Today was my first time on a work site and I enjoyed it a lot. Coming into Mexico I had such mixed feelings. I was shocked to see the difference when we crossed the boarder into Mexico from the US. There was a major difference! I was excited and happy to be going to Mexico but was saddened and depressed when I saw the homes and how people live here. I had no idea this morning when I woke up what to expect but I was thrilled with what happens on the work site. We started today with the wall frames and painting. The weather was very hot with a breeze of the ocean, so it was bearable. The people living around the job site were eager to help which I thought was amazing because people in Canada hire people to always do the work for them. Even though we could barely understand each other, we appreciated each others company. I am really looking forward the work we will complete tomorrow.

~ Melissa, a participant here in Mexico

We made it! 8 months ago this was just a fantasy.. but here I am today standing on Mexican soil. And I wouldn’t spend my spring break any other way. So far this experience has been happy, sad, scary, beautiful and just all around amazing. And we still have another week! Everything about Mexico is different than Canada. I am amazed at how lucky we are and how luxurious our lives are compared to the locals here. It has been quite a shock and a good wake up call for me. The people from Hero Holiday have been nothing but wonderful! The SOL students are so great and very welcoming.
Today was our first day of building. It was so much fun to be a part of the building process of a whole school. We got a lot accomplished in just one day. Despite the blistering sun, we managed to get up two walls and cut all the boards for the other two walls and the roof, which we will build tomorrow. Along side many of the local mothers and children we painted the trim and doors a vibrant blue to match their vibrant personalities.
Now its time for dinner (tacos!) and some Rn’R…

~Anna, enjoying Mexico

We arrived in Mexico last Monday at midday. we had previously boarded the plane through Allegiant Air. It was beautiful, the clouds looked like giant marshmallows, the sky bright and shinning as we flew over the tiny cities bellow. After the flight we arrived in San Diego and took the white bus to a Mexican buffet. Then, after we were stuffed and ready to relax, we were driven to the KOA campground where we had fun in the pool and then slept over in their log cabins. When we arrived in Mexico at the Hero Holiday house we were introduced to the other student leaders, most of them we already knew. It was a happy reunion, there were a lot of stories to be retold of one another’s experiences. The next day we began the build at the first house. We were introduced to the family, the father, mother, and their five children, the youngest being only a month old.

 We started by building the four walls and the roof the first day; then, because of the rough winds we had to leave raising the four walls and the roof until the second. We shingled the roof on the third, and did the finishing touches on the fourth day, all the while playing and being entertained by the kids and the local Mexican people. Some of us went to the school for ESL and taught English, we were given instruction from the student leaders and Teachers.
Last night we had A dance party at Don Diego’s with another group from Victoria .The them was 80’s. It was a blast!

Today we built a building for one of the churches in town. It was up by 2:00 pm. The Mexican people there helped build it with us and afterward they painted it with us as well. It was a fast build. It was so much fun playing with the kids and interacting with the people there. At lunch time we were served hot tamales and noodle salad while watching some of the church members and kids perform. They used tambourines and danced to the rhythm of the Latino based christian music. It was all in spanish. Even though most of us, including myself, could not understand it, it was still very beautiful and moving. We finished and headed back home for dinner.

Now I am here writing this to you and hoping tomorrow is just as amazing as today. Thank-you for reading and good tidings, your fellow Hero Holiday volunteer,
Lisa Marie Dianne Brunin. =)

The drive down was amazing with a stop for Taco’s along the way.

It is soooo greeeen down here - so much rain but unfortunately serious wash outs everywhere.

We are now settled in at the Hero Holiday House and enjoying the “home” atmosphere.

The weather is windy, damp and chilly but the “bus boggin” is great.

The house building has begun and the TEAM is awesome. The roof panels and walls were completed and tomorrow the house will rise from the ground and either stand or be carried off in the wind currents.

One amazing event today was the witnessing of Jim working as it was too dusty for him to see the rake handle to lean on. However, it was reassuring to see him understand the nature of the work. Way to go Jim. Clark, you would have been proud of him.

Well, as you can see we are not having much fun but this TEAM is truly amazing and today they proved their worth through the building and ESL teaching at the school.

Stay tuned for more amazing stories.

Les Clarke - Group Leader

Between yesterday and today, the houses have been pieced together rapidly. Lots of hard work, painting and sawing have brought the group two standing houses. Everyone is experimenting with different ways to help out; whether it be playing with the kids, roofing or helping with the interiors. The work days so far have been amazing, and it is very fulfilling to see everyone working together as one well oiled machine. This experience has me doubting that any of us will ever be able to forget this community and the families within. Each member of this town is doing what they can to help; the kids are always eager to help paint to their maximum height and parents willing to help us communicate. Piggy-Back after piggy-back we are creating trust and relationships with these kids despite the language barrier. Weather tonight canceled our evening activity of candy and beach time, but an interesting group discussion had everyone soon forgetting the sugar craze. Readers, I challenge you to balance your wants and needs and see how those may fluctuate to those of something living in the conditions of a developing area.

Until Tomorrow, Greer C-W

To see more pictures, click here.

Morning came all to soon for some of us, but thankfully after a kick start of caffeine we were out the door…Maybe a little too quickly. Upon boarding the bus Charles asked for everyone to have their passports on hand for our arrival into Mexico. So here I was, settled into the bus and ready to go when I realized my passport was not on hand. Not only was my passport not on hand, it wasn’t anywhere in my hotel room, nor was it in my bag, Sam’s or Emily’s. After a mild panic attack and belongings sprawled across the Best Western parking lot, Brett (our driver and other facilitator) called the airport to track down my missing identification. A quick phone call later we were informed the Alaska Airways staff wouldn’t be able to look around for about an hour. Not taking no for an answer off we went to the airport, and thankfully along the way we got a phone call and YES my passport had been found on the plane. Turns out I did return my tray table to the upright and locked position but however I did not check the seat pocket in front of me. Lesson learned. (Sorry mom and dad, lots of love…Greer)

After the morning mishap, the bus full of tired travelers started the journey to the Mexican border crossing.  San Diego had clean streets and structured houses, giving no foresight into what we would encounter on the other side of the border.  At the crossing we were unloaded from our bus for a random bag search, initiated from a button that picked the lucky travelers to be investigated by armed military forces.  After the border we finally saw the poverty that we were expecting.  Dirt roads, broken down houses and rusty cars were the beginnings to this huge eye-opening experience.  In one case, the fences in Tijuana were bordered with makeshift glass in place of wire. The bus ride was both fascinating and saddening. Our home here is in divvied into a girls and boys dorm which we should probably be heading to sleep soon in. It is 10:20 p.m. which means lights out! We will report more tomorrow, about the families and constructing of the houses.

Hasta Manana!

Layla, Britny, Greer and Angela

   The build at Adoffo Lopez Mateos is now completed! The last couple days were very busy for our team. Thursday we put the roof panels on, and then the asphalt roofing. This took awhile because of the sizing on the panels needed to be adjusted but together under Randy, Brett, and Andrew’s guidance for the 5 of us, all hammering like crazy, got everything done on time. I have went on the Hero Holiday in 2007 but only got as far as the ladder. I was too chicken to walk out on the roof. This year I was brave and took those steps off the ladder. Not only did I help nail down the roof but got to enjoy the breeze and amazing view! 

  The rest of Thursday and Friday we finished putting the inside walls up, painting, also painting the bano and shower, putting in the windows and doors and a lot of finishing touches. Randy’s boots after 14 years of loyal service have finally hit the dust during this build and rather then scrap them entirely he used duct tape to hold them together, so maybe they will make it to 15 years. 

   Now today, we put everything together in the house- all the beautiful things that were sent down from Canada and additional items for the family bought at the Mexican Wal-Mart. The beds were complete with frames, mattresses and beautiful handmade quilts. The family and we builders enjoyed a wonderful dedication together, along with tears and hugs of appreciation from all. Then Marcia turned over the keys to Anastasia who opened the door and the family went in to see everything. The game of checkers were a real hit. The strawberries in a lovely keepsake dish from Lance and Pat were also a favorite.The family then introduced us to a special sit down with home made Mexican soup. The skies then opened up and the rain came down. Just as we finished. Now this family has a safe and dry place to get away from the rain. 

   Tonight we gathered at Don Diego’s and reminisced about what the high points were during the week as well as feasted on our last meal in Mexico. What a great trip.

~ Nora, a participant headed home from a Mexico Hero Holiday

Timeline:

• January 15 - We arrived in Port-au-Prince to assist the orphanages which we support. We spent five days helping and assessing the best ways we could be a support to both them and the families which they are now helping to survive.
• January 21 - We reached out to our Absolute network to assist in helping those we are connected with in Port-au-Prince and you responded with compassion and love.
• February 3 - We left for Port-au-prince with the first $10,000 raised for Haiti through Absolute. In The Dominican Republic we filled a commercial truck with approx. $8,000 worth of aid.
• February 5th - We were delivering the aid to the orphanages and tent cities.

 Aid supplies (approximately)

• 200 cases of water
• 400 packs of rice
• 400 bottles of oil
• 400 bags of ban
• 600 bars of soap
• 1000 pack of soup mix
• 900 roles of toilet paper
• 1000 packs of cookies and crackers
• 6 cases of milk
• 600 packs of pasta
• 400 small bags of detergent
• 300 cans of sardines
• 900 bags if corn mix
• 5 Large tarps
• 2 tents
• 6 Large boxes of medical supplies. (donated by servant heart min.)
• 4 boxes of clothes (donated by Servant’s Heart Ministries)
• 500 candles
• 2200 Honda generator

Other Giving and Expenses

• $1600 went to support the orphanage (orphanage staff, orphanage vehicle maintenance, baby supplies and orphanage bills)
• $400 went to pay translators, travel expenses, border fees, and other misc. items needed for this project

The Aid was divided into 4 different places: two different tent towns, the orphanage and a displacement camp.
Most of the tent towns we delivered aid to hadn’t seen any aid yet. Absolute is now preparing for our Hero Holiday in Haiti for May. We will also be working with participants on the boys orphanage, installing doors, building a kitchen and replacing a roof on the children’s school.

With excitement, our team left our San Diego hotel and boarded the Hero Holiday coach bus for Vicente Guerrero, Mexico. The border going into Mexico went quite smooth – get off the bus, pick up your suitcase, and walk across the border. But push the button first to see if you were randomly picked for a search. The only person who got a red light was me! I was absolutely delighted to discover that I had not grabbed my suitcase, it was Blair’s. No problem. A fairly quick stop in Ensenada for a bite to eat and purchases for our house. Then continued the great trip down the Baja and surprised to see it is verdant green! The peninsula had been inundated with rain in January, which ruined the bean crop near Guayabitos on the mainland and some of the strawberry crop in the Baja. The rain also wiped out a few bridges along the highway south. One passage way we forded and the other was being “filled in” with dirt (ingenuity). The rain also caused most of the villages to become mud bogs, so getting in and out was an adventure (Alan, we needed your dune buggy!). The water just sits on the top layer of the compacted soil so it is not going away soon.

Tuesday, February 23rd.

With our Hero Holiday hosts, Andrew and Dawn, we took a 40 minute bus ride out to our building site. Our team has grown to 14 people: Nora from Princeton, Lance from Kelowna, Randy, Art and Marcia from Summerland, Elisa from Kamloops and Blair from Kaleden/Penticton as well as 6 participants in the SOL (School of Leadership) and their fearless leader Brett. Our new extended Mexican family quite excited to see us, Grandfather age 81, Grandmother 70, madre Anastasia (mom), her sister Fortunada, Anastasia’s son Carlos, 12, son Jiovanni, 11; daughter Alexandra, 9; and son Sevastian, 4. Our first day on the work site was productive. We completed: 4 roof panels (and painted); 3 ½ walls; a partially dug hole for the bano (outhouse for you gringos); fascia painted (by grandfather, little girls, and Nora); some long boards that I have no idea what they are for (also painted). But most of this done by our crew and the SOL class. Roberto has been hired by us to dig the hole as no-one in the family is physically able to do this hard task. I am unclear on the amount this will cost (perhaps $60. USD), but it is great to have Roberto there for translating, particularly medical problems, as Sandiego and Andrew had to leave for a medical crisis elsewhere. Grandfather has been told by a doctor that he needs hearing aids. I think we have arranged to get him to a clinic tomorrow to see about this, as well as change his catheter. Hopefully we can have Alexandra’s cleft palette receive some attention . Grandmother, Sabrina is a wonderful gardener. When I showed a little interest in her garden she took me around and showed me each plant – and named it! I surprised her when I gave her the Spanish name for cilantro. “Cilantro” I said. Same, same! Several peach trees decorated her garden which she started by seed. She offered me a few of her bedding plants but I pantomimed that I could not get them back to Canada. I wish I had brought some of my heritage seeds. We were taken to a Taco stand for supper.

Wednesday, February 24th

Work completed: Four walls and the roof went up today, bano built, a free standing shower house that looks exactly like the bano on the outside but more like a sauna on the inside (slatted floor, 4 walls, no bench). The rule for showers is a BYOW “bring your own bottle of water” policy. The Bano hole is down about 6 feet. Supper at  John’s Place: Roasted chicken, salads. Yummy!

Wednesday was very different for me. At our request, Andrew loaded Santiago, me, Modesto (grandfather), Anastasia (mother) and Alexandra (9 year old daughter) into the van and headed to the clinic in the Orphanage in Vicente Guerrero for medical help for Modesto and Alexandra. Both were seen quickly by Ellie, a very helpful nurse. Modesto’s needs attended to quickly and also a referral to a hearing doctor in Ensenada and for Alexandra, a booking for cleft palette reconstruction May 7 also in Ensenada. At this point, all travel is arranged!!! Santiago received a date and time for Modesto at the hearing doctor – so we all leave early tomorrow for his 11:00am appointment. Meanwhile, back at the ranch… Two purple “outhouse” looking structures are looking very spiffy!

~ A participant on the Okanagan Group’s Hero Holiday

Our first impression of being here is that of humbleness. This experience really puts our lifestyles into perspective and I must admit that I’m a little embarrassed to have complained for the things I’ve acquired in the past. There are so many lessons to be learned here. I have come with intentions to help these people, which we no doubt are accomplishing, but what I did not expect was to be so personally challenged myself.

The children here are all incredible. For the first while, they were so shy they would giggle and run away at the sight of us. However, after playing some games and bribing them with so many capuchis (piggy-backs), we finally gained their trust and hugs. It was common to pick out rusted tuna cans and twisted wires from the roads where we were playing soccer. Surely, I have never appreciated the soft green grass we have back in Canada more then I do now.

One question that I am wrestling with minute by minute is: “Do I really have to leave this place?”

- A Humble Canadian

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 21st, 2010 from 12-5PM
@ Ancaster Community Center
(385 Jerseyville Rd W, Ancaster)

Professional stylists
from Ancaster,
Burlington &
Hamilton salons
……………
Cut & Style:
Adults $25
Children $15
(12 and under)

We have been in Mexico  for less then a week and have been helping at a few schools that were constructed in the middle of a river bed. On Saturday we worked along side the Mexican military digging out fences, and cleaning out two one room schools. We mopped the floors, cleaned the walls and cleaned toys.  Unfortunately, due to all the water damage we had to throw away alot of the lesson plans and the kids’ work books as well as their school supplies.

It is incredible to see how the weather can cause so much damage, so quick.

School of Leadership Students - Spring 2010

Hope for Haiti. Hope for another school. Hope for your school. All at the same time

Your school can start a chain-reaction of hope for Haitians! By giving 1 hour of your school’s time for a motivational benefit assembly you will be making a life-changing difference in 3 places: in Haiti, in your school, and in another school of your choice!

Here is how it works:

1. To start the chain, Absolute will contribute our Think Day assembly free of charge to your school.
2. What you might normally pay for such a presentation is instead used in a 100% charitable cause:
   1. 50% or more (depending on size of donation) to help the Haitian people in an incredibly direct and tangible way (read about it here). If you have another charity that you would prefer to give money for Haiti to, we will still work with you!
   2. 50% to “pay it forward”, relaying the impactful presentation to the next school (that you choose), thereby continuing the chain reaction.
3. You might also consider using this event in combination with, or to spearhead or wind up a school fundraising campaign! More fundraising will create a higher percentage of money for Haiti (as our touring costs will remain fixed).
4. Check our website to see how far your chain goes, and how much it raises!

Why you should participate:

1. Absolute’s Think Day is Canada’s leading motivational presentation and is unrivaled in relevancy and effectiveness. It features a live band, inspirational media, and motivational speakers in a concert level production. In addition to all the good that is being generated for Haiti, there will be a powerful message of hope and purpose for your students, and for the school that you pay it forward to.
2. Grass-roots efficiency. Money for Haiti goes directly to very tangible needs and effective projects - not to the potential bureaucracy of a large NGO. We will provide your school with direct reports and updates on how the money is being used for good, and will answer any question you have on it!
3. A simple and practical way for your school to feel that they are making a strategic response to one of the worst tragedies of our time.
4. Snowball Effect. Relaying this campaign to the next school, your school can track how much good is happening down the line!
5. Exponential Philanthropy! This is creating good for Haiti by doing something good for schools in your community. You can feel great about investing your school’s money or fundraising efforts to make a difference in 3 ways at once!

Why is Absolute doing this?
Absolute has been working alongside Haitians for over 5 years in our humanitarian work. Our hearts go out to many Haitian friends that have experienced unspeakable loss. We have seen the devastation ourselves, having volunteers on the ground within 2 days of the earthquake. It is worse than the media can even convey. This is our humble attempt to do what we can, with the resources we have (ie. a great motivational presentation), to help the people we love, in way that is actually going to get to them. We challenge you to join with us to start a Chain Reaction of Hope!

How to participate:

Email us at bookings@absolute.org or call our office at 1-866-432-4464 and talk to Mandy, our Bookings Coordinator, and we will help you get started.

Just wanted to let you know that our Absolute people who are on the ground in Port au Prince, Haiti have confirmed that our friends at the orphanages we work with are in fact, all alive and accounted for. However, they have all suffered much loss as they have lost friends and family in the rubble around them, not to mention lack of proper shelter, etc.

Today, our Absolute members helped people who were still trying desperately to reach their family members who had been buried deep beneath the rubble. There is little hope of any survival at this point, but one can always hope for a miracle.  We have two nurses from our Hero Holiday arm that have taken it upon themselves to get there and are now on the ground, helping out where they can.

Our hearts are grieving with all of our friends who have lost those closest to them. Frantzo, one of our Hero Holiday Dominican Republic translators has lost 5 members alone and yet he is beside our team, helping to dig through the rubble. This is what it is to be the hands and feet of compassion and we are honored to work alongside of so many Haitian people such as him.

There is great need for tarps, mosquito nets and basic needs of survival for thousands upon thousands of people. If you want to help us, you can go to our homepage and donate at www.absolute.org/donate.

We are also encouraging people to give to the Red Cross, World Vision and St. Joseph’s Home for Boys.

We will continue to keep you updated as we much as we are able to. Thanks for your support, encouragement and prayers.

I have been quite impressed by the volumes of messages and emails I have been receiving from people who want to do something to help. Everyone’s heart is broken for this nation and no one wants to sit by and let the people of Haiti deal with this disaster by themselves. Absolute has been directly involved with an orphanage of 60+ children in Port-au-Prince run by a man we know and love named David. You can read all about him in our 52 blog: http://52.absolute.org/2009/04/19/what-do-you-do-with-a-lost-pearl/. Currently, we have not been able to contact David or anyone connected to his orphanage. Some volunteers of Absolute have decided to jump into action and travel directly to where the orphanage is (or once was…) to make sure that all the children are safe and taken care of. Once this is done they will assess if there is something that Absolute can do to take care of our extended family. We will keep you posted on the progress of the team and will let you know if there is anything you can do to help.

Please keep an eye on our website and facebook page (absolute.org) for more updates. Thank you for your concern and desire to help.  To give towards this pressing need please contact our office, or donate online here.

Hero Holiday is traveling to Haiti in May 2010. Check out the trip details on our website: http://heroholiday.absolute.org/haiti

Check out our 52 story on the earthquake: http://52.absolute.org/2010/01/14/but-a-breath/

**UPDATE: Absolute has received word that the children at the orphanage are all safe and accounted for. This is great news! We are going to hear from our volunteers as to how their homes are but will keep you informed.

The family made us fresh duck with beans and salad for yet another meal together!  It is pretty incredible to be on the receiving end of such generosity and sacrifice.

During the dedication the crew from Canada presented the family with: beds, dressers, blankets, shoes, stove, propane, groceries, dishes and kitchenware, chickens, a bike for dad, two fruit trees, ten chickens and some other misc items.  Needless to say, the family was speechless.

Today is our last day in Mexico and we are heading out this morning to see the family for one last time.  Even though we are heading back to Canada tomorrow, this family will always be dear to our hearts.  This has been a Christmas like no other for all of us. It has been so amazing to be a part of giving the gift of a hope and a future to a family in desperate need.   To all of you back home who helped to make this possible, thank you again!

After a hearty breakfast, we played what some call, “Yankee Christmas”. This is where each person brings a gift (between $5 - $10) and when your number is called, you either pick a present from under the tree or steal someone’s. Lots of good laughs as everyone decided that whatever gift Vaden chose, they would steal. Once all the gifts had been distributed, we opened them to find lots of fun souvenirs. Joy got a Monkey playing a guitar made from a coconut. Here is more of her thoughts from the rest of our day’s activities:

Today we revisited one of my favorite villages that we have helped in many pasted Hero Holidays. The reason we keep coming back is because of the wonderful children that live there. Their community is so welcoming and well behaved that I feel need to visit each time I am in the Dominican Republic. After lunch, our group of 14 brought along soccer and baseball equipment to start a sports camp. As we drove into town in our open back truck, we caught the attention every child on the narrow road. We hopped of the truck and started picking up children here and there and skipped through the entire village. After collecting all the children we could find, we lead them to an open field to start our afternoon of games.

We had the most amazing time blowing bubbles and coloring with the girls as a majority of the boys were playing soccer or baseball. It was a fun filled day but it did not just end with our sports camp. Later that night, after dinner, we returned to the village to show a movie. We had brought a projector with us from Canada so it was like being in an open air movie theater. Ice Age 3, Dawn of the Dinosaurs, was a huge hit, which we measured by the amount of laughter from both child and adult alike. The smiles on all the people made us proud of what we had accomplished on our trip. Every time we show up at a place with our arms wide open to hold the kids, it touches the lives of many individuals, including our own.

As we sit down to our gift exchange this morning, these words still ring in my head.  Last night the family we are building for made us a Christmas dinner.  While we were there with them, sitting around a bonfire, the mother informed us of what a normal Christmas is like for them.  The difference between ‘normal’ for them and ‘normal’ for us is incredibly unfair.  We were all left in awe, amazement, frustration and yet still enjoyed a weird sense of peace and fulfillment at the same time.  What we experienced last night is something that we will never find the right words to describe.Welcome to our Christmas Hero Holiday in Mexico.  We have people here from ON, MB, SK, AB, and BC!  Even though we all come from different provinces, are different ages and have different hobbies and interests, the one common unbreakable bond that we share is a heart to help a family who cannot help themselves.  I could go on for hours explaining the challenges this family faces here.  They have never known the simple things in life like justice, equality, opportunity or hope.

This Christmas is not only one that this family will remember forever, it is one that we will all remember forever as well!

To all of you back in Canada who helped make this possible, thank you!  There are so many people that could not be here with us right now, but who have all contributed in one way or another to making this house build possible for this family.  We are grateful for your generosity and the family we are building for also passes on their unexplainable gratitude.

Check out more pictures here.

Our second day (Dec 22) we awoke to rain yet again, but decided that this was not going to hold us back. We went to our work project and worked happily in the rain. On the way to Agua Negra, we stopped at a store and all bought rain coats and boots. People laughed because we looked like one big group of giant bananas (and it was true we were laughing too)! That day we completed one of the cement floors and built up the walls for new roof for the other house. What we all found to be cool was that the single mom of the house getting the new roof and floors, was right out there working with us. She worked so hard and was so grateful for the things we were doing for her family. After dinner and debriefing, our team played a very fun and expressive game of shuraids.

Here is a blog from one of our Participants, Melissa, on her second day at Agua Negra (December 23rd)

Today was the most rewarding day of the trip so far. In the morning we arrived at the Agua Negra community centre to be greeted by countless children all jumping, singing, and smiling. Each one of them filled with excitement for the Christmas party that was about to begin. We were able to play and dance with the kids as we helped to hand out lunches and a gift to each child (approximately 200 children!). Being able to bring happiness to the childrens’ day was a major highlight of the trip and also brightened our otherwise rainy day.
We were also able to see the concrete floor that we had completed the day before all dry and ready for the owners to move back into their house. It looked like a completely different house! In the afternoon we finished the second house we were working on, with the help of local contractors and friendly neighbours. The people of Agua Negra were so welcoming and greatly appreciate of our work. It was a bitter sweet day because although we finished our two projects, we also had our last trip to Agua Negra. The smiling faces and generosity is something that will be remembered by each member of our team.

I am happy to tell you that the rain has stopped as of 7pm December 23rd. On Christmas Eve our team enjoyed a day off. We took some time to go the markets on the beach to purchase $5 - $10 gifts for our gift game tomorrow morning. In the afternoon, our team got the chance to hangout on the beach and get some sun. Now we can come home to our friends and family with a tan and proof that we were somewhere warm!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here are some things we are looking forward to…

• Hannah…I am looking forward to meeting the family…climbing the volcano…building the house…and moving the furniture into the house!!
• Riley…I am excited about building the house.
• Zach…I am excited about being able to build a house for the family.
• Brad…I am excited to be a part of this group as we bring joy, happiness, and peace to the family in Mexico as we build them a new home. I am also looking forward to building stronger relationships with the group.
• Kathryn…I am very excited to meet the family! I am looking forward to loving this family and everyone else we will meet on this trip.
• Savannah…I cannot wait to make a difference in these people’s lives and see the change that we can be in the world!
• Ashton…I’m excited about tons of stuff….driving down to San Diego, building the house, meeting the family, climbing the volcano, seeing our family from last year, seeing Santiago, Roberto and Charles and his family again, meeting the 4 girls that are joining us in Mexico… etc.
• Jackson…I’m excited for another adventure…I am excited to meet new people…to have a long-lasting impact on the family…to utilize my photography skills…and party!!
• Barb…I am excited about so many things…building a house for a family and starting a change in their lives from this Christmas on…we are excited to give them hope for the future…I can’t wait to meet them and love them…I’m also looking forward to seeing some of our friends again…can’t wait to see Santiago and Roberto and ‘most’ of the Robert’s family…I also can’t wait to get a hug from the family who we built the house for last year…they touched our lives and I just want to see them again!!
• Kerry…a million things…seeing our efforts and money multiplied…spending time with old friends…making new friends…our team being brought together in a way that will last for a lifetime…the drive…the scenery…the beaches…the  culture…the food…
  
• Danae…I am excited because I am looking forward to escaping all the materialism of the Christmas season to give a family the Christmas gift of a lifetime.
• Kyle…I am excited to go to Mexico because I do construction every day but now I have an opportunity to do this for God and for people who are really in need.

I was lucky to get to join the students as they worked together to pass on the Holiday Cheer. Our first morning, we were working in the facilities kitchen where they prepare meals for all their volunteers (and it was yummy!), and serve a hot meal to anyone in the community who needs it. We were told that they can serve between 275 - 500 meals a day. Now, keep that number in mind when you think of how many potatoes are needed in one week to feed that many people because we peeled it! It was not really that bad because it was a great time for us to talk and have peeling contests (Cory was the fastest, but Kayla was close behind). After we finished, in record timing, we were in the kitchen cleaning carrots and wrapping sandwiches.

That afternoon we worked in the Good Shepherds “Christmas Store Program”. The Christmas Store, now in its 17th year, is a valued Good Shepherd program. For 14 days the Food Bank at the Good Shepherd’s Warehouse is transformed into the Christmas Store, where more than 2,000 vulnerable families can collect a Christmas Hamper containing special Christmas groceries, winter hats and mitts, and toys for the children. Us girls (Bri, Kayla, and I) joins some lovely elderly ladies in pre packing some grocery bags. We had quite the assembly line going and were singing while we packed. The boys (Cory, Brandon, Chad, and JP) help each of the customers pack all their goodies and bring it out to their taxi or rides. They were the happiest “bag boys” I have ever seen.

Our second day at the Good Shepherd was spent upstairs in the warehouse organizing toys, gum, and clothes. We were really impressed with the donations that the Good Shepherd received. Companies really showed their generosity to the people of Hamilton who need help. We finished the day off with working at the Christmas store again. At the end of the each of our days we walked home with smiles that could not be stolen. Each of us felt the necessity and joy of helping others and loved every moment of being able to help.

Here are some things that the SOLs had to say about their experience.

 All with huge smiles on our faces, the energy of the other volunteers and the clients, made our days go by fast. Not only did me meet a lot of awesome people, we all grew and learned new things about ourselves. I’m hoping if i ever have any more time off to go back and visit and help where we are needed! ~ Kayla

I met a lot of really nice clients of the Good Shepherd who were some of the most grateful people I’ve met so far here in the HAMMER. All though these people have been down on there luck and have to resort to a shelter. It was so amazing to see how gracious people can be and how lending a helping hand can make someones Christmas an enjoyable one. Helping out at Good Shepherd has actually helped me remember that this Christmas there is more happiness in giving than in receiving. ~ Cory

If you are wondering if you should volunteer some where this holiday season, then believe me, you will love it! It is a simple way to make a difference in the lives of others and to bring back into focus the true meaning of Christmas. GIVING!

Hope you have a Safe and Happy Christmas and New Years!

Nettie Brown
School of Leadership and Hero Holiday Administrator

We’ve got a great offer for you this Christmas season!

ONE: A Face Behind the Numbers, Vaden Earle’s best-selling book on social justice issues, is available for a limited time for only $15!

It’s a great Christmas gift, with all proceeds going to Absolute and Hero Holiday’s charitable projects, (www.absolute.org), and is even printed on environmentally friendly paper!

If you buy 5, we’ll even pay the shipping!

Order online by clicking here or call all our office (1-866-432-4464). Order by Friday, December 11th, in order to ensure delivery by December 24th.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Absolute

When he was 13, Cory’s dad was killed in a tragic accident. Lost and hurting, Cory began to drift and alienate himself from his family and friends, falling into the abyss of alcohol and drug abuse. When he was 16, in desperation Cory’s mom talked him into joining Absolute on a Hero Holiday to Mexico for his spring break. He reluctantly agreed, not yet fully understanding what was about to happen.

As fate would have it, Cory ended up with a team that built a house for an incredible Mexican family. They were able to move from a shelter of tarpaulins, sticks, and cardboard, and were put into a beautiful new home with clean beds, warm blankets, and a dignity that comes with knowing you are safe. But this family had one thing in common with Cory that he wasn’t counting on: this family had recently lost their dad in an accident as well. As Cory stood outside their house that day, helping to present them with the keys to their new home that he had personally helped to construct, something changed in him. Hope took on a new perspective. Cory’s eyes were opened to what life can look like and to what he can be a part of. That day as that family was lifted out of some of the acute pains of poverty, Cory returned to Canada with a new resolve: to be a part of the change that can happen here at home. Today, Cory is a student in Absolute’s School of Leadership, traveling across Canada and sharing his experience to hundreds of thousands of Canadian youth, telling them that there is a hope and greater purpose to live for. Today, that Mexican family is still safe in their home, and still moving forward to build a better future.

Cory’s story reminds me that together, change is possible. Absolute is committed to bringing hope to a generation and helping them to realize the incredible power of their lives. This is only possible because of financial donors such as yourself. …. (continued on other side)

This holiday season, would you consider partnering with us to help us build more homes for families such as this one and help us to reach more “Corys” that are the future of our nation?

• Your one time gift of $50 or $100 can help us to continue to commit to building safe, efficient homes for the families that desperately need it most. In the year ahead, with the help of our financial partners, we are hoping to reach many more students like Cory and build many more houses for families such as this one.
• Would you consider a one time donation to our 2009 campaign in the name of a family or friend? The recipient of your gift will receive a post project report showing them the impact of their gift and you will receive a tax receipt for that you can apply to your 2009 tax return.
• At the Absolute office we have recently launched a monthly partners program. A monthly contribution of $20, $30 or $50 is all that it takes to help us to continue to provide a safe and happy home for a family in need. Monthly partnership helps us to use each dollar to its maximum effectiveness throughout the year. To become a monthly partner, download our pdf form by clicking here, or sign up faster online by clicking here.
• Please help us end the decade on a high note! Consider joining us on a Hero Holiday in the year ahead. For more information go to www.heroholiday.com.

Absolute has a unique approach to bringing hope and change to our global community, and our financial donors can be assured of the value of their contribution. Every dollar that is donated is essentially used for double effectiveness: the impact can be seen both here at home in a generation that is given hope, perspective, and life direction, and globally as we help to bring hope to the developing world through the houses and schools that we build for those who cannot do it themselves.

Like many other Canadian charities, we are dependant on our donors. We can’t do this alone, nor do we want to. But in Absolute, we truly believe that we are in this together, and that we need each other to succeed. This Christmas, please consider joining with us to make a difference and to give the gift of hope in a tangible way.

Thanks for your time. I hope you have an amazing 2010!

To donate, go to www.absolute.org/donate or call our office at (866) 432 4464.

Christal Earle

Co-founder, Absolute
I’d love to hear from you or answer any questions. Email me at: christal@absolute.org

When we started building this home we could tell there was a lot of love for this family from the community, we always had lots of kids who wanted to play football (soccer) with us and some kids just wanted to help us work. The girls especially loved the paint because it was pink and purple and they would put it on their nails to make it look like nail polish. We also had help from our friends, Mundo and Danny. Mundo is our translator for our English class and Danny is a friend. Together they dug a hole for the bano, they worked really well together and learned a lot from each other. Mundo told us that when he was in the hole digging, he would tell Danny some of his life stories, and when Danny was in the hole digging it was his turn to tell stories. The kids were so happy and playful; they were a constant reminder to us why were there helping out. I really connected with a little girl named Maria, she lived close to the house build. Her father made donuts and pizza so he could make some extra money for his family, but mostly to support his other daughter who has a disability. My team and I made sure to buy donuts from him everyday to help them out. Maria was always happy and excited to see me, she made me realize that it’s the little things that matter in life.

While we were building the house we started thinking of ways that would make it easier for Misiel to get around in his wheelchair. So we built them a shower and also bigger bano so he could easily get his wheelchair in and out. Brett, my leader, also thought of putting bars around his room to make it easier for him to start walking again. When we gave the keys to the house to this amazing family, everyone said some inspiring words and welcomed them to their new home. The mother and daughter had lots of tears, but they thankfully were tears of joy. My mom and her friend decided to buy big bags of rice and beans for them as well, and also at the end of the week we went around and gave little bags of rice and beans to families in the community. So far, this has been my favorite house build. I love that I got to build it with my mom and my new School of Leadership family.

~ Melissa, a School of Leadership student living in Mexico and painter extraordinaire.

We’re excited to announce our 2010 Hero Holiday Calendar, “Together”. This calendar is full of incredible photos taken on Hero Holidays around the world by some of our very own photographers. Included in the calendar are excerpts from our blog, “52″, as well as some great quotes and thoughts on how to make a difference.

The calendar costs $20 and proceeds from the sale of each calendar go towards Absolute and Hero Holiday’s charitable projects.

As I and the rest of the School of Leadership students drove up to the one-room school that day in Mexico, I couldn’t help thinking, what did we get ourselves into?! We walked into the class and you could tell how eager the children were to learn, with their big brown eyes staring up at us we started with the basics (”Hi, how are you?” or “My name is…”). As we walked around the classroom all the children slowly but surely opened their mouths pronouncing the few words we had taught them. There were a few that held back, but after giving them a high five their shy, covered faces exploded into a smile that spread from ear to ear.

There would be times where we would get a little off-topic and the children would chase us around the classroom in a mass-tickle fight, but in the end we were giving them an outlet from the stresses of their daily lives. It is hard to think that children in a kindergarten class carry many burdens, but that became a new reality for us when the teacher asked us if we could come teach English at a later time of day so that the children who work in the fields could attend the classes too.
When we worked in the fields during the shack experience, we saw a few children working in the fields as well, but they acted so mature that I often thought of the children working there as adults. It has become clear that children are being forced into taking on the daily challenges of an average adult in many countries like Mexico and are being robbed of their childhood. We have the power to end the cycle of poverty, but it all comes down to whether we stand together to make a change.

It’s funny because we always think that we are only one person, and how much of a difference can one person make? But once one person decides to do something it creates a chain reaction and soon enough that single person turns into a large group.

~ Laura, a School of Leadership student living, learning, and teaching in Mexico

Outside, the sun is climbing high above the clouds, where it will burn away the ocean mist in time for our twentieth day at the beach this afternoon. Inside our classroom, however, it’s all business. The flies are zipping by our heads, their ranks slowly diminishing as they land on our sticky spiral trap one by one. 

Kelsey reads out the next paragraph about desertification from our Social Justice curriculum. Bryan throws out another random, somewhat relevant interesting fact. Brett relates it back to life in Alberta. Kelsey nods in agreement with him based on life in Saskatchewan. Such is the life in the School of Leadership in Mexico. 

Adrian’s sporadic and worthy points capture the attention of every soul. Laura has attended conferences relevant to any topic, or at least can relate it back to her work with Tim Horton’s or UNICEF. Melissa wants to create changes in her life at home. Roxy thinks that is great!

Everyone has their place in our blue classroom and no topic is learned disinterestedly. I know we all look forward to it, and understand its importance. This is the stuff that will stick with us throughout the rest of our day to day lives. As we’re in line for a Timmy’s coffee, as we get handed our pay stub, as we question our life direction (as I find myself doing every day), and as we pass a retching homeless man in the street, we will remember.

We have the choice to live like we were never here, but unless we suffer catastrophic brain damage; we will never truly forget all the life changing, eye opening class time in our Mexican classroom.

1. Not to go back to “normal” life.
2. Always remember the plight of the poor.
3. Do whatever is in my power to help those that need it.
4. Continually educate myself on issues facing our world.

Since the start of the school year, it has been exciting to hear all that amazing things our 34 members have been doing in their local communities. Many have contacted their local newspapers and got their stories of the summer out for everyone to hear, or made sure that their school had our high school presentation, Think Day, visit for all the students to hear our life changing message, others have gotten involved in all kinds of social justice programs offered at their school. One common theme among our members is that they can not just sit back and do nothing.

One student who I would like to highlight is Chantal. Chantal is the kind of student you meet and know she has a heart of gold. She is full of compassion and truly loves to help those in need. Since traveling to the Dominican this past summer, Chantal has gone home with a passion in her heart and memories of those she met and helped during her travels. She has used this as fuel in stepping out raising $400 through a garage sale fund raiser for a community project in the Dominican Republic. She does not plan to stop there and has many other fund raisers to come. Feel free to click on the attached news articles to read all about her exploits.

A BIG Thank you to Chantal and all of our Hero Network members who have worked really hard to reach all of their goals.

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try”.

If you are interested in becoming a Hero Network member please email: info@heroholiday.com.

The families from the two houses that you completed are still doing really well. I am sure they would LOVE a visit from you all again one day.

Please click here to check out some more pictures! Feel free to post any comments to this blog for everyone to see, or send me an email anytime.  I would love to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Charles Roberts

Team #1:
It has almost been a month since we have left for our tour from our base in Hamilton (aka the Hammer). Nine very individual people set of to somehow to change the world. Our team is filled with four superb band members from Hundredfold (Terrence, Jon, Alex and Réjean), three wonderful School of Leadership students from Penticton B.C (Kayla, Cory and Bri (which is me), and two of the best leaders imaginable (Adam and Lindsay). Our tour has had many ups and only a few downs (especially in temperature, Newfoundland is cold!). But the amazing thing is, when a downer occurs not one of us didn’t make the best of it. From our first challenge as a road team, the bus getting stuck on the side of the road in Ottawa for seven hours, due to an accidental gas/diesel issue, to playing drums in the middle of the boonies in New Brunswick. We have stuck together and had a blast doing it!
We have been through it all, but I couldn’t imagine anyone else I would want to go threw it with. We currently only have two more weeks on the road, and honestly I don’t know if I can go back into my routine. Once you get used to the company of nine people there’s definitely a good chance of withdraws. Life on the road is well….unexplainable, quite the adventure. But one thing is for sure…we’re a family, and road trips wouldn’t work without the right people.

~ Brianna, a School of Leadership Student

Team #2:
Our team has been touring western Canada for about 3 weeks now. We have had many adventures so far: breaking down in the mountains, finger painting, CSLC, and bowling in churches. You may be thinking… bowling… in a church? What’s wrong with this picture? We were playing in their gym and found these little plastic bowling pins and a baseball. So for the rest of our time there, whenever we had free time, we bowled, and got quite good at it if I don’t say so myself. We have met so many awesome people along the way, and I am really excited to see what’s going to happen next. We have had the chance to perform in some pretty awesome towns and cities, at some pretty amazing schools that seem to be stoked on us being there. I have already learned so much about myself in such little time thanks to this tour, it has helped me learn to try new things, and to be open to new and exciting opportunities. Being on this tour has showed me what my true calling in life is, to help people. I have had an amazing time getting to know my team and the people supporting us and I am really excited to keep going and to see what comes next.

~ Chad, a School of Leadership Student

I can honestly say, this past Thanksgiving weekend was the most eventful of my life. Now imagine this, you are driving through the beautiful Rockies in BC and you are having the time of your life with the best team ever. When suddenly you start to feel a little sick, you just think “OK, I guess I am getting a little car sick - nothing big.” You try and get past that because you are on your way home for thanksgiving dinner with your family (Our tour bus stopped in the town where I am from for the weekend). I was dreaming of turkey and stuffing my face with pumpkin pie when I heard a noise coming from the bus. A noise you never want to hear in the middle of no where… especially when it is -10 outside. As our bus come to a clinking stop, instantly pictures from the movie, “Alive” popped in my head. Ek! Our driver gets out of the bus to see what’s wrong and he finds out we have a broken belt that is a main part of the engine. The bad news is we cannot get help until the morning so we have to sleep on a freezing cold bus in the Rockies. Remember how I said I was feeling a little sick, now I was a lot sick. What ever I had eaten before we went threw the Rockies was coming out fast and out both ends (sorry everybody but its true). That was happening all night and into the morning and three pairs of boxers later, it was not the way I had pictured my Thanksgiving weekend. I was finally able to get some sleep but was up very early. In the morning our bus was honestly like a freezer, at one point I had five blankets on me! Luckily there were a few houses near where our bus had broken down and Chad and Ken went and asked one of family’s if they could take us in for a few hours while the pit crew (JP, Ken and Hiona) fixed the bus. On that Thanksgiving weekend we met one of the nicest and generous family’s ever. They took us in and treated all nine of us like family. In the long run I was “OK”. Thanks to the whole team and a great family. Even though it was an intense 20 hours, I will never forget our eventful trip through the Rockies.

~ Brandon, a School of Leadership Student

Adrian: Whether it is clams, rocking, or planting strawberries, it seems to have quite the impact on how I live my life and how fortunate I am to be born in Canada. During the School of Leadership Mexican Shack Experience we had a chance to do all three of these jobs and each one pulled on different strings in my heart and caused me to do something I have not done in awhile … think. I had been on a few Hero Holidays before but never had I understood the full impact of my actions.
As we drove to the clamming, I had a chance to talk with our translator he said that we were lucky, the sky was so clear that day so if there were any problems they would be able to see us from shore. Now we didn’t go deep enough for the current to take us anywhere but as I looked out into the ocean watching the waves crash over the other men. Out further where the dangerous waves were is where the best clams are and in order to make enough money to feed there family they needed to risk their lives. The more clams you get the more money you make. All together the students made 90 pesos or less than $10 for that day which seemed about average to what the other men made alone. It is hard to make a living clamming and the job carries allot of safety risks along with it.
Field working is probably the hardest work that we did all week working along side people as young as 12 and about 70 plus. While standing in dirt rows, you get a line to yourself and you put the strawberry plant into predetermined spots with a forked metal stick. There is no room to squat or kneel down so you are forced to be bent over the entire time. After some time, your back is in agonizing pain. It hurts to be bent over but it hurts more to stand up strait. At this point I gained an enormous respect for these people because they have been doing this every day for about 12 hours a day and only making about $10 a day. It didn’t seem like they complained about it. This made me realize just how much I complain about my easy stand around 8 hour day.
Rock picking was probably the job that effected me the most as I was told for every 2 foot by 3 foot bag they were paid 8 pesos or less than a dollar. They were then transported to the United States and Canada to be sold for much more than that in hardware stores. Decor rocks that’s what we called them back at home at the hardware store, which sold at about $5 per palm sized bag (the math is pretty clear). It amazes me on how much money companies make on something a simple as rocks and the people who are doing the hard work are the ones who are paid the least.
Through the whole week, I saw the way that poverty gives you no choice but to do this hard work just to put food on the table and pay the rent. I now sleep well knowing that I have done something to help these people make a little more money at the end of the day. I thank them for letting me experience this work because it has defiantly changed my life.

Kelsey: When starting our week in the shack, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure I knew it was going to be hard and challenging but I never thought that one week would change my life. I realized just how little you need to actually survive. The things many of us take for granted such as food and shelter are the necessities of life; not iPods, the latest fashions or the new video game that just came out. I had been told that fact many times and I knew that people didn’t live the luxury that I have lived back home but actually living like them made the reality clear.
Working in the fields was the most impacting day of the whole week. When we arrived in the fields we got to work picking cucumbers. We soon learned not to load our bucket to the brim because when you had to walk the full length of the field with the bucket on your shoulders, it tended to get sore. The workers were wondering why five white people would want to work beside them but after the strange looks wore off, they started helping us when we would fall behind. These people are part of the most accepting and caring culture I have ever been involved in. This became a reality to me when we were planting strawberries. We were slowly catching on how to plant them when two older ladies went over to the other SOL’s and started helping them so they wouldn’t fall behind. They stayed with us pretty much all morning; doing their row and then helping with the rest of ours.  The same thought kept crossing my mind while I was bent down and my back aching; we had the end of the week to look forward to but what do the field workers have to look forward to? I asked Santiago (our translator) that question and he said that there aren’t promotions in the field. Once they are older they get to stay and pick the easier vegetables, such as cucumbers. For many who have been working in the field their whole lives, that is what they look forward to. It took a really long time for my brain to process that statement because if in Canada we feel we aren’t getting paid enough or want a raise we can usually obtain our wishes.
On our last day of the shack experience, we went to a senior citizens home that was for the abused and the abandoned. We cleaned the home and after we were done we got to talk to these people and visit with them. Although there was the language barrier and we could only understand a little bit of each other, we somehow made them smile and laugh just by taking the time to sit beside them. This is when I came to the realization that I may not be able to change every wrong thing that is going on in the world, but by using my time for a good purpose I can change one person’s life by making them smile and taking the time to get to know them and their story.

 Melissa: I would love to tell you how I felt during this shack experience. I won’t lie when I first found out about this experience I was scared. I thought that there was no way I could ever do that. What if I smell? What if I don’t like the food we are making? That’s all I could think about. I was only scared about how I would look, what others would think about me. I knew that Mexican’s and other people that live in shacks don’t have it easy but not until I experienced this week did I truly understand it. The Shack made me realize  how good we have it in Canada. 
Back home I work in a grocery store and my department is the salad bar. I cut up fruit and vegetables for hours and hours, I could not count how many times I would throw out food because I didn’t want to cut it or it didn’t look good enough for the customers. When I found out we were going to work in the fields for one of our work days, I knew I had to get myself physically and emotionally ready. When we were driving towards the fields, I was thinking of all the people who had to work to in the fields because there are no other jobs around here for them. They work really hard to feed their family or to have a roof on there head. When we finally got there, I thought it was just a dream because it looked like one of a scene in a movie. I wanted to cry but I also wanted to stay strong. When we finally got to work, they told us that we would have to collect cucumbers. Now when I look at a cucumber I think of all the faces I saw that day. We worked there for 2 hours and then it was off to work in the strawberry fields. Yes, it does sound really easy but it’s not that easy when you are doing it for 6 hours. I have never experienced such pain in my back! I was looking around and I could see 2 Mexican woman helping us because they saw we were in pain. When it was time to eat our lunch, I could not help but cry because I could not imagine doing this kind of work for the rest of my life. That evening back at our shack, all we could think about where the new friends that I made that day. Everytime I hear a truck, I think of the cucumber truck and when I see fruits and vegetables I think about all the people we worked with that day. I now have so much respect for the people who work in the fields. This experience has changed me and the way I look at life.
 We were only in the shack for a week, some people are there for there whole life! They don’t have something to look forward to like a hot shower, clean smelling clothes, perfume, and a bed to sleep on. When we opened the door to our house we were just so excited to see all of our stuff again. I was the first one to take a shower and as I got out of the shower I looked at my side table, put on my dioderent and perfume, brushed my hair, and looked at myself in the mirror. I could not help but get a little emotional, I had to take a moment to sit down and be grateful for everything that I have. To me this was something I did everyday, I wasn’t able to wash my hair everyday in the shack or to make sure I looked and smelt fresh. I realized how much stuff I have and realized that I should be grateful and thankful for everything.

Laura: 
When I think about work, I generally think back to my previous jobs. I usually worked 8 hours dealing with customers who were unsatisfied with a microscope hole in a shirt or were frustrated with the return policies that had just been updated. 
As I sat at work on one of my scheduled 15 minute breaks I would think about how boring and tired I was from just standing around doing pointless things. 
When we were told about the shack experience, I was thinking that we were going to do some random jobs and live in a shack. 
But as the start date slowly crept up to us, I started looking at the packing list realizing that this was not going to be as easy as I thought. We weren’t allowed to bring deodorant, soap or any of the things that seemed pretty essential to me. 
If we wanted any of those essentials we would have to buy them with the money we earned from working. 
The first day seemed like an endless job of shoveling gravel in and out of the back of Brett’s truck. Once the job was done we were able to go shopping for supper, knowing that we weren’t working on Sunday (bringing in no money) we decided to save most of our money and only buy the staple dinner consisting of rice and beans. 
The second job we were assigned to do was clamming, we started at 11:30pm at night and we’re going to be standing in the ocean with pitch forks in hopes to find some bulky clams.
The moon lit up the starry night which was reflecting off the endless waves; a mere understatement to the reality of how beautiful this image was. 
The six of us worked for about an hour, finding maybe a dozen clams that we considered to be acceptable for the clammers, but as they started measuring them the dozen dwindled down into a pathetic few. 
By 4:30am they called us in so we could do a final count of how many we collected. The six of us had been able to collect around 3 dozen clams, while ONE man had collected 4 dozen on his own. 
The people get paid for the amount of clams that they collect, each dozen they get 30 pesos ($2.50CAD) meaning that out of the 5 hours the six of us made 90 pesos ($7.50CAD). As soon as we got back, we hit the sack exhausted from the cold, laborious job.

The next couple days we were given jobs that were just as difficult as the last, but I look at those days as days of preparation for the day working in the field. 
Down here in Mexico there are many ranchers down here that grow quite a few varieties of fruits and vegetables. The rancher that we would be working for sent us out to pick cucumbers for the first half of the morning and plant strawberries for the rest of the work day. As we drove up to the fields, my stomach started turning and all I kept thinking was man these people probably think we’re crazy. 
Once we were given a barrel we were told to walk up a field and pick the cucumbers, once our bucket was full we would have to walk all the way back down the field dump it out and hurry back to finish up your row before they moved the truck. 
Bending down and sticking our hands in the prickly bushes seemed to go by really fast, but at around 8:30am a new bus came up to the field and they started calling us in. 
Santiago (our translator) told us that the bus was filled with older people who got to do the easier jobs, thus being their form of a raise; once you hit a certain raise you get the easier jobs. 
Once everyone had boarded the bus, we headed off to the strawberry fields. Now, when we arrived at these fields all you could see was endless rows of brown dirt. 
The job seemed like fun at first, but then the novelty wore off when we stood up and realized how much it hurt our backs from being bent over for the entire shift. 
I felt like I was the slowest person, but there were these two ladies who would finish their rows in record time and then come and help us finish up our rows. 
I thought it was so sweet of them, when they could have been taking a break from being bent over they came over to help us out. 
The whole day was the biggest reality check I have had in a long time, something that was well needed.
The last day of the shack experience, we went to a nursing home to do some cleaning. It started off as a regular day but once we started to finish off the work we had more of a chance to talk to some of the people around us. 
All the people there were so grateful that we had even come to clean, while shaking their hands they beamed at us with glowing smiles. 
After this week it has really helped me realize that there are so many amazing people around us, but why don’t we ever take the time to get to know them? 
All it takes is a hello and a smile to be able to turn someone’s day around because you took the time to acknowledge them. 
The entire week I was considering different concepts and this being one of them. 
Another one was that we were anticipating for the 7 days to be up, but what we were living was the reality for over half of the worlds population. 
After being in the shack and coming back to the normality of life I feel awkward and out of place. It’s weird to wear a new set of clothes that I haven’t worked in 3 days in a row, and when I go into the grocery store I don’t want to flaunt the fact that I have enough money to buy something other than rice and beans. 
When I sit and relax it feels weird because I feel like I shouldn’t be, that I should be working or helping those around me. 
So lately, I have been trying to be more productive with my time, even just bringing a smile to someone’s face makes me feel 100 times more productive then me just sitting on my computer.
We are affecting people’s lives every time we step out the door, it can either be in a positive way or a negative its up to you to decide what kind of impact you want to have on people.

Today was more of a cool down day, after the hard day working in the field. The students needed to recover both physically and emotionally. We needed to finish up a project, unloading rocks from the truck and placing them in an area of the yard. This took them just a little over an hour to do. After a short break, we headed over to a nursing home to help out with some cleaning. When we got there the students were really impressed by how nice the building was. The construction of it was completed this past February 2009 and was already full of older people. The oldest person there is 102 years old! They guessed her age by talking to the 80 year old daughter.

This nursing home was set up for neglected and abused older people because they still deserve the best care. One of the men in there went into the hospital a few years ago. His wife came in and got him to sign a few hospital papers. In fact, what he really signed was his divorce papers and the rights to everything he owns. Juan, the man who runs the home, picked him up from the police station, because that is where the hospital took him when he didn’t pay the bills. Today he is happy in the nursing home but still doesn’t understand what happened to him that day.

The students worked hard for three hours cleaning the nursing home. Everything was dusty, which is the norm for the Baja, so they spent most of the day dusting. They cleaned windows, doors, sky lights, fans and floors and did a great gob! During all this, they also spent time trying to socialize with the residence, even through there was a language barrier. I am sure the older folks loved watching the young spry Americanos work in front of them. A few of them knew a little bit of English and were always trying to give them tips on how to do the job.

All of the students loved being there and wanted to come back again. Melissa even said that they need to spend less time in front of their computers and spend more time helping there. I wish I got that statement on video! The afternoon was put aside for them to learn how to wash clothes on a washboard, which is the most common way of doing laundry around here. I hear they saved up and got some marshmallows to have a Fiesta tonight. I am looking forward to that!

~Brett Dyrland, School of Leadership Staff Member

The day started with the students picking bucket fulls of cucumbers and hauling them to a big truck. They worked on the cucumbers for a couple of hours, by the time they were ready to move on to planting strawberry plants, they had picked two huge truck fulls of cucumbers. It was only 9am but it felt like they had been out there for a really long time, and they were already feeling sore. They were then taken to a strawberry field where they were given a tool and a bucket full of strawberry plants. They used the tool to help push the strawberry roots deeper into the soil. They were constantly bent over, and they got so used to being bent over that it hurt a lot when they had to stand straight up. They all worked really hard. In fact, some of the old ladies working there said that the “little white girls” were hard workers.

At lunch time, Julia (pronounced Hoolia) , our neighbor across the street from the big house, brought the students quesadillas which was a real treat because they had been eating a lot of beans and rice for meals. I asked each of them about their experience that day, and all of them were really emotional. They couldn’t believe that people do this their whole lives. There was young kids to really old Mexican’s out there working in the fields. The students were also thinkig that a lot of these women would go home after a really hard day out at the fields and go home to make supper, do laundry, and clean. The Mexicans work so hard, day in and day out, for a meer 110 pesos.

We also found out that there is no pay increase here, they all work for the same amount of income. The only thing they have to look forward to is when you have reached a certain amount of years in age, they let you work at some of the easier jobs. This is there type of incentive to keep older people working in the fields. The students didn’t really want to talk to me after because they said they had no words to describe what they had felt towards these extremely hard working Mexicans. They did say that they felt sadness for the Mexicans, because for the students, after tomorrow they get to go back to beds, warm showers,and a concrete home. The majority of the Mexican’s after work will go back to their shacks, and live such a hard life. I don’t believe this experience will ever leave any of the students minds. It was very life changing and really gave them an idea of what living the life of a Mexican could be like.

~ Brett Dyrland, School of Leadership Staff Member