Unlike most people who head to a tropical destination to relax on the beach with a cold drink and a good book Danielle Endall and her son Tyson, 12, went to the Dominican Republic to help build houses.
“It was exciting for me to experience it through his eyes,” said Danielle.
Organized by Hamilton Ont. based Live Different, the recently returned Chestermerians along with another 18 volunteers spent March 30-April 8 building a new home for a pair of lucky Dominicans.
This was Danielle’s third trip and Tyson’s first to build homes in the Dominican Republic.
She was hooked on the trips from the start while Tyson had asked if he could go on a trip after Danielle returned from her second build.
“I saw pictures of how their houses were before and I wanted to help another family with a new house,” he said.
Danielle’s other two builds were with her employer, WestJet. Although this build was privately organized, it was made up mostly of WestJetters and their plus-ones.
With this trip being privately sponsored, participants had to fundraise to cover costs.
Tyson was told he could come on this trip but he would have to do his own fundraising.
“When I had come back from my second build Tyson had said that he wanted to go,” said Danielle, “and I said absolutely I would take him but he would have to do his fundraising himself.”
The total costs were about $3 000 per person which Tyson was able to raise through bottle drives, selling beef jerky, and working a newspaper route.
“It was tough but I knew that I really wanted to go,” said Tyson.
Going down with her son was a different experience for Danielle.
“I was excited,” she said.
Although about three weeks before the trip, Danielle admits that she started to get nervous.
“What am I doing, why am I taking my child to this,” she said.
Her anxiety was relived as soon as she got to the Dominican Republic.
“The people that we were working with really set my mind at ease,” said Danielle, “and totally took him under their wing.”
She said that she and the other volunteers joked that Tyson had 17 moms on the trip.
The best part of the trip was being able to see the build in a brand-new way through her son’s experience.
“Seeing him open up and interact with other people was really awesome,” she said.
Tyson has been on vacation to Cuba and Mexico and had some idea of what the weather would be like in the Dominican Republic.
The job site and the people where a whole new experience for him.
“Walking down the streets and seeing everyone’s houses, their living conditions they were a lot different than ours,” said Tyson.
“Most of them they don’t even have enough money for food so they can’t pay for a house,” he said.
Through Live Different, Dominicans who owned some land but couldn’t afford to build a permanent structure on it where chosen to receive houses from the program.
A combination of Volunteers from Canada and local contractors worked on the build.
The new home owners were living elsewhere during the build but they were on site throughout the week had a chance to talk, through a translator, with the volunteers.
Homes in the Caribbean are completely different design from houses here in Canada.
Houses in the Dominican Republic are built out of cement.
“So, its cement blocks, lots of mixing concrete,” said Danielle.
Many of the homeowners have never had electricity in their homes before.
Windows don’t have glass and the roofs are made of tin.
This was Tyson’s first experience working construction.
“There was a lot of effort that needed to be done,” he said.
Although he had fun on the trip, Tyson doesn’t think he’ll be entering the trades here in Chestermere.
The construction was hard work but Danielle said that Tyson did a really good job pulling his weight.
“He impressed me so much, it was amazing,” said Danielle.
Tyson said that his favourite part was meeting the people in the community they were working.
When asked if he would go again, Tyson said yes immediately.
“He’s already talking about next year,” said Danielle.
