Yesterday we finished the house! We worked our butts off and put in a long morning, but we got the job done! We did the finishing touches; putting up some walls inside, cutting and painting the trim and installing it, second coating of paint on the house (which the family helped with), and just some last minute little things.
In the afternoon everyone did random things; some went to help finish the school,others stayed around the house to help with some chores like putting away all of our supplies and tools from the week, and I spent the afternoon sorting through all of the donations that our group brought down, and got them ready for the school and the family.
Last night we had a "Fiesta" and this consisted of pinhata with lots of Mexican candy, a hoola hoop contest and of course LOTS of dancing.
Today was the shopping and dedication day. We spent the morning shopping for things to put in the house like beds, a table and chairs, a stove and propane tank, dishes and kitchen items and a bunch of groceries. Our group pooled our money together and ended up raising $1400 for the shopping trip. We spent the majority of the money on the family, and some on the school...we are putting in a water tank so that the school can have clean running water to drink, and with the purchase comes about a year's worth of water. We are spending the rest on desks and chairs...things that the school really needs.
We went to the school first, and a lot of the community was there. They thanked us a lot, and had prepared a meal of chicken, Mexican rice, and hot, fresh flour tortillas. As well, they had hot tamaili's. Some of the Mother's cried, and the kids and they were very grateful. It was a very emotional dedication, and it was nice to see how much the community really appreciated the school.
Next we went to the house. We started by unloading all of the donations and laying them out in the house all over the counters and beds. Then we locked up the house, and dedicated some special toys to the youngest kids. The little girl, who is 10, I gave a Barbie doll to, because that is what she had asked for. And one of the other girls on our team gave the little boy, who is 8, some toy cars because that is what he asked for. They really loved them. Next, my cousin Marcus had the honours of handing over the keys to the family. They unlocked the door and we gave them a few minutes to themselves to look around the house. Now, as I had mentioned before, the family is very shy, and even before they went into the house they did not say much. However when they came out, some of the siblings and the parents gave us a huge appreciative thank you.
We spent some more time with the family, and they had prepared an afternoon meal for us called cebiehe. This is raw fish cut up and soaked in lime (which I just learned today actually cooks it), mixed with basil, tomato, cucumber, garlic and some other spices. It is served on tostilla chips with mayo.
After we ate, I showed the girls the manicure/pedicure set I had made for them and painted two of the girls nails. I also showed them all of the hair accessories that had been donated and braided the little girls hair in pig tails...her smile after all this was unforegettable. Time flew by, and before I knew it it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes, and headed back to the house.
I have never experienced anything like I did today, and it was an amazing feeling. Having worked on a project from start to finish and then seeing the recipient's reaction was an experience that will stay with me forever. We now have a connection and a bond with these people that is unbreakable and unique.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Doing laundry Mexican style!
There are certain moments that I have on these trips when I go "wow, I can't believe how much I take this for granted"...and it's always something small, something that we as North Americans might consider insignificant. I had one of those moments today. It all started when Charles had the idea for us to learn how to do laundry - by hand. So a few of us brought some dirty clothing items to the house build, and the Mother of the house taught us how to clean it by hand. As I was washing my laundry I was calculating in my head how long it would take to wash an average load. So in Mexico, average four minutes per clothing article; and an average of 20 items in one load at home...so 4x20= 80 minutes per load...in Mexico. At home it takes me all of two minutes to throw a load of laundry in the machine. It was A LOT of work!
When I was done my laundry I went up on the roof of the house to help with the tarring for the roof, and boy was it a messy job! Within the first 10 minutes I ended up with tar all over my hands, my arm, and my leg...and believe me, when you get tar on your skin, it is VERY difficult to get off...we had to use gasoline! However we were VERY productive this morning, and not only did the roof get done, but the inside walls, the outside trim, and windows were installed.
In the afternoon we decided to head to the beach with our family. We went back for lunch and then swung back to the house to pick them up. Not everyone came, since some of them were working, but the Mom, the youngest boy, and three of the daughters did. Mario, the youngest boy really warmed up and jumped right in the ocean. Two of the daghters, aged 14 and 19 were a little more shy, but I convinced them to come into the ocean with me, and they did some boogie boarding...which they LOVED with the huge waves!
The youngest daughter, who is eight, really warmed up to me today. We had some face paints, so I painted a heart on one cheek and a flower on the other. Then I braided her hair, and she loved it. She could not go swimming since her Mom said that she was ill, so instead I took her over to the park. At first she would not go down the big slide alone, and she eventually gained enough confidence to slide down all on her own. She would laugh and giggle every time, and she must have gone down 25 times!
Today was an awesome day, and in the evening we went to a cafe where they sold smoothies, specialty coffee's, and desserts. We had our debriefing there, and then watched the movie "Pay it Forward".
I learned a lot today, and I am really happy that the family warmed more. This experience in Mexico is definetly one that I am enjoying, and I am really loving getting to know the family.
P.S. Once again, I have no pictures, but they will be posted on here, and on facebook very soon!
When I was done my laundry I went up on the roof of the house to help with the tarring for the roof, and boy was it a messy job! Within the first 10 minutes I ended up with tar all over my hands, my arm, and my leg...and believe me, when you get tar on your skin, it is VERY difficult to get off...we had to use gasoline! However we were VERY productive this morning, and not only did the roof get done, but the inside walls, the outside trim, and windows were installed.
In the afternoon we decided to head to the beach with our family. We went back for lunch and then swung back to the house to pick them up. Not everyone came, since some of them were working, but the Mom, the youngest boy, and three of the daughters did. Mario, the youngest boy really warmed up and jumped right in the ocean. Two of the daghters, aged 14 and 19 were a little more shy, but I convinced them to come into the ocean with me, and they did some boogie boarding...which they LOVED with the huge waves!
The youngest daughter, who is eight, really warmed up to me today. We had some face paints, so I painted a heart on one cheek and a flower on the other. Then I braided her hair, and she loved it. She could not go swimming since her Mom said that she was ill, so instead I took her over to the park. At first she would not go down the big slide alone, and she eventually gained enough confidence to slide down all on her own. She would laugh and giggle every time, and she must have gone down 25 times!
Today was an awesome day, and in the evening we went to a cafe where they sold smoothies, specialty coffee's, and desserts. We had our debriefing there, and then watched the movie "Pay it Forward".
I learned a lot today, and I am really happy that the family warmed more. This experience in Mexico is definetly one that I am enjoying, and I am really loving getting to know the family.
P.S. Once again, I have no pictures, but they will be posted on here, and on facebook very soon!
Hero Holiday Mexico
So here I am in Mexico, on a Hero Holiday, and so far, I am LOVING it! Our drive down from San Diego was great because we drove along the coast, and I couldn't keep my eyes away from the window; that is one thing I love about being in a new country: having brand new scenery to look at.
When we arrived at our new home for the week, we were all really excited. We are staying in actual houses, dorm style. There is the main Hero Holiday house where we eat, and hold debriefings. The boys are in one house, and girls in the other. There is a big yard where we can play football or soccer and right outside of the boys house is where we have bonfires.
Our team is working on two projects this week: an extension to a school, and building a home for a family of 12 currently living in a very small home. The first day on the site I worked on the school. The concrete pad was already laid, and so we started working on putting together the roof panels, the walls, and painting the existing school. There were a few kids around, and they were VERY eager to help. They would take the hammer right out of our hand and start swinging it...and they were actually really good at it. There was also one local man who set up a stand for us to "shop" at. Some of us bought things from him, since buying from a local vendor is much better than buying at a commercial store. Our team worked really hard on the school, and by the end of the day we were exhausted. However, we were all looking forward to tacos for dinner!!! We went to a taco stand down the road, and I ate the best tacos of my life! Later on, after a very thorough debriefing we ended up at the circus! It was a very funny show and a great way to end off our very first working day in Mexico.
The second day of work I spent at the house build. We finished building the walls and put together the house. This took us until about 11am, and then Charles had a great idea. I had been told by the team there the previous day that the family was very, very shy. So he decided that we would all take them out for ice-cream to break the ice and get to know them better. It did work, and they started talking to us more.
After lunch, we put the roof on the house, and paneled it. We also painted the trim that will go up on the outside of the house and I had some of the girls and the kids helping us out with this...they really enjoyed it. This took us all afternoon, and the roof required us to really work like a team. It took all of us, and all of the strength we had to lift the roof panels on top of the house. When we got home, we had some time to relax before dinner. After dinner, we had a late debriefing and then had a huge bonfire, with Parker, one of the guys on the trip playing guitar and singing. It was a really fun night.
Having been on three Hero Holiday's in the Dominican and spending some time there on my own, my natural thoughts are to compare it with this trip and the Mexican needs and culture. Since I have never been to Mexico I was not really sure what to expect and I have found that it is not much different. The people seem to have the same attitude; happy with what they have and very grateful for us being here. There is a lot of need here as well, however I have found that the homes are much more spread out than in the Dominican. I feel right at home here, just like I do in the DR and I cannot wait to finish the house and hopefully make our family's lives a little bit easier.
P.S. I DO have pictures however the internet is on and off here and right now it will not let me upload pictures...coming soon!
When we arrived at our new home for the week, we were all really excited. We are staying in actual houses, dorm style. There is the main Hero Holiday house where we eat, and hold debriefings. The boys are in one house, and girls in the other. There is a big yard where we can play football or soccer and right outside of the boys house is where we have bonfires.
Our team is working on two projects this week: an extension to a school, and building a home for a family of 12 currently living in a very small home. The first day on the site I worked on the school. The concrete pad was already laid, and so we started working on putting together the roof panels, the walls, and painting the existing school. There were a few kids around, and they were VERY eager to help. They would take the hammer right out of our hand and start swinging it...and they were actually really good at it. There was also one local man who set up a stand for us to "shop" at. Some of us bought things from him, since buying from a local vendor is much better than buying at a commercial store. Our team worked really hard on the school, and by the end of the day we were exhausted. However, we were all looking forward to tacos for dinner!!! We went to a taco stand down the road, and I ate the best tacos of my life! Later on, after a very thorough debriefing we ended up at the circus! It was a very funny show and a great way to end off our very first working day in Mexico.
The second day of work I spent at the house build. We finished building the walls and put together the house. This took us until about 11am, and then Charles had a great idea. I had been told by the team there the previous day that the family was very, very shy. So he decided that we would all take them out for ice-cream to break the ice and get to know them better. It did work, and they started talking to us more.
After lunch, we put the roof on the house, and paneled it. We also painted the trim that will go up on the outside of the house and I had some of the girls and the kids helping us out with this...they really enjoyed it. This took us all afternoon, and the roof required us to really work like a team. It took all of us, and all of the strength we had to lift the roof panels on top of the house. When we got home, we had some time to relax before dinner. After dinner, we had a late debriefing and then had a huge bonfire, with Parker, one of the guys on the trip playing guitar and singing. It was a really fun night.
Having been on three Hero Holiday's in the Dominican and spending some time there on my own, my natural thoughts are to compare it with this trip and the Mexican needs and culture. Since I have never been to Mexico I was not really sure what to expect and I have found that it is not much different. The people seem to have the same attitude; happy with what they have and very grateful for us being here. There is a lot of need here as well, however I have found that the homes are much more spread out than in the Dominican. I feel right at home here, just like I do in the DR and I cannot wait to finish the house and hopefully make our family's lives a little bit easier.
P.S. I DO have pictures however the internet is on and off here and right now it will not let me upload pictures...coming soon!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Goodbye Dominican...until next time.
I am now back home, trying to ease myself back into the Canadian lifestyle. Nikki and I spent our last few days spending time, and saying goodbyes to some of the people we became especially close with; Sonia and her kids, the older boys etc. 
Monday we had to say goodbye to the older boys...we had a fun day with them, and then when it finally came to say goodbye I had a lot of anxiety. I know that I will be back, but it is still hard to say goodbye for that long. It was a short and sweet goodbye, and more of a see you later, but I hated driving away that day. Tuesday was even harder; this was the day we were flying out, but we still ran Boys Club in the morning. As soon as we pulled up, Hilda, Sonia, and all of the boys were there waiting for us. We said our usual hellos, and how are you’s, and when I asked Sonia how she was, she responded with “I am sad today”. She knew that we were leaving and was not happy about it. Andrielli, Sonia’s 13 year old daughter was there, even though she did not have club. She wanted to say goodbye, and started crying right from the beginning of class. I tried my best to keep it together throughout the class, but Sonia was there, tearing up, as well as the kids. The class came to an end, and now it was going to be hard. Hilda (who is the woman that I am sponsoring her family) approached me, and balled her eyes out; basically pouring her heart out to me about how much she has appreciated us being there, and my sponsoring them, and how God is taking care of us. It was not a fun goodbye, and I made it clear to everyone that I do not like goodbyes; it is more like “see ya later”. There were a lot of tears, and it is when I see kids crying, it really gets to me. Some of them even wanted to come to the airport. At the time, it was so overwhelming, I was not even sure how to handle it. Now that I think back to that day, it is hard to believe that we had such an impact on people to make them so upset like that. I have dealt with goodbyes before, but never have I a)spent so much time with families and actually gotten to know them very well, b) been able to have the freedom with doing so c) felt so valued and appreciated in my life.
Liz dropped us off at the airport...it was really hard to say goodbye to her as well. We became super close, and she has taught us a lot over the past couple of months. She opened up her world to us completely in the DR, and this trip would not have been as amazing as it was without her. She is keeping our Strawberry Shortcake room open just for us.
Nikki and I even put a sign on the door that reads "Welcome to Nikki and Melissa's room". Although, it is there for visitors as well :) (In our room in Liz's apartment there is a huge wall painting of Strawberry Shortcake). Liz is doing some amazing work in the Dominican, and I am excited to continue to work with DOVE missions in the future. *** Also, just as a sidenote, DOVE is still looking for some sponsors for the family sponsorship program. $30 per month will buy one of our family's groceries. They get a food voucher for the grocery store, and are only allowed to use the voucher for food...no alcohol or smokes - just food.***
These past two months has had its rewards and challenges. Both have taught me to become stronger, and this has been a huge learning experience for me; not only with the work we have done, but also with learning about the culture, and living in a different country, away from home. I have gained a lot of independence in the past two months, and I will be able to take everything that I learned and apply it next year. I want to thank all of my supporters for this trip, and everyone who followed my blog. It gave me happiness and motivation to know that people were interested in what I was doing down there. I hope that my posts have sparked some emotions, and maybe even motivated you to do something; to make a change.
In August, I will be travelling to Mexico for 10 days with my little brother and cousin, to build a house with Hero Holiday. I am not sure yet if I will have my computer with me, but I do plan to post something about the trip, along with some pictures...you can also check out Hero Holiday on Facebook,(facebook name is Absolute.org) or at heroholiday.com for updates and photos during our trip.
Monday we had to say goodbye to the older boys...we had a fun day with them, and then when it finally came to say goodbye I had a lot of anxiety. I know that I will be back, but it is still hard to say goodbye for that long. It was a short and sweet goodbye, and more of a see you later, but I hated driving away that day. Tuesday was even harder; this was the day we were flying out, but we still ran Boys Club in the morning. As soon as we pulled up, Hilda, Sonia, and all of the boys were there waiting for us. We said our usual hellos, and how are you’s, and when I asked Sonia how she was, she responded with “I am sad today”. She knew that we were leaving and was not happy about it. Andrielli, Sonia’s 13 year old daughter was there, even though she did not have club. She wanted to say goodbye, and started crying right from the beginning of class. I tried my best to keep it together throughout the class, but Sonia was there, tearing up, as well as the kids. The class came to an end, and now it was going to be hard. Hilda (who is the woman that I am sponsoring her family) approached me, and balled her eyes out; basically pouring her heart out to me about how much she has appreciated us being there, and my sponsoring them, and how God is taking care of us. It was not a fun goodbye, and I made it clear to everyone that I do not like goodbyes; it is more like “see ya later”. There were a lot of tears, and it is when I see kids crying, it really gets to me. Some of them even wanted to come to the airport. At the time, it was so overwhelming, I was not even sure how to handle it. Now that I think back to that day, it is hard to believe that we had such an impact on people to make them so upset like that. I have dealt with goodbyes before, but never have I a)spent so much time with families and actually gotten to know them very well, b) been able to have the freedom with doing so c) felt so valued and appreciated in my life.
Liz dropped us off at the airport...it was really hard to say goodbye to her as well. We became super close, and she has taught us a lot over the past couple of months. She opened up her world to us completely in the DR, and this trip would not have been as amazing as it was without her. She is keeping our Strawberry Shortcake room open just for us.
Nikki and I even put a sign on the door that reads "Welcome to Nikki and Melissa's room". Although, it is there for visitors as well :) (In our room in Liz's apartment there is a huge wall painting of Strawberry Shortcake). Liz is doing some amazing work in the Dominican, and I am excited to continue to work with DOVE missions in the future. *** Also, just as a sidenote, DOVE is still looking for some sponsors for the family sponsorship program. $30 per month will buy one of our family's groceries. They get a food voucher for the grocery store, and are only allowed to use the voucher for food...no alcohol or smokes - just food.***
These past two months has had its rewards and challenges. Both have taught me to become stronger, and this has been a huge learning experience for me; not only with the work we have done, but also with learning about the culture, and living in a different country, away from home. I have gained a lot of independence in the past two months, and I will be able to take everything that I learned and apply it next year. I want to thank all of my supporters for this trip, and everyone who followed my blog. It gave me happiness and motivation to know that people were interested in what I was doing down there. I hope that my posts have sparked some emotions, and maybe even motivated you to do something; to make a change.
In August, I will be travelling to Mexico for 10 days with my little brother and cousin, to build a house with Hero Holiday. I am not sure yet if I will have my computer with me, but I do plan to post something about the trip, along with some pictures...you can also check out Hero Holiday on Facebook,(facebook name is Absolute.org) or at heroholiday.com for updates and photos during our trip.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Goodbye Chicas
Today we had Boys club in the morning and girls in the afternoon...which is always a nice order because the boys tend to be way more exhausting than the girls...so by the time 2pm hits and the heat is full blown it is nice to have a calmer class. However, both classes are SOOOOO much fun...today we split the kids up into two groups; younger kids and older kids. Nikki and I worked with the older kids making hemp bracelets...it didn't go as well as we had planned with the boys...we had a hard time translating, even though Liz was in between classes. The boys ended up making a lot of beaded jewlery.
The Boys Club was over at 12, so we took a lunch break, and went to pick up Nikki's family for the Girls Club. On our way back to the club, we saw that there was this huge commotion on the street we were driving along. There were all these moto concho drivers and men standing around this woman who had nothing on but her shorts around her knees, with blood all over her body. We stopped to see what was going on, and it appeared that the woman had been brutally violated. Liz called the police immediately and we drove closer to the scene. We were not really sure what was going on, but it looked like there were only men around and this woman was going crazy. We were not sure why nobody was helping her and only standing around, but Liz told us that we could not get involved at the scene. When the police show up, they will take everyone involved and hold them in custody (in jail) until they get to the bottom of what actually happened. However, luckily we had just picked up our laundry, so I had a clean towel in the back seat. Liz ran it out to the lady so that she could at least wipe the blood off her face and cover up.People were yelling at Liz not to go near her because she was crazy. The police finally arrived and we although we watched what was happening, we were not sure what was going on. The police did nothing and just drove away...but we saw the police up the road and told them she needed immediate assistance..turns out they were on top of the situation and had a man in custody.
In the afternoon with the girls it went a lot smoother. We knew a little more of how to teach them the knots, and they picked it up really quickly. We had a few of the older boys come back for the girls club to help with teaching the hemp.
The smaller kids made macaroni jewlery...they painted the pasta red, white and blue...the Dominican flag colours. It was SUPER cute, and although it was a messy craft, they loved it!
We have come up with a system in the club where we pick two kids from each class who have stood out for us that day. We look for leadership, (even though we already have appointed leaders which are the older kids, we look for the younger ones to help out as well), we look for patience, the way they treat other kids...basically anything that makes them stand out.
At the end of the class we point them out in class, and tell everyone why they have been picked. Then they get to pick a prize out of the treasure chest. We have found that it really encourages the kids to step and behave in the class.
Since this was going to be our last girls club today, we had to tell the girls and say our goodbyes. The girls are naturally very affectionate with us, so of course there were a lot of hugs and last pictures.
It took us a good half hour just to make our way to the door...the girls are so sweet, and we love working with them...so it was really difficult to leave today.
I am really stressing about leaving...I always stress before I leave, but not like this. I have been here for 2 months, and made some really strong, great relationships with not only the kids, but families as well. Liz has been fantastic, and I am really going to miss her. There are so many people here that I love so much...it is going to be really hard to say goodbye...although I know it won't be goodybye forever...more like "see ya later".
The Boys Club was over at 12, so we took a lunch break, and went to pick up Nikki's family for the Girls Club. On our way back to the club, we saw that there was this huge commotion on the street we were driving along. There were all these moto concho drivers and men standing around this woman who had nothing on but her shorts around her knees, with blood all over her body. We stopped to see what was going on, and it appeared that the woman had been brutally violated. Liz called the police immediately and we drove closer to the scene. We were not really sure what was going on, but it looked like there were only men around and this woman was going crazy. We were not sure why nobody was helping her and only standing around, but Liz told us that we could not get involved at the scene. When the police show up, they will take everyone involved and hold them in custody (in jail) until they get to the bottom of what actually happened. However, luckily we had just picked up our laundry, so I had a clean towel in the back seat. Liz ran it out to the lady so that she could at least wipe the blood off her face and cover up.People were yelling at Liz not to go near her because she was crazy. The police finally arrived and we although we watched what was happening, we were not sure what was going on. The police did nothing and just drove away...but we saw the police up the road and told them she needed immediate assistance..turns out they were on top of the situation and had a man in custody.
In the afternoon with the girls it went a lot smoother. We knew a little more of how to teach them the knots, and they picked it up really quickly. We had a few of the older boys come back for the girls club to help with teaching the hemp.
The smaller kids made macaroni jewlery...they painted the pasta red, white and blue...the Dominican flag colours. It was SUPER cute, and although it was a messy craft, they loved it!
We have come up with a system in the club where we pick two kids from each class who have stood out for us that day. We look for leadership, (even though we already have appointed leaders which are the older kids, we look for the younger ones to help out as well), we look for patience, the way they treat other kids...basically anything that makes them stand out.
At the end of the class we point them out in class, and tell everyone why they have been picked. Then they get to pick a prize out of the treasure chest. We have found that it really encourages the kids to step and behave in the class. Since this was going to be our last girls club today, we had to tell the girls and say our goodbyes. The girls are naturally very affectionate with us, so of course there were a lot of hugs and last pictures.
It took us a good half hour just to make our way to the door...the girls are so sweet, and we love working with them...so it was really difficult to leave today. 
I am really stressing about leaving...I always stress before I leave, but not like this. I have been here for 2 months, and made some really strong, great relationships with not only the kids, but families as well. Liz has been fantastic, and I am really going to miss her. There are so many people here that I love so much...it is going to be really hard to say goodbye...although I know it won't be goodybye forever...more like "see ya later".
Friday, June 26, 2009
I love the Dominican Republic!
The past few days have been busy, but so awesome...we are trying to enjoy every last minute we have here. I apologize again for the late posts, but we have not had internet all week, and we have been super busy. So again, I will post this blog with an overview of the week.
Monday was errands in the morning...to prepare for some special presents we are giving some of our kids. Nikki and I LOVE pictures. Both of our bedrooms at home are filled with photos of our friends, family, and of course the Dominican. We love to look back at our pictures, and remember all of the good times. So we decided to make photo albums for some of our families that we have been working with for the past 7 weeks. So we spent the morning organizing the photos, running around to find albums and getting the pictures developed. In the afternoon we went to one of our favourite families homes, and gave them their album. Sonia is a single mother, with three children, and is really struggling...her husband died in a car accident and Sonia has a really hard time finding work. It is a good thing that we decided to visit on this day, because when we got there, Andy, who is one of Sonia’s sons, was limping around with a walking stick. He had stepped on a rusty nail, and although Sonia had taken him to the hospital, she could not afford the medication. This had happened after the club on Saturday, and when we arrived on this Monday, his foot was 5 times its normal size. It was so dirty and infected. So we called Liz and she went and picked up his prescription...we saw him a few days later and his foot was back to normal.
On Tuesday we had boys club, and the first day that Nikki’s family was here. We had the boys make crowns, which they got VERY creative with.
After boys club, we showed them around a little bit, and took them to Sonia’s house. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some miscellaneous things for the club. We went to a couple of homes to sign kids up, and took their information.
Wednesday was Nikki’s birthday and we went to a really secluded beach about an hour away with her family and 7 of our main boys. When we picked them up, they were so excited and started cheering and screaming.
We had such a great day with them, and they had the chance to get out of their community, away from their town and just relax and have fun. We had a picnic on the beach, and Nikki’s Mom paid for everyone to go banana boating...which was the highlight of the day for everyone...especially the boys!
We had such a great day, and I am so glad that Nikki got to spend it here in the DR, in the beautiful ocean with her family and friends. And honestly, I dont think I have ever laughed so much in one day...I had tan lines on my face from laughing so much!
Thursday was girls club, and we made the cutest craft with them. They drew a butterfly, coloured it in, and then decorated with sparkles...they loved it!
Since Sam and I have decided to sponsor two families together, we still had one more to pick. So I decided that Hilda, who I have mentioned before was going to be our second family. She raises her two granddaughters, and is one of the most humble people I have ever met. She runs her school, which another missions group built for her, but is always short of funding. She tries to feed the kids, but is always using her last few pesos to make sure everyone gets fed. She is living in a house that has numerous holes in her roof and opens up her home to everyone. She knows everyone in her community and would do anything for them. She directed us to the homes that needed our help the most and is always at the club helping clean and run the class.
On Thursday after the girls club, I had Cathy translate in Spanish to Hilda, that I, along with a friend in Canada would be sponsoring her family. She gave me a huge hug and burst into tears.
I, of course started crying too, and then even Cathy started. Hilda was so happy and appreciative; it was one of the best moments of this entire trip.
Today we took Nikki’s family to Arroyo Seco. I have a little friend there, named Roegina, who for some reason has attached to me. She is 2 years old, and I have mentioned her before. She is SUPER cute, and when we were there last week, another little girl tried to hug me and Roegina ran up and started hitting her yelling “noooo! Melissa is Mi Amor!”, which in English means, no, Melissa is my love! Today we had to say goodbye to our Arroyo kids until next year, and although it is a moment that I always dread, I know that when I come back next year I will be welcomed with open arms.
That was confirmed when one of my girls Dad’s drove me out to the main road on his moto concho. I told him that I did not like goodbyes, and that I was leaving for Canada next Tuesday. I also told him that someday I might like to live here for a year or so, and he told me that I could live in their house...no rent or expenses, because I was like his family.
I have had such an emotional, and amazing week...I cannot even describe some of the emotions I am feeling right now. Not only do I feel like I am making a difference, which is much easier to see when I have been here for 2 months, but I feel so loved and appreciated by the people we are helping.
Monday was errands in the morning...to prepare for some special presents we are giving some of our kids. Nikki and I LOVE pictures. Both of our bedrooms at home are filled with photos of our friends, family, and of course the Dominican. We love to look back at our pictures, and remember all of the good times. So we decided to make photo albums for some of our families that we have been working with for the past 7 weeks. So we spent the morning organizing the photos, running around to find albums and getting the pictures developed. In the afternoon we went to one of our favourite families homes, and gave them their album. Sonia is a single mother, with three children, and is really struggling...her husband died in a car accident and Sonia has a really hard time finding work. It is a good thing that we decided to visit on this day, because when we got there, Andy, who is one of Sonia’s sons, was limping around with a walking stick. He had stepped on a rusty nail, and although Sonia had taken him to the hospital, she could not afford the medication. This had happened after the club on Saturday, and when we arrived on this Monday, his foot was 5 times its normal size. It was so dirty and infected. So we called Liz and she went and picked up his prescription...we saw him a few days later and his foot was back to normal.
On Tuesday we had boys club, and the first day that Nikki’s family was here. We had the boys make crowns, which they got VERY creative with.
After boys club, we showed them around a little bit, and took them to Sonia’s house. We spent the rest of the afternoon doing some miscellaneous things for the club. We went to a couple of homes to sign kids up, and took their information.
Wednesday was Nikki’s birthday and we went to a really secluded beach about an hour away with her family and 7 of our main boys. When we picked them up, they were so excited and started cheering and screaming.
We had such a great day with them, and they had the chance to get out of their community, away from their town and just relax and have fun. We had a picnic on the beach, and Nikki’s Mom paid for everyone to go banana boating...which was the highlight of the day for everyone...especially the boys!
We had such a great day, and I am so glad that Nikki got to spend it here in the DR, in the beautiful ocean with her family and friends. And honestly, I dont think I have ever laughed so much in one day...I had tan lines on my face from laughing so much!
Thursday was girls club, and we made the cutest craft with them. They drew a butterfly, coloured it in, and then decorated with sparkles...they loved it!
Since Sam and I have decided to sponsor two families together, we still had one more to pick. So I decided that Hilda, who I have mentioned before was going to be our second family. She raises her two granddaughters, and is one of the most humble people I have ever met. She runs her school, which another missions group built for her, but is always short of funding. She tries to feed the kids, but is always using her last few pesos to make sure everyone gets fed. She is living in a house that has numerous holes in her roof and opens up her home to everyone. She knows everyone in her community and would do anything for them. She directed us to the homes that needed our help the most and is always at the club helping clean and run the class.
On Thursday after the girls club, I had Cathy translate in Spanish to Hilda, that I, along with a friend in Canada would be sponsoring her family. She gave me a huge hug and burst into tears.
I, of course started crying too, and then even Cathy started. Hilda was so happy and appreciative; it was one of the best moments of this entire trip. Today we took Nikki’s family to Arroyo Seco. I have a little friend there, named Roegina, who for some reason has attached to me. She is 2 years old, and I have mentioned her before. She is SUPER cute, and when we were there last week, another little girl tried to hug me and Roegina ran up and started hitting her yelling “noooo! Melissa is Mi Amor!”, which in English means, no, Melissa is my love! Today we had to say goodbye to our Arroyo kids until next year, and although it is a moment that I always dread, I know that when I come back next year I will be welcomed with open arms.
That was confirmed when one of my girls Dad’s drove me out to the main road on his moto concho. I told him that I did not like goodbyes, and that I was leaving for Canada next Tuesday. I also told him that someday I might like to live here for a year or so, and he told me that I could live in their house...no rent or expenses, because I was like his family.
I have had such an emotional, and amazing week...I cannot even describe some of the emotions I am feeling right now. Not only do I feel like I am making a difference, which is much easier to see when I have been here for 2 months, but I feel so loved and appreciated by the people we are helping.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Kick Off!!!
Today was the kick off day of the new boys and girls club. We are temporarily using a school in the community run by a very sweet lady named Hilda who knows everything about everyone in the community. She was the one who recommended a lot of families for our program. Everyone that was supposed to be there today, showed up, and the attendance sheet was full! We held the boys club in the morning, and the girls club in the afternoon. Everything went SO smoothly.
For the craft, we had the kids cover their hands in paint, and then make their hand prints on construction paper. Then they decorated with sparkles, and wrote their name on the sheet. We also had them write (with our help) what they wanted to be when they grow up in English and Spanish. One of the boys, Saurino who is 14 and one of the leaders in the class wrote that he wanted to be a fisherman. We asked him why and he replied “so that I can feed all of the people in my village”.
After the craft we let the kids outside into the basketball court, and they went crazy! Running around, playing basketball; they LOVED it! At the end of the boys club, two of the older boys, who we have appointed as class leaders, one of them being Saurino, came to us and said some very kind words. Andy, who is 13, and who I have gotten to know over the past 7 weeks from the original boys club, said, “on behalf of everyone in this community, all of the Mother’s, and all of the boys who were in this room I want to thank you all for working to help our future”.
As soon as Liz translated this for me, my eyes welled up with tears. Andy looked at me, and I looked at him, and all I could do was give him a huge hug. This was also the same boy that said he wanted to be a pilot so that he could fly to Canada and visit us. For me, this moment made all of the paperwork we did, all of the dry preparation and application process we did for this club SO worth it.
The girls club in the afternoon we did the same craft, and we realized that girls are a lot calmer than the boys. They are so sweet, and they listen so well. Some of the girls brought containers full of cut up fruit such as pineapple, cantoloupe, and banana to share with everyone. After the craft, we played the game “What Time is it Mr. Wolf”? They had a lot of fun with that, and then of course, they wanted a huge 25 person game of “Stella Ella Hola”. It took a really long time to finally get a winner, but the girls had a great time.
Overall, we had an amazing day. I have no other effective words to describe it.
For the craft, we had the kids cover their hands in paint, and then make their hand prints on construction paper. Then they decorated with sparkles, and wrote their name on the sheet. We also had them write (with our help) what they wanted to be when they grow up in English and Spanish. One of the boys, Saurino who is 14 and one of the leaders in the class wrote that he wanted to be a fisherman. We asked him why and he replied “so that I can feed all of the people in my village”.
After the craft we let the kids outside into the basketball court, and they went crazy! Running around, playing basketball; they LOVED it! At the end of the boys club, two of the older boys, who we have appointed as class leaders, one of them being Saurino, came to us and said some very kind words. Andy, who is 13, and who I have gotten to know over the past 7 weeks from the original boys club, said, “on behalf of everyone in this community, all of the Mother’s, and all of the boys who were in this room I want to thank you all for working to help our future”.
As soon as Liz translated this for me, my eyes welled up with tears. Andy looked at me, and I looked at him, and all I could do was give him a huge hug. This was also the same boy that said he wanted to be a pilot so that he could fly to Canada and visit us. For me, this moment made all of the paperwork we did, all of the dry preparation and application process we did for this club SO worth it.
The girls club in the afternoon we did the same craft, and we realized that girls are a lot calmer than the boys. They are so sweet, and they listen so well. Some of the girls brought containers full of cut up fruit such as pineapple, cantoloupe, and banana to share with everyone. After the craft, we played the game “What Time is it Mr. Wolf”? They had a lot of fun with that, and then of course, they wanted a huge 25 person game of “Stella Ella Hola”. It took a really long time to finally get a winner, but the girls had a great time.
Overall, we had an amazing day. I have no other effective words to describe it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
