Little Things Matter

On a free afternoon, I took a walk down into the community with another volunteer and Ephny, our translator. We went to visit Cecelia’s house. Cecilia is the happiest 80(ish!) year old woman I have ever met! I looked around her home, trying to see what might have been the reason for her smiles and welcoming arms. Cecilia didn’t have a 42 inch plasma TV. She didn’t have a marble kitchen counter. Cecilia didn’t even have what we would have recognized as a kitchen. What she did have was a husband who was as smiley as she was, a fruit tree outside of her house, and a cat named Felix. Her happiness was found in the little things, in the little matters that many of us often take for granted.

She showed us her pride In brewing coffee with a small, handmade cloth bag that had coffee beans in it that she had picked, dried, and roasted, and later added boiled water to make a Dominican version of a double shot espresso.

She looked healthy and happy and that was enough for her to smile upon our arrival, and to welcome us into her little place that was full of all of the little things that mattered to her. 

Visiting Cecilia reminded me that it’s so important to take the time to look around you. To give love and hugs, and to radiate your energy into this world and start a change, because our wealth is in the things we give, not the things we have.

– Raghda, LiveDifferent Volunteer, Public Trip, Dominican Republic, Summer 2015

Ryley School – All the Hard Work Was Worth It

Coming into this week, we were not really sure what we should expect. Should we be excited? Nervous? Scared? A mix of all three? Upon arrival, we soon realized that the cultural differences between rural Alberta and rural Mexico was too much to comprehend. When we first met the family we were shocked at the emotional and technological differences between our lives and theirs, as well as the appreciation they showed as we first started to help them on their life-changing build. When we first started, we could tell the family was shy to be around us, but they quickly warmed up as we worked with them and played games with their children. As far as construction goes, it was relatively easy, but it was also a great learning experience for everyone. We all learned something about building from our head construction leader, Saùl, and we all learned something about ourselves from our time working together. As a result, teamwork now has a new meeting for us. It helps us grow closer together, and accomplish greater things. It was easy to see that this family deserved this build, whether it be from the father’s admirable work ethic, or the mother’s never ending smiles.

Each build day, a group of four of us accompanied our LiveDifferent translator Felipe on “A Day in the Life,” which is an experience of the daily lives of citizens of Zapata. This experience really opened our eyes into the true lives of Mexicans, and the challenges they face. Many of the amenities we take for granted are considered luxuries for the people of Zapata, and that really made us realize how fortunate we really are. Think about your daily lives. You wash clothes at least once a week, dishes whenever the machine is full, and clean whenever necessary, but to the people of Zapata, it’s a full 12 hour day, seven days a week, just to take care of their families. This experience made us realize how much we take our lives for granted when families can be so happy with a lot less. A fun thing we got to do was make traditional tortillas with the families finding out how good each family’s own salsa recipe is!

As previously stated, the actual build was relatively easy, but it was a lot of fun. The family helped us with everything from cutting wood and hammering in nails, to just interacting with our group in general. There was always time for capuchis (piggy backs) for the children and time to let loose. The parents are quiet people, but even with a big language barrier, if we helped them with the smallest of tasks they tried their best to show their appreciation. The mother of the family showed a very nurturing character by the way she wanted to take care of us, and the father was just a genuinely hard worker.  

The house dedication ceremony affected us all in a very powerful way. Seeing the joy radiating off the family’s faces made all of our hard work worth it. The pastor of the family was there to bless the house and deliver a wonderful prayer towards us all. In the final moments, watching the keys being handed over, the weight of our work really hit home for everyone, even staff who have done this time and time again. Nearly everyone was brought to tears by the powerful emotions of the moment. The pastor, his wife and Saúl also showed great emotion to see what we have all accomplished in such a short time. It was such a pleasure to affect someone’s life in such a significant way, and it’s an experience that none of us will ever forget.  

We would also like to thank LiveDifferent for all of their great support in our journey with this family and how welcoming the staff were. Our group, Ryley School Leadership, would like to give huge thanks to Andrew, Dawn and their son Anthony for sharing this experience with us and making this all possible. They are such a loving and caring family who go out of their way to help countless groups build houses for families in need. Again, a big thanks to Saúl for being patient and guiding us through the build, and to Felipé for taking us on “A Day in the Life” and being the coolest translator that can fit in and tell endless stories to us all. Also would like to thank Yulisa who helped us translate and go through this build. She was another person who had a smile, no matter the situation. Lastly a great big thanks to the kitchen and cleaning staff who made this a whole lot easier and filled our stomachs three times a day while introducing us to many traditional cuisines! Thank you- A trip to remember and an experience we will never forget for the rest of our lives!!

– Daniel and Brady, Ryley School LiveDifferent Build, Mexico, 2015

Reaching New Destinations

Often times I think back to 2012 when I did my first LiveDifferent Build. It was the first time I was exposed to issues that were bigger than not having the newest iPhone or that all the salt and vinegar chips were gone. And at that time, as a 15 year old girl, I couldn’t comprehend what I saw. I couldn’t even begin to understand the struggles people in developing countries go through. Fast forward to today, four years later, and I have finally gotten to Dominican Republic and Haiti having been to Mexico multiple times. This trip has been very different for me. I was once again completely blown away by the poverty and issues that human beings just like myself must struggle with every single day. I started to look at things differently and I asked myself:

Do I believe that every human should have access to clean drinking water? 

Do I believe that no child should go to bed hungry?

Do I believe that every person should have the right to an education?

Do I think that a woman should be able to close her door at night and know that she and her family will be safe?

These are the things that we are working to change because it’s 2015 and yet SO many of these rights are not a reality for people.  

I think about the multiple times that I have just simply shaken my head because I didn’t have any words to describe what I saw. Children at the age of three carrying full buckets of water up steep and rocky slopes (not once did they laugh at me while I struggled with my half bucket, tripping and falling all over the place). The struggles of sick and malnourished children who do not have access to medical care. I have come to realize that no matter how many times I see people in these situations or witness the immense suffering some must go through, I will never be able to fully understand. 

As I walked through the community, I was inspired by just how happy people there are. They will be playing soccer, barefoot, with nothing more then an empty plastic bottle for a ball, yet they are having the time of their lives. True happiness doesn’t come in the packaging of a new iPhone 6. It doesn’t come from a high numbered paycheck or from the amount of friends you have on Facebook. Happiness comes from the act of kindness. When we give our time and effort to help others, the response is like nothing you could imagine. It is having the opportunity to be able to contribute my time to build not only a home for a very deserving family but also create a long lasting relationship with them.

My time in the Dominican Republic and Haiti has taught me the importance of education and it has allowed me to realize that I should not take clean water for granted. Someone said to me on the trip that poverty is the lack of opportunity and choices. This has stuck with me because in today’s world we are overwhelmed with the amount of choices we have. However, an important choice we must make is whether or not we are going to turn our heads on the world when they are in need or to step up and do something to take action.

Gina, LiveDifferent Volunteer, Alumni Build Trip 2015

Bitter Sweet

Today we woke up as if it were a regular morning… we got to finally sleep in, enjoy a great breakfast and relax with our friends but today was one of the most memorable days of our lives. After a week of spending time with two amazing families from the beautiful village of Arroyo Seco and building with blood, sweat & tears, we got to do what we have been working so hard for. This has been our third LiveDifferent Build, but today was the day that two fantastic families would finally be living in a safe, sturdy and clean new home.

The ceremony for Dedication day approached more and more closely as the afternoon went on and the nerves and excitement started to kick in when we all hopped onto the bus one last time for a drive to our beloved village community. Today was one of the most emotional days because as Grade 12 students who will be graduating soon, it meant it was the last Gonzaga trip for us this year. We were honored and so thankful to be the two individuals to hand the keys over to each family. It may seem like a simple gesture, but for each of us it meant we handed both families a new future, a fresh start as well as a safe new home. 

Hugging and congratulating each one of them was the biggest example of raw love that someone could ever experience. The gratitude that you could feel from each family was radiated right back to each one of them. Over this past week, they have taught both of us the importance of love, hope, and family. Seeing both of our families open the door to their brand new homes was a sight that we know everyone will never forget. The excitement in all of their eyes to see a solid roof and concrete floor was something that gave us all a reality check of how much we all take for granted.

As the afternoon went on, it became harder and harder to say goodbye to the family we now call our own after 3 years. The whole community of Arroyo Seco holds a big piece of our hearts. Today was one of the toughest days for us to go through because we don’t know when we will be able to do another LiveDifferent Build but it was also one of the most memorable and meaningful days in our lives. We are so thankful to LiveDifferent, our high school Gonzaga and most importantly the village of Arroyo Seco for our experience.

-Sloan & Lisa, LiveDifferent Builds Volunteers, Gonzaga 2015

Making a Change

So far our journey has been much more than we expected it to be, as we have made connections and relationships with many people in the community. We have always wanted to help the less fortunate and make a change in our world. It is an incredible opportunity we have been given to not only accomplish this goal, but also to be accomplishing it together.

As our journey continues we are constantly learning and realizing how lucky we all are to be living in a country as wealthy as it is. We are so grateful to be exposed to the reality of the poverty that exists in our world as it has helped us grow and share our love for others.

We are so excited to see the impact that we have on this community and how both of our lives will change. We have grown very close to both families in which we are building for because of the stories they have told us, and the memories we share by building their home by their side.

Thank you to everyone who has helped made this experience possible.

Kristen & Kayla, LiveDifferent Builds Volunteers, Gonzaga 2015

Building Houses and Building Friendships

Today was filled with a lot of hard work and cement mixing, but we also had the opportunity to sit down with the family we are building for and really get to know them, with the help of our translator, Charlie. We asked them questions about their daily routines, how long they have lived in the community, and were able to make jokes and laugh with them. It was similar to the Day in the Life experience, where we really got to connect on a more personal level with community members.  Cement mixing and sand sifting are crucial; but aspects such as setting aside time to ask how the contractors are doing, having conversations with the family, and playing with the kids, are pretty important too.

-Erin, LiveDifferent Builds Volunteer, Gonzaga 2015

Today was the first day that I was able to join the group and although I only had an hour at the actual site, I can already imagine how life changing this experience will be. I got to meet the family, who were so kind and welcoming, and was able to play with the young kids around the build site. Even though I can’t speak Spanish, I was still able to use hand gestures and actions to connect with the family and other community members. I look forward to continuing my experiences with the LiveDifferent group throughout the rest of my trip; I’m excited to be building the actual house but also to build long lasting bonds between myself and the people of the community.

-Lexie, LiveDifferent Builds Volunteer, Gonzaga 2015