At this point, there is nothing we can do. You will be gone by the time the offices open on Monday.
Denis
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Update from Louise and Cyrille
Hi everyone. It is nice to hear from you guys through the comments section
Je regrette si la section francaise n´a pas d´accents, mais j´ai beaucoup de difficulte avec le clavier espagnol.
Greg, we needed that tarp last Monday again. It rained and again we had wet beds. However, we will not be needing that tarp as we are moving into the new house. They did bring in a new tarp for the roof of the old shack.
If anyone has a USB, please bring it along. It would be very convenient as it takes a long time to post pictures. Denis could be writing his update while I post pictures and he could then bring it to me on the second USB. It does not need to be of great capacity as it will contain only text.
We will all be meeting you in La Romana on Monday!!!
See You
Louise and Cyrille
Je regrette si la section francaise n´a pas d´accents, mais j´ai beaucoup de difficulte avec le clavier espagnol.
Greg, we needed that tarp last Monday again. It rained and again we had wet beds. However, we will not be needing that tarp as we are moving into the new house. They did bring in a new tarp for the roof of the old shack.
If anyone has a USB, please bring it along. It would be very convenient as it takes a long time to post pictures. Denis could be writing his update while I post pictures and he could then bring it to me on the second USB. It does not need to be of great capacity as it will contain only text.
We will all be meeting you in La Romana on Monday!!!
See You
Louise and Cyrille
Corey´s update
Freedom of Poverty
The night before we left, Adesjo had a surprise for us. We were taken to the local community center where we met the other group from Hamilton, Ontario. They had a lot of energy but were ready to head home. We ate supper and received very nice going away gifts. The whole time, all I could think of was being with our true and close friends back at the house. We were looking forward to our own party when the sun lays down behind the hills. Little did we know, they had a little surprise for us also.
We arrived back at our house and were greeted by a fire and our friends. We were all relaxing when out of nowhere they bring up two massive speakers and car stereo. Before we new it there were 30 people dancing and singing with us. They love their music and they all know how to dance. The kids could dance better than the adults. With no electricity where they are, tonight was something special because they can't do this very often if ever. Everyone was having the time of their lives. When I was not dancing I was playing tag or hide and go seek. While playing as if I was a child, I had a realization. This is true freedom. The freedom these people have everyday. Each day they have enough to get by. There world is untainted and uncorrupted. It is a simple but routine lifestyle. They work hard and for that they are fruitful.
Seeing all of this first hand has really opened my eyes. Before I came here I could have listed many problems I think I have, as I'm sure we all could. Now I truly see how miniscule my troubles really are compared to the average person here. We take so much for granted when we are blessed with so much. We complain and whine all the time when really we have nothing to fret about. Even the homeless in Canada have it better than most of these people. The poverty here is acccepted. It brings everyone closer and keeps them busy. This place feels like a home away from home. No one complains and most everyone does there part. They are free to do as they please. I will miss this freedom... The freedom of poverty.
The night before we left, Adesjo had a surprise for us. We were taken to the local community center where we met the other group from Hamilton, Ontario. They had a lot of energy but were ready to head home. We ate supper and received very nice going away gifts. The whole time, all I could think of was being with our true and close friends back at the house. We were looking forward to our own party when the sun lays down behind the hills. Little did we know, they had a little surprise for us also.
We arrived back at our house and were greeted by a fire and our friends. We were all relaxing when out of nowhere they bring up two massive speakers and car stereo. Before we new it there were 30 people dancing and singing with us. They love their music and they all know how to dance. The kids could dance better than the adults. With no electricity where they are, tonight was something special because they can't do this very often if ever. Everyone was having the time of their lives. When I was not dancing I was playing tag or hide and go seek. While playing as if I was a child, I had a realization. This is true freedom. The freedom these people have everyday. Each day they have enough to get by. There world is untainted and uncorrupted. It is a simple but routine lifestyle. They work hard and for that they are fruitful.
Seeing all of this first hand has really opened my eyes. Before I came here I could have listed many problems I think I have, as I'm sure we all could. Now I truly see how miniscule my troubles really are compared to the average person here. We take so much for granted when we are blessed with so much. We complain and whine all the time when really we have nothing to fret about. Even the homeless in Canada have it better than most of these people. The poverty here is acccepted. It brings everyone closer and keeps them busy. This place feels like a home away from home. No one complains and most everyone does there part. They are free to do as they please. I will miss this freedom... The freedom of poverty.
Second week deuxieme semaine
The second family has four boys and one girl. The father is out picking coffee. Their clothes are very torn and ragged so we brought them a goodie bag today. La deuxieme famille, 4 garcons et une fille, sont tres pauvre, alors nous leurs avons apporte des habits etc... Le papa fait la cueillette de cafe.
The house being replaced at second site. La maison que nous remplacons au site deux.
Finishing the inside walls. Looks like our house will be ready for us to move in next week, so you guys will have room in our old shack. Notre maison sera prete pour nous la semaine prochaine, alors vous pourrez avoir notre vieux shack a votre arrive.
Almost done first house. Premiere maison presque complete.
Livraison des effets scolaires. Delivering school supplies.
Family of first house. La famille de la premiere maison.
Starting wood construction. Le bois commence a monter.
Hi every one!!! We have started the construction of a second house. Nous avons commence la construction d´une 2ieme maison.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Denis vous raconte
Le 31 janvier, 2010
Ce fut une semaine extraordinaire et déjà nous avons vécu la valeur de trois semaines d'expériences. Situé.e.s dans la montagne, à quelques 3 500 pieds, San José de Ocoa à nos pieds, nous vivons la vie du pauvre et nous vivons parmi les pauvres. Nous faisons partie d'un ensemble de quatre viviendas et notre résidence cri des mêmes besoins que ceux de nos voisins proches (très proches). Après quatre jours seulement, nous formons une famille unique (dominicains et canadiens) et jouissons d'un esprit de groupe spécial. Déjà, les huit membres du groupe de la Sagrada Familia expriment l'émerveillement d'un monde simple, libre, inclusif et sans sophistication. Au fur et à mesure de chaque journée, les expériences se multiplient et les mots manquent pour décrire l'impacte profonde sur chacun.e. Je ne pourrai pas, à l'écrit, faire justice à la réalité. Il vous faudrait être ici pour ressentir et vivre les moments précieux.
La construction de notre première maison est avancée: fondations complétées en moins de deux jours et on complètera les premiers cinq pieds des murs par lundi soir. Hier, nous sommes allé.e.s à la plage Palenque nager dans la mer des Caribes. Ce matin, le Père Domingo nous a présenté.e.s à la communauté à la messe de 8h00. Cette après-midi, c'est le retour à Derrumbado afin de reprendre les travaux dès lundi matin à 8h00. On a hâte!
Je ne pourrais faire ce compte-rendu sans mentionner certains faits saillants:
Chris et Corey ont pris une tournée sur un âne, à la noirceur! Chris a ri à s'en rendre malade et Corey s'inquiétait que l'âne allait 'briser'
Jean-Paul, et plusieurs autres, ont appris comment tenir des braises rouges de feu dans la
main. Ils ont même jouer un jeux de se lancer ses braises. Il faudra leur demander une démonstration.
Quand on est arrivé.e à Derrumbado, mardi après-midi, il pleuvait. C'était de la boue partout, glissante comme la glaise du Manitoba et partout ou on marche, ça descend ou ça monte. Toute une expérience de se rendre à bas côte à la 'biffy' extérieure avec une lampe de poche, tout en glissant, ici et là. Seulement quelques chutes. Hélas! Quel début.
Notre résidence est air climatisée, c'est-à-dire qu'elle est pleine de trous: mur et plafond. Quand il vente, on le ressent, quand il pleut, on le subit. Les lits superposés et les valises ont maintenant été rangés pour accomoder cette pluie intérieure. Heureux ceux qui dorment sur les lits d'en bas! On est enchanté d'y être.
Il n'y a pas d'électricité, pas de radio, pas de miroir, pas d'eau courante (il n'y a pas d'eau, il faut la transporter par camion) pas de..., pas de..., C'est merveilleux.
Notre cuisinière SANTA est exceptionnelle. Elle vit avec nous. Pas question de perdre du poids sans faire un effort personnel et concentré.
Nous vivons en compagnie de poules, d'une grande quantité de poussins, de cochons, d'ânes, de chevaux, de chiens, de mules, de coqs et probablement d'une autre bête que je ne mentionnerai pas. Et évidemment, les coqs et les chiens dominicains n'ont aucun concept du temps et pensent qu'ils peuvent s'exprimer à tout temps de la nuit!
Nous vivons tellement d'expériences que je peux ne mentionner que les plus saillantes. On tentera de vous revenir la semaine prochaine. 'On verra dans l'temps comme dans l'temps'. Ici, les gens disent : Si Dios le quiere. A bientôt.
Ce fut une semaine extraordinaire et déjà nous avons vécu la valeur de trois semaines d'expériences. Situé.e.s dans la montagne, à quelques 3 500 pieds, San José de Ocoa à nos pieds, nous vivons la vie du pauvre et nous vivons parmi les pauvres. Nous faisons partie d'un ensemble de quatre viviendas et notre résidence cri des mêmes besoins que ceux de nos voisins proches (très proches). Après quatre jours seulement, nous formons une famille unique (dominicains et canadiens) et jouissons d'un esprit de groupe spécial. Déjà, les huit membres du groupe de la Sagrada Familia expriment l'émerveillement d'un monde simple, libre, inclusif et sans sophistication. Au fur et à mesure de chaque journée, les expériences se multiplient et les mots manquent pour décrire l'impacte profonde sur chacun.e. Je ne pourrai pas, à l'écrit, faire justice à la réalité. Il vous faudrait être ici pour ressentir et vivre les moments précieux.
La construction de notre première maison est avancée: fondations complétées en moins de deux jours et on complètera les premiers cinq pieds des murs par lundi soir. Hier, nous sommes allé.e.s à la plage Palenque nager dans la mer des Caribes. Ce matin, le Père Domingo nous a présenté.e.s à la communauté à la messe de 8h00. Cette après-midi, c'est le retour à Derrumbado afin de reprendre les travaux dès lundi matin à 8h00. On a hâte!
Je ne pourrais faire ce compte-rendu sans mentionner certains faits saillants:
Chris et Corey ont pris une tournée sur un âne, à la noirceur! Chris a ri à s'en rendre malade et Corey s'inquiétait que l'âne allait 'briser'
Jean-Paul, et plusieurs autres, ont appris comment tenir des braises rouges de feu dans la
main. Ils ont même jouer un jeux de se lancer ses braises. Il faudra leur demander une démonstration.
Quand on est arrivé.e à Derrumbado, mardi après-midi, il pleuvait. C'était de la boue partout, glissante comme la glaise du Manitoba et partout ou on marche, ça descend ou ça monte. Toute une expérience de se rendre à bas côte à la 'biffy' extérieure avec une lampe de poche, tout en glissant, ici et là. Seulement quelques chutes. Hélas! Quel début.
Notre résidence est air climatisée, c'est-à-dire qu'elle est pleine de trous: mur et plafond. Quand il vente, on le ressent, quand il pleut, on le subit. Les lits superposés et les valises ont maintenant été rangés pour accomoder cette pluie intérieure. Heureux ceux qui dorment sur les lits d'en bas! On est enchanté d'y être.
Il n'y a pas d'électricité, pas de radio, pas de miroir, pas d'eau courante (il n'y a pas d'eau, il faut la transporter par camion) pas de..., pas de..., C'est merveilleux.
Notre cuisinière SANTA est exceptionnelle. Elle vit avec nous. Pas question de perdre du poids sans faire un effort personnel et concentré.
Nous vivons en compagnie de poules, d'une grande quantité de poussins, de cochons, d'ânes, de chevaux, de chiens, de mules, de coqs et probablement d'une autre bête que je ne mentionnerai pas. Et évidemment, les coqs et les chiens dominicains n'ont aucun concept du temps et pensent qu'ils peuvent s'exprimer à tout temps de la nuit!
Nous vivons tellement d'expériences que je peux ne mentionner que les plus saillantes. On tentera de vous revenir la semaine prochaine. 'On verra dans l'temps comme dans l'temps'. Ici, les gens disent : Si Dios le quiere. A bientôt.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Denis vous raconte Denis tells you what´s what
Saturday January 30, 2010
What a great week! We've only been here 5 days and have already lived 3 weeks of experiences. We are situated in the mountains at approximately 3500 feet altitude with a terrific view of San José and surrounding mountains. We are living the life of the poor and we are living with the poor. Our immediate world is made up of four viviendas (shacks). Our's is neither better nor poorer than our three very close neighbors. Together we make up a rather unique ensemble (dominican and canadian) and have developed an interesting group spirit/culture. If you speak to any member of our group of eight, he/she will express his/her astonishment of the simple life, of freedom, of inclusiveness and of the absence of sophistication. As every day unfolds, experiences keep adding up, experiences that words cannot fully describe the impact each one has on each and everyone of us. You would have to be here! Every moment so far has been rather special.
Construction on the first house is quite advanced. Foundations have been dug-up, poured and the first five feet of the cement-block walls will be completed by next Monday afternoon. The vivienda will measure 400 square feet.
Today was an excursion day at Palenque Beach on the Carrabean Sea. Tomorrow, Father Domingo will introduce us to the community at the 8:00 am mass. Then its back to Derrumbado mid-afternoon to begin construction again at 8:00 am Monday morning. Everyone is anxious to get back. A few gifts have been bought and a social activity planned for the younger ones.
It would be unfair of me not to share some tidbits of our stay in Derrumbado so far:
Chris and Corey took a ride on a donkey, in the dark. Chris almost laughed himself sick and Corey thought the donkey would break. A few people had to help Corey get off the donkey. Guaranteed the locals will never forget the moment.
Jean-Paul can now hold red hot ambers in his hands, as can many others... believe it or not. They even played a game tossing these red ambers to each other. You will have to ask them for a demonstration.
When we arrived in Derrumbado early Tuesday afternoon, it was raining. Mud everywhere; slippery mud like our Manitoba gumbo. And if you go anywhere, you are either going uphill or downhill. Going to the outhouse, at night, with a flashlight, slipping, sliding and falling down will not be forgotten. What a day to begin our experience in the mountains.
Our vivienda is well ventilated, so well so that you can see through the multitude of holes in the walls and the roof. Quite easy to tell when the sun comes up at 7:00. You can feel the wind and endure the rain drops. All bunkbeds and suitcases have now been placed strategically as to fit in between the INTERIOR rain. We love it there and would not trade for a more modern vivienda.
There is no electricity, no running water (there is no water, it has to be trucked in), no radios, no mirrors, no colmado (small store), no... You get the picture. It's wonderful.
Our cook SANTA lives with us and treats us to incredible meals. If one was to lose weight, one would have to be very determined and well disciplined.
We are living in the company of chickens, a multitude of chicks, pigs, cows, donkeys, horses, dogs, roosters and probably another animal! And of course dominican roosters and dogs have no concept of time. They think, it quite appropriate to express themselves freely at all hours of the night.
In the interest of meeting a deadline, I will end here and hopefully be able to return to you next week. There is so much more to describe. For the RED RIVER MISSION group of eight coming down on M onday Feb. 08, please take note of the following:
It can get rather cool at sundown and overnight. Bring an extra blanket or do as many of
us do, sleep with your clothes on.
We are frequently stepping into wet material, mostly cement. Review your footwear.
Sunblok is a must. You should see most of us 'lobsters'!
Aussitot que possible, probablement demain dimanche le 31 janvier, nous vous ferons parvenir la
version francasise. Pour le moment, le temps nous manque, ou nous allons manquer de se rendre a l'internet a temps. Hasta luego.
What a great week! We've only been here 5 days and have already lived 3 weeks of experiences. We are situated in the mountains at approximately 3500 feet altitude with a terrific view of San José and surrounding mountains. We are living the life of the poor and we are living with the poor. Our immediate world is made up of four viviendas (shacks). Our's is neither better nor poorer than our three very close neighbors. Together we make up a rather unique ensemble (dominican and canadian) and have developed an interesting group spirit/culture. If you speak to any member of our group of eight, he/she will express his/her astonishment of the simple life, of freedom, of inclusiveness and of the absence of sophistication. As every day unfolds, experiences keep adding up, experiences that words cannot fully describe the impact each one has on each and everyone of us. You would have to be here! Every moment so far has been rather special.
Construction on the first house is quite advanced. Foundations have been dug-up, poured and the first five feet of the cement-block walls will be completed by next Monday afternoon. The vivienda will measure 400 square feet.
Today was an excursion day at Palenque Beach on the Carrabean Sea. Tomorrow, Father Domingo will introduce us to the community at the 8:00 am mass. Then its back to Derrumbado mid-afternoon to begin construction again at 8:00 am Monday morning. Everyone is anxious to get back. A few gifts have been bought and a social activity planned for the younger ones.
It would be unfair of me not to share some tidbits of our stay in Derrumbado so far:
Chris and Corey took a ride on a donkey, in the dark. Chris almost laughed himself sick and Corey thought the donkey would break. A few people had to help Corey get off the donkey. Guaranteed the locals will never forget the moment.
Jean-Paul can now hold red hot ambers in his hands, as can many others... believe it or not. They even played a game tossing these red ambers to each other. You will have to ask them for a demonstration.
When we arrived in Derrumbado early Tuesday afternoon, it was raining. Mud everywhere; slippery mud like our Manitoba gumbo. And if you go anywhere, you are either going uphill or downhill. Going to the outhouse, at night, with a flashlight, slipping, sliding and falling down will not be forgotten. What a day to begin our experience in the mountains.
Our vivienda is well ventilated, so well so that you can see through the multitude of holes in the walls and the roof. Quite easy to tell when the sun comes up at 7:00. You can feel the wind and endure the rain drops. All bunkbeds and suitcases have now been placed strategically as to fit in between the INTERIOR rain. We love it there and would not trade for a more modern vivienda.
There is no electricity, no running water (there is no water, it has to be trucked in), no radios, no mirrors, no colmado (small store), no... You get the picture. It's wonderful.
Our cook SANTA lives with us and treats us to incredible meals. If one was to lose weight, one would have to be very determined and well disciplined.
We are living in the company of chickens, a multitude of chicks, pigs, cows, donkeys, horses, dogs, roosters and probably another animal! And of course dominican roosters and dogs have no concept of time. They think, it quite appropriate to express themselves freely at all hours of the night.
In the interest of meeting a deadline, I will end here and hopefully be able to return to you next week. There is so much more to describe. For the RED RIVER MISSION group of eight coming down on M onday Feb. 08, please take note of the following:
It can get rather cool at sundown and overnight. Bring an extra blanket or do as many of
us do, sleep with your clothes on.
We are frequently stepping into wet material, mostly cement. Review your footwear.
Sunblok is a must. You should see most of us 'lobsters'!
Aussitot que possible, probablement demain dimanche le 31 janvier, nous vous ferons parvenir la
version francasise. Pour le moment, le temps nous manque, ou nous allons manquer de se rendre a l'internet a temps. Hasta luego.
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