Shack Day 1 – Five Pesos to Spare

We moved into our shack today and started work right away. We did physical work around the yard.  We started around 9am, had lunch break at noon and the work day ended at 3:30pm. Apparently this is a short day of work! All I know is that I was ready to nap during our lunch break! While two people dug a hole for a new outhouse (bano), the rest of us re-fenced the yard. This consisted of ripping old plastic off the sticks used as fence poles and stapling on new plastic. The people doing the fence periodically rotated with those digging the bano hole. In the end the bano hole was at least ten feet deep. We carried the heavy bano structure over from the next yard and put it safely on top.  By the end of the day we had a new bathroom and a repaired fence.Our income for the day was 300 pesos; however by the time we paid our bills and bought groceries for dinner tonight and breakfast and lunch for tomorrow we only had five pesos to spare. It was the most stressful situation ever for me. Based on some requests from the rest of the group Emily and I were the ones doing the shopping today. By doing this I really got a sense of what life could be like for a struggling family (and not only here but anywhere). Standing in a grocery store trying to calculate in my head what the bill will be, how much money we had and worrying if we were getting enough to fill our families stomachs. Trying to put a bit of money aside for a day off. And the worries of what if we didn’t have enough money, what would i put back and the embarrassment that goes hand in hand.Even as we sit here by the fire with barely any light left planning our meals and schedules for tomorrow, I cannot help  think  how many people in my neighborhood are thinking along the same lines. Only their worries are much stronger because at the end of this week they don’t get to ‘check out’ and go back to a big sturdy house and worry-free steady meals. We only have five pesos to spare today but when it comes down to it, we are going to be okay.Written by Deryn, a School of Leadership Student

The Shack Intro – “We’re All in This Together”

  For 7 full days, I’ll be living in a shack that we, the six of us School of Leadership students, built out of cardboard, wood, and plastic scraps that we’ve salvaged from the streets of Zapata & Vicente Guerrero. Why you might ask? To experience some of the life challenges that a migrant worker in Baja Mexico might encounter.Each day, we’ll be working common labour jobs to make a daily combined wage of 300 pesos; the equivalent of three people working. This will be shared between the 6 of us to buy food, water, and supplies – including toilet paper, firewood & any other life bills that may come up like medical expenses. Just so you know, 300 Mexican Pesos = 26 American Dollars. Building our new home seemed like a near impossible task when we first began. Considering all we were given was a staple gun with staples, a few nails and a hammer. We had zero money and needed to build a stable, water-proof structure to keep us safe from whatever weather is coming our way. So we turned to the ditches of the highway; we scavenged for cardboard, wood, scraps, windshields, anything and everything to build our shack. Some generous businesses also donated some scraps of wood, twine and cardboard boxes. Once we filled our van with cardboard and such, we headed home. After we got everything out of the bus we started to strategize where we would build our new home. We tried to find the most level surface to build on, from here we decided where the shower, fire pit and water barrel would go. Idea’s were flying. We decided on a raised tent shape, basically a triangular shaped frame with about a 2ft base at both ends; similar to a basic house shape, only shorter. Once we had the frame of our shack built we started to lay and staple cardboard to the roof. We covered the roof with the plastic to make a water-proof roof for our lovely new home. For the plastic we used the rope that the lumber yard man gave us; it was quite handy. We did some problem solving and came up with different ways of holding down the plastic. Once the plastic was in place we made sure everything was secure.I think we may just survive in this thing, considering I’m looking out the window at the shack & it’s still intact despite a night that kept me awake with rainstorms & windgusts like you wouldn’t believe! (Or maybe I just stayed awake because I’m terrified for the next 7 days..and slightly eager to get started!) But all in all, it’s an experience I’m excited for. Here goes nothing – we’re all in this experiment together!
Written by Leah and Emily

Day Two – The Shack Experience – ‘Whole New World’

It’s a whole new world in Mexico when you wake up at 5am. There are people walking to work after cooking breakfast and lunch for their families. There are buses driving up and down the streets to pick up the workers and take them to the fields. Who knew this was all going on while we are usually cozy in our beds? But today the students joined the workers waiting for transportation to the tomato fields.By the end of the day we didn’t even recognize our own hands. Stained purple from the twine we used to tie up tomato plants and green from the leaves. We worked from sunrise until the middle of the afternoon. Boring, repetitive work as we bent over the plants and tied twine to posts to hold up the tomato plants.We were fortunate to be able to talk to each other the whole time so that was nice. All the time together these past couple days has actually been really fun. We’ve all had lots of nice chats and it’s nice having the time away from the internet. I really haven’t been missing it at all! Sleeping in the shack last night was warm. I didn’t see any bugs so I’m just gonna pretend there weren’t any.  I cannot believe people live like this for their entire lives!  A man we met today in the field had been working there for 12 years on 165 pesos (14 dollars) a day and a ranch before that for 20 years for 110 pesos (9 dollars) a day. Day in and day out for 32 years….and I console myself knowing this is over in a week. This is hard work – manageable for a week but hard. I know this is the point but I really am even more amazed that people go through their lives like this.2010 SOL Student living in ‘The Shack’

Day One – The Shack Experience – ‘Generosity’

It ended up being a beautiful day for the first day of the shack experience which was a relief after a few days of rain at the beginning of the week. The students dropped their small bundle of belongings off at the shack first thing this morning and walked their “kids” to school.The morning was spent doing odd jobs around the house and yard. After a lunch break we headed off to meet the clamming crew. We were grateful for the warmth of the sun and surprisingly enjoyed the job more than we thought we would. After a few hours we had a total of 43 clams that were big enough to sell for a total income of 120 pesos (10 dollars). The rest of the pile that we had worked so hard to gather were chucked back into the ocean.The students went grocery shopping after work and were pleasantly surprised at what they were able to get with their money and still had some to spare. Some local friends came by to check on them and gave them a hand with some plastic they brought from the ranch he works at; they helped them get a fire going and showed them how to clean the clams they brought home from the beach. Later that evening another neighbor stopped by with fresh tortillas for a snack. We experienced the amazing generosity of the Mexican people. These people have only met us a few times and yet they wanted to do what they could to help us. People pitch in and help each other here, that’s how they survive. Makes me think about what I’d be willing to do for strangers or people I just met.- 2010 SOL Student living in ‘The Shack’

School of Leadership Students First Day of Teaching English

My dad has always told me “Matthew you’re not nervous, you’re excited. It’s the same emotion it just depends how you look at it.” I’m here to tell you; NERVOUS was definitely what I was. Today was our first day of teaching the English program that we came up with to students at a local school in Mexico. We had already visited this school about a week ago to play with the kids and get to know them, but today was the day we were going to put all the time of planning our classes into action. I had so many things running through my head, “What if we screw up?” “What if they laugh at us?”  “What if we fall flat on our face!?” Anything possible that could go wrong, I had thought of it believe me.

We all walked in and put up a map of North America so that we could explain where each of us lived to the students. After me and Em Cost introduced St. John’s NL we stepped aside so the rest of the lesson could be taught by our fellow SOLS. Watching the kids pay attention to the rest of the lesson was phenomenal. They were so excited to have us in there; kids were screaming out, “Hello” “Goodbye” “How are you” all over the place. The pure excitement in their voice as they would scream the English equivalent to the Spanish word made everything worth it. By the end of our time, I was not nervous at all but truly excited with what we had presented to the school, and can’t wait till next week when we move onto colors!

~ Matt, a School of Leadership student living in Mexico for the next 3 months

First Impressions of Mexico

“I can’t believe I get to live here” – is all I’ve been thinking as we’ve been exploring the cities and sights around us here in Mexico this week. But even walking outside of our gates to our house, the poverty is undeniably evident here, and one begins to wonder if Mexicans have the same thought when they walk out their door in the morning. Honestly – doubtful. Considering I live in Canada, have free health care, and my house is a lot bigger than those here, and I don’t skip out the door blown away by the beauty of the trees and the birds that day.  I guess what I’m trying to say is: Mexico is a beautiful place, and I hate to think that some of the people here haven’t even been to see the gorgeous beach a couple miles from their house because they have to work every day. At first, this thought made me sad. I thought everyone here must be very stressed out all the time, trying to make ends meet, working day in and day out. But then I started looking at people’s faces as I walked down the street. Almost every person you come across, no matter how young or old, will offer you a smile.

Walking into a store, the storekeeper always says “hola!” and the overall atmosphere is so much more welcoming than I am used to. It’s hard to wrap your head around people being so much more welcoming, happy and friendly in a place where the social and economical issues alone are unfathomably worse than at home in Canada – where people are not per so unfriendly, but if you walked down the street smiling and saying hello to everyone… some people would enjoy it, while others might think you just escaped from the looney bin. I can’t wait to start actually working with the people here, and learning more and more about them and their ways of life. I still can’t believe I get to live here!

~ Alex, a School of Leadership student just beginning her first semester in Mexico.

School of Leadership Orientation in Hamilton

LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) would like to welcome our School of Leadership students to Hamilton!  This school year holds a lot of adventure as they take their turn spending one semester touring with our Think Day presentation delivering a strong and valuable message of self-worth and purpose to high school students all over Canada. The rest of their time as SOL students they will call Mexico their home as they complete a course on International Social Justice and assist in hosting Hero Holidays, our humanitarian aid trip experience.Welcome students, we look forward to seeing the impact you will have on the people you will encounter over the course of this year: changing the world, and being changed in the process.

As The World Turns

    Everyday is a new day for everyone every where. Life goes on; you do what you need to do to satisfy needs and then hopefully wants. I did say every where which is true but here in Vincente Guerrero obtaining “wants” are months of saving pay and having all of your necessities  is a blessing.In relation, there was a moment yesterday while at our work site. While playing with the youngest boy of the family we are building for (Adrean is his name), he unfortunately obtained a cut on his heel. Whether this was from playing in the dry brambles or from his ill fitting shoes I cannot say. In an instant of finding his wound he said something in Spanish and ran towards is home leaving me to finish building our project. With a piece of tissue in hand Adrean came back to join me in fun while dabbing away the blood from his cut. It was when he started showing my co-builders his “boo boo” that one of them offered a Band-aid. As soon as it was applied my little friend stopped cringing and went on playing.Would you consider a Band-aid something you will always have around your house? Unfortunately it’s not that easy for everyone…~ AmberEveryone is different in their own way. Whether its from your personality or what language you speak, everyone’s different. During this trip I have noticed how different people are and how much they are willing to step out of their comfort zone to try and adjust other people and to their personalities or even languages.Yesterday at our work site, I noticed how much even the kids try to adjust to us being there. I met two boys, who asked me what my name was, I told them it was Paige and they tried for about 5 minutes to pronounce it right. But every time they said it, they pronounced it “Peach.” It was really cute and it made me realize that they are trying just as hard as us Canadians to learn parts of each others languages.So, whether people have different personalities, or live in different country, or even speak a different language, we shouldn’t and we don’t let that be a barrier for meeting new people.~ Paige

Loving the Second Day in Mexico

After many hours of driving from Vancouver to Vincente Guerrero, Mexico (including my flight from Winnipeg), we are on the morning of our second build day. Its amazing to see how much Hero Holiday involves growth. Growth between people, growth in the the house we are building, the relationships with people, and our knowledge of what we can do to make a change. My relationships between people has definitely sky-rocketed in the past couple days, seeing that everyone is comfortable enough to crack jokes about my Winnipeg location. Still, what I love is that it doesn’t matter where we’re from out here and no matter how much people will kid around, in the end everyone is equal and we are all here for the same purpose. Yesterday was our first day of building and it was amazing. Just to see the love and appreciation in the family and communities eyes. People here base their happiness off of love and the relationship between each other which is so refreshing coming from a society whose happiness comes from money or the things we have. I played my first game of baseball with a few of the boys from the community of the build site and the whole time I’m sure I just had a huge smile plastered on my face. Another highlight so far was the chalk wall that we created. Almost all the participants and kids filled it with names, peace signs, hearts, suns, and illustrations of each other. I love how willing everyone is to interact with us, even though they have no idea who we are, and do not even speak the same language. It truly is the people that are making this experience so special for me, and I can’t wait to interview some of the people today on the build (an assignment given to each of the Hero Holiday participants). In a country that’s foreign to me I can’t believe how incredibly safe I feel. Yesterday we all went for ice cream which was on the side of the main road. When the cars would come by honking and staring, the guys of our group would wave and yell hello back. The love that the community is sharing with us makes me feel at home. I already have decided I want to come back next year, and I can’t wait to continue the rest of the week even though I don’t want it all to end!

Reunited Friends and the Second August Mexico Begins

After many hours of pleasant, but admittedly long travel, we have finally spent a beautiful, entire day in Mexico! Armed with sunscreen and water bottles and precautions and messages of love ringing in our ears, we stepped off of the bus to begin building a a new home.

There were children, the family eager to help, and a couple other curious onlookers, all there waiting for us. But the first thing that jumped at you, was the bright colours of something like nine full vending stalls, filled with bags and bracelets and necklaces and of course, those beautiful, warm, “ponchos” or hoodies that are soft and keep you warm during the cold Mexican nights. I walked around, hoping, that maybe a Lady I knew from last summer would be in one of these stalls.

I rounded the corner of the bus and saw two women that looked quite familiar sitting by the table. And then I saw this woman, a simple vendor, who changed many of my perspectives in previous times I’ve enjoyed this trip. She saw me and remembered me, and I ran to her for a big hug after a year of separation. We talked a bit, despite the language barrier and my ineptness at speaking Spanish. I asked how she has been, how business has been and her kids. I showed her the bracelet I bought from her last year, and tried to convey that whenever I saw it I thought of her and hoped she and her family were doing well. I wanted to have more a conversation with my friend so I brought over our interpreter, Santiago. Through him our conversation became much easier and my friend reminded me of the loonie I had given her last year. She told me that she kept it and thought of me when she saw it. This immediately melted my heart and I nearly got teary on the spot. I keep thinking how insane it is that you can spend two weeks, just in the same vicinity as someone, someone I was not building for, someone I was not particularly there to help, someone whom the most I had done for was contribute a few dollars to and talk to every once in a while, would still remember ME. It was an incredible moment, finding out that being here truly does affect more than just the one family receiving a house. I found out that, Yes, every single individual can make their own difference within the group. She wanted to know about my year, and asked how I had been and we smiled a lot, and I feel like it was a very empowering moment for the both of us.

That particular moment is one of many that this experience has etched in my mind. One I will be able to look back on if doubt ever finds its way back to me. Even as this is my third Hero Holiday, I continue to learn from the families we help, the people around us, the other participants and LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) staff. After my encounter with Michaela, we built and painted walls and roof panels, and I haven’t any idea what the rest of this trip will be. I do know that I look forward to every moment, to every experience, and for every opportunity to spread the love.