Field Trips

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!

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!

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

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...

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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

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.

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

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!

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!!!

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

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!

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.