Day #7 for St. Louis – A Day Off

Day 7

Day off: February 22, 2011

There were three adults who opted out of the excursions and chose to take the day off to spend as we liked. Following six days of building, touring, meeting new people and learning new ways it was a bit overwhelming to wake up in a fabulous resort with fantastic weather and unlimited refreshments. I’ve always been one to scoff at the people lounging around the pool working on their tans and reading trashy novels, but today I learned that there is something wonderful about having no agenda. First on my list was coffee. Then another, and another. By then it was time to change into a bathing suit. A quick dip in the pool to cool off and then more lounging on the lounger. My comrades decided it was time to check out the shops in the area and left me behind. As they checked out the local shops I checked out the beach. I looked at the waves that local described as, “angry” and decided I didn’t have the gumption to fight them. I laid down my towel and held it down with my body, derriere to the sky and promptly fell asleep. After a time a gentleman came along and tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Madame, you are getting burned, you need to roll over.” So I did. That was the extent of my day.

Jacqueline

MONKEY JUNGLE – Zip Lining

Today we went out to Monkey Jungle while another group went to Ocean world and swam with the dolphins. Our group got to go zip lining and were able to interact with the monkeys. It was a very fun and exciting experience, something you would never think of doing in Canada. We were all nervous to go down the first zip line, but after that it was a blast. On the 7^th zip line there was a 50 ft cave that we dropped straight down in. aunty Reanne chickened out and didn’t jump, but she amazed everyone by zip lining. We then went back and got to go see the monkeys, I “Danielle’ was a chicken and scared for a monkey to land on me, but I sucked it up and fed them. We got back to the resort and met Sean with his raccoon eyes.

Danielle

 DOLPHIN SWIM @ OCEAN WORLD

Six of us decided to go to Ocean World to swim with the dolphins. We seen fish in a large aquarium, took pictures with tigers, & a bird sanctuary and that was really cool, they came and propped themselves on us and Brittany had probably about 20 birds on her all at once. We had an hour to lay on their man made beach before the dolphin swim. Then it was time for the greatest moment we were all waiting for, ” THE DOLPHIN SWIM”. They jumped over us, we danced with them, fed them, kissed them and they kissed us on the cheek, they clapped, then we got to hold onto their fins and we swam along side them, wow that was fun! Then it was the grand finale and the dolphins swam behind us and each dolphin pushed us by our feet. This adventure made some people overcome their fears and for others it was a check off their bucket list. Woohoo Paulette, you did it!

Courtney & Candace

Day 5 and 6 for St. Louis

Day 5

Back to building! Today we arrived to find the roofs on the 2 houses and the smooth coat going on inside and out. “Very Interesting.” We learned a lot that day from making cement mixture for a smooth coat, to pasting the walls and smoothing. Lots of sweat that day.

We also leveled the floors inside the houses to prepare for the cement floor pouring the next day. The floors have been raised about 3 feet from ground level with rocks, dirt, and old broken cinder blocks. They are raised to keep the houses dry when the village get flooded (which sounds like it happens fairly often). We leveled them out with a pick-axe and shovels and hands and then hauled in wheel-barrows of dirt to level it out completely.

After a hard day of work some of us went for a swim, others went shopping, and others hung out at the resort. After supper we played some pool while watching Reanne get her hair braided and extended. There was a lot of laughing that evening.

Sean & Michelle

Day 6

Today our group split in half with one group going to play with the kids and the other on the worksite and a switch at lunch. I went with the kids in the morning. When we first arrived there was almost no one there, but we pulled out the jump ropes and the balls and pretty soon the area was full. Nettie sang local jump rope songs with the kids and Tammy taught them how to play with a Chinese skipping rope. There was nail painting and catch, but I mostly stayed out of it. A little girl named Nadia attached herself to me and was too sweet to put down. She just wanted to be carried by someone, so I held her all morning and my arms were tired by lunch. In the afternoon we mixed concrete and used it to fill in the floors. There was a little bit of smooth coat to be finished, but that was mostly done. We spent most of our time with a wheel barrow moving sand for the concrete and mixing it up with shovels. Some times the kids came to help shovel for awhile. Mostly they played. One of the boys had a mask and chased the chickens around with it. It was pretty cute.

In the evening we went to “La union Bate” and watched Madagascar in Spanish with the kids. It was really awesome. When we pulled up to the village we were welcomed by a stampede of screaming children (now we know how Justin Beiber feels, LOL). We had to stop the movie and the kids had to move out of the way to let a car go through. We also had motorcycles with police with their guns patrolling the village, right through our movie. Pretty different night at the movies, but it was a great experience.

Nitara

The Shack – Day 2 “In the Tomato Fields”

What an eventful first morning. We had to get a fire started, cook our breakfast and pack our lunch. All in the complete dark! We ended up running down the street so we wouldn’t be late to meet our ride to work for 6am.Our job today was cleaning up the tomato fields, gathering the plastic that had been used to make the trellis’. Because we had to eat lunch when the other workers did, we didn’t eat until noon. I think I can say for all of us that we were ready to eat by 10am. Thank goodness for being in the tomato fields so we could munch on the few overripe tomatoes that had been left behind.We ended up working until 2:30. My hands were wrecked, my arms were sore and my legs felt like they were going to fall off. But this was only one long day for me, but to the workers it was just another day that blurred together with many other similar days. Field workers only get paid the equivalent of $10 a day. There’s a man there who has worked on the same ranch for years so he got a raise – only 10 pesos (less than one dollar). It’s crazy to think that in Canada people who do manual labour tend to get paid more but this isn’t the case here. When asked if we could imagine doing this job for a whole year we said no. Most of us said we might consider it for a summer job, but only if we were getting paid a lot more. On the other hand while people here do not enjoy the job, they are happy to simply have a job and be getting paid.We were lucky to get home early to buy groceries, collect firewood and make dinner before dark. There is not much to do in the evenings and we do not have enough wood to sit around a campfire to stay warm so it is early to bed for us after a long day of hard work in the sun.Written by Sarah, a School of Leadership Student, and Rose Friesen, School of Leadership Mexico Facilitator

University of Alberta Students Build House in Mexico

Hi World!  This is Alexandria and Roz reporting from Mexico 🙂  So we finally got here and boy what a trip so far.  Besides the scary men at the boarder with guns, everything went really well.  Just kidding mom!  Crossing the boarder was no problem and Mexico is WONDERFUL!  After arriving, we went and met the family that we are building a home for.  It was a very emotional experience because we realized that this woman has been through a lot.  It was sad to hear her story but we were happy that we can make a small difference in her life and in the lives of her children.  Yesterday we started building the house and it was quite an adventure!  With Kelly and Brock racing to see who can complete tasks faster, the competition was almost too much to handle!  We couldn’t even deal with it, so we went and painted with the kids.  Or we should say watch them paint because they wouldn’t let us.  In fact, Jose even kicked Megan off of the board that she was working on.  Getting to spend time with the community was an amazing experience and we feel so grateful and lucky to be here.  Were getting so many hugs and feel extremely welcome.  Today we are off to build the rest of the house and hopefully Jose won’t cover us in mud and paint again!   – Roz and Alexandria

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

Days 3 and 4 for St Louis in DR

Day 3

Off to Augra Negra again to do our 2^nd day of our build. Half the group jumped right back into action while the other half enjoyed interacting with the children, playing tag, singing songs, skipping, playing catch, coloring and painting nails. After so much playing it was time for refreshment. We handed out water and suckers to everyone. The craziest thing was to experience the excitement and happiness the community has when we can look to our right and see a garbage dump and garbage filled river and a shack as a house, with the shack hanging over the river bank, which means the family is on the verge of losing their home. After lunch the two groups switched, so one group played with the kids and the other group worked on the houses mixing & hauling “cemento” for the whole afternoon. We were supposed to go for a movie night at the first village of “La union” to watch Madagascar, but it was looking like rain, so it was cancelled to Monday night instead. So we went for ice cream and did a bit of shopping on the way back. Corina tried bartering, but came back empty handed, we’ll have to go back again to see if she can get her price. LOL. We came across a ball game on our way back, so we stopped, that was very cool. We had our picture taken with one team named “Amigos de Canada”, they were sponsored by a couple from Winnipeg.

Day 4

WORK DAY AT THE GARBAGE DUMP!

This is the day that was the most life changing for ALL OF US! We partnered up with a Haitian friend & helped them to fill a very large bag to make them .50 to .75 cents a bag. The items that they wanted us to pick up were plastic bags and plastic bottles. They also took anything that they could use, like underwear, shirts, pants and some of us even witnessed them picking food and eating it. That was a hard one to take! YOU CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT WE ALL WALKED THROUGH. Later that afternoon we went for a hike to the waterfalls, which was a very refreshing afternoon after our challenging morning. We walked through sooooo much mud and walked through streams of water to get to the waterfall. After supper some of the girls had their hair braided. Michelle and Reanne got extensions too. VERY FUNNY LOOKING. LOL.

WE ALWAYS END OUR DAY WITH A LOT OF LAUGHS! MICHELLE IS KIND OF CRAZY. LOL. CORRINA HASN’T STOPPED LAUGHING. HAHA.

P.S.- OH YA AND BY THE WAY THE KIDS ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB THIS WEEK HERE IN THE DR.

Brooklyn and Reanne

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

First Few Days of St. Louis Hero Holiday

Day 1

TOTALLY AMAZING! As you can see in all the pictures. We went to tour around a few different villages and seen about 6 schools. All we can say is “totally amazing”!! The first village “La Union” and was so totally awesome, it was our first encounter with the children. It was so cool to see how these children clung to all of us, even though we were strangers to them. They held our hands and gave us hugs. It was an amazing feeling to hold a Childs hand and feel the warmth and bond you now have within your first 5 minutes. Off to the school in Arroyo Seco where we met Garcia, who pretty much made this community to what it is today. So amazing how one man can have a dream and with a little help from Hero Holiday can follow through and build a complex which holds a school, church & community center.

NEXT onto meeting the two families that we will be helping in Auga Negra, it was an eye opening experience. SO UNBELIEVABLY SAD TO SEE THEIR EVERYDAY LIVING CONDITION WITH A BIG SMILE STILL ON THEIR FACES. We are now looking forward to Day 2 to see the progress begin!

Day 2

NO SUCH THING AS CLEAN CLOTHES FOR US ANYMORE AND IT FEELS GREAT! Heading straight into work such as mixing cement, hauling cinder blocks & wood, transporting pails and pails of “concreto” back and forth from house 1 & 2. Amazing site to see! Lots of neighbours around to lend a hand, and the support they show for one another is incredible. By the end of today the houses had really progessed and we are looking forward to what Day 3 has instore.

P.S. sunscreen is our new best friend!

P.S.S. Quick question for Sean. How was your 1 hour massage? You barely even broke a sweat! LOL.

Stay tuned for Day 3!

What a Great Christmas

The Christmas season in my house is usually filled with food, gifts, and family. This year really was no different, but instead I got to give food, give gifts and become part of a community that accepted our team as members of their own personal family. For those who have not visited Agua Negra, it is named for the black water that plagues the streets and its residents. When the rain comes, homes are filled with this water along with any other creature seeking refuge. Our team had the privilege to meet the Garcia family, who by the end of the week received a beautiful new home. No longer will Agapito, Noelia, Jalyssa, or Anfernie have to deal with the black water or pests that used to plague their home, and Agapito can finally rest with the knowledge that his family will be safe and dry.  During the house warming ceremony I was really struck by just how important a name truly is, and was overwhelmed with the name Agua Negra has sought to change to: Neuvo Rena Said . New Re-Birth.  What a powerful statement for this village; to take a stand and take a name that shows what it is becoming, not constantly constrained by its past. We were able to be a part of this change, and words can’t describe what a honour that really is.

Throughout this trip the sense of community kept embracing me over and over again. Whatever village we visited, we were greeted with smiles and love.  Each of the team members spent time before the trip collecting gifts and supplies to deliver to these villages. I chose to collect school supplies as education is something close to my heart. When visiting Arroyo Seco, we toured the school that was built by Hero Holiday and learned how it brought together a community that had many divisions within it. Education unifies across cultures, traditions, and frames of mind. Needless to say I was grateful to contribute with these supplies and am thankful to my community for being so generous and helping support education outside of Canada.

I felt love, I witnessed hope and I was part of the change.

 ~ Rikki-Lee

What a Birthday is like on a Hero Holiday…

December 9th, 2010Every year, a day that’s usually filed with gifts and celebration was completely different for me today. Today was my seventeenth birthday, and instead of spending it in Canada with my family and friends, I spent it in a garbage dump in the Dominican and made a new special friend.Right when we got to the dump, a young girl approached me and she was going to be the person I worked along side with for the day. She was a beautiful girl and the whole day changed my life. She showed me what garbage to collect and what was no good. Every time I’d ask her if something was good or not, we exchanged a smile, one that I will remember always. It was hard to see her pick up one of the used water bottles we just collected, fill it up with the clean water we brought and then drink it. She introduced me to her family and even offered me a piece of the small portion of bread she had. I knew she cared about me and I cared about her. She watched out for me and made sure the way when a truck filled with garbage was coming so I wouldn’t get hit.She told me her hopes and dreams were to go to school and become a doctor to help people. It amazed me that someone who can barley help herself still wants to help other people. I could tell she had a big heart and she truly inspired me. She picked up some used socks that had holes in them and put them on her feet. There I was wearing rubber boots and there she was in sandals with used socks on her feet. We found a small football and it was fun to throw that around with her. It reminded me that children like her should be playing and not slaving away in a garbage dump.She seemed kind of confused when I took my gloves off to hold her hand, she hesitated a bit at first but I noticed a big smile on her face when she grabbed my hand, I wanted her to know that I cared about her. She told me she liked my boots and it felt good to give them to her before I left. I didn’t even care that I had no shoes on for the bus ride back to the hotel. As long as her feet are protected, I just hope they fit! I was so overwhelmed that I truly forgot it was my birthday. It felt way better to give on my birthday then to take.Nettie and her niece colored a beautiful picture for me and that was better than any materialistic gift. I’m so gratful to be here right now, surrounded by the most beautiful people. Today was a very special day. I can’t say I remember any of my past birthdays, but this one I’ll never forget!Lots of Love,Rebecca