Hero Holiday

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED!!

2007-06-14T09:59:00.000-04:00

Please go to www.heroholiday.com for our current blog.

Taking the night train to Bangkok

2007-03-22T09:08:00.000-04:00

That sounds like it should be a song title... "Night Train to Bangkok."

Anyhow, We have left northern Thailand and headed south. After 14 hours on a train from Chiang Mai to Bangkok we jumped inot vans and ended up in Pattaya - a massive tourist area.

We visited a children's home where we cleaned the building, did some yard work, and most importantly, played with some really great kids!

Right now, as I type this our participants are checking out some night markets and, of course, eating. I am sitting in one of dozens of internet cafes here in Pattaya enjoying a nice cappucino.

The rest of our time here in Thailand will be spent in this area. Time is growing short and we are starting to realize this trip is almost over. It's bittersweet because we miss our friends and families, but we have fallen in love with the people of this country.

Hope the weather is good back in Canada!

Northern Thailand

2007-03-20T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hi again everyone,

Sorry we haven't posted anything in a couple of days. We've been traveling across northern Thailand and have had limited access to internet.

We have been having a lot of fun visiting children's homes and drop-in centers. We took a group of about 50 kids to a local swimming pool where they received bathing suits, ice cream and a great meal, and where they had lots of fun being tossed into the pool.

It is amazing to be around children that have experienced such a vast amount of pain and suffering and yet can still have fun like any other child. There is still hope in their eyes. After playing with these kids it is impossible to understand how some say and act as if they do not exist. They are real. We have seen them, touched them and loved them.

St. Patrick's Day in Thailand

2007-03-17T07:38:00.000-04:00

Hello Canadians,

Imagine, St. Paddy's Day and not one Irish Pub in sight!

We spent the day teaching English at a school in Chiang Rai. We taught everything from sports terms (goooooooooooooal!) to how to find a hospital. The kids had a great time and we have already been invited back again. We made some great new friends and even learned a little Thai.

After class we went we to the swimming pool to cool off. It is sooo hot here in Thailand. Just thought I'd leave you with that thought (especially those of you on the East Coast, where I hear you are having a really nice snowstorm!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Thailand.

Hero Holiday Thailand - Rambo vs. Dumbo

2007-03-15T07:45:00.000-04:00

I know you've been wondering about how some of our participants did in their Rambo auditions... well, it seems that the movie was not Rambo. It was a docu-drama about an elephant who wanders into the city. Sounds pretty cool, but definitely not "Rambo" cool. But several Hero Holidayers did get to be extras in the elephant movie.

Day 3 of Hero Holiday Thailand was a day of learning about Thai Buddhism and how it is woven into the fabric of Thai culture. It is said that "to be Thai is to be Buddhist." We visited two Buddhist temples outside the city of Chiang Mai. The first was set high on a mountain and was decorated with precious metals and crowded with tourists. The second was far less crowded and relatively simple and peaceful (if you like the sound of crickets).

It wasn't all temples and tranquility. We also visited a large shopping mall where we ate lunch and, of course, had Starbucks.

Hero Holiday Thailand

2007-03-15T07:42:00.000-04:00

Sa-wad-dee kaa & Sa-wad-dee khrab,

We have made it safely to Chiang Mai, Thailand! We arrived on Tuesday, March 13, after about 24 hours of constant travel.

Instead of going to bed when we arrived, we went into the city on a wild scavanger hunt where we had to try to learn how to barter very quickly. We had to find things from flowers to carrot peelers and do things from climbing a city gate to riding a tuk-tuk (it's kind of like a taxi... or a bicycle... or both, I guess). Everyone had a great time, and we met some really great people.

Day two consisted of mopping and dusting (and some of us even swept the lawn... yes, swept) at an amazing mansion that is being used to help give young women an alternative to dangerous occupations. They run a culinary school and help these women find jobs at local cafes and resturants.

In the evening of day two some of our participants had a great opportunity to try out as extras in the new Rambo movie which is being filmed nearby. We'll let you know if they made the cut.

The rest of our group went shopping at the night market here in Chiang Mai. Streets are lined with vendors selling everything from hand carved candle holders to Thai boxing shorts to "rolex" watches (we're not so sure they're real). I won't tell you how much these things cost because you're probably going to get something from this market, and we want you to think that gift was expensive!

For all the family members and friends that are reading this, be sure that your loved ones are safe and having an awesome time. We'll keep you posted.

Video Link

2006-07-29T15:31:00.000-04:00

Here is the direct link to the latest video incase you need it:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-6493866880143832966

If you are new to this blog, here is a link to all the videos:
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22hero+holiday%22

Video from Week 2

2006-07-29T15:18:00.000-04:00


Footage from the second week of Hero Holiday 2006 in Dominican Republic.

Welcome Home

2006-07-23T19:20:00.000-04:00

I am here visiting my parents for a few days and thought I'd jump online to see if there were any additions to the blog. Now I'm crying because I miss all your faces. I hope you all remembered to call your parents when you arrived back in Canada. (I got in trouble from my mom for not calling her!) Isn't it strange being home? No one says "Hola" as you pass by. I've caught myself saying "si" instead of yes, and "gracias" instead of thank-you. It's amazing how quickly we adapt to another culture when completely immersed in it, even for such a short time frame. Now we all see through different coloured lenses. I've been reading your conversations on flickr regarding the "shock" of returning to Canada, the responses of friends and family who may or may not fully understand your experience. Let me encourage you to not judge another by their reactions or actions. A few short weeks ago, wouldn't your responses have been similar? Now that you have seen the other side of life - tasted, touched, smelled and walked in the middle of poverty - your perspective has changed. Remember what Vaden talked about in debriefing: don't reject your own culture. We are blessed and highly favoured with a great inheritance: We are Canadian. (Or if you're Sarah, American :) We have the tools, the education, the resources and the passion to change our world. We are positioned for this time in history. Let this experience influence your everyday choices and your future. You have what it takes to make a difference on the planet. I believe in you.

We're Back!!!!!

2006-07-22T08:02:00.000-04:00

Hero Holiday is back in Canada!! Everyone arrived safely at Seneca yesterday. Many of our Heroes are have already gone home, everyone else will be flying out today or tomorrow. Thank you Heroes for all your hard work, we love you all!!!

One more day to go...

2006-07-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

I can't believe this is the second to last work day. How fast did the time fly by! It's all hands on deck - well, almost! - at the school to try to finish the walls on the second level and the roof. I went to the orphanage yesterday. We fed the kids breakfast and played with them, rubbed their backs and loved them to bits. What a difference in their responses since the first team visited last week. They are more repsponsive and smiling. It's amazing what a little love can do! We had to pull our teary-eyed kids away when we announced it was time to go.

At the site where the pipeline is being laid, there's been a gringo versus Dominican soccer tournament going on. The last half hour work the soccer ball comes out and it's DR kids versus the Canadian kids. They apparently beat us shamefully two days ago, but yesterday it was a tie. Haven't heard today's report.

This morning we went to the dump again. It's been a really hot day, 32 degrees with 71% humidity, according to the weather network, feels like 46 degrees. The "aroma" was stepped up a notch from the last day we went. We brought groceries this time: 100 bags of rice, 100 bags of beans and 100 bottles of oil. I think the grocery store employees were puzzled when the gringos came in to place their order! I couldn't believe the line-up for just a simple handful of basic staples. It was heartbreaking. The need is always greater than the supply. We also ran a medical clinic at the dump today. One truck was the clinic and the other truck was the "pharmacy". Not your average Canadian health care facility!

One more day to go. We'll make it a good one!

Photo! Photo!

2006-07-18T21:07:00.000-04:00

Dear Heroes,
Thank you to those of you who have uploaded some of your photos already, when you talk to other holiday heroes, please remind them too! If you haven't uploaded your photos yet, it is very easy to do:
1. Sign-up for flickr
2. Join the Hero Holiday photo / discussion group
3. Upload your photos
4. Click the "Organize" button in flickr and select your photos and click "send to group" to send them to our Hero Holiday group

Here is a handy link for anyone who wants to view a slideshow of the Hero Holiday photos: http://www.flickr.com/groups/heroholiday/pool/show/

July 17

2006-07-18T00:18:00.000-04:00

The teams were busy little bees today, especially those working on the pipeline. I heard it was A LOT of hard work digging that trench. It will be worth it to provide an entire community with a water supply. This morning we took a team to Puerto Plata Dump and brought 90 hot meals of chicken, rice and beans. We had so much fun interacting with the people even though most of us don’t understand the language. As I walked up the hill to where some of the homes were, I tried to imagine what it must be like to wake up each morning and call this place home. It’s a dump. No one should have to live here. Their homes are constructed with garbage. There is no where to get away from the smell, but yet as we visited with the people, we forgot about the smell. We sang and danced and played games. They are so poor; yet they have joy that is not determined by what they have or don’t have. It is an honour to look them in the eyes, hold their hands and call them friends.

Well, it’s after midnight and I have an early morning. I’m going to visit the orphanage tomorrow. I’ll tell you all about it later. Thank you for taking the time to post comments and encouragement. The kids love reading your messages. I post them up on the pillars in the walkway. Their families and friends don’t seem so far away. Thank you for your support and for believing in us. Hasta mañana.

Week Two Begins

2006-07-16T23:42:00.000-04:00

And once again...no internet for most of the day. Apologies once again for not posting a note to say the team from Haiti returned. They came back safe and sound but very tired. It was a really long day, but I hear it was worth it. The poverty, if you can believe it, is much worse. Even the land is stripped of it's resources. In contrast to Dominican Republic, which is lush and green, Haiti is brown and deforested. It is easier to understand why a family would walk for three days, even with babies and small children, to come to Dominican in search of hope and a better life.

The second-week people started working today. We added a new project today too. A village we did a medical clinic in last week had no water supply. Today the teams began digging a pipeline to connect this village to the main water supply. It's about 2km. No problem! Get out the pickaxes and shovels! We've started on the second level of the school. It will be a race to the finish line for this one. Lots of work to be done. The three homes are coming along nicely and should be completed by the end of the week.

Link for video

2006-07-15T23:40:00.000-04:00

If you have any trouble playing the video below, just use this link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1219864409013266631&hl=en-CA

Video #2 Week 1: Day 4 to 6

2006-07-15T23:34:00.000-04:00


We have created our second video for our adoring fans back at home. If you know anyone that might interested in seeing this, please let them know about this blog. Enjoy. Here is the link incase this player does not work: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1219864409013266631&hl=en-CA

Share those pictures!!

2006-07-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to Canada all Week 1 Holiday Hereos! Now that you are home, lets start sharing photos with each other! This is the link to the Hero Holiday photo group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/heroholiday. If you were on Hero Holiday please join Flickr and upload your pictures. Then use the "organize" menu in your flickr account to add photos to the Hero Holiday group. You will also be able to use this group to stay in touch and have discussions with other Hereos.

The new heroes are here!

2006-07-15T09:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday. It's pretty quiet here this morning. I've been up since four to meet the weary travellers as they came. So, yes, everyone is here safe and sound and...sound asleep! They have the morning to rest. This afternoon will be their education tour with Adrian. I believe we are taking everyone to Carraballo this time and then across the river to Ascension, where we built the homes and dug the pipeline last year.

First of all, for those of you worrying about Haiti, let me put your mind at ease! Only adults went except for a few minors who we received parental consent for. So don’t panic if you have kids here and didn’t know what was up with that! They are just going for the day with a medical team and a lot of gifts. We wouldn't take to a place we didn't feel was safe and they are with people from here who know the area.

We are missing a few faces around here and experiencing a bit of “separation anxiety” having to say a quick good-bye to those that returned home. To all of you who came and are now on the “other side of the blog” we love you and miss you. Thank you for giving of your time and energy this past week. You are truly amazing. You impacted the people here more than you probably realize. By the way, I believe we made the papers in Sosua and Santo Domingo or Santiago, can’t remember which it was. Everyone is talking about the crazy gringos who came to work. It meant so much to the Dominican and Haitian people that you came not as a tourist, taking from them, but came with hands extended, helping them, giving them honour, value and dignity. You weren’t afraid to hug the children and play with them. You touched people at the dump who are often despised for their lot in life. They are often seen as "lepers" - the untouchables. Yet you hugged them and shook their hands. That placed dignity and value on them. You worked alongside the local workers on the building projects; you didn’t turn away from the deformed and abandoned children at the orphanage but gave them what they needed most – love. You are heroes in every way. Don’t forget this week and chalk it up to a great experience you had one summer. Let it shape who you become. You are world changers and history makers. You are our nation’s future. We believe in you and we believe in your dreams. I'm so glad you're in my world. Make every day count. Refuse to be average.

Go MAD! (Make a difference)

Safe arrival

2006-07-14T21:04:00.000-04:00

Hello to all the parents anxiously awaiting word of the safe arrival of their heroes. Everyone has arrived at Seneca College where they will either be picked up by their parents this evening or sleep tonight and catch a flight tomorrow. They were a great group of students and we miss them already.

Our coaches will be on the way to Santiago in about an hour to pick up our new group. We'll see the happy wanderers in the wee hours of the morning :)

Travel Day

2006-07-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. The wireless network is down here, so I just have a couple of minutes to let you all know that our one-week participants are safely on their way home. The first flight was delayed for about 15 minutes, but the layover in New York will put them back on track and they should arrive on time. The second flight is also on schedule. We were sad to see them go and hope to see them again next year. Our second-week team will be on their way today. I'll post a note as soon as I can to let you know they arrived safely.

And the tears began to fall...

2006-07-13T17:20:00.000-04:00

My apologies for not blogging yesterday. How busy were we! And, of course, the internet was down. We’re up and running again today. Hopefully video #2 will be ready to roll soon. Yesterday the teams continued working on the two building projects. We had a bit of rain which really slowed things down. We also had a gecko meet his unfortunate demise when he ventured too close to the cement mixing team. They say it was an accident. The girls really did try to rescue him. So, does that mean he becomes a fossil? Poor little thing.

We continued with our dump, clinic and orphanage projects. The workers at the orphanage get lots of visitors but her comment to our team was that she had never seen these orphans receive so much love from visitors. Usually, they just come for a look. Our students – your kids – got right in there, helped feed them their meals, held them and just loved them with tears running down their cheeks.

Speaking of tears, there’s a lot of that going around today as it is the last day for our one-week participants. They are saying good-byes to all the kids in the villages and at the worksites. We’re having trouble pulling them away to bring them back to the resort. No one wants to go home. The last day is always the hardest.

Last night, we got to celebrate Dominican-style up on the mountain with a pig roast, music, bonfire and a pool party. Everyone had lots of fun and it was a nice reward for all the hard work they put in this week.

Tonight is our final debrief for those leaving to go home. We’ll talk about “re-entry” into Canada. Even though they have only been away for one week, it will be an adjustment to return home to “life as usual” after experiencing something like this.

The buses are staggered for the departure times to the airport in Santiago. The first bus leaves here at 10:30 and the next at 2:00. Ouch! Once again, I apologize profusely for the absolutely crazy flight times. It won’t happen again! Your loved ones should arrive at Seneca College Residence around 6 pm on Friday evening. There is a border crossing into Canada at Fort Erie, so an exact arrival time is unpredictable.

For all of the Hero Holiday Two people, their journey is just beginning! They are currently at Seneca College Residence getting registered and checked into their rooms. They’ll have dinner at 6pm and then a training session with our special guest, Henry Vanderspek from World Vision. Everyone should be tucked into bed by 11pm to have a good night’s sleep before the journey begins…

Clinic, Dump and Orphanage Visits Begin

2006-07-11T22:27:00.000-04:00

Well, the video is up and running. Thanks to Shlee and Josh for an amazing job; and of course Ryan for have the technology know-how to post it! If it was up to me, it would never come to pass. I wrote a nice long update this afternoon, took about an hour, hit send and I lost the whole thing. So now, here I am starting over in MS Word and using the little button marked “save”!

School. The walls are almost done on the first floor, well over 6 feet high all the way around. Our goal is to have it done by the end of the week. We seem to be training up some great cement mixers and brick layers!

House re-building. I hear it’s going well. It’s obviously taking longer to build than to tear down!

Orphanage visits. I’ve heard a lot of great reports. We had to tear a number of our people away at the end. We thought we’d have to leave a few behind. These kids are abandoned because they are all special needs kids. Our kids came with gifts, and just loved on them. They don’t often have people holding and hugging them. You could tell they loved the attention even though most of them couldn’t speak.

Sosua Dump. Probably the most intense part of our week was the visit to the dump where people have fled Haiti to live there with their families. They make a living by sorting through the garbage for recyclable materials. We brought a hot meal of chicken, rice and beans for everyone. Just to give you an idea of the significance of this meal. We spoke to one gentleman who just finished working for three weeks, every day. He received a wage equivalent to the one meal we brought for him today.

Medical Clinic. We honestly didn’t know how this was going to work today. We hadn’t done it before. It went really well. Between Dr. Yogi, a medical student and two registered nurses, they treated over 140 people today with everything from parasites to belly aches to malnutrition to diabetes to pneumonia. We have two more clinics this week and three next week, all in different surrounding villages.

The weather has been amazing. Not too hot, hardly any rain. Kyle says Hi Mom, I miss you and I love you lots. (He’s sitting next to me watching me post the blog and he wants you to know he’s okay.)

Krissie says hi to her parents but she forgot to tell them about the blog. So she says hi to all the parents of Hero Holiday children. Kelsey says hockey rocks, but ice has melted in Sosua. Oh darn.

Couple of pics

2006-07-11T22:08:00.000-04:00

A few pictures for you:

We are building a new house for Carmen. Her old "house" was termite infested with giant holes in the tin roof.

July 11th Sosua garbage dump feeding program.

Video Footage Day 1 to 3

2006-07-11T18:39:00.000-04:00

To show how much we appreciate our parents, family and supporters back home, we decided to put some work into providing on-going video footage of Hero Holiday. Here is the link for the first video for Day 1 to 3 of week one: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2038401798564338760&hl=en

Enjoy!

Just a quick note

2006-07-11T12:09:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone. The internet was down for a few hours a couple of nights ago but it's fine now. It's the best way to get in touch with us for sure. Sorry I haven't posted! Crazy busy! It's on my to-do list today. I'll promise to write a long one this afternoon. Pictures and a video are coming hopefully today. I saw the video already. It's really good. We'll do one every couple of days. There will be a link on the into page of the Hero Holiday website that will be a link to the video.

It's off to work we go!

2006-07-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in the foyer of the resort as the last team is gathering to pile on the truck to head out to the worksite, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The first team left at 6:30 this morning. I bet some of you parents never imagined you could get your kids to work so early in the morning! The weather is perfect, blue skies, sunshine and a nice light breeze with a temperature of 31 degrees.

Yesterday we let everyone sleep in after a long flight. After lunch, they headed out into the villages for an education tour with our friend Adrian. He is from Canada and has been living and working here with his family for the past few years. They talked about poverty, why it exists, why it's so hard to fix. Our students fell in love with all the kids from the village as they were hanging off of arms and legs, sitting on shoulders and playing with our hair! Gusi, our photographer got some great photos. I'll try to post some when I figure out how to do that! The video cameras are rolling, with enough tape for 80 HOURS of footage.

Today we start the main building project - a community centre/medical clinic/school. The village leader is so poor that both his kids are sponsored by Compassion. (OH! The bus is here and away they go! They're pretty excited.) Three years ago he had a dream of a place where kids could receive an education and have a place to receive medical care. He dug a trench to get ready for the foundation and then waited. People thought he was crazy as there were "no pesos" to start such a project. Here it is, three years later, and we are helping him fulfill his dream. The foundation is poured and the walls are going up this week.

Our secondary project is Extreme Home Makeover, Hero Holiday style. Some of the homes are in such shambles that it's really no home at all, offering no protection from rain. We met a man who was in a serious accident two years ago and is now unable to work. No disability pension here! He is unable to provide for his family or offer them shelter. We are tearing down his house today and giving him a brand new one. The kids are pumped they get to destroy a building! Vaden, our CEO, just walked in. He just got back from the "demolition site". The kids are having a blast tearing down the walls of the house. Bet your kids couldn't get away with that at home!

Thank you for your comments. I'll try to get your messages posted on the bulletin board for them to read. Everyone is having an amazing time, but I'm sure they miss you all too. They are truly a great bunch of kids. Once again thank you for trusting us with your children. We recognize that it took a lot of courage on your part. We are honoured that you trusted us. We take this privilege very seriously because we know they are most precious to you. Our team leaders are doing a great job too. Everyone has fallen in love with Dr. Yogi, our Hero Holiday physician from Sioux Lookout, Ontario, who carries a guitar on his back and sings in a punk rock band! He's taking care of us all along with our three nurses. Have a great weekend and we'll talk again tomorrow.

We're Here!

2006-07-08T13:19:00.000-04:00

Here we are at the resort. Everyone is here safe and sound. The flights were on time and the Jet Blue staff were so good to us. At JFK airport, there was a surprise waiting for all of our teams. McDonalds along with the other businesses in the airport organized gifts for all of our team members, a little momento of the Big Apple - New York City! Mugs and teddy bears for everyone! Our friend Poco Pelo aka Richard Weber and Genesis met us at the airport in Santiago - another happy reunion, especially for the kids and leaders who are returning from last year.

The weather is perfect. The ocean is beautiful. The first team is climbing on the truck to go into the village this very minute to have their education tour and learn about the culture. I'll have time to write a bit more tonight. Have a happy day :)

And so it begins...

2006-07-05T08:43:00.000-04:00

The silence here at the office right now is quite ironic! You'd never know Hero Holiday is starting today with the arrival of our out-of-province participants. Everyone just left on the "Cool Bus" heading to the airport to pick up our very first Hero Holiday arrivals. Yes, the same Cool Bus that travels across the country throughout the school year. I hope they cleaned it first :) So, today is pretty much just back and forth to the airport and doing some last minute admin stuff.

We 're so excited to finally meet all of the people we have been communicating with over the last year and of course very excited to be reunited with many of our 2005 heroes. Vaden, Ryan (aka Statman), Michelle, Nurse Nikki and "Pipes" have already arrived in Sosua to get things ready for us. The weather is great! (If you like that kind of heat and humidity - bring it on!)

We'll probably throw a movie on tonight in the Hero Holiday lounge and just relax. Tomorrow's a busy day!

Hero Holiday 2006 Blog

2006-07-03T11:30:00.000-04:00

This is the blog where parents and fans can find up to date information about Hero Holiday 2006 in Dominican Republic as it happens.