The hardships of life in Nuevo Renacer

On our first morning we were so excited to be able to spend it in the home of one of the families in the village. Natalie and her husband have 3 children, unfortunately we did not get to meet him He is a motoconcho driver but is currently away in another province attending the funeral of his mother and visiting with family.

A day in the life is exactly what this is. We spent the morning going through the family’s daily routines. As she was excited to have special guests she wanted to hang new curtains and place her fancy lace table runner along the counter in her kitchen making us feel very welcomed into her home.

As we do in our homes she had her way of doing things and was a great teacher and willing to show us how Natalie liked things done. From the wringing of the mop to how the floors were washed Natalie assisted us in learning her techniques. Washing clothes was definitely a difficult task and something that took a while and a few lessons and practices to catch on, something we take for granted. A family of 5 washes their clothes by hand in a plastic basin by moving it back and forth between the wash and rinse and then into clean water before placing it on the line to dry.

On this particular day Natalie and her family did not have electricity which is a daily thing for them. We on the other hand were quite worried about this given we had brought fresh chicken to cook. Natalie seemed to take this in stride and confidently instructed us to help her make a Dominican rice and chicken dish. Using the one knife in the kitchen and the counter top we cut in half the chicken we had brought, one half to be cooked and the other half to be kept for another meal in the non running fridge. Natalie proceeded to take over in showing us her own recipe which smelt amazing as it began to cook.

The morning went way too fast, although we came to help them we realized very quickly how much we were being taken care of. One of the children was sent to get ice to ensure we had cold water to drink and Natalie brought out a towel for us to wipe the sweat from our bodies as it was cooler outside than inside the house. This morning is one that we will never forget and this family will always remain in our thoughts and prayers but we feel confident that Natalie’s strength, love and beliefs will guide her family through life.

A day in the life for us but memories we will have forever.   

Cheryl and Melissa ~ Hero Holiday Volunteers 2013

Lessons from the locals

This is Lyndon and Cara from Sydney, Nova Scotia and today was our first day of work on four new houses for four great families. It was HOT! We broke into groups and got right to work…let us just say that mixing cement by hand is harder than you can imagine. That, on top of the extreme heat, was something you can’t exactly prepare for.

We both spent the majority of our day mixing cement and carrying cinder blocks. We also played with the children, brushed up on our Spanish by interacting with the locals, and Cara helped build up the walls of a home, while Lyndon soon found out he was a ‘Stella Ella Hola’ champion. With everything that was going on, our time in Neuvo Renacer flew by. With only 10 minutes left of our day, it was amazing to see our team come together with members of the community to make a chain to move the rest of the cinder blocks to the site. As a group we carried 300 cinder blocks down from the street.

During the 40 minute drive back to our resort we had plenty of time to discuss everyone’s experiences throughout the day. The thing that came up repeatedly was how little they had but how happy they were all the time. This made us realize that LiveDifferent has, and is continuing to have, a huge impact on the lives of the people living in Neuvo Renacer.

Later in the evening our team met to debrief on our work day. We began by discussing what had impacted us the most and the feelings we had experienced, both positive and negative. After hearing everyone’s take on the day we quickly realized the difference between needs and wants. We learned that what we may perceive as needs back home in Canada are not in fact needs. They are just wants that we think we need. They are materialistic and we could easily survive without them. By seeing the way the people of Neuvo Renacer live, it has really opened our eyes and shown us the true difference between a need and a want. We have many needs that we take for granted and many wants that we don’t actually need. We have learnt so much from the people of this community already. We can’t wait to see what else we learn this week!

Lyndon and Cara ~ Hero Holiday Volunteers 2013

Handing over the keys

One of my favourite moments from my experience in the Hero Holiday program in the Dominican was house dedication day. It is the day where the family gets the keys to their new home. I was honoured to write and say a speech with Kardy (one of the DR interns), and to hand the keys over to the family. It was so incredible to be given that opportunity to hand the keys over so they can begin the newest chapter in their lives.

It was extremely difficult to try and get all of the thoughts in my head onto paper to write the speech. Once we had one idea everything just kind of flowed together. Being able to hand the keys over to the family was one of the most rewarding moments I have ever experienced. The smiles on their faces lit up the community and were contagious.

As much as we like to think we have helped these families, they have also helped us find a new meaning in our lives. They have inspired us to continue on this journey of helping people and doing whatever we can to make someone’s life a little bit easier.

I know I can speak for everyone when I say house dedication day is something you will never forget. It shows that all the hard work we put in that week actually made a significant impact on the family’s life. It was the most unbelievable feeling and something I will never forget.

Danica ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer July 2013

House Dedication was one of the best parts of the trip, and that’s saying something considering the entire trip was amazing. You could tell everyone’s excitement levels were high and the families were all smiles, awaiting the dedication to start. Prior to arriving at the work site, I had the pleasure of writing the dedication speech with Janice. It was tough to put all the thoughts we had into strings and make sentences, but we got through it and were actually quite proud of what we came up with.

On the bus ride over, we had lyrics to the song “Lean on Me”, which we were going to sing to the family after the translators and contractors had been thanked for their hard work. The song was a great choice, and although the family couldn’t understand the lyrics when we sang it, the look on their faces when Junior translated Kevin’s summary were priceless. In that moment, it was so clear how thankful they were for us and their new home, and how thankful we were for them and the relationships and experiences we had gotten. It was an amazing moment to share with some of the most wonderful people I know.

After everyone had been thanked, and the song had been sung and translated, Janice and I were called up to read the speech that we had prepared. It was a little long compared to the others’, but there was just so much we wanted to say. Reading the speech without crying was definitely hard, but so worth it, because I could tell how taken aback the family was with how we felt, and how we learned so much from them and their community. It just goes to show how much everyone still has to learn, and how much we can learn from each other. Once we were done speaking, I got to hand the keys to Francis. The smile on his face, and the hugs I received from the family afterwards, were ones I will never forget.

Each of the house dedications was special in it’s own way, between the songs that were sung and the relationships that were talked about and shared. It was great to see each dedication and catch a glimpse of the connections between the other teams and their families. Once the dedications were finished, everyone had a chance to look around the houses and then it was time to say goodbye. It was hard to part ways with the people we had come to know so well in such a short time, but I’m sure the unique individuals, the relationships we made and the community will always hold a special place in our hearts. 

Sarah ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer July 2013

Shark Tooth

The moment I saw the “LiveDifferent” presentation at my school (Margret Twomey Public School) I realized that a goal of mine was to learn more about this organization, poverty and to someday travel on a “Hero Holiday.” Those three years that “LiveDifferent” had come to my school, gave me the motivation to travel and help people in need, when I was old enough to attend on my own.  When I realized that my family was supporting me to go on a “Hero Holiday” I was ecstatic. I was even happier that I was able to get the chance to experience this amazing adventure with my Mom.

The day I travelled to Dominican Republic to the village of Nuevo Renacer on our awareness tour, it was not what I was expecting to see. The homes I had seen were no larger than a small shack. Most homes were made out of scraps of wood, and tin, or anything that could be found. They had holes in the roofs and walls. Water was leaking from the roof and flooded on the streets on rainy days. The house I have been building with my team is for a single dad with three sons. The father has been raising the three boys on his own for the past fifteen years. I could not even imagine how hard that must be for him.

One of the highlights of my Hero Holiday is called “A Day in the Life.” I got to experience this amazing morning with my Mom. The family I had met was a Father, Mother, and two children (ages 15, and 11). The son was born premature, which has given him many physical and mental disabilities with upcoming surgeries to repair his vision. The father provided for his family, by fishing as his employment. Eight months ago, he had a terrible accident, and could not fish anymore. Today he picks and sells fruit, and he also has three rooms that he rents out for income. He also fixes electronics. When my Mom and I went into their home, the Father showed us a jaw of a shark that he had caught, and also a beak of a sword fish. This was the most amazing thing that I have ever seen, because he had so much pride in showing us that he had caught these.

Many people have running water, washing machines, dish washers, microwaves, but here in Dominican Republic they often have none of these things. All these appliances that many people take for granted this family that I had spent the day with only dreams of having. Washing clothes by hand in a tub with hauled water and hanging it on a string line is not the easiest thing to do, as I realized after spending time with this amazing family. After spending the day with this family, it made me realize how privileged I am living in Canada to get all the things that I have, and how much I take them for granted. Now that I am on this Hero Holiday, I realize what LiveDifferent is all about.

Grace ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer 2013 

The Act of Teaching

Lugging a suitcase around an airport with only thirty minutes of sleep the night before isn’t the ideal way to begin an enormous humanitarian trip in the Dominican Republic. With so little energy, I didn’t feel overly enthused about meeting forty-something new people, struggling through Spanish, and suffering through the extreme heat and intense humidity – not to mention the incredible workload I would be taking on in the following ten days. And now, here I am; I’m just wrapping up Day 4 on my Hero Holiday and I’ve already had a handful of incredible experiences.

One morning on the worksite, I was given a task that involved a shovel and a group of muscles that I never bothered to develop. When our translator asked who wanted to pull nails from boards, I immediately volunteered, thankful for being assigned an easy job. It wasn’t easy. “Nail removal” quickly became “yank on the nails, give up, put the board in another pile, wish for stronger deodorant, grab a new board, and repeat.” A local elderly woman watched this process for a while and then beckoned me over in Spanish. Although we didn’t speak the same language, she began to teach me the best way to remove the nails (put an extra board by the nail and use it as a booster for your hammer so you don’t have to pull as hard).

For the next little while, she guided me: she straightened out crooked nails, she loosened up tough ones, and she held down the boards to keep them steady. She would never do the job for me, but rather would demonstrate, hand me the hammer, and smile. It would have been less stressful for the entire worksite if this little old lady had just taken over the Nail Removal Site and let me take a siesta somewhere, but she took the time and care to teach me how to do it properly. By the end, we were celebrating each completed board with a cheer, a high five, and a quick exchange of Spanish and English that the other never understood. When we finished for the day, her and I even compared biceps (she acted impressed at my muscles, but hers were much bigger so I think she was just flattering me).

The next day on the worksite when it came time to remove the nails, I didn’t have to worry about nails with a mean curve or two boards being nailed together. The little old lady worked alongside me, smiling as wide as ever. This really ties into the whole “give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime” philosophy that I believe is at LiveDifferent’s core. We’re providing a house, yes, but we are also involved in creating a better community and helping the local economy by hiring contractors. I’ve experienced many awesome things – a waterfall hike, a pool party, and the cool relief of an ocean swim after a hard day’s work – but this woman’s act of patience and guidance is something that has been vital to my experience thus far. I can’t wait to see what the remaining days will bring. And I can’t wait to tell this story to my Dad, who I assure you will say, “You didn’t know how to take out nails?”

Shanae ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer 2013

Meeting amazing people

Today was the second day on the work site. The house is coming up a lot faster than I thought it would be. Everyone always had something to be doing. If it wasn’t sifting sand or mixing cement, then you would be playing games with the kids on the beach.

Everyone in the community was there to help.  Even the family the house was for was helping. You can’t really tell how grateful someone is until they receive something that they’ve worked for and deserved their whole lives and they are still there to help build, all day.

Everyone in the community is like a big family, they don’t care who’s blood you have, it’s just if you’re there then you’re loved and cared about the best you can. All these people give up so much of the little they have just to please everyone else. They always think of other people’s needs and wants before their own. It’s like they would rather do things for you than have you do something for them.

I was told about a boy that already lost their father to Diabetes, and who’s Mother and Brother have the same disease. That boy had to watch his mother bring his sister to an orphanage because there wasn’t enough food on the table for the four of them. People that live in such harsh conditions don’t deserve to be burdened with even more struggles. I think that if a few teenagers can build a house for a family to live in for the most part of their lives, then the amount of change that can be made with more and more people everyday is unimaginable.

Ben ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer 2013

Amy and Danica ~ Hero Holiday Volunteers 2013

Intern Week in Dominican Republic

A day of celebration

My name is Beth and this was my very first LiveDifferent experience. Today I experienced something that not many people have the privilege of experiencing in their lifetime. I, along with 54 other inspirational people, handed over the keys to a brand new Medical Clinic and two homes for two very deserving families in Nuevo Renacer, Dominican Republic. At twenty one, I feel so blessed and honoured to have taken part in this journey. I am sad that I just recently discovered the work of LiveDifferent and got involved. However, I am glad that I can now say that is it something that I have accomplished and it is an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

The people of Dominican Republic are unbelievably admirable. They have the hope, happiness, relationships and dedication to their lives that some people search for forever. The hardships that they overcome each and every day are often more than anyone can experience in a lifetime. Medicare is now something that I know I previously took for granted. Until coming here, it was hard for me to understand the depth of their struggles. As medical practices are some of the largest expenses and the one of the greatest demands in this community, it was incredible to be a part of the construction of the Medical Clinic. Not only does it provide services to the community and to those who require the facilities, but it provides a new sense of hope for the longevity of life. It is hard to fathom that people die every day because they do not have the access or money to medical services. As the Medical Clinic is open to the entire community at large, I am incredibly excited and proud that so many people will be able to reap the benefits of this facility.

Earlier in the week, I had the honour to sit down and talk with a few of the family members of the first house that we were working on. Talking with Sonja, her two daughters and daughter-in-law was inspiring and eye opening. After discussing several areas of their lives from their hardships to their hopes, it gave me so much joy to watch them receive the keys to their homes. Sonja, Antonio, their two daughters along with their son and his wife were living in a house the size of my parent’s kitchen and dining room. They have faced numerous struggles throughout their lives. However, they continued to dream through the belief of greater powers. After hearing a bit of their story, it was incredible to see them receive the keys to their home, knowing that it would provide a glimpse of light to their lives. Hugging the family as I walked through their new home gave me a feeling that I will never forget. 

Our team worked with several different Dominican translators during our time here. Their stories alone make me wish that I had more time and money to commit to the incredible community of Nuevo Renacer.However, today was a day where time and money didn’t matter. Today we handed over the keys to the fiftieth house built in Nuevo Renacer to Bella and her family. Bella and Sara have been working with LiveDifferent for the past few years. Over the years, LiveDifferent heard about the struggles and hardships that they faced in their lives and in their previous home. Knowing this, LiveDifferent with some other sponsors, jumped through as many hoops as possible to provide Bella and her family with the home that they deserved. As Bella and her family are such special people and have provided LiveDifferent with so much help and their kind spirits over the years, we were determined that their house would be a surprise to them. As our team and several of the other translators knew this prior to the build and dedication, it made it that much more difficult to hold in our excitement during the build. The house is special in so many ways. It was such a surreal experience to hand over the keys to Bella, knowing that their lives would dramatically change forever. Their new home provides them the security and safety that they deserve. After today, Bella and her family no longer have to be concerned about not being able to pay rent. As a result, they do not have to be fearful of the struggles that they previously suffered in their old home. Knowing this provided me with emotions that I am unable to describe. Watching Bella accept the keys to her new home as she was supported by her daughter and son is something that will forever be engraved into my mind.

At the beginning of our trip, the interns and staff told all of us volunteers that we would not be the same individuals walking away from the Hero Holiday. After today, I now understand why. Prior to this experience, the hardships and lifestyles of the families that we worked with and met were only stories. After experiencing a “Day in the Life” and the emotions of providing a home to two deserving families and a Medical Clinic to a community, the stories turned into life experiences and memories. I feel so privileged to have worked alongside so many inspiring young people and volunteers over the last ten days. I hope that I can one day return to the Dominican Republic and sit down and talk with Sonja, Bella and their families. I would also love to see the next part of the Medical Clinic and hear all about the people that have benefited from the services from the centre.

Beth ~ Hero Holiday Volunteer 2013

Family bonding while mixing cement

Who our heroes are

At debriefing tonight we talked a lot about people’s wants and needs. You have your needs such as food, shelter and water, and you have your wants such as entertainment, special brands of clothes and richness. Today we spent our first half of the day with a family learning how they live and helping them out with daily challenges. The second half of our day was spent helping to build the new local medical clinic. Both of these tasks really helped us open our eyes and really understand the difference and separation between wants and needs.

The family we helped was a family of three children as well as the mother and father. The father was off working; he does not have a specific job but he goes out every day looking for any odd jobs he can do to make money to provide for his family.  On a good day the family makes $2.50, which does not cover the daily needs, so they often survive off one meal a day. We helped clean dishes, sweep the floor, clean clothes, fold laundry and cook a meal called “morro”. Their water was stored in a big bucket that was placed in the kitchen and used for multiple tasks. The house was very small and filled with children, which made the house really crowded and very hard to move around. They have so little but are the happiest family we have ever met, they are always smiling and full of energy. They struggle with daily needs that we take for granted at home, which leaves little room for wants. We are so grateful to have met and spent the day with such a wonderful and beautiful (bonita) family.

The medical center that is being built is something that is a need for the community and its people. We worked very hard and as a team with not only the LiveDifferent team but also with the people in the community. It felt so uplifting and great to be a part of such a wonderful experience. The people are so friendly and affectionate. You don’t need to speak their language to understand their gratitude because their hugs and smiles say it all.

It’s very hard to put all of our emotions onto one little piece of writing, because the emotions just keep building. We’ve only been here for three days and already feel so inspired and affected by everything that we are so fortunate to take part in. In school almost every year they ask us to write about who our hero is. If we had the chance to do that assignment now there is no doubt we would write it about all the wonderful and amazing people we’ve met so far.

Gracias for reading,

Hannah and Chelsea