Forgetting Everything Else

My biggest concern as I ate breakfast this morning was updating my apps on my iPad and making sure I had enough ketchup on my eggs. Tomorrow morning my worries will be slightly, if not completely different. If I get up at 4:30 I’ll have enough time to make breakfast, "take my kids to school", put my belongings in my new home, and walk to the gas station to catch the bus to go to the beach for rock picking all before 6. These are the tasks locals do every morning, and are the tasks I will be doing for the next week. 

Having spent this past weekend building my home for the week I had so many different thoughts. Our shack is tall enough to stand on your knees and completely made out of material we found on the side of the road or in the garbage dump, along with a handful of nails, a hammer, and a saw. We spent 6 1/2 hours one day working on our shack... it felt much longer than that. My body felt as if I had worked a lot longer than that. Which made me start to think about this upcoming week... we'll be working earlier and longer than I ever had. Most mornings will consist of getting up between 4-5. Some moments I dread the thought of waking up and being functional at the time I would normally consider still night time. But then I remember the families I just helped build homes for. This is reality for them. There's no  "Oh I only have to do this for one week, I can survive anything for one week." Thinking this fills me with some guilt and appreciation for my roots. I do get to come back to my big comfy house at the end of the week. There is no getting to move somewhere better for them. It makes me hate where I’m from sometimes, that I’m so fortunate. I get to be in a different country having this experience of how others live. They can't even dream of doing this, getting to go to a different country for a gap year/ leadership experience. Having all these emotions and feelings makes me remember that I must deal with them in a positive, effective way. I must use my guilt and change it into power to do something positive with that energy. 

The best advice I've received in reference to this upcoming week is from my friend Ursula who did "week in the life experience" last semester... she said, "Just forget everything you've been told about it and keep an open mind" 

Keep an open mind and open heart. Filling the other girls with encouragement, thinking things through, making a stronger connection with the other girls and to just go into every new job with an open, willing mind. I have no idea what to expect or how I’m going to be "forever changed" as everyone keeps saying. I know Mexico has already stolen a huge part of my heart and I have a feeling this experience is going to have me even more attached to the love I have for this place. At the end of this week I'm hoping to have more of an understanding of where these families and people come from, getting to experience a different array of jobs which include, Rock Picking, Field Work, Clamming, and General Labour. It may only be a week experience and may not be completely realistic as we're really only trying each job for one or two days. But I’m hoping this will help teach me some more empathy. This week is about just being open minded, and having this once in a lifetime unique experience. So i'm going to forget everything else, all my worries and concerns, and just go with it. But for now, I shall keep the rest of my thoughts for my blog to follow shack week. I'll see you all on the other side of the shack! Have a lovely week everyone! xo

To Build A Home

With a hectic but rewarding month of Hero Holidays over, I’ve been doing some reflecting of the things that have happened over the last month. I personally had the opportunity to build for three families. Each and every one is special in a different way. The last family was very precious in a number of ways. The parents are so in love. If she was helping paint you could catch him watching her and just smiling. Then there are their two beautiful little daughters. Luz and Yamilet, they are two bundles of joy. Two loud bundles of joy! We had two teams here building so Luz and Yamilet’s parents, Rosa and Luiz were receiving a home but as well on the other side of the property Rosa’s parents and younger siblings were also receiving a home. Luz and Yamilet’s house was dedicated first, meaning all the team members stood in a circle with the family in front of their new home and we each had the opportunity to say something to the family and for them to say something to us if they wished as well. It’s like putting a new blessing on the home. The little girls were so excited when they went into the house. Each not only had their own bed, but bedrooms, equipped with Barbies, Candy, new clothes and a bicycle for each. They couldn't contain their excitement as their grandparents were receiving their new home. So the little girls grabbed Beth and I, took us to their old house so they could grab something and then they yelled, “Let’s go to our new house!!!”

Dedication day is something very meaningful and leaves and everlasting feeling on everyone. We were trying to make the girls be quiet so everyone could say what they wanted to in peace, but they were just too excited. We shushed them long enough to get them into the new home; they both then ran into their own bedrooms and just screamed with happiness! There was no doubt in my mind that the girls were going to love their house. Earlier in the week as the house was still being built, Luz, the oldest ran into her room that had nothing in it. Laid on the floor, smiled, and said ahhh my bedroom!!! This is a huge deal for her. She’s been sharing a bed with her parents and sisters for most if not all of her life. As Beth and I were with the girls in their home, Luz went into her room, took her shoes off, got into her bed and said “I won’t be cold anymore” something we take for granted daily. We always have enough blankets and comfort. This is the first time she’ll have blankets all to herself. It is common also for families to continue to share one bed for a while. Getting used to their beds and new home is a life changing event. It’s an overwhelming event for sure. So the comfort of each other makes it a lot easier.

 I’m very excited and fortunate to be in Mexico for almost two more months and am hoping to go back and visit this family and see how they've made the house into a home. Being apart of this experience has made me really appreciate the little things in each day. At the beginning of the month I saw the bag of doorknobs from the hardware store. Some may just simply see a bag of doorknobs, but I see the safety and opportunities that comes with having a home, having the chance to get to lock their door for the first time, making this house into the home this family has deserved for a long time. 

Another thought: The house we live in here in Mexico has bunk beds and some clever person over the years has written quotes on the boards on the top bunks. I am currently sitting on the extra bed in my room, I look up and the board says, "turn over" ... funny how the universe sometimes knows exactly how one is feeling. xo