Why I LOVE my job…

Everyone says to me, “you have the best job ever!” and I can honestly agree with them. I find our trips to be two fold: one, getting to give something to a community in need who may not other wise get it for themselves and two, seeing students lives transformed and eyes opened to what is going on in about two thirds of our world. I get to work with some pretty amazing students whose lives and commitment to seeing change in their own lives and the world around them inspire me everyday.I have volunteered with LiveDifferent (formerly Absolute)’s Hero Holiday program for 3 years now and have been on staff since December 2007. I have traveled to all three of our Hero Holiday destinations and have found that each location is special and different in their own way.I find Dominican Republic to be our largest trip in many ways… amount of students and scale of our projects. I have been honoured to watch the beginning of Arroyo Seco, a school Hero Holiday started building in 2006, be completed this summer after many hours of hard work over the past 3 years from our Hero Holiday participants. It will be sad to leave the site this week because so many relationships have been developed there with all the children, Pastor Garcia, “Muto”, and so many more. We are leaving that community with a place of hope to which parents can send their children so they can be educated, which in return, I believe is a major key in ending the cycle of poverty.Mexico is a smaller but much more intimate experience. We work right along side the family who we are building a house for. This past Christmas while we were building, I noticed the father show up around 1pm everyday after working at a local ranch since 3am. Just the pride in his eyes and determination of his work made me work double time! I loved getting to know the family and have them tease me about being so tall. (I am 5’9″ and the Oaxacan people of the area average about 5’2″) Good times! The best part of the trip is at the end, during the house dedication when you give the family the keys to their new home.Thailand is a trip that is very dear to me. I love the culture and the children so much. We work with some children who have come out of situations that could break your heart. Each year I go, I am surprised at how resilient they are even though their past is so dark. I would not miss this trip for the world!The thing that gets me every time I come home after a Hero Holiday is that I think I have given so much of myself but I have actually learned so much more in return. The people of Dominican Republic, Mexico or Thailand teach me about the importance of community as well as how there can still be so much happiness in simplicity…and our students remind me to be passionate about what I do. That together, we can make a difference!