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A World Apart
by Rebecca H, Stoney Creek, Canada, Age 17

I ask one simple question: How can we all live in the same world, on the same earth, yet live such different lives? In Canada we have everything we need to survive, but in countries like the Dominican Republic and Haiti, people are robbed of the basic necessities of life. They live lacking shelter, food, clean water, clothing, access to healthcare and education and so much more.

It was on a trip called Hero Holiday that I realized Canada is one of the greatest countries to live in, and I think we, as Canadians, often take our country for granted.

Being Canadian and visiting the Dominican Republic, I’ve seen two different worlds. I’ve seen huge mansions, but I’ve also seen shacks that were falling apart. I’ve seen families who live like royalty, but I’ve also seen families who struggle each day just to survive. I’ve seen children who have everything they could possibly ask for, but I’ve also seen children who ask for nothing, and that is all they will ever receive.

We live a world apart. Although I used to take shelter, food, clean water, clothing, healthcare, education, all the so called “little things” for granted before Hero Holiday, the trip opened my eyes to how the other side of the world lives. Considering the living conditions they live in, I believe the true heroes in the world are living in the Dominican Republic.

I met two of these heroes while working on a housing project for Hero Holiday. Kennedy and Jeremy were two of the most amazing teenagers I had ever met. These two boys lived a harsh life; with very little, but they still manage to have a positive attitude. After seeing crumbling houses, starving families and people living without clean water, healthcare and education, I cannot imagine the issues Kennedy and Jeremy have had to deal with just to stay alive. They fight each day to survive, like everyone else in the Dominican, but through all their struggles, they continue to smile. This is why no matter what may be wrong in my life, I am always to smile. Kennedy and Jeremy without any question changed me. I no longer complain about the “little things”. As long as I have a house to live in, food to eat, and access to healthcare and an education, I am happy. I don’t need anything else.

I think if every Canadian teenager had the opportunity to experience a trip like Hero Holiday, they would all be as deeply impacted as I have and perhaps realize how truly heroic people living in third world countries are. To see what I’ve seen and not be changed would be impossible.

It’s heartbreaking to know that people in the Dominican live in shacks made out of tin and cardboard. It’s heartbreaking to see these people struggling to survive on a daily basis. It’s heartbreaking to see a Haitian child in a dump in the Dominican eating the dirt off the ground because that’s all there is to eat. It’s heartbreaking to look in a child’s eyes at an orphanage and be able to feel all their pain and suffering. It’s heartbreaking having to wake up, open your eyes, and suddenly face the reality that not everyone lives like us. For me, this reality was especially hard to face. I took all the “little things” for granted before Hero Holiday, but now I know to cherish every “little thing” I have. I believe this is a lesson all Canadian teenagers need to learn.