids. Some wouldn’t let us go.

-The people were so happy and great, always smiling. They made the best out of life, better than we do back at home. They were always so willing to help.

-The whole attitude of the people, how they have so little and yet so proud. And they should be! They are the most unselfish people we have ever met. We just want to make a difference, I know we just made our first step….. WE ARE ALL HERO’S!

-we also loved working along side of all the locals, they were so fun, even though we had a language barrier. We always seemed to let each other know what we wanted, with the help of our interpreters FRANTZO and JESSICA. Lots of laughs lots of tears.

-The mother of one of the houses we built. Her name is Lucia. She was a wonderful person. We could have many conversations with her, sometimes with the interpreter and sometimes not, both ways was wonderful. Lucia always had a huge smile and a hug for you when she would see you, especially in the morning when we would arrive at the work site. Lucia, Marko (husband), and one of their sons (Raphael) worked with us everyday. She will always be remembered!

-stopping and washing clothes on the porch with a lady from Auga Negra. Neither of us knew what the other was saying, but we were able to connect doing a simple task.

During this experience, I have to say that seeing all the kids of St. Louis working & playing along side all the kids of the Dominican. THAT WAS SO AWESOME TO SEE! Too see the change within our kids & the growing they have done as individuals. I look forward to seeing what they decide to do with this experience when we get home.

Ms. Piercey

THANK YOU HERO HOLIDAY TEAM! You’ve given us something we will never forget.

Day 8

OUR LAST CONNECTION with the people of Auga Negra……DEDICATION DAY.

We had to make a quick stop on our way to Auga Negra at La Sirena(kind of like Superstore). A few of us went and helped purchase some groceries and household items for the 2 families. That was very exciting to be able to do that. We were able to purchase both families a double bed and a propane stove. It was a very rewarding moment when we dedicated all of this to them. We shared a lot of the same emotions, hugs & smiles. It felt like we were now united as one big family. WOW! IT WAS AN AMAZING FEELING ONE WILL TREASURE FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES…

TILL WE MEET AGAIN.

St. Louis Travel Club

Day #7 for St. Louis – A Day Off

Day 7

Day off: February 22, 2011

There were three adults who opted out of the excursions and chose to take the day off to spend as we liked. Following six days of building, touring, meeting new people and learning new ways it was a bit overwhelming to wake up in a fabulous resort with fantastic weather and unlimited refreshments. I’ve always been one to scoff at the people lounging around the pool working on their tans and reading trashy novels, but today I learned that there is something wonderful about having no agenda. First on my list was coffee. Then another, and another. By then it was time to change into a bathing suit. A quick dip in the pool to cool off and then more lounging on the lounger. My comrades decided it was time to check out the shops in the area and left me behind. As they checked out the local shops I checked out the beach. I looked at the waves that local described as, “angry” and decided I didn’t have the gumption to fight them. I laid down my towel and held it down with my body, derriere to the sky and promptly fell asleep. After a time a gentleman came along and tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Madame, you are getting burned, you need to roll over.” So I did. That was the extent of my day.

Jacqueline

MONKEY JUNGLE – Zip Lining

Today we went out to Monkey Jungle while another group went to Ocean world and swam with the dolphins. Our group got to go zip lining and were able to interact with the monkeys. It was a very fun and exciting experience, something you would never think of doing in Canada. We were all nervous to go down the first zip line, but after that it was a blast. On the 7^th zip line there was a 50 ft cave that we dropped straight down in. aunty Reanne chickened out and didn’t jump, but she amazed everyone by zip lining. We then went back and got to go see the monkeys, I “Danielle’ was a chicken and scared for a monkey to land on me, but I sucked it up and fed them. We got back to the resort and met Sean with his raccoon eyes.

Danielle

 DOLPHIN SWIM @ OCEAN WORLD

Six of us decided to go to Ocean World to swim with the dolphins. We seen fish in a large aquarium, took pictures with tigers, & a bird sanctuary and that was really cool, they came and propped themselves on us and Brittany had probably about 20 birds on her all at once. We had an hour to lay on their man made beach before the dolphin swim. Then it was time for the greatest moment we were all waiting for, ” THE DOLPHIN SWIM”. They jumped over us, we danced with them, fed them, kissed them and they kissed us on the cheek, they clapped, then we got to hold onto their fins and we swam along side them, wow that was fun! Then it was the grand finale and the dolphins swam behind us and each dolphin pushed us by our feet. This adventure made some people overcome their fears and for others it was a check off their bucket list. Woohoo Paulette, you did it!

Courtney & Candace

Day 5 and 6 for St. Louis

Day 5

Back to building! Today we arrived to find the roofs on the 2 houses and the smooth coat going on inside and out. “Very Interesting.” We learned a lot that day from making cement mixture for a smooth coat, to pasting the walls and smoothing. Lots of sweat that day.

We also leveled the floors inside the houses to prepare for the cement floor pouring the next day. The floors have been raised about 3 feet from ground level with rocks, dirt, and old broken cinder blocks. They are raised to keep the houses dry when the village get flooded (which sounds like it happens fairly often). We leveled them out with a pick-axe and shovels and hands and then hauled in wheel-barrows of dirt to level it out completely.

After a hard day of work some of us went for a swim, others went shopping, and others hung out at the resort. After supper we played some pool while watching Reanne get her hair braided and extended. There was a lot of laughing that evening.

Sean & Michelle

Day 6

Today our group split in half with one group going to play with the kids and the other on the worksite and a switch at lunch. I went with the kids in the morning. When we first arrived there was almost no one there, but we pulled out the jump ropes and the balls and pretty soon the area was full. Nettie sang local jump rope songs with the kids and Tammy taught them how to play with a Chinese skipping rope. There was nail painting and catch, but I mostly stayed out of it. A little girl named Nadia attached herself to me and was too sweet to put down. She just wanted to be carried by someone, so I held her all morning and my arms were tired by lunch. In the afternoon we mixed concrete and used it to fill in the floors. There was a little bit of smooth coat to be finished, but that was mostly done. We spent most of our time with a wheel barrow moving sand for the concrete and mixing it up with shovels. Some times the kids came to help shovel for awhile. Mostly they played. One of the boys had a mask and chased the chickens around with it. It was pretty cute.

In the evening we went to “La union Bate” and watched Madagascar in Spanish with the kids. It was really awesome. When we pulled up to the village we were welcomed by a stampede of screaming children (now we know how Justin Beiber feels, LOL). We had to stop the movie and the kids had to move out of the way to let a car go through. We also had motorcycles with police with their guns patrolling the village, right through our movie. Pretty different night at the movies, but it was a great experience.

Nitara

Days 3 and 4 for St Louis in DR

Day 3

Off to Augra Negra again to do our 2^nd day of our build. Half the group jumped right back into action while the other half enjoyed interacting with the children, playing tag, singing songs, skipping, playing catch, coloring and painting nails. After so much playing it was time for refreshment. We handed out water and suckers to everyone. The craziest thing was to experience the excitement and happiness the community has when we can look to our right and see a garbage dump and garbage filled river and a shack as a house, with the shack hanging over the river bank, which means the family is on the verge of losing their home. After lunch the two groups switched, so one group played with the kids and the other group worked on the houses mixing & hauling “cemento” for the whole afternoon. We were supposed to go for a movie night at the first village of “La union” to watch Madagascar, but it was looking like rain, so it was cancelled to Monday night instead. So we went for ice cream and did a bit of shopping on the way back. Corina tried bartering, but came back empty handed, we’ll have to go back again to see if she can get her price. LOL. We came across a ball game on our way back, so we stopped, that was very cool. We had our picture taken with one team named “Amigos de Canada”, they were sponsored by a couple from Winnipeg.

Day 4

WORK DAY AT THE GARBAGE DUMP!

This is the day that was the most life changing for ALL OF US! We partnered up with a Haitian friend & helped them to fill a very large bag to make them .50 to .75 cents a bag. The items that they wanted us to pick up were plastic bags and plastic bottles. They also took anything that they could use, like underwear, shirts, pants and some of us even witnessed them picking food and eating it. That was a hard one to take! YOU CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT WE ALL WALKED THROUGH. Later that afternoon we went for a hike to the waterfalls, which was a very refreshing afternoon after our challenging morning. We walked through sooooo much mud and walked through streams of water to get to the waterfall. After supper some of the girls had their hair braided. Michelle and Reanne got extensions too. VERY FUNNY LOOKING. LOL.

WE ALWAYS END OUR DAY WITH A LOT OF LAUGHS! MICHELLE IS KIND OF CRAZY. LOL. CORRINA HASN’T STOPPED LAUGHING. HAHA.

P.S.- OH YA AND BY THE WAY THE KIDS ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB THIS WEEK HERE IN THE DR.

Brooklyn and Reanne

First Few Days of St. Louis Hero Holiday

Day 1

TOTALLY AMAZING! As you can see in all the pictures. We went to tour around a few different villages and seen about 6 schools. All we can say is “totally amazing”!! The first village “La Union” and was so totally awesome, it was our first encounter with the children. It was so cool to see how these children clung to all of us, even though we were strangers to them. They held our hands and gave us hugs. It was an amazing feeling to hold a Childs hand and feel the warmth and bond you now have within your first 5 minutes. Off to the school in Arroyo Seco where we met Garcia, who pretty much made this community to what it is today. So amazing how one man can have a dream and with a little help from Hero Holiday can follow through and build a complex which holds a school, church & community center.

NEXT onto meeting the two families that we will be helping in Auga Negra, it was an eye opening experience. SO UNBELIEVABLY SAD TO SEE THEIR EVERYDAY LIVING CONDITION WITH A BIG SMILE STILL ON THEIR FACES. We are now looking forward to Day 2 to see the progress begin!

Day 2

NO SUCH THING AS CLEAN CLOTHES FOR US ANYMORE AND IT FEELS GREAT! Heading straight into work such as mixing cement, hauling cinder blocks & wood, transporting pails and pails of “concreto” back and forth from house 1 & 2. Amazing site to see! Lots of neighbours around to lend a hand, and the support they show for one another is incredible. By the end of today the houses had really progessed and we are looking forward to what Day 3 has instore.

P.S. sunscreen is our new best friend!

P.S.S. Quick question for Sean. How was your 1 hour massage? You barely even broke a sweat! LOL.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

What a Great Christmas

The Christmas season in my house is usually filled with food, gifts, and family. This year really was no different, but instead I got to give food, give gifts and become part of a community that accepted our team as members of their own personal family. For those who have not visited Agua Negra, it is named for the black water that plagues the streets and its residents. When the rain comes, homes are filled with this water along with any other creature seeking refuge. Our team had the privilege to meet the Garcia family, who by the end of the week received a beautiful new home. No longer will Agapito, Noelia, Jalyssa, or Anfernie have to deal with the black water or pests that used to plague their home, and Agapito can finally rest with the knowledge that his family will be safe and dry.  During the house warming ceremony I was really struck by just how important a name truly is, and was overwhelmed with the name Agua Negra has sought to change to: Neuvo Rena Said . New Re-Birth.  What a powerful statement for this village; to take a stand and take a name that shows what it is becoming, not constantly constrained by its past. We were able to be a part of this change, and words can’t describe what a honour that really is.

Throughout this trip the sense of community kept embracing me over and over again. Whatever village we visited, we were greeted with smiles and love.  Each of the team members spent time before the trip collecting gifts and supplies to deliver to these villages. I chose to collect school supplies as education is something close to my heart. When visiting Arroyo Seco, we toured the school that was built by Hero Holiday and learned how it brought together a community that had many divisions within it. Education unifies across cultures, traditions, and frames of mind. Needless to say I was grateful to contribute with these supplies and am thankful to my community for being so generous and helping support education outside of Canada.

I felt love, I witnessed hope and I was part of the change.

 ~ Rikki-Lee