What a Birthday is like on a Hero Holiday…
December 9th, 2010Every year, a day that’s usually filed with gifts and celebration was completely different for me today. Today was my seventeenth birthday, and instead of spending it in Canada with my family and friends, I spent it in a garbage dump in the Dominican and made a new special friend.Right when we got to the dump, a young girl approached me and she was going to be the person I worked along side with for the day. She was a beautiful girl and the whole day changed my life. She showed me what garbage to collect and what was no good. Every time I’d ask her if something was good or not, we exchanged a smile, one that I will remember always. It was hard to see her pick up one of the used water bottles we just collected, fill it up with the clean water we brought and then drink it. She introduced me to her family and even offered me a piece of the small portion of bread she had. I knew she cared about me and I cared about her. She watched out for me and made sure the way when a truck filled with garbage was coming so I wouldn’t get hit.
She told me her hopes and dreams were to go to school and become a doctor to help people. It amazed me that someone who can barley help herself still wants to help other people. I could tell she had a big heart and she truly inspired me. She picked up some used socks that had holes in them and put them on her feet. There I was wearing rubber boots and there she was in sandals with used socks on her feet. We found a small football and it was fun to throw that around with her. It reminded me that children like her should be playing and not slaving away in a garbage dump.
She seemed kind of confused when I took my gloves off to hold her hand, she hesitated a bit at first but I noticed a big smile on her face when she grabbed my hand, I wanted her to know that I cared about her. She told me she liked my boots and it felt good to give them to her before I left. I didn’t even care that I had no shoes on for the bus ride back to the hotel. As long as her feet are protected, I just hope they fit! I was so overwhelmed that I truly forgot it was my birthday. It felt way better to give on my birthday then to take.Nettie and her niece colored a beautiful picture for me and that was better than any materialistic gift. I’m so gratful to be here right now, surrounded by the most beautiful people. Today was a very special day. I can’t say I remember any of my past birthdays, but this one I’ll never forget!Lots of Love,Rebecca
re (especially the little kids). In the morning, my group was in charge of all of the games we were playing with the kids, so we brought out the skipping ropes and parachute. I can honestly say I have never seen so much excitement over a skipping rope in my life. These kids just LOVED them! We spent all morning playing games with them and I had such a good time playing with them and getting to know all the kids better. Even though there is a language barrier, we are able to communicate through actions and by piecing together words. One little boy showed me all these cool shapes he could make by twisting elastic bands together, and another boy showed me all of his Silly Bandz and taught me the names for them in Spanish.
In the morning we also sang songs like the Canadian and the Dominican National Anthem, and played the Hokey Pokey which seems to be a favourite. Some of the children tried to teach me a song in Spanish and were laughing at how badly I pronounced all of the words. I think the only part I got correct was “Chi Chi Wah Chi Chi Wah Chi Chi Wah Wah Wah” which I say multiple times while they sing the rest of the song! There was this one little baby girl who completely made my day just by jumping into my arms and hugging me. She would fix my hair and then lean back and check to see if it looked good, fix it some more and then smile REALLY big and hug me. I just couldn’t believe how much love this little girl was showing me when I barely knew her, it just felt so good. And really that’s how all of the kids are, they just give you their hearts and you can’t help but love them from the moment you meet them.
In the afternoon we switched to work mode. I can feel my shoulder blades still aching right now, and I’m glad that they are like that because it means I put a lot of effort into the work we were doing. The entire group gave it their all. The house we are building is coming along really well, and it makes me smile when I see so many of the community members jumping in to help out wherever they can. We were mixing cement and it is tough work, and this one teenage guy comes over and grabs a shovel and finishes mixing the cement without even breaking a sweat. He was laughing and calling us all weaklings, which made all of us laugh a lot. Later we were all watching and trying to learn how to throw cement on the walls and smooth it over for a smooth coat, and it took ages to get the hang of, but finally two of my group members got really good at it and it practically looked like it was done by professionals! It feels so good to be helping out this community because all of these people are so in need, yet they always manage to greet us with warm hellos and make us feel so welcome into their community. I can’t wait to finish the house and see something permanent that we have helped change. I can’t wait for the rest of the week to come so I can have more experiences and really just make a positive change.~Rhiannon
Imagine this, a red tile, with no imperfections. Now picture millions of other indifferent perfect red tiles. This is North America. We are all the same, seemingly perfect, and red. Red is a colour of passion and love, but do we love the right things? Several indicators, show that we “love” and are passionate about stuff. We are just mass consumers and satisfied with things. Now picture a rusted chipped tile. Then imagine, several other chipped rusted tiles, but none are the same. On the exterior they may seem worthless, dirty, old, etc. Notice however that rust is a variation of shades of reds and oranges? These tiles represent the Dominican Republic and several other developing countries. They too are passionate and loving, but for more substantial things. They love to smile, and touch and hug and build as a community. They are passionate about the little things and have their priorities set straight. They put family and love and others first, they are satisfied with the littlest things and show affection for one another even though they don’t have the newest iPod or purse.
This is exactly what I’ve learned while in Dominican. Others need to be put first, because while I am complaining about a split-end there are thousands of children starving, being abused and being un-educated. Should we feel guilty, no. We have been blessed to have all the things we do own. Sometimes, guilt is a good thing, its makes us strive to make change and give our all. It is through this sweat and hard labor that I feel accomplished and proud to say I helped that family, I helped that little boy or girl. I’m sure all the other students and teachers feel the same way. Why give the minimum when you can give past the maximum, every little gesture helps. Another thing I’ve learned is affection is infectious. One smile leads to a high-five which leads to a hug and so on. Only through a positive atmosphere can change happen.
So, where is the real lesson being learned? Can we teach the Dominicans about our more “civilized” ways, and technologies. Or is it really more worth while to let them teach us the ways of sharing, loving and caring for our communities. Personally, from this experience so far I think the imperfect, rusted tiles are far more beautiful then the red tiles. When something is imperfect there is room for improvement and change. That is exactly why we are here, to make change in their lives and ours.We also challenge you to make a difference in someone’s life on a big or small scale. Every little tile represents each one of us and if we make a change these imperfect tiles can become a beautiful mosaic, which we know as the world.Lets keep up the work bulldogs!-SaraPS: Hey Mom and Dad and Adam and Cameron! Miss you lots!
One. The number one can be seen as any old insignificant number or it can represent life. One dollar: the amount people make working in the dumps for an entire day. One, the number of meals people can maybe afford to eat per day. One. In every one day 30 000 children die of preventable diseases. It is unimaginable to think that this number can represent so much hurt and suffering yet also represent incredible hope. One, the number of thoughts it takes to imagine a change. One, the number of people it takes to believe in a cause. One, the number of worlds we should live in.
People, including myself, live in a individualistic world where hard choices seem unbearable. Have you ever had to choose which of your children eat tonight? Which of your children need to not go to school in order to help bring in income? These are obstacles that challenge others on a daily basis, yet seem like a different world to us. Today we went to a public garbage dump where adults, teenagers and children were rummaging through for what I had to assume was gold. It was gold; it was a single slice of dirty bread or a half eaten decaying fish. This was gold. This was their gold.
Our first work day started off with a visit to the Public Hospital, where each and every one of us realized how grateful we are for the health care system we have back in Canada. The health care here is not even comparable to what we provide and receive, and what we most often take for granted. Just by walking into the hospital, you can tell how un-sterile the building is, how crowded and unorganized the health care system is, and how it can all be improved through a little education and help from others. The files containing patient information and medical history are thrown in garbage bags lined up along the floor, people are piled together waiting to get into the emergency and see a doctor, and at times the maternity ward is so crowded, women have to deliver their babies on garbage bag covered tables. Here there are not enough nurses to tend on the patients, so family members must stay with them. Each family must provide the patients with bed sheets, food, water, any prescribed medications (right down to gauze) and anything else they may require throughout their stay. This often places a burden on the family, not only because they have a family member in the hospital, but they lose the day of wages because they must take care and provide for the patient throughout their stay. Also, the main thing we realized while visiting the hospital, was how un-sterile all of the equipment and the building is. The walls often contain mold and residue, and the procedures carried out by doctors and nurses, including the equipment used to perform these procedures, are often done without being properly sterilized. This poses a huge risk to the patients, and this is often something we do not recognize when we go to the hospital, since we think it is common sense and comes as a second nature to us. The hospital experience was completely unexpected, and I could have never imagined it to be as different as what we have.
Our second task for the day was to help build a wall at Cangrejo between a school and a wood shop. The wall had to be built in order for the school to be a recognized place of education by the government, and we were there to help! We had to make cement without any machines, and carry the buckets of cement and blocks for the wall down over an incline. It was very hard work, in very hot weather, and we were very tired only after a couple hours. The Dominican workers whom we worked along side of, however, did no complaining, and when asked if they were tired, they laughed and said “No!”. This experience was amazing, and really made me appreciate my jobs back in Canada. These people do strenuous work every day, for very little, if any, money. I cannot express the appreciation I have for these individuals, and by helping them for just a couple hours, they appreciated us.Just one day with Hero Holiday has already changed my life forever, and the things that I have experienced I will take back to Canada, more specifically Newfoundland (where I am from), and I will make it my priority to make as many people aware and involved as possible, since just a little bit of help can go a long way!~ Samantha
If you have been a part of any of our Hero Holiday D.R. trips, you will probably remember Norberto (some called him Norbertico). At the age of three, while on a motoconcho with his father, they were hit by a drunk driver and from that point forward, he was confined to a wheelchair and had paralysis from the waist down, with permanent damage in some of his organs. This past spring, Norberto contracted dengue fever and his body began to shut down. In need of many blood transfusions and almost continual hospitalization, he continued to inspire many of our Hero Holiday participants and staff with his gentle spirit and incredible smile whenever we would see him.On August 14, at 7:50 AM, unable to have the strength to defeat his illness any longer, Norberto passed away with his grandmother by his side in the Santiago hospital. He will be missed by many of us and his story is now written on our hearts. We will miss his soft brown eyes smiling and beckoning us to sit beside him for a minute or to smile back. We will miss his presence at all of our community gatherings at the school, and most of all, we will miss the opportunity to see him in the years to come.One of six children in his family, Norberto lived with his grandma in Arroyo Seco, as his own parents couldn’t care for him. His grandma loved him deeply and would often thank different team members for the gift that the school was for him and all the children in the community.Many of you have been a part of 
bringing hope to Norberto, his grandma and an entire community that only a few years ago, dreamed of having a school in their community. Today, their lives are a part of our legacy together.Some of you helped out financially when Norberto needed medical care and for that we are grateful. Some of you even took the time to travel and visit him in the hospital, and your kindness will never be forgotten.It’s our hope in LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) that lives like Norberto’s will remind us all of why we do what we do – because no act of kindness, compassion or generosity is ever wasted.
This past month in the Dominican Republic, I met a little boy who has made an indelible mark on my life. We as Canadians are often swamped with statistics and numbers that are impossible to understand. How do we begin to process that there are 400 million children worldwide who do not have enough access clean drinking water to live? Can a person really ever grasp what is means for 25,000 lives to be lost daily because of hunger related causes? What does it mean that at least 15 million stateless people exist in our world today? Whenever I hear these statistics, they are no longer numbers to me. These statistics represent Steven. I have looked into his eyes, and held his hand, I know that his pain and struggle is real.I first met Steven on the day of our community party. We had packed up our trucks with all of the Hero Holiday participants, sound gear and speakers, countless donations, and a supply of clean drinking water for the day. We drove to the slum area where we had planned to throw the party. The people in this particular community are surviving on sometimes less than a dollar a day. As we pulled up and started to unload the trucks, we were swarmed by ecstatic children. Despite their desperate situations they were eager to spend the day together. The kids were ready for a full afternoon of celebrating and enjoying each others company, dancing, unlimited shoulder rides and the promise of a delicious meal. In the face of this excitement and laughter I found Steven standing off on his own. I went over to him expecting hugs, and giggles like I had heard from all of the other children. As I knelt down to ask him his name, he looked up at me with an utterly blank stare. There was no look of expectation or sparkle in his eyes, only sadness. He seemed so distant, so separated from the happiness surrounding him. I spent the rest of the afternoon with him, trying to get him to open up. I asked him as many questions as I could, the only response I got was a quietly whispered “Steven”.The more time I spent with him the more I hoped he was just simply shy. I hoped I would get the chance to hear his laughter, but that was never the case. Hunger, struggle and grief had stripped him of his innocence and of his smile. In that moment it became clear; poverty knows no mercy. As the party came to a close, our trucks drove away, leaving the community with new clothes, full bellies and a sense of value and new friendship. The only thing on my mind was Steven. I continued to wonder what he had witnessed in his few years of life to leave him so detached and unresponsive to everyone around him. How is it possible for someone so young to be entirely immersed hopelessness?A few days later a smaller group of us returned to his slum neighborhood to spend time with the children. We decided to set up a projector and a white sheet to play the movie, Finding Nemo, an experience most of these children would never otherwise be exposed to. Immediately I looked for Steven and once again I found him off on his own. He seemed to recognize me, but not even a hint of a smile flickered across his face. I lifted him into my arms and held onto him for the rest of the night. That evening I found out that he was an orphan, he did not know his own age and was stateless in the Dominican Republic. Steven has no legal documents and no birth certificate, so according to the government he does not exist. He will not have access to health care or the opportunity to be enrolled in school. Holding onto his tiny body I could feel the air rattle in and out of his lungs with each breath, I could feel his empty, bloated stomach rumble and groan with hunger. The grip of poverty had never felt more real to me. I will the never understand the twinge in his stomach or the ache in his heart, I will never understand which pain is more crippling, but I do understand that no child should face this reality. That night I left feeling angry that our world has betrayed this little boy, I went home wondering how this is a reality for someone who could not be older than the age of four. How has Steven been left to his own defenses, alone and forgotten by the rest of the world?
This is a song that was written by a participant on our Hero Holidays named, Cory Brigham. Every time he performs it on our trips it challenges and encourage our students.To all our past Hero Holiday participants, remember the people you helped and gave so much hope to and do not forget their struggles as you continue your lives back in Canada. You can make a difference and be the change to help those in need!We came and we saw that they’d prayed for the hope that we brought them.They may be a long way from us but they’re not forgotten.We cried and we cursed ourselves for not caring enough.But I wonder if we’ve given them as much as they’ve given us.Seeing them smile and the feeling of holding their hands,The meeting of colours like the shades of an old photograph.Lost in the clouds I knew I’d left something behind.Now my heart is theirs, just as much as it’s mine.And I promise I’ll see them again, I’ll always remember their face.Forever I’ll be their friend, most of all, I’ll be the change.Sitting on top of a rock overlooking the sea.I know that I’m home but there’s somewhere I feel I should be.What gives us the right, what makes us better than them?What separates us aside from a line in the sand?Imagine that was your child behind those eyes.You know she’s so thirsty that she doesn’t have tears to cry.There’s millions of people who could save her life but insteadThey spend all their money on clothes and leave her for dead.And I promise I’ll see her again, l’ll always remember her face.Forever I’ll be her friend, most of all, I’ll be the change.Most of us think, being so small, we can’t make it stop.But every flood begins with one single drop.Everyone searches for purpose and meaning to life.And I know that I found mine, so this is goodbye.But I promise I’ll see you again, I’ll always remember your face.Forever I’ll be your friend, most of all, I’ll be the change.We came and we saw that they prayed for the hope that we brought them.They may be a long way from us but they’re not forgotten.
These past two and a half weeks have been the most emotionally and physically draining weeks of my life. However this experience has also been the most eye opening and rewarding weeks of my life.
One child that I have met who has found this happiness is a nine year old boy named Antonio. I was introduced to Antonio about a week ago when I saw him cleaning my friend Miranda`s shoes and we quickly became friends. Many children living in the Dominican Republic have to work to help provide for their families. Antonio is one of many children that have to help their families by shining shoes. He makes between 100 and 500 Pecos a day. This is not much money considering he comes from a family of nine. He is the only child in his family that is required to work because he is the second oldest. Antonio starts his work day around 7am and finishes at around 5pm. I can always count on being greeted everyday by Antonio’s smiling face when we unload the trucks after a day at the worksite. I cannot help but feel angry that I have the opportunity to go up to my room and have a shower while he sits outside the resort trying to find people to shine shoes.
Yesterday Antonio saw Miranda`s IPod and he was amazed by it. He asked one of our translators, Smith, if we have a lot of IPods in Canada. We told him that we do have a lot of IPods in Canada. I did not have the heart to tell him that we come from a society that thrives on materialist wealth so much so that we have to continue to purchase the newest IPods when they come out (even though the IPods we have now work perfectly fine). The trip is quickly coming to an end and I cannot help but wonder what is going to happen to Antonio. I wonder if he will continue to shine shoes for a living or will he become a construction foremen like he aspires to be. We read so many statistics about poverty and some of those statistics have now become personal for me. Whenever I read or hear any statistics about children now, I picture all the children that I have played with, laughed with and spent time with. I will never forget them or the memories we have shared.
I looked down at my team members’ expectant faces and then at the clear blue water beneath. I was frozen. It was like time had stopped in its tracks and wouldn’t let me budge. I began searching for loopholes knowing full well that none existed. And in these minutes (I won’t say how many), an anger so deep rose inside of me. “This isn’t who I am!” My head was screaming. I am never the girl who “can’t” jump. When I was seven I believed I could fly. I would throw myself into the air, all limbs flailing and I would land hard, bruise my knees and scrape my elbows. But it was all for that feeling that even just for a “one Mississippi” I could be surrounded by nothing but the air I breathed, so immersed that it filled my soul. It was my being, even if it was just for a moment.However, in those minutes before I took the plunge, I learned the most valuable lessons in the entirety of my trip thus far. I learned what it was to feel helpless, to be lost in one location, unable to move in any direction. I learned what it was to feel like you’ve lost who you are and also the impact that a friendly face can have in a time when you feel like you have been defeated (thanks Chace). But perhaps the most important lesson was that just being here is not enough.When we come on Hero Holidays we, of course, come to make change. But more important than that, we come to find understanding because with understanding we can truly find compassion and the drive to see more change made. However, doing the fundraising, getting yourself here and walking these streets is not enough, it is simply the climb. Every participant here has done this climb, set themselves up to leap, given themselves the chance to find true understanding of what it means to be a part in the never-ending cycle of poverty. But now we have to find out how we throw ourselves in. How do we let go and truly become a part of this experience? Understanding can only be found when you are swimming in the water not looking down at it.
And it is not easy. The things we see here go against any form of normalcy, stretching far beyond the comfort of the world in which we live or daily lives in both good and bad ways. For instance, on my final day at the dump I was invited into my new found friend`s makeshift shack made of sticks and sheets. It was their place to get out of the direct line of sun after many hours of catching up on the past few days missed, picking and sorting through trash looking for recyclables. I felt honoured to have been invited in. However, as I sat with her friends and mother on old giant tins, the flies were swarming. They clung to every limb, I could feel them landing on my back sticky with sweat. I jerked my body and swatted at them, disgusted by their quantity and disturbed by their never ending buzzing.But then I noticed something that disturbed me even more. As I looked around at my friends I noticed a lack of jerking and swatting on their part. In fact they were sitting quite still, seemingly enjoying the shade. Suddenly I felt embarrassed; ashamed of myself for making such a fuss over something so normal in their lives which they had no power to stop. I began to wonder “what does it mean simply to accept flies; to sit, unmoved by their constant swarming and crawling all over your tired body?” It is so wrong in so many ways but there was something inside of me that had to understand, something couldn’t bear to have our worlds separated any longer by something so simple. And so, for a moment, I decided to be still. I allowed them to land on my limbs, my sweaty back and there I found myself, plunging into a new reality, so immersed that it filled my soul. It was my being, even if it was just for a moment.~ Danielle, a DR summer intern