Work-play balance

After two full days of construction with the hand of fifty WestJetters, the houses are beginning to take shape and transform from stacks of cinder blocks. These houses will turn into homes where families will regain their dignity, their sense of pride and above all, reclaim their safety. No longer will wind and rain come screaming through gaping holes in the ceiling or will they watch as their possessions go flooding away with every modest rainfall.

As a collective, this WestJet Hero Holiday team has pulled together and is working as hard as a construction crew found in any Canadian city. The blazing Dominican sun wraps you in a blanket of humidity so thick that beads of sweat begin to form even before the first shovel digs into the mounds of concrete. By mid-morning, most of us are totally drenched – the perspiration soaked Hero Holiday T-shirts serving as a silent reminder of WestJet’s commitment to the people of the Dominican Republic and to the community of Aguas Negras.

There is a saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So the good folks of LiveDifferent have injected a bit of rest and relaxation into the mix. After working the morning shift, one half of the team went on a waterfall hike to one of the many beautiful hidden treasures on the island. A welcome reprieve and a chance to soak tired muscles under a cascading waterfall on a magical afternoon escape.

As WestJetters we are known for being fun and friendly, and this afternoon fun was both king and queen for the day. It was good to see and hear everyone laughing and having a good time as we swam under the waterfall. Tomorrow we head back to the build site with renewed vigor, giving the other half of the team their opportunity to experience what we had experienced today. I have no doubt that they will be just as delighted with their afternoon hike as we were with ours. 

Did I mention that we have personal coconut deliveries? At lunchtime a gentleman arrives with a wheelbarrow full of coconuts, enough for the entire team. So as the other half of the team is out enjoying the falls, we at least have coconuts.

Veron Marsh, Guest Service Ambassador, Vancouver

The right fit

I’ve never been here before, so why is it that after only a few days, I’m comfortable here? The people are welcoming, the hotel is secure, the ocean is alarming and supportive at the same time… No, it’s something closer to home.

Meeting at the airport, I was fairly certain I would know no one. Some of the names seemed familiar, but I definitely wasn’t embarking on this journey with my best friend. It was a bit intimidating and lonely to not know anyone, but I knew it would only be a matter of time. How did I know that?

Once we reached the island, some of us were told who we would be bunking with – again, another risk. How do you know? Why is it that my roomie and I have had no trouble getting along? In fact, after just a couple of days, it feels like I’ve known her for years. I’ve considering myself lucky, but I don’t know that I expected anything different.

I’ve been watching everyone and learning, through body language and conversations, how everyone is handling the situations we have encountered. How might one person deal with the variety of emotions we have been facing? Who needs to talk about it and who might to take some time to process what they have seen, heard or smelled?

People of all backgrounds, walks of life and from all the corners of Canada, have chosen to be here. We each decided, for our own reasons, this was an experience we couldn’t miss. Each of us has had our own struggles down here, emotional or physical.  We have become individual pieces of an inconceivable whole.

Houses being built with scarcely more than a foot between walls; block being laid upon block. My job was to make sure there was enough mortar between the layers of blocks to help make a strong wall. But sometimes, the mortar wouldn’t stick. Girls in the house next door were doing the same, saw my dilemma and reached over to help. Different teams, different houses, but one goal. We’re going to make sure these houses are finished, good and strong, and with a few laughs (and some tears) as our mortar dries.

If the rumours are true, we were hired for personality first. Here, this has never been so evident. 

Lauren Diemer, Flight Attendant

An amazing day-in-the-life experience

The homes in this community are tightly knit, as are the people within.  The laneways are not laid out in the orderly fashion we are accustomed to. They go in several directions and are rather maze-like.  A group of five of us were split up and sent to two homes to experience the daily tasks of dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping the floor and, finally, cooking the evening meal as a show of gratitude for allowing us into their homes.

We wound our way down the path-like lane. I noticed they are sloped on either side to ease the flow of the contaminated black water from the high tides and rain. The humidity and 32-degree temperatures are more than I am used to, even in our summer months back home.

I had to take a very large step just to get into the house. The family lives right at the dead end, where the water flows into the lane. We spent three hours learning about their world and, hopefully, relieving the mom of her daily tasks. This tiny two-room home does not have a bathroom, running water, a sink or a fridge. They do have two beds and a bureau, which is actually an end table placed on cement bricks so it doesn’t get wet when the waters rise above the home’s threshold.

In the kitchen, there is a four-burner gas stove on a small table that doubles as the work surface for preparing meals and holding clean and dirty dishes. It’s also the eating area. The food and cooking pots are stored under the table. Water is carried in and stored in a drum in a corner of the room.

The living room is in the same room as the kitchen, with a wicker loveseat and chair set, a small shelf holding an old television and a few ornaments. A strand of mini Christmas lights strung along the top of the wall give this sweltering room a festive feel, which leaves me wondering how this family would celebrate.

Angelica is 25, married, nine months pregnant and has two adorable little girls who are two and three years old. This experience left me with such gratitude and with deep feelings of guilt – tears in our eyes as we washed dishes in the cold soapy water. Wow. We have so much compared to the poverty in this village. But this village is a community that takes care of one another and shines, in ways, above many of our communities back home. The gift of experiencing Angelica’s day was life changing.

It stormed that night. We felt sad and helpless for the families we are building for and the ones we’re reaching out to during the day-in-the-life program. It was a restless sleep for most of us. Angelica was not resting easy either – we were told she was in labour the next morning!

Today brought news of a wonderful new baby girl being born. Angelica is one of the lucky ones here and could afford to have her baby in the hospital while her mother-in-law helped with the girls. Her husband, a (motorcycle) taxi driver, could not afford to take a day off.

From the hospital 24 hours later, Angelica brought this sweet wee babe for us to see. We have so much joy and love in our hearts for these people. They truly love unconditionally and work together through everything. They cheer for us daily as we help to build them safe and healthy places to rest their heads and raise their babies. The children chant, “We love you!” as they run along our busses and leap into our arms as we walk to the worksite for another precious work-filled day as a community. 

As I go to bed tonight, I’m so grateful we were able to provide this family with a whole chicken, but I can’t help wondering when they will feast on a whole chicken again. Will that new baby grow to be an educated adult, able to provide love, just as she now receives, as well as a warm, dry and safe home for her own family? 

Fern Etzkorn, Load Planner

Cinematic magic

It’s movie night, and I’m not sure how to describe the feeling of driving down a very dark and narrow road as the sound of the cheering and screaming kids who are way beyond excitement begins to grow in the distance. Out of the darkness appears the glow of flashlights, a makeshift movie theatre that consists of a projector, a sheet between two palm trees, and a group of children who are trying their best to be patient.

We are in La Union. The darkness has been transformed into something that we take for granted every day – a theatre. We climb off our trucks and scatter to find a seat near our new very special friends – the children. As everyone settles in for the main feature, I’m amazed how we have gained their trust. I’m not really sure how much of the movie our group actually watched while we visited with our new found friends but, of course, that’s not important.

Unfortunately only our past, current, and future fellow Hero Holiday WestJetters will know the true meaning and understand the affect these small moments out of our busy day have on everyone we cross paths with on this trip. Just like all of our activities on this trip, it’s hard to judge who is impacted more during movie night – the people we meet and try our best to help in any way we can or us, the WestJetters.

I’m sure I’ll never truly understand what the comfort of new friendship and a night to forget about all of the things around them means to these children, and I’m sure there are 49 other WestJetters with me tonight that feel the same way.

Give your loved one an extra hug tonight and take time to truly appreciate how blessed we are with the lives we lead.

Todd Hunt, Aircraft Maintenance Engineer

How has your life changed in a year?

A few days ago, 51 WestJetters loaded in to a truck, water bottles and work gloves in hand. The look of anticipation was very clear on everyone’s face – the day we’d been waiting months for had arrived. We are in Nuevo Renacer to build homes for five families who have been living in conditions that none of us could survive in.

I have been blessed to have participated in two previous Hero Holiday trips – the first trip a mere 12 months ago. That first experience was life changing and I knew before it was even over I’d be back. Five months later I was meeting my next family. Today I am now on my third trip with fellow WestJetters, but this time as a team leader.

A year has passed; three trips, nine homes and five more in the making. Fourteen families that have a better sense of security and more opportunity. The community of Nuevo Renacer is starting to look different from when I first saw it. There are more homes that have been built, men and women are off looking for work and children have more things to do.

Every time I come here, the one thing that resonates with me the most is meeting the families we are building for. They welcome us like family, and you can see how grateful they are that we are here. But behind all the smiles and excitement, there lies a sense of disbelief in their eyes. It’s almost like they have lost their zest for life. What I have noticed after the homes are built is an incredible transformation.

As the walls start to go up, the glimmer comes back and demeanors slowly start to change.  The reality about their new homes is starting to set in. House dedication day is filled with excitement, accomplishment and the most wonderful feeling of love. But then, shortly after, we leave to come home.

What we don’t get to see is what has changed for these families. They have their souls back, exhibit a sense of confidence and have faith that anything is possible. They start to find work, they start to get an education, they have one less thing to worry about in life and they begin to focus on their dreams.

Our lives can change so quickly in a year. We all have a path in life and many of us go about our business not even realizing what has changed over the past year. In one year, shelter from the storm wasn’t the only thing that was built. A path from deepest darkness to the brightest light of the future can be paved.

Therese Gallagher, Planning and Delivery Manager, Inflight Operations

It rained hard last night

It rained hard last night, but luckily only for a short time. I was worried that the humidity today would be unbearable.

Then I started thinking about the young, single mother we visited yesterday. She seemed unconcerned that we were hanging wet laundry over top of her wooden dining table. When we suggested moving it, she shrugged her shoulders and said “when it rains the roof leaks and everything gets wet anyway.”

It rained hard last night, but luckily only for a short while. And I was worried about the humidity.

Christopher Van Vliet, First Officer

Without struggle, there is no progress

If you’ve ever vacationed in the Caribbean, or any Third-World country, you know that on the other side of your wristband-gated all-inclusive resort, life can be a struggle. Daily struggles are commonplace for a disproportionate number of local citizens and, among the residents, there’s another subsection of  individuals who struggle beyond what is imaginable for most.

Yesterday, the participants of WestJet’s Hero Holiday were introduced to the five families for whom we have the privilege of building homes. Their lives are an exercise in graceful perseverance; they are real-life examples of courage and determination. We were also introduced to Pastor Garcia – an individual whose inspirational story of involvement with the community of Arroyo Seco will make you want to go out and be your own agent of change.

As a previous WestJet Hero Holiday participant, I have returned to the Dominican Republic filled with anxiety and excitement. I am excited to see the families that we built homes for previously and want to reconnect with some of the friends that I have made. However, because I didn’t know how emotional a reintroduction to the communities would be for me, this excitement was mixed with anxiety.

I am happy to report that this anxiety was misplaced. Stepping back into The Dominican Republic has been a truly joyous occasion. The community has embraced us with as much warmth and affection as they did previously. The grace and kindness displayed here is something I never want to forget. As I look at the houses we have built before and the ones we are in the process of building, I feel an enormous amount of pride working for WestJet, the amazing company that brought us here.

So, to my fellow WestJetters who are dedicating time away from their families and who have made sacrifices to be here, you are all true heroes. To the WestJetters back home, it’s hard to describe how truly transformative this experience is, but anytime you have the opportunity to be involved in change that enhances humankind, I hope you will stand up and be counted.

When it comes to making the world a better place, your dreams and goals are never too big or too ambitious. 

Veron Marsh, Guest Service Ambassador, Vancouver

The Change Within

Yesterday, 50 WestJetters came together, from across our network, to embark on an adventure to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic. The plane from Toronto was abuzz with WestJetters in blue Hero Holiday t-shirts, nervous with excitement and anticipation about what the next 10 days would bring.

As a member of the Community Investment team, I have had the privilege of participating in each of WestJet’s three Hero Holiday trips. I’ve been able to see first-hand the remarkable change that takes place in Nuevo Renacer, the community my fellow WestJetters will visit today, many for the first time. I have seen 10 new homes built in 2012 by WestJetters – meaning that 10 more families are now safe, dry and able to move forward with the next chapter of their lives.

I’ve seen a beach where you couldn’t see the sand for all the garbage turn into a place where children in the community are able to play. I’ve seen children grow, go to school and start to pursue their dreams. I’ve seen new babies born into new homes, so they will never know what it is like to live with pools of dirty, contaminated water on the floor. I’ve seen roads paved to this community and a steady, safe electricity supply be connected.

All of this change couldn’t have been imagined five years ago, but is now a reality due to the compassion of groups like WestJet and other organizations that partner with LiveDifferent. After this Hero Holiday 2013 is completed, another five families will have received new homes and can continue the momentum of change.

Many WestJetters on this trip don’t know what lies before them, but I do. I know that the participants, like this community, will go through an exceptional amount of change on this trip. They will see things that shock and disappoint them, and make them question why things have to be the way they are. But they will also see moments of true happiness. Gratitude and love will flow from the families receiving homes and the community as a whole. These relationships will help them see their world in a different way and those WestJetters will continue to bring the movement of change to their communities when they return to Canada.

Many people sign up to take part in Hero Holiday so they can change the lives of the people of Nuevo Renacer. My hope is that WestJetters who take part in Hero Holiday will realize they also have changed.

Sarah Speedie, Community Investment Coordinator

Our Lives Have Changed As Well

Although we have left our own families behind, we have become a part of a bigger family. From the first day we stepped off the bus, it was amazing to feel so welcomed by all of the people in the village. It was like we had known everyone there our whole lives. It was so nice to see people from the village come together to help not only the families we are building for, but us too. The lack of jealousy and generosity is simply mind blowing. 

Today, we did a day in the life activity where we spent the morning with a separate family that consisted of a single mother (22 years old) with a three year old boy. We started the day by hand washing the clothes that were dirty for two weeks, because believe it or not, she simply could not afford detergent. Almost everything done down here is by hand therefore requiring a lot more time and work. We cannot tell you how grateful we should be for having machines to do almost everything back home. We then had to walk to her mother’s house with the clothes in buckets to hang them outside in her back garden (not your typical back garden) to dry. She does not hang them outside her own home because she is afraid that they will be stolen. We could not believe that the little boy had for example, only two pairs of underwear and about three shirts.

On another note, every time it rains the mother has to put plastic bags on the ceiling above their beds because the roof is leaky. Although she does this, some of her things still gets wet including her bed. We also helped her prepare lunch that was provided by LiveDifferent. We helped her cook half of a chicken with rice and a small amount of vegetables that was going to be shared among six people. It was so nice to see how giving she was with so little, to share the meal with some of her family. One thing we couldn’t believe was how little they waste. When we were adding the rice into the pot, she wanted every single grain to go in!

We cannot believe that today was our last day of work! It was extremely hard work but definitely worth the effort and time. We are so looking forward to dedicating the house to the families. Not only will their lives change but ours have as well. 

Ashley & Melanie, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteers, Dominican Republic, Making More Change Trip, 2013

From Our Island to Yours