Dominican Republic

Loving on the Kids

2010-06-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I stop to really, truly think about it, it is amazing at how much we North Americans take for granted. And I am not talking about our houses, and clean water, and food; I am talking about something even more significant; love and affection. As Mother Theresa once said: "being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat".

I first fell in love with the Dominican because of the love and affection from the kids; they won over my heart. There are certain kids in my mind that are in our centre that always stick out in my mind for a few reasons. One little girl in particular really made me want to cry today; and for no different reason than any other day except for the fact that it really hit me today. She is eight years old, and I was sitting in a chair today and she came over for a hug. She smelled not so clean, and she really just wanted to sit there with me and cuddle. So for a good 15 minutes she just sat there in my arms, just loving the attention and affection. And even though she does this quite often, I couldn't help but tear up thinking about how much she really needed this. She comes from a rough family situation, and I know she does not get a lot of attention at home.

And really, love and affection from our parents we really take for granted because it begins from day one of our life. So we have never gone without it, we have never been introduced to it, it is just one of those things that people, myself included had never thought about as something with significance to be thankful for. As a child, we always said grace and thanked God for the food in front of us, the people around us, etc. But we never said thank you for the hugs my parents give me, the time before bed when we were read a bed time story, or the fact that my parents always told me they loved me. It wasn't until I started coming to the Dominican, that I realized love and affection is just as much something to be thankful for as food and water. Because all humans need love and human affection in order to survive and even develop as persons; physically and emotionally.

Living in the Dominican for longer periods of time really has given me a new perspective on poverty. I have been exposed to the every day issues that these people are faced with, and I am always amazed at how well they deal with them. For example, a Mother came to me today because her youngest son had a fever. Without even thinking, I gave her some Children's Tylenol and some vitamins, and sent her on her way. Now that I look back on that moment today, I tried to imagine myself in her situation. She had to ask for something as simple as medicine for a fever; when at home I would open my cuboard and something would surely be sitting there for me to take.
Another Mother who had come to clean today asked me to sign the book so that she could be counted as having actually been there to clean. So when I handed her the pen and notebook, she called one of the young girls over, spelled out her name orally, and then asked her to write it down. This Mother could not even sign her own name. Again, an every day issue that people here are faced with every day. Imagine not even being able to sign your own name.

Liz and James returned from Haiti this afternoon. They stayed at our orphanage, and spent the entire day on Tuesday taking the boys to get tested for everything. The girls had already been tested, and it turns out that one of them was positive for AIDS. She had to be taken back to her distant family, who we know do not have the proper means of taking care of her. If she stayed at the orphanage, there is the risk that she would contract it to the other children. Fortunetly, through a friend of James' who works at the hospital with AIDS victims, she is on some new medications, funded by the government, and she will be retested in one month to see if the medication is working at all.

Living the Dominican Lifestyle

2010-06-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few weeks, and I cannot believe that so much time has gone by since I got here. I have been here for 5 weeks now, and it seems like just last week I was packing to come. So much has been going on. My Dad came to visit at the beginning of June, and I was so happy to be able to show him what I have been up to down here all this time.
We have had lots of volunteers, made some great new friends I have been loving every minute of it. Being the field director for DOVE is the perfect job for me. We created a new centre schedule, open five days a week. Jenny and Jencen are here from Canada for one month, and have taken the English program to the next level. They have been having English class four times per week, some days for the kids with advanced English knowledge. The kids are so eager to learn because they know that English is so important for their future. If they want to get a job in the tourism industry, they must know English. The girls are also learning how to make coffee bean necklaces, which are so beautiful and time consuming to make - but they are so talented at it. There is so much going on in the centre right now - I think the kids are having an amazing summer.
We have also been doing some dance, sports and yoga, but those classes dont usually last as long due to the extreme heat. Once 10AM hits, the heat begins to climb into full force, and by 2PM it is the hottest time of the day.
I am enjoying living in the Dominican more and more every day. The country is absolutely beautiful, and so are the people. I love the kids so much, I feel like I have become their big sister. Especially the girls. They love to sit and just talk girly talk, about who each other likes, whos dating, the normal girly stuff. I love being with them all every day.

I also want to talk about a big accomplishment for me. Being field director, I have had to drive quite a bit. Well the DOVE vehicle is a stick shift, and since I drive automatic in Canada, I was not very well practiced in a stick. I have driven sticks in Canada, but it has never gone so well for me, mainly due to the fact I never had much practice. So the first time I went out, I went with James so that he could give me a refresher on driving standard. It was a disaster; the car broke down, I was nervous, and it was soooo hot. So the next time I went out was 2 weeks later, and I went on my own. I knew what to do, but was really nervous on my own. And PS - driving here is nutso...so learning standard here is much harder. Finally, after a few days of driving volunteers around, several moments of being honked at in rush hour because of stalling, and one incident of me actually opening my car door and yelling "MOMENTIGO" at some truck driver who would not let up on his horn, I can do it. I have learned - in the Dominican Republic - to drive a stick shift.
On another note, another quick little story, we went to the beach yesterday...since Sunday's are family days where everything shuts down, the only thing to do is go to the beach. Well it was windy, and I was floating around on my air mattress when all of a sudden, this GIANT wave caught me, and I was liturelly under this huge wave. When I made it up for air, I was sitting on the beach, covered in sand. The wave had actually washed me up on the beach.
So, between the amazing kids, great new great friends, the beautiful sunsets, the honking truck drivers, and the forceful waves I must say I am very much enjoying my Dominican lifestyle.

Visit to Haiti

2010-06-16T10:35:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, we visited Haiti. I am just posting the blog now because the time since we got back has been crazy busy. But, finally, here is our experience in Haiti.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Today we began our journey at 6:30AM from the Dominican Republic to Haiti. We started by taking a taxi to the bus depot to hop on a small, over crowded bus to head to the next bus depot one hour away. We transferred buses here, and got on another small, over crowded bus. I liturelly had people on both sides of me with both backpacks on my lap, cramped like sardines - and I loved it! It was all part of the experience of our venture to Haiti. Our drive on this bus took over two hours and we finally arrived near the Haitian border. We stopped for something to eat and then started walking to find a taxi to drive us across the border. Today is market day, and this means that hundreds of Haitians will cross the border into the Dominican Republic to buy goods to bring home - this equals complete craziness and chaos. Market days are not the most ideal days to cross the border - especially being a person with white skin.

There are five of us in our group; me, Abby and Hope (two volunteers from the States), Liz and James. James is from Haiti, now living in the Dominican Republic and he is taking care of everything while we are in Haiti; holding our money, finding transportation etc.

We could only find a taxi to drive us to the border - not right across. So Liz gave us instructions, and with James’ lead, we put our backpacks on front words, made sure there was nothing in our pockets (pick pocketers), put our heads down as to try and blend in, and walked right across the bridge. It was a little nervewracking, and as soon as we had crossed, James found us Motos to take us to the Tap Tap station. A tap tap is the equivalent of a Gua Gua in Dominican. A big van that they cram pack full of people. Well once we reached our tap tap to ride in for the next one hour, we began our drive to Cape Haitien. Well about 10 minutes down the road, the Tap Tap breaks down. So we found ourselves in the middle of nowhere in Haiti, waiting for another van to come along. Surprisingly, it came quickly, so we loaded up and we were off again. It was a very crammed packed ride and I could not even move at all. The man beside me fell asleep on my shoulder…everyone was very close.

We finally arrived in Cape Haitien, and jumped in a taxi to head to the hotel. Throughout this whole trip from Dominican to Haiti, I cannot even describe the people begging for food and money. I have no words to describe the experience with this at the border, which was the worst, and throughout the whole day.

We were relieved to arrive at the hotel, where we could take a breather and have a cold drink. It had been a very long 7 hour venture, and we needed to unwind and discuss the trip. Late afternoon arrived, and the Father running the orphanage we are going to be primarily working with came to pick us up. He was going to take us to the orphanage to meet the kids, and eat dinner. The orphanage was amazing.

The Priest running this orphanage is Haitian, however he has attained his Masters of Psychology at Ottawa University. He is currently the executive director of his orphanage, as well as counseling Earthquake victims in Haiti. He has many more dreams for the expansion of his orphanage, but right now he is in the process of completing phase one. He has a beautiful house rented, with 12 kids and 5 on the way. It is extremely well kept, as are the children. He has house mothers to look after the kids, and he lives with two other priests in a house in Cape Haitien.
We got the grand tour when we first arrived at the orphanage, and then sat down to talk since the kids were napping. We found out a lot of information, including the fact that all of the children are true orphans - the Priest has made sure of this. The house that the orphanage is in is quite big. The children live on the main floor, and the second floor is where visitors, volunteers and missionaries can stay. The Priest has just had a huge container of donations arrive, including brand new mattress and appliances. The mattress’ will be used for visitors. The second floor also has a kitchen, living area…basically a full area for visitors to stay. It is very clean, and would be a comfortable place to stay.

We were later served dinner, which was really yummy and fabulous; there were a few different things to eat. On the way home, as we drove through the streets of Cape Haitian in the dark, it was a very eery feeling. There are no street lights anywhere, and there are people everywhere. People have candles lit on the side of the road to see. I am taking everything in today - although I have been to Haiti before, I am in a different city, and the country has been through yet another major disaster since. The streets are a mess, I was bouncing everywhere as we drove around. There are people everywhere. I have no proper words for my observations and what is going through my head tonight.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Today we spent the day at the orphanage with the children. We began by getting down to business. We want to find a sponsor for all of these children, so we collected information, and took some solo photos of each child. Then, we spent the rest of the day just playing with the kids. The Father could not emphasize enough how much affection and attention these kids need. An organization in Ohio just sent a huge container of donations, including a huge jungle gym for the kids. It was just set up, so the kids were more than excited to play outside on it. We spent a few hours pushing kids on swings, climbing up in the tree house, and just being with the kids. They were so exhausted that a few of the kids actually fell asleep while on the swing. We went in for lunch around one PM, and apparently the kids normal schedule is lunch around noon, and then nap around one. Well after lunch, they were all back outside, just ignoring their tiredness. They were so excited and so happy just to have us there playing with them; and getting some one on one attention.
When the day was over, we were all exhausted; mentally, emotionally, and physically. It was so amazing being with the kids, but at the same time it is hard to think about the reality of the situation. We found out today that the set of twins in the orphanage are orphans because their parents were killed in the Earthquake. I am so grateful that we have found Father Andre and his orphanage. The kids are really special, and they are in very good hands. Their home is clean, quiet, and safe. I cannot wait to come back and visit them again.

Mother's Day is on it's Way!

2010-05-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today was a long and wonderful day. Saturday’s are always days I look forward to because at some point during the day I get to see all of the kids. They rotate in throughout the day, group by group, all just as happy to be there. Next weekend is Dominican Mother’s Day, so today was centered around that. The kids started making beautiful gifts for their Mother’s. They are so imaginative and creative, I just love it! The kids were also practicing for the Mother’s Day play they are going to put on next Saturday. During the lunch period, two of the teachers stayed at the center to sort out some donations and put together Mother’s Day packages.

Each Mother is getting some sheets or towels and toiletries. Sheets and towels are a huge necessity; often times each household has only one towel to use for everything. By the time we had gotten back from lunch, the teachers had everything sorted out; all that was left to do was wrap and decorate the gifts. So we spent the afternoon doing so. They look so pretty, I can’t wait for Mother’s Day!

As well, at the end of the day I gave away some clothing donations that I received from my company clothing supplier in Canada; South Paw Canada. I gave them to the older boys, and they really loved them; a lot of the clothing was jersey material, and that is VERY popular down here.

One of the boys today I noticed had a very infected toe, with some white cream all over it. I did not really understand what had happened to his toe, but for some reason he decided that deodorant was the best medicine for it. We corrected this by sending him to the washroom to clean it up, and then giving him some anti biotic cream to put on it. I also gave him some Tylenol for the swelling and pain.

Cutie Pies

2010-05-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today was Girls Club and the older girls were practicing for the play they are doing, and the younger girls were colouring. Sometimes I cannot get over how cute they are! They just want to hug and want so much for recognition of their work. At one point I was standing there amongst the younger girls, and was hearing my name in every which direction. Everywhere I turned the girls were holding up their colourings to show me. I would enthusiastically tell them how beautiful their colouring was, and their faces would light up and an even bigger smile would emerge on their face.

Later on, one of the girls wanted me to read her a book. So she brings me this Doctor Seuss book written in Spanish. I speak enough Spanish to get by here, but it is rare that I have to read anything. I felt like a small child trying to read this book. I know that my pronounciation was off sometimes, and I read very slowly and choppy.

At the end of the class Ernestina decided to give away some of the clothing donations. So it was seperated into bags for each of the girls, and they all lined up to recieve their clothes; they were sooooo happy!
Overall today was a great day with the SUPER CUTE girls.

And the summer kicks off!

2010-05-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to my blog! I am down in the beautiful Dominican Republic, once again for three months this time. It is going to be an amazing summer, and I hope that my blog will be of some interest. I am going to dive right in, to my first day here.
Today was my first day back in the Dominican. I woke at 4:30am, to roosters and a very loud bird outside my bedroom window – but no problem, I grabbed my headphones and turned my IPod to my “relaxing music” playlist, and let myself drift back to sleep.
Today just happens to be a Saturday – the perfect day to see all of the kids again. They all came at different times today, depending on which class and group they are in – however even if it’s not the kids time to be there, some come to just hang out first – a fun and safe place to be with their friends.

It was so great to see all of the kids today – as usual some were waiting to get in before we arrived, and they bombarded the car to say hi and give hugs. It is such an amazing feeling to be welcomed back like that. As the kids came in during the day, I could tell that some of them were not themselves. It had poured rained the night before, very hard rain, and it is guaranteed that all of the kids homes were affected somehow. I could hardly sleep due to the noise of the rain, in a proper building, so I cannot even imagine what it must be like for the kids and their families living in shacks with leaky roofs. It was very evident that they had been up most of the night; they were very tired and less energetic than usual. However they were still ready to go for their classes, and excited to be there.
DOVE has hired a new music teacher to extend the existing music program. He is a very talented friend of Liz’s, and I have even been to see him play a few times. He started today, and jumped right into it – he is so great with the kids and had all of them engaged the entire time.
A new program that has been implemented since I was here last is a special program for the older boys. It exists of body building, nutrition, exercise, and will also include other aspects like skills for finding a job, etc. The program started out by the boys learning, and making their own weights out of recycled materials and concrete.
It is a perfect program for teenage boys and they are loving it. They are setting goals, and it is really a great program to keep them engaged and learning at the same time. The teacher’s name is James, and he is really good at connecting with the boys.
After the club, we decided that we needed to do some grocery shopping. So we loaded up, and went home to unpack everything. Tomorrow is election day, which is HUGE here. It is like a holiday; everything shuts down, and everyone has the day off work. Since election day happens to fall on a Sunday, which means everything is shut down anyways, the government made Monday an extra day off. Even the local discos, and anywhere that might serve alcohol is closed down on Saturday night so that nobody is voting under any sort of influence.
I am starting to unwind, and get back into the Dominican flow. I love this Dominican laid back culture but it always takes me a few days to settle into it.

Hasta Luego Chicas!

2010-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

Today was my last day with the girls - who I have become quite close with. I love them all so much, and it was hard to say goodbye. They all wrote little love notes as a parting gift.

We ended the class with a fun girls only dance party - and let me tell you - those girls can dance! We also had a fun game of Stella Ella Hola - I taught the girls this game last summer, and they LOVE it. Generally, the girls love any kind of hand clapping game, but it is funny because they just slur all of the English words of the song together.

After a heart wrenching goodbye with a ton of hugs, and too many tears for me to handle, all of the girls left.

We stayed at the club for the rest of the afternoon sorting through our suitcases full of supplies. Things like sheets, towels, clothing, shoes, toiletries, candles, all stuff that we were saving for our emergency relief fund. We sorted it into bags with a bit of everything in each package and we will be flying it over within the next few days. With the donations that DOVE has raised so far, we were able to buy some medical supplies. Our good friend Jorge, who owns a pharmacy matched what we bought in supplies from him as donation. We will also be flying this over ASAP.

DOVE is still accepting donations. This relief effort is not going to be a one time thing. It will be a long journey for Haiti.

What a day...

2010-01-12T14:50:00.000-08:00

So today started out as a typical day. We woke up to more rain, and headed to the club to clean up the water from our much leaking roof. The boys were waiting for us when we got there, wanting a dry place to come to. So we had the club, and not all of the boys were there, due to the hammering rain. Three of the boys decided that they were going to try and give me a new hair - do today. They pulled, tugged, and by the time they were finished, Yordi in particular, were so proud of what they had done - just a different style ponytail. It was pretty funny, because I had all these different hands through my hair, working together to make it nice.

Today was the last boys club before I leave to go home. I do not like goodbye's, I always say see you later. So this time, I was able to say, see you in May! I still hate leaving, and I actually didnt cry this time...I guess because I know I will be back in a few months.

So later on when we got home, around 6, we were all sitting in Liz's room on our laptops. I was writing an email, when Liz says, "hey you guys, is the house moving?" And I was like ya right, thinking she was just being silly. But I looked up, and realized the bed I was sitting on was shaking hard. We got up, and went into the living room, to see the ceiling fan shaking like crazy. We quickly went downstairs to stand outside. The whole neighbourhood was out on the streets, and we stood out there for about 15 minutes. It was raining, so we came back in to get on the internet and find out what the heck just happened, while staying on the watch for after effects. It was a 7.0 Earthquake that hit Puerto Prince, Haiti the worst. They have buildings and homes collapsing right now. I am grateful that we didnt feel the worst of it, but also praying and hoping that Haiti can survive this.

2010 Programs Begin!

2010-01-08T06:37:00.000-08:00

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Today was the first time we saw in the sun in 6 days - and it was wonderful - hot and sunny with not a cloud in sight. Today was also the first day of DOVE's music program and puppetry program. So let me explain a little about each program.

The music program is being run by a Brazilian man, who has worked with the age group of kids we have many times over, and created some awesome music. He starts with putting the band together - 10 singers, 10 dancers, and 15 musicians. Since we have more kids than that in the club, he did auditions - and this is what he spent hours doing on Saturday at the club. Next, Tadao (the music teacher)will teach the kids how to make the instruments out of recycled and natural materials. And then of course, he will teach them the actual music, and by the end the kids will hopefully be doing gigs around the city - and THEN, if we can raise enough money, the kids band will be able to record their own CD! This program will take 6 months - which will take the kids right into the summer. They are super excited about it, and we learned through the auditions that the kids you least expect seem to have the most talent. I can't wait to see how it turns out - when I come back in May, they program will be four months in progress.

The puppetry program is more than most might think - the kids are being taught by the teacher how to make these puppets out of paper mache and recycled materials.

They will write their own plays, and create their own shows. This program is GREAT for the kids, and they will really have the chance to showcase their creativity.

There are so many great opportunities for these kids at the club. It will really give them skills and knowledge to take into the world. It is funny, I was gone only 5months, and I can already see a HUGE difference in most of the kids. They have come out of their shells, and are really starting to show their true colours. This vocational school run by DOVE Missions is so great for them, and I am very proud to be a part of this organization.

The Day of Epiphany in the Dominican Republic

2010-01-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

The Dominican Republic is a very Catholic country - in fact Roman Catholicism is the official religion. Well in the Catholic religion, January 6, is the day of Epiphany -and the day of gift giving. Well today was a huge holiday and Dominicans take it very seriously.
So as were about to drive home from the club, we saw four of our kids, all brothers and sisters, walking down the street, dressed in their very best (without their parents). We stopped and asked them where they were going, and they said that they were on thier way to church. We thought it was really sweet that the kids were all going to church together, and let them go on their way. We drove a little further down the street and came to the church where they were going - it was packed - and very loud. The sound of excitement and laughter filled the air, and so we decided to stop and go to mass. Liz knew the priest who would be doing the mass, and as we walked further in the doors, we saw more than half of our kids from the club. We were bombarded with hugs and smiles. It was quite clear that we were the only gringos, and we drew a lot of attention as we walked through this small, busy church to find a place to stand along the side.
The church was hot, absolutely packed with people, loud, and as I looked around everyone was smiling; everyone was genuienly happy to be there.
The mass started and it took the priest some extra effort to get everyone quiet and calm; there were mostly kids there, and not a lot of adults which really surprised me. The mass is in session, and I look across the church to see Elizabeth (one of the girls we saw walking), looking at me. I motioned for her to come over and stand with me, and so she politely made her way through the crowd. I know that Elizabeth comes from a very rough family life, and she is one of the kids that really gets to me sometimes. So we stood there, hugging while mass went on.
A lot of the kids were sitting on the floor at the front of the church, right in front of the alter; including Elizabeth's siblings, and some other kids from the club. So we decided to go and sit down.
It wasnt long until I had two more kids sitting with me, just wanting the love and affection. And as I realized what was happening here, the fact that I was sitting in church, surrounded by kids who I love so much, celebrating such a special day, it was such an emotional experience for me. It is hard to even describe in words.
After the mass was over, the church was giving out gifts - since today is the day of gift giving. So the church basically turned into a crazy scene and we decided that was the time to leave. We all left feeling so great, and loving the way life works - it was such a spontanious and unexpected experience but such a meaningful one.

Field Trips

2009-12-31T06:54:00.001-08:00

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Today was an AWESOME day! We decided to take some of the kids on field trips. So, in the morning, along with 17 great volunteers, we took our group of older older girls up the mountain in a cable car. We all squished in the bus we rented - Dominican style, and headed to the "TeleFerico". We were able to pair each girl up with a volunteer, so everyone had some great one on one time.

We had to split up into two groups for the cable cars, but we all met up at the top and walked around together.
We walked around the top of the mountain, and despite the misty rain and slippery paths, everyone really enjoyed themselves. The girls had a blast, and most of them had never been up before.

After we dropped off our big group of volunteers, we took the girls for lunch at the provocone. We had yummy chicken, rice, fried plantanes, and french fries. The girls were super excited about the day, and when we dropped them off at the center, they all left with huge smiles on their faces.

In the afternoon, we took some of the little boys and some of the older boys to the old Fort. It is really cool there, and there are lots of places to run around, and lots of old pictures and artifacts to look at.

We paired each older boy with one younger boy, and they walked around together, and sat together on the bus. A lot of the older boys are really good with the younger ones, and helping us out with them. It was really nice to see.

There are several different sections of the Fort, and we tried to keep the group together and move around together - this was a really good idea. The kids had so much fun, and they too, left with huge smiles on their faces.

I think it is really important for the kids to get out and experience new things, away from thier every day lives and neighbourhoods. I love doing special days like this with the kids, and this is partly what I fundraise money to do. I can't wait to do another trip with the other groups of kids next week.

Busy busy!

2009-12-31T06:31:00.000-08:00

I can't believe a whole week has gone by since Christmas! New Years Eve is here, and a lot has happened this week. We had two more volunteers from Canada arrive this week, as well as three of our board members. We have been with the kids every day, since it is their Christmas vacation.

On Saturday, Jenny and Jencen, our volunteers taught the kids Michael Jackson dances. The kids LOVE MJ, and Jenny and Jencen are awesome dance teachers. It was so funny, and a lot of fun. Some of the kids that I would have never expected to get up and dance actually did.

On Monday, we held our very first computer class. It was only the first one, so we took away a few things for next time. One of them being, maximum two kids to a computer...it was a little hectic! But the kids loved it, and were really trying hard. I realized that I really do take my knowledge of technology for granted.

In the afternoon we did a camera class, with a fun activity to follow. We gave the kids 10 things that they needed to take pictures of, i.e. a preganant lady, a black dog, and they had to go out in the neighbourhood and take the best pictures of these things.

On Tuesday, we had the girls for an hour in the morning, preparing letters to send to thier sponsors. Then we had the kids that had participated in the camera activity in to view all of their pictures...we actually had some pretty amazing pictures. And then at noon, as always on Tuesday's, we had boys club. We did sponsor letters with them, and then took a break for lunch. After lunch, we had all the boys back for a sports activity. We took them to the huge baseball field around the corner from the club, and they had a blast playing baseball.

So far the week has been super fun. Not only have the kids been having an awesome Christmas vacation, but I have too!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well it is Christmas day, and today has been an amazing day. We spent the morning at the beach - my favourite place to be. It was such a gorgeous day today, and I got a little (unevenly) burnt at the beach - go figure for me haha.

Later in the afternoon we picked up two of our volunteers, Jenny and Jencen and went to Playa Oueste. They wanted to visit thier sponsor family, as did I. I had a gift for Heidi and Adrianna. Heidi was with some other family, but Adrianna LOVED her new doll. She is so cute and sweet, and loves to talk.

For dinner, we went to a restaurant and ate a yummy turkey dinner!

My first Christmas away from home

2009-12-24T18:58:00.001-08:00

Today is Christmas Eve, and I have to be honest - I am a little homesick. I have been visiting our Dominican families all day, and I see how important family is here to people - they do not care about getting presents - of course they will recieve graciously, and the kids LOVE new toys, but it is not important. Today in Girls Club we went around in a circle and each girl said what Christmas meant to them - almost every girl said it was about being with family.
And this is what made me homesick - I thought to myself; if family is so important to people here, then why am I here right now and not with my own family back in Canada? Here I am in this beautiful paradise, and still I am missing my family.

Then tonight I started thinking, and I realized some things. Yes, I miss my family and they are the most important people in my life, but they are also supporting me in being here. I am here for a reason, and they get that. They are encouraging me, and they are proud of me for what I am doing. And I love and appreciate them so much for that. I should not be upset about missing them, but embrace what I have here in the Dominican Republic, and all of the love I am recieving from the people I am here to help. I am spending Christmas in a beautiful country, doing something I love - and what is so amazing is that my family gets it and they are supporting me. I have them to look forward to when I return home. So I may not be with them for Christmas, but I am so glad that they are behind me in what I am doing.
Another thing that I realized is that I am so lucky to have the resources to be able to travel to a different country for Christmas. Part of the reason I came for Christmas was because I wanted to experience the holiday in another culture - and since my heart is in the DR, I want to try and understand every aspect of this culture. I wanted to see what it felt like to give instead of recieve on such a traditional holiday. I am so grateful that I am able to travel, and that I have loving people to spend the holidays with here in the Dominican. And I am so lucky and blessed to have a loving, supportive family waiting for me at home. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for the support and encouragement from all of my family.

So to all of my family, thanks for everything. I love you all and Merry Christmas.

Twas the day before Christmas...

2009-12-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Well last night, just before sunset, the rain finally stopped, and we saw a gorgeous sunset. A huge, beautiful, full rainbow appeared, and I knew that the rain was finally over - just in time for Christmas festivities.
This morning Nikki and I went to deliver some gifts that people had sent down for thier sponsor families. The girls are so excited and everyone was in such a good mood today - I know it has a lot to do with the fact that the rain has finally stopped.
We had the girls club at noon, and then Nikki and I went to visit Sonya and the familia. Sonya considers us her new "white family" and she insisted that we get a family photo. For some reason, Yohandi's ear kept bleeding, and we found out that it was because he tried to pierce it himself. - It didn't work out so well for him apparently.
Tonight we are going to try and watch a Christmas movie - if it downloads in time, and eat chocolate fondue with fresh pineapple and bananas. Feliz Navidad!

Ahhhhhhhh more rain!!!

2009-12-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Seriously, the rain has still not stopped! It POURED all night long, and although Nikki and I had planned to go to Arroyo Seco, we have decided to take a rain check, since getting a moto down a dirt, mud road for 30 minutes in the pouring rain probably is not a good idea. So Nikki went to do some home visits - in the rain, and Liz and I did some errands for the club.
We spent a couple of hours at the club because Cathy and Liz decided to give the Mother's thier food vouchers for January, early. All of the Mother's were so happy, because they wanted to be able to buy groceries for a holiday meal. While we were waiting for all of the Mother's to meandor in, once they heard the vouchers were available, some of the kids were hanging around, and we just hung out, played some games. The club's roof is still leaking...this rain has to stop before Christmas.

More rain!

2009-12-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Today was another rain day. It rained all night, and when we woke up this morning, it was still raining. So this morning we did not do much before the club - we went to the club at regular time and most of the kids were soaked when they got there. We gave some of the kids dry shirts and our warm sweaters.
Sonya told us that everything in her house is wet - their clothes, thier beds, everything. If Sonya's house is wet, and her's is one of the better homes; than I know that all of the other kids houses are wet as well.
After the club, there was not much we could do - the rain was just pounding down. So we came home and I had a chance to do some computer work that I have been putting off - I finally got some pictures uploaded and updated. I hope the rain stops tomorrow.

Rain, rain go away!

2009-12-22T11:06:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 21, 2009

Today we hosted some AWESOME volunteers. There were two families, so 11 people total,visiting from the States. We picked them up at their hotel in the pouring rain. Seriously - it POURED rain all night, and continued into the day.
Our first stop was Mustard Seed Orphanage. This is a very clean, and good orphanage, for mentally and physically disabled children. The entire group was really great with the children.

Our next stop was the public hospital. We had a lot of donations to give out, including a suitcase full of baby clothes for the new babies ward. We visited the new babies, some were only one hour old. We handed out new baby stuff to every mother. There must have been almost 15 new borns in total. One of the girls in our group was sharing a birthday with all of these newborns - so how could we NOT sing Happy Bithday?

Next we headed down to the Melacon to view the Fort, and show everyone the view of Playa Oueste. You can see the garbage filled, polluted, smelly area where a lot of our kids live, right from the main tourist attraction in Puerto Plata - pretty sad eh?

Everyone in our group wanted to have some authentique Dominican food. So we took them to the Provocone - where you can have chicken, rice and beans, fried plantanes (my personal favourite), and fries. So we ordered some of everything to try. One of our kids, Jose Manuel was out shoe shining, as usual, so he came in and ate with us along with another shoe shine boy on the street looking famished.
After lunch we headed over to the club. We had some kids come, and play board games, some went to the basketball court with three of our volunteers, and others hung around and played diffrent games inside the club - it was still raining at this point. At the club, we opened the major donations our group brought - including 4 brand new lap tops, and brand new cameras. This will be awesome for our computer class, and helping the kids learn English with online learning tools. The cameras will be great because we want to start a photography program as well.

So we spent the afternoon at the club, hanging out with the kids, doing activities and playing games. Our last stop of the day was to see where the kids live. We took everyone to Playa Oueste, and Sonya being as gracious as she is, let everyone in to view her house.

When we were done in Playa Oueste, we took everyone back to their hotel. We had a mini debriefing on the bus, and everyone shared thier favourite part of the day - or the part that hit them the most.
Today was a very enjoyable day, and I hope to see this group again - they may join us for another day!

Best Party Ever!

2009-12-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

Today was our big Christmas party! Just as I expected, all of the kids showed up in their very best clothes. The two girls we gave new shoes to were wearing them proudly.
We all met at the club, to load the bus. I went with the first load, and the kids were so excited they could barely contain themselves. We paired up everyone - one older girl with a younger girl, and boys the same thing. They all held hands with their partners, and sat with them on the bus. When we got to Maria's house (where we were holding the party), I had to make sure that the kids stayed with thier partners, in a straight line. This was to ensure that nothing got broken on the HUGE, beautiful Christmas display. They kids were enthralled and amazed with the display, and were very polite in Maria`s house. They also didn`t touch anything because before they left the club, Cathy told them that if they did, they would be shocked.
There was a live DJ at the party, and some of the kids started dancing. When the second load of kids arrived, the festivities really began! We had contests to win prizes, like hoola hooping, merangue dancing, and lots more. It was A LOT of fun, the kids loved it. Maria cooked a lot of food, and we took a break to enjoy it. She made chicken, rice, potato salad, cole slaw, and cupcakes. Everything was delicious, the kids really loved it. After we ate, there was more dancing and contests. It was so hot, so the kids had to take a lot of breaks from dancing - one of the kids taught me how to merengue.
When the party was over we threw another small party for the Mom`s back at the club. We served cake when the kids got back, and then handed out their gift baskets. It was very chaotic but so awesome to see the looks on their faces when we handed them their bag.
It was so amazing today to see all of the kids SO happy. They had good food, good friends and a lot to celebrate. This was one of the best days ever!

-Pictures to come. More problems with uploading.

A Busy Saturday

2009-12-20T15:22:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 19, 2009

What a busy busy day! We had a full day of clubs - Saturday we split the kids up by age and gender. So basically we normally have 5 clubs on Saturday's. Well today we spent the entire day, the kids coming in and out, getting ready for our big play production at 4pm. All the parents were scheduled to come and watch the kids. We spent the day rehearsing, preparing the costumes, and having fun!

So, at 4pm, everything was chaos. Some of our characters were missing, the kids weren't in costume, and everybody was everywhere. Around 4:20, we finally began the play. Despite the few little quirks, like our set falling apart, the kids did an AMAZING job. They were so cute, and their singing and dancing was awesome. The parents loved it, and everyone was cheering and clapping.

It was a long and hot day today, but SOOO worth it. It was chaotic, but in the end everything worked out, and went so well.

Girls Club Reunion

2009-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Today was Girls Club and it was LOTS of fun! First, Cathy's dentist came in and gave the kids a dental lesson. He talked about how to brush your teeth properly, cavities, and just a general nutrition lesson.

We rehearsed for the Christmas play, and then just hung out and played thier oh so FAVOURITE game, Stella Ella Hola. My Mom really bonded with the girls and loved playing the hand clap games with them.
Sunday is our big Christmas party for the kids. There is going to be games, raffles, food, a live DJ - everything needed for an awesome party! This is a huge deal for the kids, and they will all be in their best.

Well, after the club, two of the girls really wanted to talk to Cathy. Neither of them had shoes to wear to the party. One of the girls had her Mother's shoes on, and the other girls shoes were liturelly falling apart. We told the girls we would see what we could do. So Cathy had an extra pair of shoes for the younger girl, and my Mom and I bought a new pair of little dress shoes for the older girl. I am excited to give them to her - we plan on delivering them to her on Saturday before the club.

Randomness!

2009-12-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Today has been a very long, but awesome day. Mom and I went on a hike in the national park first thing this morning. We spent the rest of the morning with Cathy -we travelled the Ranch where her works tours take people. It was very peaceful and calm, it was good to get away from the noise and pollution in the city. We had lunch there, and then I wanted to show Mom around Puerto Plata a bit. I knew that we would probably run into some of the kids who work the streets shoe shining. First we saw two of the boys downtown - they were just out riding thier bikes from the bike program at the club. So we walked along the melacon with the boys, and then ran into one of the older boys in the club - his younger brother (10 years old). He was sitting beside a police woman crying and shaking. It turns out he had been arrested earlier for shoe shining. He had been released but the police would not give him his shoe shining kit back.

I told him to walk with us and he cheered up quickly. Pretty soon we had two other kids walking with us. We walked along the melacon, enjoying the beautiful ocean and the view. Eventually we got to the end and the kids asked me if we could go into the old fort (it is a tourist attraction now). We found out that all Dominicans get in free on Wednesday's, so we went in with the kids. The security guards kept asking me if the kids were with me, and whichever kid it was would look at me, as if to say - please say yes. When I said that the child was with me, they left us alone.
The kids went nuts in the fort - they loved running around and looking at the old pictures and old things they had. They loved the different view of the ocean.

When they were tired of that, they decided that they wanted to climb the light house. They all climbed the 75 stairs (one of the boys counted) to the very top. They had so much fun and we loved spending time with them.

What a great day today!!!

(photos to come)

Boys Club Reunion

2009-12-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Today was a Boys Club Reunion for me! We went in earlier to finish off organizing the club. At noon, the kids were all outside of the club, eager to come in and start the club. It was so exciting for me to see ALL of the boys again, and I got warm hugs from all of them.
Today was rehearsal for the kids Christmas play. It was chaotic, but so much fun! The kids were crazy about taking pictures. One of the kids wanted a photo in front of the Christmas tree and before I knew it, a bunch of kids were running to be in the picture, and we ended up with a great group picture! We also took SO many other pictures!

After the rehearsal, we put on a movie (Toy Story) for the kids. They loved it and were liturelly climbing on top of each other to get closer to the TV.

In the afternoon, after the club we decided to head to the beach - one of my favourite places ever.

Overall, today was another great day in the DR!

(Photos coming, having problems uploading!)

Christmas Baskets

2009-12-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

Monday, December 14, 2009

Today we spent the day at the club organizing Christmas baskets for the kids. There were SOOOOOO many donations to organize and distribute. We laid out papers with the kids names on it throughout the entire club, and their age. Then we started opening boxes and distributing according to what we thought was appropriate for the kids. We had toys, clothes, shoes, so much great stuff. We had two Mothers helping us - one of them being Sonja, and they said this morning when they saw everything "this is going to be the best Christmas for my kids ever"!
The thing is about these Christmas baskets, is that they will provide the kids with gifts for Christmas that they may not have had otherwise.

Throughout the day, kids were stopping by, a lot of the older boys since there was supposed to be English class today. However since we wanted the gifts to be a surprise we had to cancel the class. But it was great - a lot of the boys stopped in, and I was able to have lots of little reunions, and introduce them to my Mom. It was so awesome.

It was a lot of fun organizing the baskets. I can't wait to see the kids faces when they open their gifts. When we were done the baskets, we spent the rest of the day organizing the club. Sorting through supplies and rearraning everything. It was a lot of work, but it was fun thinking of things we could do with the kids with all of the supplies we have had donated. At the end of the day we felt very productive.

Back to the DR!

2009-12-14T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well I am officially back in the Dominican Republic, and it feels like I never left. The past two days have been filled with warm welcome embraces from kids, parents, and friends and I am overwhelmed with the emotion that comes along with reunions. My Mom is here for a week with me, and I am proud and excited to introduce her to everybody. When I first saw some of the kids, they asked me - is that your Mother over there?
Our trip began with 12 hours of travelling, which included spending the night in the Montreal airport - (not so fun) - and as tired as I was when I arrived here Sunday morning, after absolutely NO sleep, I was on a Dominican high and had a second wind. Liz came to pick us up at the airport with three of the boys - Domingo, Eddie, and Andy. Andy's mother Sonja works for Liz, and when we arrived at her house, Sonja had cooked us a Dominican feast. She is an amazing cook, and Mom had a real taste of Dominican style food and cooking.
We spent some more time just visiting, and hanging out with Liz, Sonja and the boys. Later on we drove them home, and headed to drop off Sonja. We stopped at Maria Hernandez's house fist, where we are having our Christmas party. She has this amazing Christmas display set up, extremely elaborate, and stunning. She has daily school groups going through her home to view it.
When we dropped Sonja off, she invited us in to her house. I wanted to show my Mom around a bit, and when we got out of the car I saw a group of girls running towards me. They were so excited, as was I. They all gave me hugs, and when I introduced them to my Mom they started hugging her too. The kids here are so welcoming and amazing. As I was hugging all the girls, all of a sudden, one of the cutest little boys ever, Yohandi who is Sonja's son, came running out of nowhere and gave me the tightest, warmest hug ever.
We had a little visit at Sonja's house, and then left to go shopping at La Sirena for some groceries. One thing I love about being in the Dominican is the fact that everything is so laid back, and I decided that I wanted ice-cream for dinner. So we stopped and ate an early dinner snack of ice-cream...yummy!!!
When we got home we just relaxed and visited with Liz. We went to bed early, since I haden't slept in over two days.

Dedication Day

2009-08-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

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.

Doing laundry Mexican style!

2009-08-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

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!

Hero Holiday Mexico

2009-08-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

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!

Goodbye Dominican...until next time.

2009-07-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Goodbye Chicas

2009-06-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

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".

I love the Dominican Republic!

2009-06-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

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.

Kick Off!!!

2009-06-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

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.

New Meeting Day

2009-06-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a very emotional day for me. We had the information meeting for all of our new families that we have accepted into the program. We started the meeting with introductions and then moved onto making the club rules. We had the kids and Mother’s tell us what they thought their club rules should be, so that they know, and we can make them accountable. Right from the beginning of the meeting, I stood up at the front holding back tears. I was so happy to see all of the kids and Mom’s there, on time, and so excited and eager to find out what was in store for them. Just to kick the club off, we handed out bags full of donations with clothing, shoes, toys, etc. to each family. Nikki organized all of the bags so that each family had the right size clothing, shoes, appropriate toys and things to suit that family. The meeting was a huge spirit lifter, and it really pumped everyone up; it gave them hope that their kids would actually have some opportunities in life. Cathy also explained the food voucher system to the family. We have set up a system that for the family sponsorship program, every family will get a food voucher for the super market for $25 each month. However, the food voucher will have specific items on it that they can buy, such as rice, beans, pasta, plantains, pasta sauce, salami, oil, sugar and salt. This is so that the families cannot take their $25 voucher and spend it on alcohol, and other unnecessary items. The voucher will also have the name and ID number of that person, so that they cannot sell their voucher to anyone else for money. While Cathy and Liz explained this system to the Mother’s, Nikki and I entertained the kids in the next room. Imagine 50+ kids, in one room, trying to entertain them, while keeping them quiet at the same time. It was complete chaos, but so much fun at the same time.
When the meeting was over, Nikki and I stood at the door to say goodbye to everyone. I have never felt so appreciated in my life. All of the Mother’s and children were so grateful. They were acknowledging all of the work we did to get organized for the meeting and the start of the new club. They were so happy just to receive a new mosquito net and a few shirts for their kids.
Everything really hit me today. Since I have seen poverty before, I am usually okay with handling the broken down homes and the people. But we got home today, and I had a complete emotional breakdown. The unfairness of their situations, the gratitude they showed towards us, the smiles and excitement for the hope they have received, and the amazing kids and families. Everything affected me today, and I had such a wide range of emotions that I just could not hold in.
It was the appreciation of the families and the excitement of the kids that really makes this entire trip worth it. Today was just one of those days that I will never forget.

P.S. We have limited internet access, so these blogs will be behind, and pictures to come.

Wicked awesome Day!

2009-06-16T18:26:00.001-07:00

Today Nikki and I went out to Arroyo Seco; one of the villages that we have worked in with Hero Holiday the past few years. Although we are not working with a group out there right now, we love going to visit the kids and their families. So today with some colouring materials, Spanish books, and a soccar ball we headed out to spend the afternoon.

As soon as we got off the moto, we had a bunch of kids running toward us. They were so excited to see us, just as we were to them.

All we had to do was walk down the road and eventually had a crowd of kids walking with us. We stopped at one house, where we know the family well. There are two girls, Jessica (a close friend of mine), and Tata (a close friend of Nikki's)who live there. Jessica is 15 and Tata is 10. Jessica babysits a 2 year old little girl who is SUPER cute. I knew her a little bit last year, but this year she has completely clung to me every time we are there.

This is the fourth year that I have been able to be in Arroyo Seco, and so I can pretty much recognize everyone who lives there. What I love is that each year we go back, all the kids have grown so much, and I love that we are able to watch them grow up.

We had one of the kids Dad's drive us back into town on his moto...everyone takes such good care of us out there. We had a wonderful day, and plan on going back this week.

Recruiting and Home Visits

2009-06-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned before, our week has been busy, looking for new kids, conducting interviews with the parents, and checking in on some of the families, just to see how they are living. What we found was some of the worst situations I have ever seen.
Every family has their own story, all stories that broke my heart. One family, a grandmother raising her 16 grandchildren all under one roof. The parents have all taken off somewhere, and this grandmother is raising 16 kids aged 5-15 all by herself. Another family, with two kids, lost their Dad 3 years ago in a random act of violence.

We did a lot of home visits this weekend, and went into some VERY rough homes. Some people live in concrete houses, but with no windows...imagine the heat! Others live in shacks made of scrap metal and wood. Everyone has some sort of roof...all leaking. And if you have ever experienced rain in the tropics, you would know that when it rains it POURS! Most families we met with had a fridge, but one that did not work. The sleeping situation in these homes was no better...most of the time there were multiple people to a bed, if there was one. In one home, there was a 7 and 9 year old sleeping together in a crib.
To be quite honest, it is hard for me to throughouly describe what these living situations are really like. It takes all five senses to truely understand it; the smells, the heat, the constant itchiness from being bitten by the bugs in these homes, the look in someone's eyes when they are telling you thier stories, and asking for help.

So when Cathy is talking to the new potential families, the kids all tend to follow us. So I decided that I would take the kids somewhere else and play some games. We had a HUGE game of Stella Ella Hola going, but the kids here do not know that game. So I taught it to them and they loved it. What started out as a game with a few girls turned into a huge games with a lot of boys and girls. The kids caught on really quickly to the words, and they loved the game so much that I think I sang the song 100 times...seriously.
I also met two babies...one was 10 months and the other was 2 months. They were soooo cute. Their older siblings took good care of them...the Mother's let the kids take the babies outside because it is so hot and small in the homes.

I am really excited about all of these new families. We have recruited a lot of younger kids, in hopes that we will be able to influence and provide opportunities that will keep them off the streets.

Hugs and Opportunities

2009-06-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

When I feel homesick, it is mostly my family that I think about...I miss my friends a lot too, but I really miss the “Mom” hugs, and everyday love from my family. And then I thought to myself...today, we interviewed about 30 kids for the new club, and I received about 50 hugs...from the kids, and their parents. And then I thought about what my hug must mean to them. For me, it seems like just another little kid wanting a “gringa” hug, but really, for them, it is a hug into their future...a hug for reassurance that I am there to help them; a hug of hope knowing that I care about them, and that I want them to have opportunities. Which is really why I do what I do...for the past few days I have been asking myself the question: why am I here? Why did I decide to spend my summer here To be honest, I have not really been able to come up with a solid answer. I know that it’s not because I just wanted an excuse to live here in the DR, which really is a bonus, but it’s because I want kids who have been born into a life of poverty, a child with no choice of their lifestyle to have another opportunity than just begging on the streets, or becoming a moto concho driver, , or having sex for money; I want them to find out what they are good at and prosper...and I want them to have these opportunities to become somebody; to live a life different and better from what they know. I met a lot of new kids today, and along with their parents they showed up, looking their best, eager for a new opportunity. When we left, I could barely get into the car, because I literally had a sworm of kids around me, wanting to hug me goodbye.

And I now realize that their hugs were more than just a hug. They know I am here for a reason; to help them, and they appreciate it, and are excited for whatever new opportunity or adventure we might bring into their life. But what they don’t realize is how much I appreciate them; how much I admire their strength, their will and their eagerness to have a better life. Right now I am part of something that will hopefully change someone’s life for the better; part of something that will provide an opportunity for someone who will embrace it, and never have had it unless we stepped in; right now I am part of a change.

This Week So Far...

2009-06-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

OK and now an update for this week...
Basically we have been recruiting for Liz's new club. We want to focus on Playa Oueste, since there is so much need there, and so little help and opportunity. The problem is deciding who to accept and who to turn away...since we only have room for a certain number of kids at this point. So here is our biggest challenge: who to accept into the club, and who to turn away. Doing this recruiting and application process is something that I have never done before, so it is a new learning experience for me. So we spent the day on Monday preparing applications, coming up with guidelines, and coming up with determining factors of how to pick kids/families. On Tuesday, we went to Playa Oueste to find some new families! Word got around pretty quickly about why we were there, and soon enough we had several families lined up for us to do a preliminary evaluation. We set them up with appoinment times to meet us the next day to fill out a detailed application. So that is what we spent yesterday doing; interviewing families and taking thier information. I was able to practice my Spanish a lot! The families were very patient with my misunderstanding of most things they said, and were very helpful when I spoke to them (in my very broken Spanish). By the end of the day, my head was spinning, and we left the information to sort through for today.
Nikki and I spent the afternoon today sorting through applications, inputting the information into the computer, and organizing everything. We have come to realize that it is not an easy job! However, we love that we can be a part the decisions, and preliminary "getting to know the families".

This GrandMother takes care of her 16 grandchildren...with no income and no parents in the picture we are eager to help this family.

This Mom takes care of 8 kids, including her 2 nieces, with no stable father in the picture.

These are just two examples of the need we are facing.
We will continue this week to interview people, and press through this application process. Soon we will start doing some home visits to obtain some photos and video footage for potential sponsors.

Updates

2009-06-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

OK, as you can see I have not posted anything in a while...my apologies. However, I will tell you about some highlights since my last post.

So last Monday was my last post, and here are some things that have happened since then. Since it was Sam's last week, we wanted to spend some time with the boys.
One day we took them to eat, and then to the Melacon, which ended up being a fiasco.
At first, it started out like a regular trip to the Melacon, the boys running around having fun, and p.s. they really find it funny to beat me up for some reason.

There is one little boy in Puerto Plata who we see on the streets all of the time...Liz knows who he is, and from what she has told us, he is a problem child, with some mental issues. However, anytime that we have had an encounter with him, it has been pleasant, and we normally give him something to eat and he goes on his way. However, on this day, he seemed to hang around us some more, which was fine. He was getting involved, and being a great kid. However, somewhere along the way, he said something that the boys didn't like, apparently something crude, and that's when he started fighting with them. So we decided that it was best to leave...the boys thought this was best as well. Well the kid followed us, and our boys were getting upset again because this kid kept saying rude things. So this kid flipped out on us, and started going after us with huge rocks...we kept walking away and he just followed. Finally, he jumped one of our boys, Alberto, and when Alberto started to defend himself, is when the police walked up. Since Alberto is older and bigger than this kid, it looked like he was just beating up a little kid. The police arrested both boys. So we called Cathy, and she came and picked all of us up, and we went to get Alberto. Since Cathy is fluent in Spanish and lives here, she knew how to handle the police, and ended up getting Alberto out. Although it turned out okay, we still felt really bad. Here we were trying to keep the kids out of trouble, and then one of them gets arrested.
On another day, we held a boys club, and played some games, including "Follow the Leader", which the kids LOVED by the way...and since I was the leader, I probably looked like a crazy hopping on one foot down the road. It was a really fun, and spontanious boys club, because we had only mentioned to our English students that we would be meeting this day...so we only expected to do an English class...however word spread, and all of the kids showed up. So we improvised, and played charades in English, listened to some of the English songs, and played some fun games.

Birthday

2009-06-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

So the other day we took the boys to the beach instead of holding an art class due to last week's disaster. It was a blast, as usual. Well one of our kids, Bebe, told us that Monday was his birthday. He told me, and then cornered Nikki and told her as well. I was not sure if I believed him at first, but then his friend came and told me seperately that it was Bebe's birthday on Monday. So when we showed up in Aguas Negras today with cake and presents for Bebe, we ended up having to hunt him down. Well first, we ran into his Father, and told him that we had brought birthday cake and presents for Bebe's birthday. His Father had no idea what we were talking about...Bebe's birthday was in February! That was the moment we realized that we had fallen for the exact thing Liz warned us about - how the boys love to pretend it's thier birthday...they always get their friends involved and play tricks on us to get birthday presents! We couldn't believe that we had fallen for the trick, but at the same time we didn't want to start accusing him of lying...but it was quite hillarious. The parents felt really bad though, and called Liz later to apologize.

In English class today we played charades - it was so much fun! After English we took some of the boys to the Melacon...it was super hot today...it is getting hotter by the day as it gets closer to summer. On our walk to the Melacon, Jose asked me for 10 pesos for water. So I gave it to him, and he bought an ice-cream bar instead...as much as I know I should have said to him that it was wrong, I couldn't help but laugh and get everyone else ice-cream too...and Jose still went on to point to his ice-cream and tell me "good water"! Hahaha.

Arroyo Seco

2009-05-27T14:53:00.001-07:00

(From Wednesday)
Everyday I wake up here, and I know that it is going to be a great day; just like today. Nikki, Sam, Krissie and myself went out to Arroyo Seco to just hang out and visit our kids.

One of the girls that I have known since the beginning, and who I have become close with, was there today, and it was the first time I have seen her this year. It was a really nice reunion with her, and I loved spending the day with her, and the other kids.

We played some games, blew some bubbles, and then the kids got it in their heads that they wanted to go swimming in the river...which is a good 30 minute walk. By this time, it was midday and the sun was as hot as ever. But we couldn't say no...the kids were SO excited, and they had all gone to ask their parents. So we were getting ready for the long walk when Pastor Garcia the "Jefe" of the community, drove up in his truck. We asked him to drive us to the river, and of course he said yes! So we loaded up all of the kids in the back of the truck and headed down.
The swim was so much fun...since I only had clothes to wear, I did not go in, just wet my legs and cooled off.

The kids loved it...we had about 14 with us, mostly girls. We bought them Skim Ice...which is the best freezes ever...and just swam and had fun!
The walk back was a little tiring...mostly uphill...but so worth it for the excitement and fun that filled the kids day.

I am so happy that we were able to go and visit our friends again today; they are really amazing kids, and although they don't know it, they have had such a huge impact on my life. Their community is the first one that I ever worked in, and they are the kids that I first fell in love with.

best. day. EVER!

2009-05-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

So today was fabulous!
Our morning started out by taking the Guagua and then a moto to Nazareth; a community that we worked in last year with Hero Holiday. Phil and Donna, who run Searvant's Heart, opened up a clinic there last year, and today was one of the days that they are open. It is also where our friend Krissie, is volunteering. So she showed us around, explained the routine, etc. We walked around Nazareth, which is mainly Dominican's. We also walked down to Redemption; the community at the bottom of the mountain, which is mainly a Haitian community. We had kids attached to us at all times! It was really great to see that the fence we built in Nazareth last year was in use, and we walked through the school that it surrounds. It was a really great morning!

This afternoon, we went down to Aguas Negras. It was Sam's and I sponsor kid, Yohan's actual birthday today. So today was the day that we told him we were his sponsors. We brought him balloons, and presents. We brought him a new soccar ball, and new belt and for his Mom we blew up a picture of the two of them and framed it. When we gave it to them, his Mom started crying. She LOVED it!

Then we asked Yohan if he wanted to go out for lunch with some of his friends. So we went around the village, rounded up a bunch of boys and got on a Guagua to head for the Provocone. The guagua is public transportation, and the Provocone is a place we take the boys to eat sometimes...we can get a lot of really good chicken, fries and fried plantanes for really cheap.

From there, we walked to get ice-cream. And then Jose had the idea to walk to the Melacon...which is the pathway along the ocean front. It's a beautiful spot in Puerta Plata, and the path goes a very long way. So basically we just hung out with the boys this afternoon, and had soooo much fun! We saw one of little boys, Jose Manuel, who is 9 years old, shoe shining, and just pulled him along with us, to keep him out of trouble. He had the most fun I think; This is the same little boy that I talk about in a lot of my blogs. He was so cute today; he laughed and laughed and laughed...and all of the other boys treated him like their younger brother. Since he did not get to eat with us, I bought him a cob of corn and a small bagof chips from a street vendor, and even though I could tell that he was so hungry, he still offered to share his chips.
The boys went down to the ocean and picked out crabs...and chased me around with them since they know I am a little scared of them! They were climbing in trees, and eventually our walk took us to the end...where the Fort is.

We just hung out there, and the boys had so much fun. They were wrestling,and laughing and acting as they should; like care free teenagers. We also figured out today what Jose Chichi's calling in life is; photography. He spent the entire afternoon with mine and Nikki's camera, taking videos of random things, and a lot of pictures. He loves taking photos; he gets right into different angles, taking shots from the ground or up high. He loved it!
Today was one of those days that I will remember; it is a day that will stick in my mind when I think about the Dominican. I love that we were able to take the boys out, and make Yohan's birthday memorable. I love that we were able to take Jose Manuel with us and keep him from shoe shining, and make him laugh so hard he was rolling on the ground.
I love the Dominican!

Meeting Day

2009-05-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

So today is Monday; Boys Club and English, as usual. When we first got there this morning there were no boys! So I decided that I would go back home and prepare some things for our big meeting with the kids and parents tonight. Nikki and Sam stayed, in case any boys showed up, and sure enough, right after I left they all showed. So they ran the club this morning while Liz and I did some other administrative stuff.

After lunch, Cathy, DOVE missions new Boys Club director who lives down here, came to get Liz and I. We went down to get the girls, and deliver the other memos about the meeting tonight. The meeting was scheduled for 4:30, however at around 4 it started raining. People down here do not like to go out in the rain because it is difficult for them to dry their clothes, so people mostly stay in when it rains. We were really worried that nobody was going to show up...especially because it was at least a 10-20 minute walk for most of them. However, when all of our club showed, I was really surprised and happy!

The parents were really into it, and knew how important it was for the boys to be in the club. They really don't want their kids working on the streets, but sometimes they have no choice. However, the club is a safe place for the boys to come, and keep them out of trouble. It was clear that their parents appreciated it, and we were really proud of everyone showing up in the rain.

Field Trip!

2009-05-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

So today we took the boys on a sweet field trip to the beach! We had SO much fun! First, we went to the villages and rounded up all of the boys. The girls and I rented this bus to get everyone there, which is super cheap. As soon as we arrived, all of the boys got into their swim gear, and ran for the ocean...pulling us along with them! As soon as we got into the water, we were attacked by the boys, pulling us under, and pulling us around. It was SUPER fun...the boys had such a blast! To top it all off, the weather was absolutely gorgeous.
We took almost all of the kids in our program...right from the little ones to the older ones. The little kids had the most fun I think...they LOVED playing in the sand, and completely covering themselves in it.

One of the little boys, Jose Manuel...he is a 9 year old boy that I have mentioned in other blogs...he came with us to the beach today. He LOVED it so much, and was also very clingy with me. By the way he was acting, it was clear that he was looking for that Motherly love that he lacks in his home life, although he does have a Mother. He just needed the attention so much, and he got it...he really had a care free day...which is our main goal of these beach days; to let the boys just have fun, relax, and have an awesome, worry free day where they can actually act like kids.

Another awesome Saturday!

2009-05-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

So today was great. One of the kids that Sam and I are sponsoring will be celebrating his birthday next Tuesday, so we decided to celebrate in the boys club this morning. We baked him a cake, plus made some extra cupcakes in case we ran out. The day before, we went to his house while he was at school and invited his Mom. We blew up balloons...which by the way the kids went CRAZY over...fights actually started to break out a little bit. So we brought out the cake, and sang. It was funny because we put trick candles on the cake, and so when Yohan blew them out, they automatically relit until he blew them out again.

So we have decided that the best way for our English learners to speak only English to them at all times.

We do speak Spanish when necessary, but we find that they are picking up some of what we are saying. I really love it though, because since I took a very basic Spanish class before I got her, in preparation, the boys know that they have to help me with Spanish as well.

I can speak broken words and get by some of the time, but I am nowhere near fluent...so today when I went outside three of the older boys were whispering about something...probably plotting about their crushes...so when I walked out, one of the boys says to his friends, "shhh, she speaks Spanish"! It was sooo funny, because I do not speak even enough to understand what they were saying!
After we taught our English class, we just kinda hung out with the boys a little bit, and ended up making crazy pictures...made me laugh a lot!

In the afternoon was Art class. All of the boys showed up, except for one. Liz has been having some issues lately with the Art teacher, and today pushed her over the edge with him. Long story short, we will not be working with him anymore.

Overall, today was at times, very frusterating. But when it comes down to it at the end of the day, it is always amazing and so worth it.

Flooded out

2009-05-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

So this week has been kind of a laid back week for us. On Monday, we had boys club in 2 parts. It was a really fun day...until the rain started. The day began with morning boys club...the craft was making crowns...they loved it. One of the older boys, Jose, is one of the leaders in our class...and he knows it and loves it. So of course, he cut his crown to look like an actual king. In spanish, leader, or boss is translated into "Jefe".
Later on, we taught our English class. This week we covered the months of the year, the names of family members, and started on different verbs such as "to have" and "to want". Most of the boys are really loving English, and they work so hard at it. One of the boys, Junior, does not know how to read, so learning a new language is 10 times harder and frusterating for him...and yet he is the hardest working in the class. I really love when we give the boys worksheets, and they actually work on them, putting a lot of effort in. It shows me that they truely want to have options, and make more opportunities for themselves. So far, we have had at least one boy more per week join the English class, because we have seen them showing interest.
After about a solid hour of studying English, we decided to treat the boys to lunch. Normally, we take Motoconchos around town, which is really cheap transportation...you can get anywhere for about $1.00. However, the public cars are even cheaper, and they basically run like a bus; on a certain route. So since the boys take these "guaguas" sometimes, this is how we got to lunch. Jose collected the money from us to pay for all the boys, and took care of paying the driver. He sat in the front seat, and acted his normal role as Jefe.
After lunch we headed back for the afternoon boys club. However only a few boys showed up since it started to rain. There were only a few of us, so we had some of the boys working on their English, and everyone else just kind of hung out and had fun. We played some games, and spent some quality time with the boys. It was pouring rain out all afternoon, and by the time we were ready to leave, the streets were completely flooded. We had to walk to our ride home, and we basically walked to the car in knee high sewage. I felt really bad leaving all the kids behind in the mess. Later that night, we saw on the news that the village was completely flooded. However, we recieved no emergency phonecalls...unfortunately this happens a lot, and the people who live in this village are just used to it.

The rest of this week has basically been home visits, and shooting footage for the kids sponsors.

Haiti

2009-05-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

So I have been trying to find the right words to describe my trip to Haiti in a post. And to be quite honest, I don't have the words to do a justice. We only spent two full days there, in Port au Prince, but it was enough time for me to get a taste of what life for people in Haiti is like. Our morning started when our escort, Fon Fon showed up at our guest house. Since there was no way that we could go anywhere unaccompanied in Haiti, we set up with a missions organization in Haiti to have a local escort associated with them, accompany us for the duration of our visit.
We visited two orphanges; one for handicapped children and also kids without disabilities. This orphanage was run by a lady named Gertrude, who also ran a sewing school, and a guest house; the one we stayed in - which was way more than we expected by the way - it totally made our stay enjoyable. So we spent the morning at Gertrude's orphanage, just playing with the kids, and providing them with the love and attention they so desperately need.

After we fed them lunch, we left to go back to the guest house for our lunch.
The second half of our day was spent visiting an orphanage named Mother Teresa's, as it is named after her. This place was also mainly a hospital for dying babies; Some of the kids have parents, and some do not.
When we first drove up to the orphanage, our driver had to honk to allow the guard to open the huge metal gate that completely blocked view from the building. When I entered the building, I took myself on a quick tour of the orphanage and I was not really sure what to think. I walked through five different rooms; all with at least 25 to 30 sick and crying babies in each room. As I absorbed the sound of these kids crying, the image of the skinny, boney babies, or some with swollen bellies due to malnutrition, the constant smell of urine and feces, and the sight of 30 dying babies in each room, I was in a state of shock. I was almost numb, but at the same time I wanted to burst out crying. So, I just dove right in and picked up a baby. They need so much to be held; they crave the affection and attention that is hard for the nuns to give as often as they need it. So basically I spent the 2 hours that we were there holding babies and helping to clean up after them. It was a silent walk home, and I just felt completely numb inside. I wasn't really sure how to deal with the emotional stress that overtook me.

The next day, we spent the morning in Cite Soleil...the poorest neighbourhood in Haiti. We went with a water Ministry...basically they fund a huge 3500 gallon water truck to go into 24 different neighbourhoods every day of the week, 4 per day, to shoot out water through the huge hose into people's buckets as they line up.

Each day, fresh water reaches 2800 families. We tagged along with this ministry one day, and went to Cite Soleil. Before we got there, we were warned not to take out our camera's out, since there was a danger of them being taken from us. Although, I mananged to sneak a couple of pictures. When we got out of the car, the water truck was setting up...getting the big hose out, and turning on the taps. We saw people running from all directions, buckets in hand, scrambling to be first in line. We were told that we could take turns holding the hose, filling people's buckets with water. So we did just that, however we had to let the workers take over when it started to get a little rough. At first, people lined up very orderly, and took turns getting their buckets filled. However, as time went on, people were trying to get in front, and pushing each other out of the way. I cannot even describe the desperation for water I witnessed that day.
On the way back we all rode in the water truck...I rode on the outside since there was no room in the cab. It was not a long ride out, but I was able to observe what Cite Soleil is really like, and snap some photos along the way. It was like a desert setting...and a community in the middle of no where. There were concrete walls everywhere...as there is everywhere else in Haiti. But the walls in Cite Soleil were different. There were so many bullet holes in every single building. There were so many destroyed structures everywhere. A lot of garbage all over. Although peaceful for the most part now, Cite Soleil was once one of the most dangerous places to go...during all of the wars and riots throughout the years.

In the afternoon, we went back to the Mother Teresa Orphanage. To be honest, I was not looking forward to going back, as bad as that may sound. But the day before was so emotionally draining, and I found it hard to be at this orphanage. However, when we got there, my mood changed, and my insticts took over. I immediately started to help feed the babies, clean them up, and just held them. I picked up some of them and took them outside for some fresh air...which I am sure they do not get very often. By the end, I was very glad that we had gone back. I was really glad that we were able to help.

The next day, we headed back to the Dominican. However, the trip back did not go as smooth as the trip there. It started out with our driver not knowing how to get to the bus terminal, and him racing through the streets to try and make it on time. I really thought that Dominican's were crazy drivers, however our drive that morning made me gain an appreciation for them. At least there are some rules in the DR, but Haiti is a complete free for all. With 4 minutes until departure time, and still not knowing where the terminal is, we were stressing out a little bit. Somehow, we made it on time, and loaded the bus quickly. However, by some other passenger's error, there were 50 seats, and 52 passengers. To make a long story short, we ended up sharing 2 seats between us three girls...for almost 10 hours...and then another 4 hour bus ride after that. However, we made the best of it, and chalked it up to a fun experience.

Overall, I am so thankful that I had the chance to visit Haiti. It was truely an overwhelming and worthwhile trip.

Boys Club in 2 Parts

2009-05-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

So today was a very busy and amazing day, once again. We had boys club twice today since some kids go to school in the afternoon and some go in the morning. The first group was large, like normal but we had a smaller group in the afternoon.
However, the day was also a little stressful for some of the boys. We could tell that something was not right when we first arrived this morning. Some of the boys that are normally loud and hyper were very mellow and quiet. I also thought it was weird when some of the older boys started acting out today...doing things they weren't supposed to. We werent sure what was going on until Liz found out and told us. Five of the older boys that were involved in the pedophilia ring had to go and testify again today. This is their 5th time having to testify, and hopefully thier last. As you could imagine 13 and 14 year old boys having to relive the nightmares they went through with the pedaphile sitting right there is very traumatizing. One of the boys did not even come back to meet where he was supposed to when it was time to leave. He was just too nervous to go.
I was very sad for the boys today, thinking of what they must be going through, I can't even imagine.

As for the rest of the boys club, it was great. We made big envelopes with them today, to hold all of thier work in. We gave them stickers to decorate with and they went crazy!
The boys are awesome, and we are really getting to know more of them.
They all have so much imagination and potential. One of the boys, Kelvin that has recently joined the program is really coming out of his shell. He is super polite and well behaved, and shows leadership. He really began to show his real personality today, and it was great.

I am sitting here tonight, and so thankful for what my life is. I know that I am so blessed, and it really is one of my motivators for being here.

Beach Day

2009-05-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

Today we took the boys to the beach for a sports and rec. day. Let me just say, it was totally awesome! We first headed down to the village to round everyone up. Then we loaded them all on a bus for a really cheap rate and drove to the beach. We tried to organize a game of dodge ball but the boys just ended up running around everywhere whipping the ball at each other. So dodge ball eventually turned into soccer...or football, and then ended in everyone jumping in the ocean to cool off. It was such a beautiful breezy day today and the perfect day for sports at the beach. The boys were so happy, and it was great because we knew that they weren’t off somewhere getting into trouble.
At the end of the day we treated all the boys to skim ice and dropped them back in the village. We thought that was the last of them we would see for that day, however a couple hours after we got home, Sam noticed one of the boys lingering out front of the house. We went outside to find three of the older boys dressed in their best with their hair done, riding their bikes. They had come to see us to impress. It was soooooo cute.
Today was awesome, once again. I am loving being down here doing what I am. I feel like it is right where I should be, and doing exactly what I should.

Language Barrier

2009-05-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Ok so this is going to be a quick post, because it is something that I forgot to mention a few days ago. So in preperation for this longer stay in Dominican this year, I took Spanish class at school. I learned the basics and learned enough that I can somewhat get across what I am trying to say and understand. But I really thought that I had the basics down pat.
So when we were the orphanage the other day, a little girl asked me "tu nombre"?, which means "your name"?. I have only learned that name is "llama"...so I thought that 'nombre' meant number. Basically I thought the little girl was asking me my age. So I told her "mi nombre es 20", translating into "my name is 20". However the 5year old little girl picked up on my confusion and corrected me. Hahaha oh the joys of language barriers.

Day 5 First English Class

2009-05-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

So today was a busy busy day! We had the Boys Club this morning, and the art class in the afternoon.
The little 9 year old boy that I mentioned in my previous blog that was in jail showed up to the boys club this morning wearing the brand new outfit that we left at his house for him. His name is Jose Manuel, and on Thursday, we told his parents that he must show up for Boys Club wearing his new outfit on Saturday morning. We wanted him to wear his new clothes so that we knew the family did not do something else with them. Normally, we have to go and get Hose Manuel at his house otherwise he does not show up. However, there he was today, on his own in his new outfit. It was awesome! He is finally getting the message of responsibility, as is his parents.

There are a few older of the older boys in the club who have specifically asked to learn English. Although Liz covers the basics of English such as days of the week, colors and numbers in the boys club, we decided that Nikki and I would take those boys aside and teach them a special English class to help them become more fluent. So after the did thier leadership duties in the boys club, we took five boys to another room and began working on a review worksheet that I made for them. Although they have memorized some things from oral learning, they did not know how to spell anything in English. So that is what we began working on today with the boys; spelling out the numbers, days of the week and colors. Although we will only be here for a couple of months, Nikki and I are going to design an English "course", so that when Liz has missionary groups down they can pick up wherever the boys are at.

I was really excited for the boys that we were teaching English to, because they were so eager to learn and get their work done. They paid attention and were really excited. It was really amazing to see how much potential these boys really have.

In the afternoon we went to the boys art class that DOVE missions pays for. Only 8 of the boys go to the art class, and it acts as art therapy. As I mentioned before, most of the boys were part of a pedophilia ring that broken up last summer. So the art class is like art therapy for the boys to release whatever they need to through art. It also provides another safe place for the boys to spend thier Saturday afternoons.

Today was awesome and we have planned to meet the boys tomorrow for a sports day at the beach. Can't wait!!!

Day 4 Afternoon

2009-05-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy afternoon. We went to the villages that we are working in; Aguas Negras and Playa Ouesta. We delivered some donations to families that really needed them, including some vitamins, clothing, and hygiene products.
When we went to one little boys house to deliver some clothing for him and his siblings, we found out that he had been thrown in jail for shoe shining. The police had caught this little boy in a place of Puerto Plata that he was not supposed to be and put him in jail for one or two days. This little boy I am talking about is 9 years old.
Obviously the Dominican Republic has some problems, and it will take a lot to fix the corruption that exists here. However, what we are trying to do with DOVE is help these boys who are forced to work on the streets aquire skills and responsibility so that they can attain skills to get a proper job, and therefore eliminating the need to work the streets.

We also donated a huge bag of hair supplies to a little girl in one of the villages. She has a lot of potential, and Liz decided that she could earn some money by doing hair. Since Liz used to be a hair dresser, she had a lot of professional supplies. She was so happy when Liz presented her with the bag and we are sure that she will put them to good use.

We also visited the school that the boys attend. One of the requirements that the boys must fulfill to stay in the program is to actually go to school. So once in a while, randomly, our job is to go to the school to ensure everyone is there that is supposed to be. All of the kids that attend the school are required to wear a uniform, that the families muct buy. The school is basically a warehouse split into different classrooms. However, the teachers are very nice and it is sufficient for what is needed.

Overall today was a busy, but productive and awesome day! Tomorrow we are taking the day off to head down to the beautiful beach!

Day 4 Orphanage

2009-05-08T16:10:00.000-07:00

Our day started out with a visit to the orphanage right down the road from where I am living. It is an all girls orphanage with about 40 little ones, ranging in age from 2 to 16 years. I was very happy to see that the orphanage is very well kept, and a decent place for the girls to live.

Most of the girls in this orphanage do have families, however they just don't have the means to take care of thier children. There are nuns to take care of the girls, and the orphanage is mainly Catholic church funded.

The girls have a very schedualed day, and I found that they are very self-sufficient. They help with chores around the orphanage such as yard maitenance, dishes, keeping their room tidy etc. Although most of the girls are very young, they are very well behaved. They help each other with their hair each day, they attend school, and many other activities. The girls were soooooo cute. They were so eager to show us their toys, and to sing for us especially. They were very talented and I could see that there was a lot of potential in these girls.
We spent the morning with the girls and it was great! Since there are 40 girls at the orphanage it is hard for the nuns to spend a lot of one on one time with each girl. So when they have visitors it is great because the girls have new people to play with, and more people to love them. After all, love is what makes everyone stronger.

Day 3 Home Visits

2009-05-07T06:38:00.000-07:00

Today we did some more home visits to collect information for sponsors and potential sponsors. We went around to about 10 different homes and talked with the families. One of the amazing things about this culture is that they are relationship- orientated, and they run on “Dominican time”. If people are having a conversation and one of those people has to be somewhere, they will finish their conversation instead of worrying about where they have to be. This is why it takes so long to do home visits during the day. It is extremely important that we visit with the family, even if we are just sitting there smiling, unable to break the language barrier. However, I love and respect this culture very much.

There are a lot of problems down here, things that we as North Americans would consider miniscule conflicts that are easy to fix. For example a staph infection that can result in large cists that can simply be cured with a hot compress and a topical antibiotic cream. Although this may seem like an easy problem to fix in Canada by going straight to the doctor it is a problem when poor families must pay a lot of money for hospital visits, transportation to the hospital, and prescriptions. Therefore these staph infections linger and are easily spread by just touching the cist. One family that we visited on Day 1 we had to educate on washing hands, since their baby had a cyst the size of a large egg on the side of her head. Liz gave her a topical antibiotic cream and a lesson on washing hands and when we went back today the cist was almost gone.

Today was another hot, but amazing day in the field. I am learning a lot from Liz, and gaining a lot of confidence on how to deal with issues, and how to go about dealing with the people on a more personal level. I will admit however that I am struggling just a little bit. I am used to very hands on and hard labour, to build a school, or a church. However I know that what I am doing here right now is very important and I am very excited about the vision of DOVE missions. We need to change the mind frame of our youth if we want anything to change in this country. The young generation are the fate of the Dominican Republic.

Day 2 Reunion

2009-05-07T06:24:00.000-07:00

Day 2
Today was another AMAZING day! In the morning we went to Arroyo Seco – A village that I have worked in with Hero Holiday for the past three years. I have become very attached to this village. We built a school out there, and have become very close with the people who live in the community. We were not expecting a lot of kids to be there since we were there during the school day. However we learned today that the kids here only go to school for a half days, either in the morning or afternoon. So to our surprise there were actually a lot of kids around and we had an amazing morning. To add to it all, one girl that I have known since the very beginning, three years ago, I found out last year that she only lived in Arroyo Seco part time, since her parents divorced. So when she walked around the corner of the school today I was very surprised and overjoyed to see her. I was not at all expecting it and it made the entire trip out there worth it.

We had brought a few things to give away while we were there, so I packed some stuff in my backpack before we left to walk the village. I went to one families house that I have known for a couple of years, and I have become very close with the two sisters of this family. When I first arrived, the younger sister walked out of the house with a t-shirt on that I had given her last year. I was very happy to know that she was actually using what I gave her, and it was a bit of an emotional moment for me.

Although the older sister was at school, I still went into her house privately to give them some donations like a pair of shoes, new underwear and a new hat for the younger sister. I also left a hat for her older sister. Her and her mother were very grateful and the mother got a little emotional. It is moments like this that make me want to come back and continue on with this work. It is moments like this that make everything I do to get here so worth it.

Day One

2009-05-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day in the Dominican Republic and I am starting to realize how much I really missed it here; the relaxed lifestyle, the culture, and most of all the people. I woke up nice and early to the sound of a rooster and motor conchos zooming by on the street. The place we are renting is in Puerto Plata, and a bit of a drive up the mountain. Liz is the lady who we are renting from and living with; also the sole ground missionary in DR for Dove Missions.

Our morning started out with the boys club that she runs. The boys club is a safe place for street boys to go, and is a stepping stone for the older ones for a future vocational school that we are going to help get off the ground. The boys club is for boys who have unfortunate home situations and end up working on the streets to earn money for themselves and their families. Most of the boys in the club were part of a pedophilia ring that was broken up last summer. DOVE missions describes the boys club like this:
“The Boys Club program is designed to foster self-esteem, cooperation, respect, responsibility, goal setting and leadership skills in the youth we work with. Our program seeks to empower these young boys to be agents of change not only in their own lives but also in their communities. We currently have 14 boys enrolled in the program in Agua Negra, and have seen great improvement in each of these boy’s ability to focus, to collaborate, to complete projects and to empower each other to succeed. Our goal is to refine this pilot program over the next few months, and then to implement it in other barrios in the Puerto Plata area”.

The boys club actually now has more than 14 boys; there are actually around 20-25. Today we brought the boys juice and bread and then set them off with a project. We gave them materials to make a creative puppet character that they had to tell a story about to the club.
The fact that the boys are expected to show up for club at a certain time, behave respectfully to the other boys and use their imagination instils a certain behaviour that DOVE is striving to a achieve. They are taking responsibility for their actions.

In the afternoon, we toured the village that most of the boys live in and met some of their families. Another program that DOVE runs is families sponsor families. “This program is designed to help the families of the street boys we work with to meet their basic needs, so that the boys can go to school instead of work the streets. It is meant as both a source of financial or material support for acute needs, as well as a means to cultivate accountability to the families to keep their children in school or enrolled in our vocational boys program”. (Dove Missions)
Part of our job down here is to go into the homes of these families, find out what their needs are, set up updates for the sponsors, and collect information for potential sponsors. We also need to be checking up on the boys to ensure they attend the boys club, since attendance is a mandatory aspect, and that teaches them responsibility.

One cool moment that I had today with one of the boys, named Richard, was when we were beginning to make the craft. At the beginning, he would not speak to anyone, nor would he participate in the craft. Eventually I broke through and just put the craft materials in front of him. And he began to brighten up, and ended up making a really great puppet figure.
Today was an amazing day and I am excited to keep working with these boys. They are very sweet and I can already see after one day that they have a lot of potential. With some guidance, like this program is going to provide, they will be able to make something of their life.

Arroyo Seco

2008-09-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

One of the projects that Hero Holiday has been working on for the past three years is in a village called Arroyo Seco. Anyone who has ever been on a Hero Holiday, has an automatic attachment to this village. It started with digging the footings, and finished with painted tables and mirrols on the walls. It is a school/church/community center for a village that truely needs it.

It all started with Pastor Garcia. He is a very special man who shares his story with such compassion, that you are automatically attached to this project. Pastor Garcia had a dream. He wanted to make his village better by building a school, since most kids had to travel a far distance to attend school. This made it impossible for most people to go, since the village is so secluded, and they have no transportation to get there. Pastor Garcia had no money and no resources. However he continued having faith that help would come along, and had already begun digging a trench for the structure.

Vaden, co-founder of Hero Holiday met Garcia one day, and listened to his story. He decided that Hero Holiday could help. In 2006, the project was started, and by summer of 2008 we had finished it to the last detail. Hero Holiday had even began building a clinic right beside the school. Today, 80 children attend the Arroyo Seco School, and the number will continue to grow. Not only is there a school, but there is a place for the village to hold meetings, pray together, and have fun!

The Orphanage

2008-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Orphanage
One of my favourite days during Hero Holiday is visiting the orphanage. It is an orphanage for mentally and physically disabled children who have all been abandoned by their parents. There are 70 children at this orphanage, some adults who have simply spent their entire life there and have nowhere else to go. Around half of these children’s backgrounds are unknown. Their names, their medical history, their story, is unknown.
There is one nurse to five children, and by the time the kids are fed, bathed, and cleaned up, it is time for the next meal, and the process starts all over again. That is where we come in. Hero Holiday sends a team almost every day during the month of July to the orphanage. We spend the day simply giving all of our attention possible to as many kids as we can. Understandably, the nurses do not have enough time to provide attention and stimulation to all of the kids all of the time.
So, this day is always full of fun! We spend our day playing with the kids, making them giggle and laugh as hard as they can. We also enjoy the opportunity to help feed them lunch. Although it can be quite a task sometimes, it is also quite an experience – especially if you end up with food back on your face too! After visiting the orphanage for the first time three years ago, I fell in love with the kids, and I have much admiration for them.

Bernard's Dream

2008-09-15T17:48:00.001-07:00

Bernard is someone whom I admire very much. He is a very dear friend to anyone and everyone who has ever been on a Hero Holiday in the Dominican Republic. Bernard has worked with Hero Holiday for the past four years as a translator and mason. He is originally from Haiti, and speaks several languages. Bernard works with troubled children, and his dream is to have a home where he can take in street children and child soldiers temporarily. For the past five years Bernard has been working with orphans and children at risk, and he would love to be able to do more for them.
Bernard has demonstrated time and time again how dedicated he is to helping the poor, and has proven himself to be a very special person. Hero Holiday decided this past year to help Bernard build his home. It was an amazing site to work at, simply because we had Bernard running it. No matter how tired I was, or how hot it got, I was always so motivated to work on this project. Bernard is someone that I miss everyday when I am at home, and also someone I look forward to seeing next year when I return to the Dominican Republic.

The Dump

2008-09-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

While in the Dominican Republic, I have spent a lot of time with refugees from Haiti. Particularly, the people who work in the Dominican dumps. A typical day for a dump worker would consist of beginning work around 7am, and finishing around 4 or 5pm. The workers spend the day collecting bottles – different colours, sizes, shapes are separated accordingly, although I have yet to figure out their system. For every giant bag they fill of bottles, the government pays them five pesos for that bag – which is equivalent to around 17 cents Canadian. On a good day, a worker may collect 4 or 5 bags. On a bad day, they might collect one. This is what that worker must live on to support their family. Less than 80 cents a day. How is it even possible to survive on this? I have been to the workers village, met their children and wives, and even attended their church service. The village is built up from scraps of anything they could find, and their daily source of food and water is non-existent. This is why we knew we had to do something. Although it’s extremely complicated to simply fix this problem, everyone can do something. So, during Hero Holiday, a team would go out to the dump everyday with fresh drinking water, knee high boots, and help collect bottles! I never thought that in my lifetime I would be picking through a dump in 40 degree weather with long pants on. However it was such an exhilarating experience. Each of us would work alongside our chosen Haitian partner, and just go at it. It got to the point where I was excited to see a bottle. It felt as though I had just won the jackpot if I found 3 or 4 at a time. In doing this, we helped to double or even triple our partner’s income for that day.
Everyone can do something – we can make a change.

Hero Holiday

2008-09-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

Hi, my name is Melissa Bazely and I am a student attending Georgian College in Barrie. In summer of 2006, I travelled down to the Dominican Republic with a program called Hero Holiday, to participate in humanitarian work. It was such a life changing experience that I went back in 2007, and again this previous summer.

Over the past three summers in Dominican, I have participated in several projects like building schools, homes, visiting orphanges, and working with refugees from Haiti. My experiences have been unbelieveable, and it has become a part of my life. This is something that I plan to do for as long as I can.

I want to share as much as possible about the time I have spent in Dominican. I will post all of my pictures, and write about as many experiences as I can.

Everyone has the power to do something...we can make a change.