Faze - Rogers Hero Holiday Contest

Well today may be my last blog entry. It's been an awesome week. I was thinking before I came here that I was so lucky to win this trip. And it's true, I was so incredibly fortunate, but for different reasons than I first thought. I thought I was lucky because I could see my first palm tree and taste the ocean for the first time. I thought I was prepared for what I'd experience here, but I was wrong. I received so much more out of this trip than just a tan and tasting the ocean. This opportunity to work with Hero Holiday was life-changing. I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world that I came down here and did what I did and saw the things I saw. This experience has given me new perspectives, new passions and has completely changed my heart. I don't mean I am a different person. But my perspective of life is different. My priorities in life before I came seem so small compared to the bigger picture.

I want to specially thank the sponsors of this trip. Rogers and Faze Magazine, thank you so much for this opportunity. Lorraine (Editor-in-Chief of Faze) is the nicest lady you could ever meet; thank you for everything! I'd like to thank my Mom for making this trip possible with only a week to prepare—you're the best and I couldn't have come without you. I want to thank my employers at my job, because I am still able to come back and work there after taking two weeks off (with no notice, this trip came out of the blue). I do really miss everyone at home right now. I can't wait to see them again. I don't travel often, so I'm very excited to see everyone.

Finally, I'd like to thank the staff at Hero Holiday. They've been only the best! The directors of Hero Holiday have been so helpful, always there to take care of us students and they have answered every one of my stupid questions. Thank you guys so much!

Okay, so I know I've forgotten so many people who deserve as much gratitude as everyone else. But I can't keep going on; if I thanked everyone this note wouldn't end. So, that's as much as I can say.

This trip has been such a life-changing experience. I encourage any person out there to go on a trip like this. It is so worth your time. I've loved every minute of it!

Today was the final day with our group of Hero Holiday. It was hard not to cry while going on our last truck ride, being together as a group for the last time. One half of our group will be leaving at 5:00 this morning to get on their way to Seattle, and the rest of us on our way to Toronto won't be leaving until 12:30. Personally, I have many awesome friends from the Seattle group, and am going to try and stay up to say goodbye—though I will probably fall asleep during breakfast.
I miss everything and everyone at home so much, but it's going to be very hard to see all these wonderful people leave. I have a really hard time with is saying goodbye to those that I’ve become close with, and because of the distance between us, it's hard to say if I'll ever see them again. I'm hoping to come next year and see most of them another time.
This trip was the most inspiring thing that has ever happened to me. I'm so unbelievably grateful to Rogers and Faze Magazine for providing this for us. I have never done anything close to what I did every single day here. I'm so happy and there are no words to describe the difference between what I was then and what I am now. Changed: that's the closest one can get. This has been something that I will never forget. My outlook on life is a completely different story. I want to thank everyone that has supported me in this, especially all the sponsors for making this trip with my best friend possible. I hope you like the pics taken with the phone.

Today I went to the orphanage. It broke my heart in more ways than one. The children who are sent to this orphanage are either physically or mentally handicapped or both. It was so hard to see this one little girl who was about the size of a four-year-old, healthy Canadian kid—the little girl was actually 28. It was a rough day, but like I said to our group leader when she asked me what I thought, “It's heart breaking to see their condition, but it's all worth it just to see them smile.” When the kids smiled at me it meant so much. Just seeing their faces light up was worth everything.

Tomorrow is our final debriefing. It's strange how this week has swept by so fast. I am excited to get home though; I miss my family and my friends—particularly a guy-friend :). I don't want to leave this place either. It's kind of strange, like I have two homes now: one in Canada, and one here in the Dominican.

This trip was definitely different. We drove 2 hours to get to Santiago, where we had a packed lunch. Inside, we went from room to room seeing the children. Most of them were in their beds resting, sleeping or just lying there. We held their little hands; it was unbelievable how small and fragile their bodies looked. One girl, you could have sworn was only three or four, but we asked a lady that worked there and she said the girl was 28. I cried several times through the morning because of the emotions from just being in the room.
The kids were all smiles and laughs though. We got to stay for lunch and feed them.
I got a lot of great pics of my friends playing with the kids, and a few of myself. It was a great thing to do for our last day as a group going out to help the community. I had an amazing time. And I also cried while holding a tiny crumpling hand because I knew that the heart and soul of that little child was completely pure. It was something that I needed to see and be a part of, even just for a day. That's all you really need.
I guess I will have my final blog tomorrow on our last day, and that will be the last you hear from me. This has been fun. I'll write all my thoughts tomorrow though. ‘Til then…

Today I went to the site called the Dominican Advance. It was very nice there and we were building a fence around the site. In the morning I helped put the fence together and in the afternoon I went down to the village and hung out with the kids down there. I met one special one and it was so hard to say goodbye to him. He didn't want me to go and I didn't want to either.

Tonight, at our debriefing, we'll be discussing ways to end the cycle of poverty in developing countries. I am looking forward to that, being able to come together as a group and think up ways to save poverty-stricken nations.

Tomorrow is my last work day and I'll be going to the orphanage. I'm really excited about that! You'll hear from me soon!

Today we went to Dominican Advance, where they are just finishing up the school. It's a small and pretty nice place. Actually, it’s pretty large for just being a school. We mostly worked on building a fence.
In the afternoon we headed to the village down the hill and I got to meet a lot of new children. They were all a joy to be around. The one girl who was ten years old held my hand the entire time and wouldn't let go (or let other kids hold my other hand). On our trip she was singing a song that I recognized in English. So, on the trip back to the school she sang in Spanish and I sang it in English. That was something that I was so glad to share with her.
There was a missionary group there today with us in the morning and they were painting the back of the school. I believe they were from the U.S. It was nice to see other people out there helping the way Hero Holiday does.
Tomorrow is our last day and we are going to the orphanage. I am trying to prepare myself for the emotions involved.

Today was my day off of work. Students here with Hero Holiday have a choice if they'd like to go on an excursion or just stay at the resort and soak up some sun. Of the three options available for an excursion, I chose to go horseback riding. That also includes swimming in a natural cave spring and climbing into a cave up along the mountain. Only four girls were brave enough to squeeze into the cave entrance (the one without the natural spring). Three other girls and I had to crawl on our stomachs to enter the cave. It was pretty intense. But hey, at least now I can say I had the guts to do it! :)

Tomorrow we are going to the Dominican Advance, unless the plans change. I'm excited to go there. I actually enjoy the hard work we do building this place. We're probably going to be making concrete with shovels again. Yahoo! Lotsa fun. Anyway, I should go put on some Solarcaine. I'll talk to you later,

Karina

Today was my day off from the work sites. I had the choice to either go zip lining, cascading, horseback riding, or just stay at the resort.
I decided to go horseback riding because of my love of horses. It was an amazing trip. Along with members of my group and two others, we set out on a rocky trail up the mountain. There were small houses here and there and it was crazy to think that people actually live up there—it's so far out! According to our guide, they have to travel on horse, or whatever means of transportation, to get to places further down below.
Our first stop was at a small cave. To get inside you had to squeeze through a small passage in the cave entrance. It was tight, but three other girls and I made it in, and posed for pics.
Then we went to a natural spring pool. The water was really clear and clean, and the pool itself was surrounded by a cave. It was a great experience and I made friends with the tour guide, my horse and the people from the other groups.
Tomorrow we’re headed to Dominican Advance.

Hey Everyone,

Today I went to the dump. It was amazing. We put on our leather gloves and rubber boots and dove in. Our job was to collect plastic recyclables like bottles and put them in plastic bags. Haitians do this for a living and we were each paired up with a local Haitian. It was such a hard thing to do, seeing these people collect garbage for a living. Each bag is only worth 10 pesos, which is a few Canadian cents. These people work day and night collecting bottles so that they can feed their families and they have no other choice.

When I arrived the smell and the smoke was almost too much. But I held everything back. It was so important to me to prove to these people that I care. To prove to them that I feel that they and I are equals.

I was able to help two people today; I filled two bags of bottles. The second person was a young girl who looked about 13. She was running through the dump in flip-flops and wasn't wearing gloves. It broke my heart when she asked if she could have my leather gloves. But I couldn't give them to her. But every part of me wanted to give her my rubber boots, hat and my gloves and all. Pretty much anything she needed I would've given to her if I could.

Today was life changing, I'm not gonna lie. I loved being there. It's so hard to explain why I enjoyed digging through garbage. It was for the people. To prove to them that I care.

Today's theme was “in their shoes” and its title was well served. Today we went to the dump where people traipse through trash and garbage to look for bottles and recyclables. All of our group got out with our long pants and shirts, gloves and boots, to help out one of the locals. It was such a huge hill and valley that you couldn't even see the ground anymore. I couldn't believe that a huge bag (nearly the same size as me) would give someone about 50 cents American. Let me tell you that to get a bag that size would take hours of hard labour in the hot sun, not to mention the overpowering smell of the place.
It broke my heart to know that all the people there had no choice but to work in the dump. They have no other options.
Working with one of the men, I gathered cans and glass jars. I couldn't talk to him but there were always understood hand gestures that made it a lot easier to get things done. I helped him fill a couple of garbage bags and he was very grateful.
I learned a lot about the local people and I think that this day was probably the most educational trip thus far.
Tomorrow is my day off and I'm going horse-back riding. Can't wait!

July 21

Hello again,

This morning we went off to a work site where we worked on building a house for a new friend of mine. The reason this is one of Hero Holiday's projects is hard to explain but I will tell you as much as I know. He's incredibly awesome! There is a definite need to build him a house and I've been explained the reason before. But I don't remember exactly. But I do know how nice he is. I believe he's one of our translators as well but don't quote me on that. Anyway, basically what we were doing today was laying cement for the floor. We mixed a ton of cement and got about a quarter of the floor done. It's really hard work but like I've said before, I know our work will pay off in the end. Seeing that we've helped change lives for the better is all worth it.

I'm bringing the Rogers phone to the work site this afternoon after our lunch break. I forgot sunglasses and they're always a must. It's so sunny here all the time; very warm too. So I'll try and take some photos of what we're doing over at our friend's house. Okay, I've got to go for lunch, thanks for reading!

Bernard's

Today we went to work on the house of one of Hero Holiday’s translators. He is a really great man and was all smiles. There were also children down the road that came to greet and play with us on our break time. It was great to see that some could speak a bit of English, so I could speak to them. There were several boys and four girls, all who told me their names and ages. They were all very sweet. Of course, we took pictures of the site, the kids and Bernard. I hope that I will be able to see Bernard again, he was a joy to be around

July 20

Hey again!

Today we were suppose to go to the site Dominican Advance but technical difficulties kept that from happening. So we got to go to Cangrejo again! Since it was Sunday today, most of the kids were in church when we went to the village in the morning. So we only got to take a few back and play with them until lunch. The ones we did hang out with were as sweet as ever. Then after lunch I got to work. We mixed concrete, hauled cement, carried construction bricks and drank at least 6L of water! We also sweat 6L of water. I know, it's gross but definitely the truth.

A part of the Hero Holiday experience in interviewing (casually) someone from the country, usually a child. Sabrina and I had an interpreter who helped us. We learned their names and a cool fact is that the one girl said she had four sisters and one brother. And I have to same.

I just got back from work. Hopefully I can hit the beach before dinner. You'll hear from me again tomorrow. Adios!

Back to Cangrejo

We were back at our previous site today. It was so much fun to be with the kids again. Most of them remembered our names.
When we went to the village in the morning they were about to start Sunday services. It was so sweet to see the little girls in their dresses—those who had nice clothes, that is. Some didn't have that much.
As always, the children were so happy to see us, and us them. Their smiling faces greeted us. Not as many of them could go with us to the site as they usually do, but we still had them colouring pictures.
The kids are in love with our cameras and our sunglasses! They can't keep their hands off them. They were also attracted to my watch. It's so fun to watch them pass around your cameras but I warn you, keep them in sight! They would have no problem running off with them.
We took lots of pictures and had so much fun. This experience so far has really shown me how well off I am. There is no comparison between those kids and my life in Canada. I should have no reason to complain about anything ever again.

I'll write again about tomorrow’s outing!

July 19

Ola Mes Amigos!
Today was Day 2 of working at the sites. We went to a site called Cangrejo (I hope I spelt that right). In the morning I helped sift sand and gravel so that they could mix the sifted sand to make mortar. We're definitely getting a workout; my arms are made of steel now. LOL. I love the work, it's so fulfilling. In the afternoon (we went back to the resort for lunch) I got to go to the village and play with the children. They're such precious little kids. They're all friendly and are instant friends. Also, they LOVE to have their picture taken! I took at least 50 pictures of the children. The camera/phone that Rogers supplied is awesome! Takes awesome pictures!

When we walked through the village it was hard to see how hard the people in the village live. Most of them were Haitians so they spoke fairly good French. I enjoyed that because I could speak to them somewhat. I took two years of French in highschool, (which isn't much) but it was enough to at least ask the kids their names and learn about them, like how old they are, what they do for fun, etc.

I learn so much from the people in the Dominican everyday. They are such hard-working, friendly, honest people. I love it here.

By the way, the ocean is to die for. The taste of it is amazing, the clearness is even better. The resort we're staying at is wonderful too. All around it's pretty amazing!

Cangrejo

This place is well on its way. When we arrived a group of locals had already been there for who knows how long. It was really great being able to work alongside them to show them that we don't believe we are any better than they are based on the colour of our skin. To start off the day, our group separated. One went to the Haitian village to play with the children, while the second stayed and worked for the morning. I was working in the morning.
I started with screening rocks to get sand for the brick wall being built. Me alongside three of my new friends did that together for a couple of hours. When it was 12 we headed to the resort for lunch.
When we were done we headed back to Cangrejo. It was my turn with the kids. They were amazing. Right away you could pick them up and hold their hands. They were more than happy to be held. Two girls played with my hair for nearly an hour. It was a pretty painful experience but in the end I had five lovely braids. The day was great. We are heading back there tomorrow and I'll tell you how it goes.

July 18

Hey there!

The first day of work was so much fun. It was at the site Arreyo Seco. We packed a lunch and ate there. When we first arrived it was so exciting to finally get to work. We left the Sosua By the Sea resort at 9am sharp at got there around a half-an-hour later. We worked on the inside and outside of the building; inside-painting and outside-working on a trench to lay cement. My favourite part (and I have the feeling it'll stay that way) is the children. They are so accepting and love to be your friend. All you say is Hola (hello), learn their name and they'll hold your hand for the rest of the day.

I am honestly loving it here. Of course we do more than work. The beach here is a favourite and the Hero Holiday students along with us have fun every night with a different activity. Tonight we were supposed to have a pool party but ended up having a dance instead (because there was a thunderstorm).

Sabrina and I are having so much fun working alongside the other hundred or so students here. It's a good feeling, knowing our work is going towards something so important.

Today we went to Arreyo Seco. It's a beautiful bus ride there and the whole way the children and adults waved. It was so encouraging to see them there.
When we got to the site it was right to work. We started by digging a trench and that was great using a pickaxe for the first time in my life! :D
Then I went into the school to start painting. It was all yellow for the walls. I got to talk to a bunch of my fellow workers and make friends. I also got to talk to some of the locals who came in to help us. They would try and talk to us in Spanish. I couldn't talk back but it's amazing the kinds of things you can get across in sign language.
The children came to help us and talk to us, giving us their names and holding our hands after a simple "Hola."
The kids are my favourite part of this trip thus far. They’re so encouraging and it really lets you see that children with so much love to give live in such poverty.
So far things are really amazing!
I'll keep in touch.

Today was my first day with the members of Hero Holiday. They've all made me feel like I belong and they've been more than friendly and helpful. I'm so excited to start the first work day tomorrow. We'll be working at a school about a twenty minute drive from here.

My sister Sabrina and I settled into our rooms and found the Sosua By the Sea resort very wonderful. Our getting to the Dominican was an exciting venture. We've never been on an airplane before and we got lots of advice and help from our wonderful chaperone from Faze magazine, Carolee.

Things have gone so smoothly. I'm grateful for the team at Hero Holiday for that. Tomorrow I'm going to begin the real reason why I'm here though. I hope I can make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate in the Dominican Republic. I know they will make a difference in mine.

We had to leave at midnight and didn't get any sleep but it was worth it. It's so cool to meet so many people across Canada that want to do the same things that you do to make a difference. Everyone is really great and fun to work with.

The leaders of Hero Holiday are very nice and friendly. They all really love what they do and make you feel very welcome.

The Dominican Republic is a beautiful island. It's so green and all the houses are colourful. It's very hot and humid but it's not as bad as I'd expected. I'm ready to face it head on tomorrow morning to start work.

Speaking of which, we start working tomorrow. I'm excited to get started. We're going to the just about finished school tomorrow. I hope I can help in whatever way I can.

So far this has been a good start and I know it's only getting better from here.