Time to head over to the airport

Excitement is starting to kick in, we're heading off to the airport. Lift off is in a few hours.

New Adventure

Today is the beginning of a new adventure, although I have gone several times to the Dominican Republic with students, I continue to have butterflies. It is going to be a wonderful experience for students and teachers a like.  We have all arrived at the hotel and all our hockey bags are perfect. Some students are so excited they said they are not going to be able to sleep, as for myself I'm going to try.

Talk to you soon

Kim

Start of a new adventure, April 30, 2015

Password please!

     Here we are at the hotel. Bags are packed and the taxi is reserved for 3 o'clock  tomorrow morning.

Kim will write a message as soon as she can remember her G mail pass word......like I did!,,,

                          

The day before, April 30

Here I am sitting in the hotel the day before the lift off. Everyone is out getting some food and so that gives me a little time to reflect on the weeks to come.  Although I know that this trip has been successfully done before and that our days are well mapped out according to a tried and true schedule, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about the unknown: the language, the accommodations, the workload and the potential issues that will inevitably arise and that we will have to deal with as a group.

These new adventures will result in some growth, both personal and professional.  After all, any new experience can not help but stretch us in some new way, even in unexpected ways.  My hope is that we will merge as a group and work together to solve our issues, work through the problems and celebrate the small victories we have throught the trip. Even misery can look like a fun life lesson given the passage of a little time....

Of course we will all miss the comforts of home: the love and affection of friends and family, the pleasures of the little luxuries we are so accustomed to, like hot showers, food we feel familiar with, comfortable temperatures and humidity and beds and water and and and.......

We will not return home unchanged in some way, even those of us who have been on this very trip in years past. That change remains to be discovered and examined in the weeks after we have returned home.  The reflective exercise will continue for some time as we glean the lessons from our experiences.....

OK, enough!  This is getting way too cerebral!!  Let's go and discover what life has in store for us and what we can bring to it!!

Dwindling down to the last hours...

The countdown is on... 

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go.... So is Finn :P

Ya think we've got enough stuff??? April 24, 2015

Back to organizing the bags of donated items today.  The goal is to bring about 11 hockey bags stuffed with the clothes, meds, soccer balls....etc.

Here's the mom and daughter celebrating the quantity of goods!

A low level perspective!

Now from the top!!

                                                                   Pack, pack pack!

Lisa with the Izzy dolls.  She looks like she wants to take one home!

And, believe it or not this is not the entire amount!  Each bag weighs 50 lbs!

It is amazing to see the generosity of our friends and family and connections who were so giving of their hearts, wallets and stuff.  Thanks to everyone.  Only one more week to go!!!

Now we have to get it all to the airport!

Bag Packing April 21. 2015

Today we got together during our lunch hour to begin the labour intensive process of packing the donated items into bags that we can take with us on the trip to the DR.

I was completely amazed by the quantity and quality of the stuff that was donated from across the valley by family and friends as well as other contacts (church, school or yoga class!)

We sorted the items: shoes, adult female clothes, adult male clothes, youth and infant clothing, medical supplies, school supplies,  cosmetics, health and hygiene items, soccer balls.....you name it.....tons and tons of items.

Time is flying past....in a week or so we will be on our way with these huge hockey bags to distribute!!

Thanks to everyone who helped support the trip with these products!

It's becoming reality!!

In just 10 days we leave on our adventure. Everyone has started taking their vaccines and getting everything ready to pack. Feelings of excitement and maybe a bit of nerves too. I'll be leaving 6 kids behind for 13 days to go help families that need it :) I have never been away from them being so far away for so long but have great family that will help while I'm gone! I am looking forward to an amazing experience and meeting new people! Thank god for technology nowadays and I will be able to keep in touch with my family and friends to share my experience! Cannot wait to come back with photos and stories!!

Stephanie

Departure date is approaching quick

Dukoral has to be taken two weeks prior to departure date. And well today marks 2 weeks. 

Cheers everyone!

Two weeks to go!!

In exactly two weeks from today we will be on a plane to an experience of a lifetime!!!! Everyone start taking there chloroquine????

Izzy Doll Makers

These 3 lovely ladies are all over 90 years of age, they've been knitting Izzy Dolls for months for the team to take to the Dominican.   Thank you so much Marjorie, Joyce and Sybil, we really appreciate it.

In case you didn't know, Izzy Dolls are made in honour of Master Corporal Mark Isfeld, who was killed while serving in Croatia on June 21, 1994.  When Mark was serving on Peacekeeping missions, he saw that the children of the countries he was visiting had no toys. Personal possesions are often lost during wars. His mother Carol Isfeld knitted these dolls for Mark to share, and his fellow soldiers continued after Mark's death.  We now keep the tradition alive, by having wonderful knitters knit the dolls for us to bring on our humanitarian trips in health care.  Thank you so much!

Breakfast!!!

What a great team we have!! Fundraising breakfast for Dominican!! Thank you to all our supporters!!

Breakfast sandwich fundraiser, April 16

Many hands make light work! Today was the Ocoa group's last fundraiser! We got to school early and put all of our efforts into creating tasty "egg muffin" sandwiches.  We were super pleased to see all the group working together to a common goal.....hopefully shades of things to come while we are in the Dominican Republic.

Here are Stephanie and Danielle preparing the eggs:

 

While Lisa, Daphne and Sandra make the muffins......

And here is Eric keeping his hands in one piece......not to worry, the only meat in those sandwiches was ham!

Some one has to operate the stove!  Way to go Beatha.

And finally, the fruits of all that labour!

Our trip is getting closer.....no more fundraisers, now we get to the the final steps and organization as we prepare for our trip to the airport!

Less then a month!

A picture of my two little buddies making bracelets for the kids. They were very happy to be able to be involved! 

Pizza hut fundraiser

Last night we had our second Pizza Hut fundraiser in Chateauguay!

We had a lot of participation and were able to raise another $600.00 or so to help defer costs for the students going on the Ocoa trip. Every dollar raised help to reduce costs to the students, so it is great to see the group working hard as the leaving date gets closer.

Here are two of the intrepid travellers working at the desk and collecting money from the happy restaurant goers.

You go Beverly and Eric!

Only two more weeks before we leave!

Donation from Mega Blocks

Wow, we were so surprised to receive 5 large boxes filled with new toys, donated by MEGA BLOKS. There are puzzles, blocks, large toys and small ones, just perfect to bring to the Dominican.  A million thank yous to the company..... we appreciate this generous donation so much!  The smiles on childrens faces will be wonderful!

Vanessa, Daphne and Eric showing some of the items!

Hi Everyone

I am super excited to join a blog !

Beatha

Getting Excited!

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!
Must start packing!!!

Spanish lesson número uno

We had our first spanish lessons yesterday afternoon. It went smoothly, and I seem to more know more spanish than I think I do. I guess it kind of helps having worked at the border crossing where we see a lot of foreign languages 👍

Dominican presentations

Today we had the last group, Daphne and Eric, present a little information about the Dominican. Their presentation had some Dominican music playing in the background and the team couldn't help but make a little dance in their seats!!! 

We learned that their main food is called La bandera... Red beans, rice and meat... And it reminds them of the flag!

We even got to get a glimpse of our flight tickets... This just means it's real, it's happening and it's coming quick. I'm sure the team is getting pretty anxious! 

Sandra

Can you believe it?

This morning I woke up and look what I saw!

It's the white stuff! Which is great for maple syrup and chilling drinks, but at this time of the year, I am preferring a bit of warmth and sun!

One good thing though, is that the date to leaving for the Dominican Republic is getting closer and there will be no snow there! On the other hand, there will be other things to complain about - like mosquitoes and humidity! It will be fun, however to get the trip started!

This post is a bit of an experiment....I am trying to figure out how to easily upload photos to the blog on the iPad. If all goes well, I will be able to show all of you how to do this next week.

Wish the post luck on it's way to being published!

Post Easter, April 5, 2015

We had a few more student presentations this past week:

We learned a lot about the education system in the DR, the level of education, the standards set by the government, the accessibility of the system for the average resident.  The presentation was informative, and for my part helped to remind me that the trip is just around the corner!  It is good to get these background presentations to outline the country we will be travelling to and the challenges the population faces.  The presentations help make the whole trip real and remind me that it is real close!

Good job!  I am really looking forward to it.....it's going to be fun, educational, and a great way to put our learning over the past year into action!

John

Preparations, April 7, 2015

The lift-off date is getting closer and closer.  We are collecting all of the necessary items for our trip.

It occurred to me as I glanced at my dresser where have been been accumulating and sorting personal, but non-clothes items that there might be a picture for the blog:

As you can see, there are all the accoutrements necessary for a trip to the tropics: sunscreen, hand sanitizer, meds for the potential Montezuma's revenge, mosquito repellant to prevent malaria, malaria pills for the one mosquito that gets through the defence, etc, etc.

I hope all of the travellers have been concentrating on getting all of these things and more ready for the big day!

Don't forget our Pizza Hut fundraiser....see the previous post for more info.   We'll keep you up to date on our activities and progress leading up to zero hour, and then try to post regularly while we are in the DR so you can see what we are up to!

John

Pizzathon

PIZZA HUT Fundraiser - April 14th from 17 hr to 20 hr @ the Pizza Hut in Chateauguay
                                                                                                      99 Boul. St-Jean Baptiste
                                                                                                      Chateauguay

Join us for a Pizzathon - Evening Buffet meal 

Pizza, Salad and Dessert (Beverages are extra)

$ 12  Adults                 $ 5  Children

Please join us and support this experience in the Dominican Republic

Thank you! Merci!
Tickets available at CVCEC or from a Dominican Trip Participant

See you there!

It's getting closer and closer!!!

Well what else can I say except this is going to be an amazing experience!! For someone who has never travelled further than North Carolina and BC I am nervous a bit but more excited than anything!! This is going to be an experience of a lifetime. Meeting new people, making new friends, bonding and helping people in great need. It's going to be so rewarding and something to cherish forever!! 

27 days to go!!!

Stephanie 

28 days to go!!

Hey everyone,

This is my first post to the blog to say that everything seems to be rolling smoothly and the departure date is creeping up pretty fast... With less than a month left to prepare might I say that I'm getting very nervous/excited... haha... The experience is going to be fantastic none the less.


We've been getting donations together, throwing fundraisers, presenting information to the group to better get to know what to expect in the country when we arrive and I've been packing and unpacking my bag trying to figure out the best possible way to cram everything in without forgetting something!!

With that said, I look forward to the next fundraisers coming up, the Spanish lessons and getting the show on the road.


Sandra

Counting the days

I've been looking at this watch as we count down the day's to are trip,we've all worked so hard to get here it almost seems "unreal" that it's only 14 day's away!! I would like to thank everyone for there support and generous donations. Please continue to watch the blog so that we may share are experience with you.