Incredible Treasure

Trying to prepare yourself for something you have never experiences before is like diving from a 20ft cliff without knowing how shallow or deep the water is.

Before my arrival in Dominican Republic I had known my heart was going to be broken. I had known this experience was going to expose a small dose of reality for us all. If only for a short period of time, we would get a glimpse of how these amazing people are able to survive in great levels of poverty. What I didn’t know, was that my world was about to be rocked and overflowed with love, joy and beauty by this incredible community.

I was given the amazing opportunity of coming to Sosua, DR with Boston Pizza-Hero Holiday, who for the past 4 years has partnered with LiveDifferent. During our time, our team has been towards building 3 beautiful homes for 3 incredible families in Nuevo Renacer (New Birth), previously known as Aguas Negras (Black Waters). Upon our first arrival to the village this sea of children, smiling, screaming with excitement and climbing all over us, immediately consumed us. We then proceeded through the village, meeting some previous families and seeing their houses that past teams had built. 

I immediately felt a great deal of sorrow, heartache, and pity. How were we born into such a privileged life? One that most of us (including myself) take for granted everyday. I saw everything they didn’t have; food, shelter, security, stability, dry floors when it rained, fresh clean running water…the list was endless. However, over time, I realized that they would be giving me the greatest gift I think I’ve ever experienced.

Despite everything they lacked in their lives, they carry the incredible treasure of knowing what life is really about. Children are free to be children. They spend the whole day outside playing, running, screaming. I was enthralled with the sense of community, love and commitment these people carry. To say “it takes a village to raise a child” is nothing short of what they do, as every adult looks out for each child regardless if it’s their or not. These people are strong, determined, and their perseverance is unlike anything I have ever experienced in my life. Their love, their beauty is written all over their faces. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman singing a Spanish song while hanging up her laundry, or the ability to dance in the streets. Their heart, their love for one another and to serve each other with no expectations of anything in return is beautiful.

A little boy, William, had captured my heart one of the days, when he took my hands and proceeded to wash all the dirt and cement off of them. I had no idea something so simple – an innocent act of kindness – could bring me to tears. These people know how to love. That is what life is about, and that is what I will be taking away. We are not the heroes, they are!   

– Lauren, LiveDifferent Volunteer, Boston Pizza Trip, 2014

GBC – Day in the Life

Sunday was our first build day. While the rest of our team started working on the house, four of us had the privilege of partaking in an experience that LiveDifferent has coined ”Day In The Life”. This meant that two families who lived within the same community as the family which our group is building alongside opened up their homes to us so we could get a taste of day to day life for them. A family of five welcomed me with big smiles into their home. It is difficult to pt into words how cramped and confined their home was. Yet somehow they make it work. 

The three children between the ages of 12 and 18, all slept together in the same double-sized bed. My first assignment was to wash some of the family’s clothes ,by hand’ which ended with the family laughing at my futile attempt. Next I was charged with the task of cutting up a chicken (no, I did not have to catch & kill it first) with a knife that wasn’t exactly the sharpest. Again, laughing aimed at me. The eldest daughter took me under her wing and patiently walked me through the rest of the lunch preparation. The few “taste tests” that I had were delicious. As the food was simmering away on the stove we sat with the family and talked about all sorts of things. I found it funny how I had only just met these people yet I felt as though I was a part of the family. This really hit home for me when the mother of the family thanked us for what we are doing and said “our door is always open to you”. Even as I am writing this I find I am still processing the whole experience. It was definitely one that will not be soon forgotten.

Tomorrow is already house dedication; it will be hard to say goodbye but we are all very excited for the adventure that lies ahead in Haiti.

Lisa, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, GBC, 2014

A big, beautiful, inspiring family

I am amazed by the maturity and sensitivity of these children, who come from a background of abuse and/or exploitation. On Saturday night, we had the opportunity to hear the older teens perform at the night market in town. I think it may have been their first time.

They sang six original songs about their lives, with themes like ‘I hope one day you can forgive me and accept  me’ and ‘even when days are tough, I will try to be a good person’. I was thoroughly enjoying the melodies, tapping a hand and foot, swaying to the music. As a new song was introduced, the translator informed me, “This one is about fathers. About waiting for their father to come back and care for them”. Seeing their beautiful faces and listening to the heartfelt words was overwhelming. I could not stop the tears.

I was thinking about my three sons whose father died three years ago. They are at home in Canada with their grandparents while I am in Thailand for these two weeks. I know they will be missing me. I was thinking that they must also still long for their father to return, as these children do. So it was personal. But it was also very global. So many children do not have the consistent love of their parents that they desire and deserve. Yet these young people speak of hope and have repeatedly expressed gratitude for their current home situation in a children’s shelter.

During our final afternoon of their arts camp on Sunday, they amazed me again. They had a slide show presentation that allowed them to share there experience at the market with the younger children. They brought the guitar case that had been used to collect donations at the concert, choosing to count their gifts together. To their delight, they earned the equivalent of approximately $90 CAD. Here is what surprised me most…they asked the whole group how they would like to spend the money. The responses were “on food”, “more musical instruments”, and “on gas, so we can visit the kids at boarding school.” I was impressed, and truly, almost dumbfounded that their most frivolous request was to spend new found money on musical instruments for the enjoyment of the whole group. I guess, in some way, it also shows their wisdom that music is a way that they can earn money and contribute to society in a meaningful way.

The idea that touched me most was the suggestion to use their earnings for gas. The shelter is a permanent residence to about 40 kids, while dozens of others are living away at boarding schools, coming home to the shelter on holidays. I love that those who are “home” all the time long to see their “siblings” who are away. They are young and old, boys and girls, Thai and Burmese, from a variety of hill tribes. Some have parents who sold them for a pittance, while others have lost their parents to drugs or disease. But no matter what their background, they are family. A big, beautiful, inspiring family.

Kathy – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Thailand, 2014

The day has finally arrived!

The day has finally arrived. The reason we have traveled as long and as far as we have. The children in Thailand and the Buddies Along the Roadside project.

When we arrived at the home, all of the children were at the front gates waiting for us. They seemed as excited as we were at meeting. One by one they walked up to us, to present us with necklaces and ornaments made of fresh beautiful flowers. The emotional feelings were so overwhelming. Such beautiful, innocent faces. Unimaginable what each child has gone through prior to their arrival.

As we continued to walk to the main gathering area, we were surrounded by bounding, energetic, full of life children. They covered our faces with a white liquid, which I believe is a customary way. They cooled us off with pouring refreshing water down our backs. All the while giggling as we went along. The sound was intoxicating.

We made it to the main gathering area. Introduced ourselves, ate lunch with them and played some games. I think the group of us had just as much fun as the kids did. We then got a tour of the grounds,to see all of the work that has been completed in such a short time frame. We were briefed on the projects we will be involved in, as well as some of the future goals. Once we finished the tour of this most amazing place, we headed over to the Mekong River to go swimming with the kids. What a sight to see. The boys and girls climbing the ropes at the rivers edge, skipping stones in the river and jumping in for a refreshing swim. It was amazing to watch the kids at play. Then one by one they all lined up as the ice cream cart showed up. Amazingly patient, well mannered, respectful children. I was fortunate enough to be involved with distributing the cones to each child. Every single one said thank you, either in Thai or English, each one with a genuine appreciation.

At this point we parted ways for the evening. The children back to their home, us to our hotel. I will never forget this moment in time. I feel so blessed to have been included in this journey. I look forward to many more days with the children and the events that will unfold.

– Joycelyn – LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Thailand, 2014

So Sad To Leave, But Never Good-Bye

Having been given the blog for Dedication Day, a swarm of emotions came to mind. Being the final blog, I know that it should finish with a “Bang”, but that would only cause 60% of our outreach team to scream.

The day started off with a division of the team into three groups: sorters, shoppers and adventurers. One group had been chosen to stay at the resort to sort through all of the donations. However, the job description is actually quite deceiving. Having had to carry one of the bags full of donations, it was easy to tell that the group had sorted through several waves of heavy donations!

The second group was in charge of gathering another set of donations. They had gone to the local supermarket and were in charge of purchasing essential goods for the family: eggs, milk, soap, matches, all fitting into the list. With only a few moments of distraction, as the students themselves had needs (mainly chips and chocolate), the group finished shopping in record time

The final group had left on an excursion to Monkey Jungle. Monkey Jungle is everything that the name suggests and so much more! The primary function of the complex is that it serves as a clinic, which doctors from all over the world come to, to provide free healthcare to local Dominicans and Haitians. But the real excitement for the group was the squirrel monkeys that were equally excited to see them – and only partially because of the food they brought. The monkeys help to bring in profit so that the clinic can continue to be free for the locals.

All the groups met back at the hotel later in anticipation for the house dedication. Near 3pm, the keys to the new house were passed over to Alejandrina after several heart warming speeches. As Alejandrina’s tears of joy began, it had finally dawned on me, we were truly changing the life of this family, hopefully forever. 

After a tour of the house, in which the two children found and had started playing with all their new toys, we left for the school. All the kids were let out soon after and the school yard soon became a display of pandemonium. All the students, Dominican and Canadian alike, had a glowing smile on their faces as they played even without truly understanding. But it had ended too quickly. Almost as quickly as it began, there was a need to pack up and leave the smiling faces of all the children. But no matter how saddening it was, the children continued smiling, walking out to our buses, and waving goodbye as we drove off.

Although we hate to be going it is important to remember that we are not saying goodbye. Whether you come back to the community or not, we will never forget the lessons taught to us by the Dominicans. Their unrelenting smiles, love and joy are things that I hope that we can all bring back home. We will never forget what we have done here in the Dominican and no matter how sad it is to leave, remember it isn’t goodbye because they will live on in us forever.

Trevor, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Gonzaga Trip 2014

Tears of Joy

As a Gonzaga student who got to go on this Dominican outreach trip last year, preparing to go for this trip was both nerve wracking and exciting at the same time. There were several things I knew I could look forward to and many new experiences I didn’t expect to have, but have made this trip a whole new experience for me to remember. 

After meeting the family we were building for and starting full work days to complete this project, it didn’t take us any time to get into the routine of working together as a team. This year our group has many more students compared to previous years but for me, now my Dominican family has grown and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

By Tuesday, all of us students, teachers, LiveDifferent staff, contractors and members of the community were working hand in hand to build this home for Alejandrina and her two granddaughters. Our work consisted of tons of cement mixing, smooth coating, sifting, painting and much much more. After working several hours in the sun, many of us were exhausted because of how much physical work we were doing in comparison to our normal weekdays at school. But one thing that stood out to me is how not one person complained because all of us were fuelled by the smiles on the family’s faces as they watched their new home be built up from the ground where their old home used to stand. Even though many of us face the language barrier with people here in the Dominican, their smiles were something that needed no translation. 

After working hard to complete as much as possible on the house and helping out at the local school to build a new office, we all got some time to play with the children who were there at the playground that afternoon. Just pushing them on the swings or playing tag with them is something that they cherished and looked forward to which was then passed on to each of us in ways we could have never predicted. The love that they showed for us was something that you can’t buy anywhere and will never forget. 

That evening was our team dinner out in Cabarete which is a beautiful beach town where we all got to eat dinner together by the shore. We all bonded some more, learning things about each other and just becoming closer as we continued to share this experience in our lives. 

Wednesday morning we were back to work on our last building day which was the final stretch for us to complete this home before Dedication Day where we hand over the keys to our family. All of us were exhausted, sunburnt, and sore but I think it was the best work day we had by far. The motivation we all had to keep going and energy that was present at the work site was something everyone could feel because of how excited we were to give not only a new home, but a future to the Martinez family. We mixed batch after batch of cement, passed buckets along in a line and helped each other out to finish up everything left in the house before our workday ended. When the end of our workday was coming close to an end, those final few moments to push through we’re definitely moments to remember. While painting the house we all got into a little paint fight and everyone was covered in paint among the cement already on us. But one moment I won’t forget is when the floor was finally finished in the house and I went to ask Alejandrina if she was excited and she nodded her head because overall she was just speechless, and when I told her tomorrow she will be living inside a new home with her granddaughters she teared up which just made everything that we worked all week for absolutely worth it. It didn’t matter how exhausted we were because just the fact that the time we spent this week changed a family’s life is something you’ll never forget. 

Overall this trip not only reinforced the lessons I learned last year but added on new ones. The importance of community, the benefits of hard work and determination, hope, love and appreciation, which I hope to continue to remember and implement not only for myself but to share with others for the rest of my life. 

 – Lisa, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Gonzaga Trip 2014

My First Impressions

When I signed up for the Dominican trip I had no idea what to expect. As the countdown progressed, talking to others who had been on the trip in the past helped me to form a broader idea of what the trip was about. 

Julia, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Gonzaga Trip, 2014

What to expect

When I signed up for this trip I did not know what to expect. I envisioned being exhausted for 10 days, discovering the conditions of the people living in poverty, and doing hard but meaningful work. With LiveDifferent, every day I discovered wisdom that I would not have been able to discover anywhere else. The first one being the overwhelming kindness that the people in Puerto Plata have for one another and us “gringos”, as well.

Arriving in the town of Nuevo Renacer (New Life) we saw that the Dominicans freely greeted us with open arms and loving hearts. What I found particularly inspiring was that most families do not dwell on what they do not have, but share and give back to their own community by helping one other. By looking at their smiles and witnessing their laughter, I honestly could not tell how little they had due to the joy they shared with each another. 

I have also learned the importance of building relationships beforehand with the local leaders and people who are in need help. It is probably the most important thing when it comes to charity work. Without trustworthy relationships with the leaders of the community, the so-called “help” we would be giving them could potentially do more harm then good. For example, giving 100 pairs of shoes to one community may cause the shoe store down the road to go out of business. In our case, Sandra was basically the Mother Theresa of the community whose strength and love shone through the project and allowed us to build the home for the deserving family brick by brick. 

Alexia, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Sentinel Secondary, 2014

It is better to give than to receive

As said in our debrief meeting tonight; it is better to give than to receive.   There’s truly nothing more rewarding than doing what you can to make someone’s life a little better. Today was our first work day, and boy isn’t everyone exhausted! Everyone worked harder than I could imagine.  You don’t feel the work until you’re on your way home because the smiles and encouragement from the locals give you all the energy and motivation you need.

When going on a Hero Holiday, you’re ready to give everything up just to give it all to people you feel need it more, but what you soon realize is you’re receiving just as much back in return. The locals are teaching you something. I have learned about true happiness, love, and strength in family and community. The family that we are building a house for has nothing but smiles on their faces, the children may be quiet at first but they are definitely not camera shy! It is only the beginning of our journey so far but I can see the connections being built and strengthened between our group and the community. On our first trip into one of the villages a local lady was speaking to us and it was being translated and she said “You are part of our community, our home is your home.” She was so thankful that we would leave the comfort of our homes to come and try to make their lives a little easier.

There is a beauty in this place, there is a beauty in these people, and there’s a new beauty within my heart. I have already learned a great deal on this journey, and I can already see the growth within myself and the team.  Having amazing, positive, and understanding leaders is a huge thing for this trip. You have people that inspire and guide you within your trip and slowly as we mix the cement for our families house there’s another mix of cement that is cementing all of these memories into to our hearts. For today is just a day and tomorrow is but a dream and if you follow your dreams today than there’s no turning back.  The greatest way to find happiness is not to look for it, but to give it to someone else.

– Shaleigh, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday Volunteer, Oceanside, 2014

What it means to LiveDifferent

Today I had the opportunity to talk to Olga, the mother for one of the families we are building for. She has been living in a wooden house that is in very bad condition, very close to a polluted river, with her daughter Yocasta, 15 years old, and her grandson, David, 7 years old (who she has raised like a son since he was born.) She described that every time it rains, the river overflows and seeps into their home, and it is one of the many hard obstacles she has to go through everyday. When this happens, she and her family have to run to another neighbor’s house to be safe for the night. The next day, when the rain stops, there is so much uncertainty about coming back home, wondering whether the house has been completely destroyed, or if their belongings have all been ruined or swept away.

Olga expressed how great of an impact it will be to finally have a new and safe home for her and her family. She would feel, of course, more secure, and not have to worry about the rain anymore. Also, even though he is seven years old, David has never been in school a day in his life, so now that they will be living right next to the community school, he will finally be able to go for the first time.  Olga feels very happy and confident too because she will be living closer to Pastor Garcia and his family, as he is a leader in the community who has played an important role in her life for a long time.

She told me: “I am so thankful to God and to all of you. All these people have traveled from such far places,  just to help us, working so hard, giving their money and their time, without anything we can give in exchange”. I interrupted her and said: ” You know Olga, there is a lot you and your family are giving us: it is the joy to see you so excited, the feeling of being proud when we know we have made a difference in your family, and the happiness to know that from now on, you will LiveDifferent.” She smiled and we hugged each other.

On my way back to the hotel, I thought, ‘they’re not the only ones that are “living different” because we (my family) are too.’ After this experience, the way we can see life and the appreciation for what we have and how we are able to live our lives is incredible. It is a privilege for me to have realized that I also “LiveDifferent.”

Eliana, volunteer, LiveDifferent Hero Holiday, Christmas Public Trip, 2013/2014