To you, it was Sunday, April 16th, 2011 - jus’ a regular ol’ Sunday. But for us Absolute-rs down in Mexico…it was work day number one! And more importantly, for the volunteer paramedics from Vincente Guerrero - it was the first build day of their new centre. This week, we’re […]
Archive for the 'Student Zone' Category
Giving to the Community of Vincente Guerrero, Mexico. SOL Build Day#1.
Published by April 18th, 2011 in School of Leadership, FB, Mexico, Student Zone, Other Sites and Contributors. 0 CommentsSchool Dedication - Penticton Students
Published by April 4th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Mexico, Student Zone, Other Sites and Featured. 0 Comments
Yesterday we got to sleep in so that was a nice change. After breakfast we went back to the build site to dedicate the school. It felt good to be a part of something that could possibly change countless lives. We gave them a better and safer place to be educated and it felt great. After the dedication we got to play with kids for a short while and then we had to say our goodbyes. It was very hard to let go of our new friends that taught us so much about life. We came down to build them a school and a family a house. We built 
so much more than that, friendships and memories that we will always carry with us. We built them a new life. Later that day we went to the orphanage and played games with the kids. Cody and I took part in a game of marbles and got our butts whooped. The imagination and creativity of the children here are so much greater than the ones at home. Everyone has changed a little from being here, all of our hearts have been touched by someone. I will never forget the faces and new friendships I have made. I hope that I can come back one day and see them again.
-Jeremy: Group Participant
Orphanage, Dance Party and Road Trip! - Final thoughts from our Penticton friends
Published by April 4th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Mexico, Student Zone, Other Sites and Featured. 0 Comments
The story of how the orphanage in San Quintin came to be is an inspiring one, a woman turned her life upside down, just to follow her heart and help those in need. Those kind of morals and the passion she had is still displayed today at the mission. We visited the children at the orphanage on Monday, for a few hours we played soccer, jumped rope, painted faces and drew some pretty epic sidewalk chalk masterpieces. It was interesting to see the contrast between the children at the worksites we had been at and those at the orphanage, you can tell that they are in better living conditions and have nicer
clothes. It made me happy to see that they were cared for in such a loving way, and that the people watching over them were there to help and love, these children come to the orphanage with such tragic stories, and have lost their parents through situations that some of us could never imagine. It was a great thing to tour through and see that even though they had been through hard times, they’re in a place of happiness now.
Monday night we had a little bit of a fiesta for Ben, one of the guys who had his birthday during the trip. We broke a piñata, roasted marshmallows and danced to a pretty interesting mix of mariachi and dub-
step. We all enjoyed ourselves, but one of the things that struck me most was the sense of comfort we all found in one another as a group. Coming into this, not a lot of people knew most other people and most socialization consisted of small talk around the dinner table, and shy smiles on the bus. But after just a week and a half together, there was a full throttle dance party happening on the porch, and it was amazing to see.
We’re now heading back, after stopping in Bakersfield Wednesday night, we drove all Thursday night and we’ve finally arrived in Abbotsford. We have duck taped a girl to a seat, given enormous group
goodbye hugs to our newly-made friends and almost made it through a Starbucks drive through in a shopping cart. All in all, we’re a pretty great group of friends now. It’s been really incredible to see how these experiences have affected the people who had never seen or walked through poverty before. Lives have been changed, not only those of the people we have helped, but also those of the ones who have given their time and love to those in need. Its been an awesome trip and I’m so grateful to have experienced it with everyone.
Penticton House Dedication
Published by March 30th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Mexico, Student Zone, Other Sites and Uncategorized. 0 CommentsDedication = a ceremony in which something (as in this case, a house) is dedicated to some goal or purpose. That’s what we did, we built a home for a family for a purpose. A family filled with heart and faith. Seeing the mom’s face when the keys were handed over […]
...continue readingIn Mexico, You Know Everyone
Published by March 30th, 2011 in FB, Participant Blogs, Mexico, Student Zone and Other Sites. 1 CommentAs a first timer, I didn’t know what to expect. I was told all these times, dates, and activities, anticipating what will happen when I get to Mexico. The first day on the bus was already not what I was expecting. When we finally arrived at the Hero Holiday house, it was twelve o’clock […]
...continue readingPenticton Students Head to Mexico For The 7th Consecutive Year!
Published by March 20th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Mexico, Student Zone, Other Sites and Featured. 2 CommentsIt is a pleasure for us to host students from Penticton again this year in Mexico. For the last 7 years they have been 
faithfully coming and have made an incredible contribution, building over 20 homes and a couple of primary schools in the Vicente Guerrero Area.
One of the unique things about this group is that every year they insist of traveling to and from Mexico on our Hero Holiday bus! They can share countless stories with you about the good times on the road together! They left Penticton yesterday morning and were slowed up for a few hours with traffic at the border in the Seattle area. After getting out of that they spent a few hours of the side of the road this morning in Northern California because one of the mountain passes were experiencing some poor weather. They just texted me from
the road a few minutes ago to let everyone know that conditions have improved and they are on the go again. The delays were insignificant and they should still arrive in San Diego this evening as planned. Stay tuned for more updates of their trip, both here and on our Facebook page (FB-Absolute.org).
Not only are we anticipating another successful year of building and fun, but this group has many local friends in Mexico who are eagerly waiting their arrival!
Second Work Day for Carson Graham
Published by March 17th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Dominican Republic, Student Zone, Other Sites and Featured. 0 CommentsOn our second day at our work project, I was asked to carry water to the work site from this big brass or iron tank that 
looked like a submarine. This town does not have any waterlines to it so they have to get water shipped in and stored in large containers like this. It’s hard to imagine life like this…we had to dip the bucket in it and sink it to fill it up. After we took our filled bucket back to the work site it was dumped into a metal barrel. From here the workers could use it to mix cement. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this water transporting job! On our fifth trip back to the water container, Cole told us to place the water buckets on our heads and support it with our hands. All the women who were outside washing their clothes started laughing. I don’t blame them, it was funny! You see Haitian women
everywhere here carrying things on their heads.
In the afternoon we were split into groups of 3 and asked to prepare an English lesson for the local school. My group decided to teach numbers and fruits. Other people taught the colors, animals, and members of the family. It was fun and the students were fast learners. We drew posters and stuff to make our class more interesting. It was cool because some of the students could speak French so were able to speak a bit with them. Over all we had a great day and it is awesome to see the progress our team is making on the washrooms and showers facility.
~ Sophie
The Beginnings of Carson Graham in the Dominican Republic
Published by March 15th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Dominican Republic, Student Zone, Featured, Other Sites and Uncategorized. 0 CommentsFirst Work Day - Summary by student participant Ella:
This morning we went back to La Union for a sports camp. It was fantastic, we brought lots of toys with us such as soccer balls, tennis balls and skipping ropes. It touched my heart to see how much all the kids appreciated these little toys. When we arrived we ventured down the hill to the field and all the kids came out of nowhere and claimed their “gringo” for the day. It made me feel so special how much they loved us all. Our time there was incredibly eye opening. It is amazing to see how happy these kids are when they hardly have anything and they constantly face tragedy in their lives. This really made my problems seem microscopic. We played all morning and when it was time to leave, all the kids were given some small gifts, pencils, candy and tennis balls. Then we said our goodbyes. Which was very hard….
After lunch we went to Chichigua to start our work project - building a shower and washroom facility for the community. I have to say it was back breaking work! We shoveled dirt away from the hole that had been dug to house the refuse. I 
thought about how people have to do this for 10 hours a day. For $7-10 per day…one hour was more than enough for me. After our work, we rotated and were able to sit with the kids and color in the books we brought or play ball. It was really nice. I have started to see things through a new lens. I am really looking forward to discovering more new things about the culture here and gain a better understanding of the struggles the local people face. Plus to see how much this Hero Holiday is going to change me! At the end of the day we all were very tired. So much to think about so far…
Additional Comments submitted by student participant Lucas:
I just got back from the village where we are building the washroom units. It was a tedious task to shovel a pile of rocks and 
dirt away from around the foundation of the building. We had to use shovels and picks to move large and small rocks.
In the morning, we went to the very first village that we went to yesterday and played numerous different sports. There was a boy that loved me and I got lots of pictures of him and I. We played soccer, basketball, frisbee, and I let him use my camera. I have about 25 pics taken by him.
The morning was amazing because I was surprised of how high the kids spirits are despite living in pretty much a dump. The houses are made of metal sheets that rust and disintegrate, leaving holes in roofs and wall panels. Half the houses have no bathroom and some rarely have a kitchen. Sleeping on the floor isn’t uncommon and a lot of the time people suffer from malnutrition. All of that is 15-30 minutes away from our all inclusive resort…it is a shocking difference.
I have really enjoyed trying to communicate with the kids, adults, and the jefe (head) of the villages. My petite French skills are coming in handy at times and I feel like I’m learning tons of Spanish and Creole.
Today was really tough because I wasn’t feeling well at all. My stomach wasn’t where it should have been and I had an upset you know what. Linda, the nurse, gave me Imodium or something along those terms. Feeling better now but still not great. Apparently it’s from the heat and lack of sleep. I had a tough sleep because Vancouver is 4 hours behind and it is hard to fall asleep at 8:00pm Vancouver time.
Last night was karaoke night…it was…interesting. I was able to get my teachers to sing Stop by the Spice Girls. That was hilarious. I sung Imagine by John Lennon with all the other guys. I thought the song suited why we are here. It is 5:10pm ish here and it is still a very nice temperature. I have been getting some color but mainly on my burnt neck.
Loving all aspects of my trip so far! Hugs!
Carson Graham’s First Day in the DR
Published by March 13th, 2011 in FB, Participant Blogs, Dominican Republic and Student Zone. 5 CommentsMarch 12, 2011
Nothing could prepare me for what I was about to see today. The entire day was a constant wave of emotions sweeping me of to new adventures. The first place the trucks took us to was a poor community that was bursting with friendliness, and surprisingly high spirits. Who would have ever guessed […]
Final Thought From the University of Aberta Group In Mexico - ‘Unforgetable’
Published by February 28th, 2011 in Participant Blogs, FB, Social Justice, Mexico, Other Sites, Student Zone and Featured. 0 CommentsHey Everyone!
What an adventure this week has been. It has been filled with so many moving, inspiring, and fun times. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity to bless the lives of a very special family. Yesterday was our last day with Amelia and her kids. What an amazing day! We arrived at the build site at the same time as always and spent the morning setting up the inside of the house and putting some finishing touches on everything. Once was complete and in order, we gathered together with the family outside the house. Each one of us took a moment to say a few words of appreciation and thanks to the family for 
welcoming us into their lives and to share with them how wonderful our experience has been with them. Being able to express all of our love and care for the family was one of the highlights of the day. There were many tears and words of gratitude expressed from our group as well as the family. I felt very proud when Margarito showed himself as the man of the house. He expressed himself with great maturity and humility. After each person had an opportunity to speak Brianna (one of our student leaders) had the privilege of presenting Amelia with the keys to her new home. It was such an exciting moment. We all eagerly waited outside as Amelia and her children entered their new and completed home for the first time. The family took a few minutes to enjoy the experience. The joy and relief that filled their faces confirmed to me that all of the hard work we put in throughout the week was worth it. I will never forget those few moments when they first entered the home. Once the family was able to spend some time in their new home Amelia asked if someone would say a blessing. After cramming everyone into the house I was allowed the honor of saying this blessing. It was, and will remain, one of the most memorable moments of the entire week for me. I feel so privileged to be given the 
opportunity to ask for peace and protection for this family. To share in their desires and hope for the future. I will never forget the strength and faith that Amelia demonstrates each and every day. It is both inspiring and challenging to my life, and I am sure the lives of many others as well.
At the beginning of the week Amelia explained to us that her son, Jose, had passed away at the age of two years old. Earlier in the week our group decided that we wanted to spend some time with Amelia and her family at his grave. After dedicating the home we all piled into vehicles with the family and headed to the grave site. Alexandria was able to say a prayer of comfort for the family. Each of us were able to place some flowers on the grave and spend a few moments honoring Amelia and her son. Amelia made herself so vulnerable to us by giving us the opportunity to share in grief. This seemed to connect us with the family in an unforgettable way. In a way, Amelia made us a part of her family. Once we had finished our time at the grave site we headed back to the house to have lunch with the family. This was such a fun experience. It was so much fun to be able to share a meal with this family that has now come to mean so much to us. We spent our last moments with the family just enjoying each other’s company and making some wonderful memories that will last forever. Finally it was time to say goodbye for the last time. It was a very surreal moment when I realized that this was last time I would see this beautiful family. It was a bittersweet moment. Seeing the joy and gratitude that they expressed was incredibly rewarding. Knowing that we were leaving was heartbreaking. Before leaving we presented Amelia with a collage of photos from the week. She hung it on the wall in her bedroom. It is very humbling to know that my photo is hanging on the wall in the home a beautiful family who have now been given the chance to have a better life. This family has come to mean a great deal to each member of our team and will remain in our hearts always. It is wonderful to know that we will always remain in their thoughts and hearts as well.
My hope and prayer is that Amelia, Margarito, Paulyna, Maria, Jose and Irma will continue to find love, joy and peace in their new home. They have been such a blessing and inspiration to our lives. As we make our way home I am filled a sense of loss as the distance between us and this wonderful family grows. However, no matter how far apart we are, I know that each one of us will remember this experience for the rest of our lives. We will never forget the effect that this family has had on our lives. I trust that the same can be said for them. No matter how far apart we are, or how much time goes by, we are forever connected to this family in a way that is life changing for us and for them. Thank you to Amelia and her family for giving us the privilege of being a part of their lives. We love you all!
- University of Alberta Group Participant, Feb 2011