Day 6 – Project Day #3 Empathy

We awoke in higher spirits from the previous days excitement. We met for our usual group breakfast promptly at 8:00 am. Unfortunately a few of the team members were not feeling 100% and instead remained behind to recover – but attempts were courageously made to come in spite of their health.

We arrived to admire the work that had been conducted in our absence. The support beams had been applied along with steel sheet roofs. The majority of the stucco had been applied and the school was truly becoming realized to what it would become. We said our greetings to the Haitian builders and set to work. We began with our usual production line to bring sand down the mountain. From our experience we learned to make it far more efficient – although with a lot less resting! After we had retrieved an impressive amount of sand we took a water break.

Following this water break we ironically set off to get more water! We went on a hike down to the local water well with a few local companions where we were greeted by a large group showering, doing laundry, and collecting drinking water. They kindly greeted us and allowed us to retrieve our water in turn and leave on our way. At this point we had collected an entourage of children who were greeting us like family and accompanying us back up to the school. I am always impressed at the skill of the Haitian people to walk up what seems like cliffs to us with buckets on their heads – they are truly a strong people. Some children were kind enough to “guide” those of us lacking sure footing and would push us up if we ever slipped or needed help.

The ability to be welcomed into a community without even speaking the same language is truly an indescribably touching experience. We arrived back from our water run with our new posse in tow and were soon surprised by a new arrival. A large group of women – which we assumed to be from a church- arrived to our work site and began filing into the school and trapping a few of our group inside. They then spontaneously burst into song and brought smiles to many of ours faces. They said ‘thank you to our group before departing on their trek. We quickly formed another production line and finished off a pile of sand before departing for our lunch break.

After a delicious meal of sandwiches, pasta, chicken, and potatoes we said our goodbyes to our under-the-weather companions and set off back to work. We were happy to find that the recently constructed windows and doors for the school were being delivered and began getting attached. We broke our group into specific work groups – mixing cement, applying stucco, adding cinder block walls, and even just moving water buckets and cement bags. It was great to see that we were all becoming friends with the locals and learning each others names. We sweat, laughed and talked with each other; both learning new languages and new ways to work more efficiently. After a short period we split our group into two teams to play with the large groups of children that were migrating towards us.

Both groups quickly began breaking out the balls, crayons and paper. The joy in a child’s eyes from such simple games and connection is an extremely heartfelt experience. The second group even brought out kites to fly – which the Haitians were far superior at flying then any of our attempts. It was full of laughs, hugs, “monkey-in-the-middle”, colouring out of the lines, and various fun activities. The way these children laugh, smile, and embrace us so openly and instantly is one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The feeling it gives and the connection it creates cannot be described in this blog – you have to be here to experience it yourself. Holding their hands, sharing their laughs, and seeing a glimpse of their daily life. They are a people who have very little in the sense of material possessions or wealth, but they are rich in their appreciation for each other and the value they place on what they do have. They live life to it’s fullest and cherish each moment in spite of the challenges they face. Because it is all they know. I showed my new Haitian friends pictures of a birds eye view photo of their city I took from our plane and saw their eyes light up. It was touching… but also sad because it is unlikely that they will ever see that view with their own eyes.

We left that day knowing we had worked hard and headed back to our hotel. I left smiling with children in tow and proud of the school to be. Prouder still knowing that these children shared that feeling. “This is my school, This is our school” the children had said – and the school was not yet completed!

After dinner the group met upstairs for our usual debriefing. Our focus today was on empathy. On never jumping to conclusions but instead seeing things from another’s perspective and share their feelings. We discussed how we can sometimes place higher value on those we relate to. We used American rescue worker’s as an example – they were sent to Haiti to recover the American dead bodies trapped in the rubble. While at the same time there was still hundreds of Haitians trapped alive in the rubble; 60 in one collapsed supermarket. We all place our priorities differently and we talked more about how we have to put faces to statistics so we can better relate and understand them.

An example of statistics that was mentioned was the 9-11 attack and how 2,973 people died. This got massive media coverage and attention. Where as the fact that each day over twice that; 6,000 Africans die from AIDS. Each day, an additional 11,000 are infected. On top of that once every six seconds someone dies of starvation; this can be in the upwards of 50,000 every day. Thess statistics do not even phase most “well off” people. Because they don’t relate or understand those numbers; they’re just too big to truly understand.

But now I have faces, names and memories to put beside those statistics and I understand that it our responsibility to recognize the wrongs in this world and the luxuries I live with. It is our generation that must live and make these changes. Because we are all people… we’re just born in different places and indifferent situations. Besides that, there’s not much different. We all eat, we all sleep, we all struggle, we all love, and we all care.

Dustin

Day 5 – Beach Day Labadee

Today was a slight change from our usual routine of hiking up to the school and getting to work. But it was a welcomed change in pace. After a hearty breakfast we boarded our usual bus – which is similar to a large van – and headed on our way to Labadee. We went through the town of Cap Haitien and up the mountains to our destination. We routinely passed smiling and waving locals who were amused at our passing. The farther we headed up into the mountains the more beautiful the view became. Many of our group were quite shocked at the steep incline of the cliff face beside the road; but we were always safe with our experienced Haitian driver. It still amazes me how the roads in Haiti work; theirs systems for allowing passage around each other in the narrow one lane roads with heavy foot and occasional animal traffic.

As we reached this new coastline and its view I was awestruck with the potential this country has to become an outstanding tourist destination. The beautiful crystal clear water, the coconut and palm trees, the wildlife and most of all the kind and smiling locals. As soon as we approached Royal Caribbean International’s private beach resort/dock at Labadee we realized this potential has been realized. Unfortunately it was also selfishly guarded behind a barbed wired fence. With it’s own miles of white sand beaches, a 50 million dollar dock, its fleet of sea-dos, water toys, tour guide boats, a massive multi-wired zip line and a rail slide. Yet all these luxuries and more were cut off from the Haitian people who could little afford or imagine it. It is located just 7 hours away from Port-au-Prince; the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake and its devastation and continued to bring in guests while others were struggling to survive. RCI does bring in 6 dollars per client to the Haitian government; but I just find it to somehow not be enough to this country that is in such great need and provides them with such an amazing destination. I feel it should instead be used as a Haitian vacation spot run and benefited by the Haitian people. But it is a complex issue and nothing is black and white.

We arrived at a small beach located beside the fenced off resort section on the Haiti side. We unloaded off of our bus and onto two water taxi’s. In our two groups we left shore and got a better look at the RCI beach and it’s massive dock. We quickly continued with our journey towards a beach farther down which we had all to ourselves. Everyone quickly stripped down to our bathing suites and went into beach mode. Whether it was playing king of the hill on our own little float pad, canoeing around, or just swimming out – everyone had a blast. After finding and admiring various wildlife (starfish, sea urchins, fish, chameleons, turtles, snakes, and even jellyfish) we took a lunch break and ate some delicious pizza the hotel had prepared for us. We broke into two groups and began playing Frisbee. After some final suntanning and photo taking we packed up onto our boats and departed. We also had to carry our two translators Franzo and Joes – who are not the most “confident” in water situations – their boats.

We arrived back at the hotel in time for dinner and a bit of down time after an exciting day away. After dinner we all got together to watch a slide show of pictures from Cole’s travels and adventures. It’s heart breaking to hear about the suffering and pain the country has gone through; but also inspiring to hear about the things the Haitian people have gone through and how they persevere and continue forward towards something brighter. We also discussed LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute)’s various trips and the great things they do.

Overall it was a truly beautiful day where the entire team continued to bond and become greater friends. Although truthfully I felt slightly guilty at being able to enjoy myself to such an extent while so many others cannot. But that thought made me look forward to getting back to work tomorrow even more. Thank you Hero Holiday for that truly exotic and beautiful beach day. It was a side of Haiti I am very fortunate to have experienced and hope others get to also in the future.

Dustin

Day 3 – First Project Day in Haiti

We started the day awaking eager to get to work. After a group breakfast the team hiked up to the top of the mountain to see the school for the community we are working with. The school is situated with an amazing view over all of Cap Haitien but also makes the terrain even tougher. We immediately set off to work and put our gloves on.

We began by dividing the group into two teams; one was delegated to mix cement Haitian style; which is conducted on the floor and with shovels. This cement was used for the rough coat of the classroom walls and smooth out the cinder blocks underneath. The second and larger team formed an assembly line to transport cinder blocks and sand from farther up the mountain. This was quite the production line and took up several hours of labor intensive hauling over rocks and passing down a small cliff. This venture went extremely smoothly and fast thanks to amazing teamwork and the help of two Haitian children K’Vincent and George who were extremely kind and helpful… and only 14. The cinder blocks and sand being transported was to be used on the production of the walls inside which the first team was constructing.

The ultimate goal of our group and the community is for the completion of at least two classrooms. This construction will allow many of the children in the community to attend school as it will allow far easier access to education instead of forcing the children to walk down the mountain to the schools farther in Cap Haitien. This school will also be more affordable and allow child sponsorship to those children and families who are in greater need.

The cement team inside experienced a different interaction with the local workers as they patiently demonstrated how to mix the cement and slap it on the walls. The local Haitian construction workers were quite impressed and surprised with the fact that the majority of our group is females who were working just as labor intensive as everyone else. This is due to the fact that in local Haitian culture the only manual labor women ever do is to fetch water. It was a great exchange of culture and also gave the group inside a taste of local working songs.

Outside the rest of the team really bonded together and created an efficient method of transporting the cinder blocks and buckets of sand from the top of the hill to the school. The team was even able to keep a positive attitude and integrate fun into the hard work at hand. The group would tell jokes, sing songs, and even dance during our production line. We may have made our two local helpers think we were a bit crazy but even they became great friends and joined in the fun with some beat boxing.

Later in the afternoon after we had finished most of the jobs we were able to complete at the time, we split the group in half and took turns walking down to the community to play a few games with the children and talk with the people in the community. We brought a basketball and a football and quickly the kids started to come and play. Although the basketball became a soccer ball in no time at all. Word quickly spread that the “blancs” were playing and several more people arrived; we were then able to play larger games. The second group was even able to teach the children to play ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ which the community found extremely entertaining… although it had multiple mishaps while being learned.

Today was such a powerful experience. The entire group bonded through the labor, learned through the sweat and the laughs and bonded through the mutual experience. It was a day I wouldn’t trade for anything and I cannot wait for the rest to come. Thank you Hero Holiday, thank you Haiti for your hospitality, and thank you to everyone in this great group for working so hard and becoming such great friends in such a short time.

Day 2 – We Walked…

This morning we woke up and got to greet the final member of our team. Now complete we walked to the job site to see where we would be working this week which involved a steep up hill climb filled with beautiful views and what seemed to be endless dirt roads. We got to the school and had the chance  to look around at what progress has been made so far. Although it may not look like much yet we know it will have an amazing impact on this community. We saw the retaining wall and what has been started of the walls of the school and were told that it has taken 6 months of work by hand to get to the point it is at today. Tomorrow we get to start work on the two classrooms we will be finishing this trip.Once we were done at the school we filled up our water bottles and headed into the community eager to meet the children we will be providing a school for.  Turning ourselves towards the opposite side of the mountain we rejoiced in the thought of a downhill trek into the community. Standing on the pavement steps Cole (our trip leader) told us he was going to take us to a home where a single mother was raising 5 children, as well as another home where the father is unable to work due to an injury which prevents him from walking now. While visiting these homes Cole had wanted to show us where they got their water so we grabbed some buckets from both houses and starting walking, and walking, and walking. In the beginning we could never fathom how hard a little walk for water could be. Standing at the top on the paved steps in the community we thought the most difficult part was behind us but then we continued into the mountains. Along the way we stopped for a quick game of soccer with the local children in a flat patch beside the path. Following the excitement of the soccer game we got our second wind and continued on towards the well. Looking back on the walk for water it seems too easy to say, “it took us 20 minutes just to reach the well”.  In this country you don’t “just” do anything.  You have to compensate for the sweltering heat and the unforgiving terrain. Walking up and down hills, on paths that when you take a step you wouldn’t know if the rock you just stepped on would move from underneath you, or if you would slip on a slight decline in the ground, or look up at the scenery and trip over something protruding from the ground.We reached the ‘well’ only to find out that this well was a spring from the side of the mountain. Standing on the rocks watching as one after the other filled their buckets from the spring it was hard to see that ten feet away there were people washing their laundry and themselves. Finding out that the blanco’s we here to carry water back to the community we were greeted with more containers and enthusiastic children. Having the jugs full we turned back to the community.  If we thought the walk was challenging before, we were in for a treat! We didn’t know it then but as we carried the water we realized, this isn’t just a one time thing for them. The people of this community have to do this all the time. It was at this point that the buckets didn’t feel so heavy. Each one of us picked up a bucket and start the hike into the community along side many of the local children doing there everyday walk for water. As we were huffing, puffing and struggling to get through rough mountain paths the kind eyes and warming smiles of the children as they passed us on their way gave us a second wind. At the end of the hike we were thanked by the families for what we did, it showed us how grateful they were for the fact they had water today.In the afternoon we drove into Cap Haitien to look around a little. We had the opportunity to see some of the Cap Haitien Cathedral, as well as some of the french influenced architecture and historical sites. When the day was over we sat down for dinner and discussed how excited we were to start our project tomorrow.By Chad, Liz and Safen

Day 1 in Haiti – Travel Day!

We set out this morning from Hamilton nice and early at 2am to start our adventure, we drove from Hamilton down to Buffalo, and flew to JFK in New York to meet up with some of our team members. From there we flew down to Port-au-Prince,where we got our first taste of Haitian life. We could literally throw a stone to the next airport where we were to transfer planes, but the crowded and crumbling streets made traffic ridiculous. Between dogging other cars, buying refreshing Gatorade from Cole’s friend and trying to avoid the massive crowds it took us more then 20 minutes to travel a couple blocks.Once we arrived at the second airport to take a short little flight to our final destination, we met up with two other members. We were told it would be just a few minutes until the final member of our group would arrive. We got off the bus and immediately noticed the simplicity of the Haitian airport compared to our North American standards; the one door on the back wall that was both the departure and arrival gate, the one check in desk for the 5 airlines you could fly with, and the fact that we could inform our pilot when we were ready to take off is quite different then any major airport in North America to say the least. After 3 and a half hours of snacking, talking, and people watching we were told due to many delays that our team would be meeting our final member the next day. When we were informed about this we gave our pilot the heads up that we were ready to go, and packed our plane full of luggage, donations, and our team members.Traveling through the clouds above Haiti was incredible. Getting to see all the mountains and landscape was beautiful but eye opening compared to the deforestation happening so close by. Port-au-Prince to Cap Haitien was only about 45 minutes, where we truly got our first real look at poverty. On our way out to the bus that was to take us to our hotel, there were people hoping for some sort of handout. The trip from the airport to the hotel was the first glimpse of everyday life in Cap Haitien. Even something simple like driving over a bridge and looking down, seeing the reflections in the black mucky water that people bath and swim in really showed us how great the need is in this city.We got to our hotel and settled in, had a delicious supper, hung out, and talked about whats ahead got us really excited for the days to come.Chad Dalley and Liz Dorey

Job Position Opening: Hero Holiday Manager of Mexico Operations

We have an exciting job opportunity for a mature and experienced leader as our Hero Holiday Manager of Mexico Operations. This position has a high level of responsibility, overseeing all trips, projects and staff at our Mexico location.Job Description: Manager of Mexico Operations
Click here to apply

Day Five In The Shack – Ceviche and Cinnamon Tea

Our fifth day in the shack began differently than the rest – we got to sleep in! Not only was day five different for having 14 hours of rest, it was also our day off. For most Mexican workers a day off isn’t in fact a day without work at all – they must  do their family’s laundry, shop, cook, clean and any other work that may need done. We only had to do a few of those tasks.Like I said, we got to sleep in and then for breakfast we made french toast. Julia came over mid-morning to show us how to do laundry – and luckily she let us use her soap (us silly kids didn’t think to buy any). Washing our clothes was interesting – we used a stone platform with divets in it, water from our water barrel, our own hands and elbow grease. I chose to wash two black items, hoping they would dry faster in the sun. Thankfully the wind took care of the drying quickly. We all thought washing clothes by hand was fun at first and for the amount of clothing we washed it was pretty easy. But to do an entire family’s worth of clothes, with thick fabrics and potentially really dirty? Not so fun. One thing I’ve learned in the shack is an appreciation for all of the small conveniences I’m used to in my daily life. I’ve never had to think about planning when to do laundry or shower based on when there was money for soap or time off from work to do it. But clean clothes are definitely a luxury.Once our clothes were all clean and hanging up to dry we made a second round of french toast and chowed it down for lunch. We spent some time planning meals for the rest of our stay and then went grocery shopping. We’ve learned the prices down to the peso and buy as much as we can as cheaply as we can.After grocery shopping we received an invitation from our friend Santiago. He has been amazing to us – he’d do anything to help a friend or person in need and wants so badly to help everyone even though he doesn’t have much himself. Santi isn’t the kind of guy you meet everyday – he’s the special kind. We headed over with our gift of pop and walked into a second lunch! We were all incredibly happy when Santi pulled out the giant bowl of ceviche and instructed us to eat up. So eat up we did! We stayed to watch a movie – a real treat after five days without technology. Santi also made us cinnamon tea which we loved. (To make tea boil whole cinnamon sticks in water for about 45 minutes, add a hint of sugar and enjoy.)In the evening the Hero Holiday group from University of Alberta joined us around the campfire. We all ate the s’mores they brought us and talked about why we are each in Mexico and our experiences. We shared about our shack experience so far and what we have gotten from it. Hearing from the others in my group was really interesting – we’ve all taken slightly differently, yet similar things from these five days and my hope is that we hold onto them. I know I definitely have a new appreciation for my produce and the long field days that go into growing it, the piles of landscaping rocks and each bite of seafood. But more than anything I appreciate the opportunities and ideas I’ve been given simply by being born somewhere else. The determination and resilience I’ve been lucky to witness these last few days has made me smile often. And with that smile comes a slight bit of sadness – these amazing people simply don’t have time for frivolity or luxury because everyday they work hard just to stay alive. If nothing else this week has made me grateful for hope and for the opportunity to do something to make our world a better place. If I can show even half as much strength as the people I’ve met in Mexico, I’ll be lucky.This day of rest has been a thinking day for me – about this entire experience and how hard but how incredible it’s been. (And how incredibly kind our friends have been – thank you to everyone, you know who you are!) Now think about ways you can make the world better – and do it while making cinnamon tea and ceviche why don’t cha?P.S. One huge thank you to Rosa for putting up with us, guiding us and flexing her muscles when she has to – this experience would never be possible without her. You’re one of a kind Rosa!Written by Leah Thygesen, a School of Leadership student

The Delivery: 2010 Hampers of Hope

Christmas is always a special time of year, and for many of LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute)’s friends, Christmas 2010 will be a year to remember – because of people like you. Your generosity and thoughtfulness helped to make our 2010 Christmas Hamper Delivery a huge success. Each home that received their hamper was one that was filled with thankfulness and each gift was put to great use.In Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Haiti, we were able to bring gifts made possible by you – and together, we were able to remind each family, home, and children’s home that they are remembered. Through your generosity, they were reminded that we believe in their future. Thank you.Click here to see the delivered hamper pics

A Second First Impression

Overlooking the waves of the ocean with the sun in my face…oh Mexico, how I could get used to you.However, Mexico wasn’t always like this for me. I’ve been here before, but my first impressions weren’t as good as the ones that I have now. You need to understand that the last time I was here, it was because my family went on a vacation during winter break to sunny San Diego, California. On New Years Day, we decided to walk over the border into Tijuana. For a fourteen year old girl that was living in a town with the population of 1500, this was culture shock to the biggest extreme.I’ll admit, I didn’t want to be there. With street vendors constantly wanting you to buy their things, and people shouting things at you, I told myself that I was never going back to Mexico…ever. It’s in those moments when you tell yourself you’re never going to do something, when something comes up and you have to do it.Now I’m back here in Mexico for 4 months. I’ve only been here for what’ll be my 5th day, and I’m LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute)ly loving every minute of it. It’s funny to think that just a few years ago, I was dreading this place. Sometimes all you need to do is take a second look at things, and have a more open mind to see how wonderful the things that are around you really are. It might take a lot of courage, and a leap of faith, but it’ll turn out for the best. There’s nothing to be scared about in Mexico unless you tell yourself otherwise.Sarah, a School of Leadership Student living in Mexico

Carnival!

When we were asked what we had done to get to know our community while we were living in Mexico beyond activities that were planned by LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute), we spent a long time thinking and came up with nothing.  We had not done one thing in our 3 months of living here to get to know the people of our community. Personally, I was very upset that I had not stepped outside of my comfort zone to just leave the house. A challenge was put in front of us to change this, so we stepped up.After throwing a few ideas out on the table we, the SOL’s, would throw a carnival in one of the lots next door for the kids of our neighbourhood. Nothing would be paid for by LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute) or planned by the facilitators; we were responsible for it all. A lot of work needed to be done!  We brainstormed about possible games and activities and came up with some great ideas such as a face painting station run by the one and only Em Cost; Alex and Shane had to be called in for reinforcements later due to popularity. Balloon animals were made by the dedicated Zoe who only learned to tie them just hours before on an internet tutorial. There was soccer for the older kids, parachute games, a water relay and lots and lots of free lemonade. Our prize possession of the SOL Carnival was the bouncy castle that we rented for the day. Yes, I said bouncy castle. Complete with a bouncy area, climbing wall and slide. Once the kids were gone for the day, we may or may not have spent some time in it ourselves.It was a huge success. I was a little nervous about not having ANY kids show up or having TOO many but we had about 60 kids show up which was totally manageable. Our friends from around the community who are bilingual came and helped out which was awesome; don’t know how we would have done it without them. We all dressed up in silly clown clothes and had a lot of fun with the kids.  I personally think that it was one of my highlights of Mexico. Hopefully SOL’s in the future decide to continue with this, and maybe, just maybe they can even make it better…but I doubt it. Ours ROCKED.Matt Strong, a School of Leadership Student living in Mexico