Hola! I just got back from Ecuador a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share my amazing experiences with you. Below is a short summary of all the adventures my group and I went on over the past 17 days.

Day 1

Met the group at the Toronto International Airport at 4:45 AM, even though it was extremely early, we all couldn't wait to begin the adventure we had been waiting on for months! We arrived in Ecuador at 7:00 PM, it was crazy to see how dark it was already! We settled into our hostel in Quito, Ecuador, which is the capital city. To finish off the night we ate pizza and snacks before heading to bed for an early start tomorrow morning.

Day 2

Had an amazing start to the day by visiting the center of the Earth - the Equator!! I have always wanted to visit the Equator, now I can say I finally have. At the Equator there was a preserved indigenous village with homes from the 1870s. We also took part in different types of experiments that embodied the different effects of the Earth's hemispheres. One of the cool things  I got to take part in was walking across the Equator line. Picture this - eyes closed, arms out, thumbs up, trying to walk in a straight line but not being able to because of the magnetic force from both sides! For lunch we visited a beautiful park on top of the hill that overlooked the city of Quito. It was an amazing sight seeing the children flying kites high up in the air. For the remainder of the afternoon we toured Old Quito and saw historic churches and buildings.

 Day 3

Today was the day the true experience began - we traveled the day on a bus to head to the lodge we would be residing in for the next 12 days. Half way through the day we stopped at a rose factory, this was an incredibly opportunity as many tourists do not receive the chance to visit a rose factory due to the poor and unfair working conditions. Visiting the factory was interesting, in Ecuador you could purchase 25 roses for only $1 US, think back to how expensive roses are back home! It was really neat to be able to see how the roses were produced.

 Day 4

Today we traveled to the first community we were building in, Shuid. This community took us two hours each way to travel to, however as this is the poorest area that Free the Children has developed a project in, in Ecuador, it was incredibly important for our group to make the time to commit to helping the project. Heading up to Shuid was an extremely frightening experience, imagine driving on a dirt road climbing up a steep mountain with a cliff drop off at the end of the road. The slightest wrong move and we'd be off the cliff, thank you Fernando, our bus driver who helped make that not happen! Today my friend Jasmine and I were the construction leaders for the site, this meant that we delegated which individuals were at which station, and ensured that everyone got to try every job. The different jobs to be done today included the framing for the school, painting and sanding, brick making, and sifting sand. It was an eye opening first day of school building.

Day 5

Today we had another day of school building, completing the same jobs but switching stations. This was a great day, as we finished the framing for the school which meant that we could begin making cement which would fill the base foundation for the school. We met two adorable young boys named Wilson and Jose who were shy at first, but then warmed up to us more and more as the week continued on. That evening we watched the documentary on Craig Kielburger and how he created Free the Children. I was absolutely blown away with the fact that a 12 year old could create this large of an organization that has already made so much change in global development. I also can't imagine traveling to a foreign third world country at age 12 without your parents, I truly believe that Craig has a lot of strength and courage to make this great of a difference.

 Day 6

 Today we went to a local farmers market to complete an eye opening activity that our facilitators organized for us. We were split into groups and given a typical Ecuadorian family scenario in order to purchase a meal for our family. We had to consider funds for health, education, grandparents, etc, which were all factors that gave our family less money to buy a meal to cook. After calculating these factors in our family had 77 cents left to purchase a meal for 7 individuals. This was a really hard experience for me as when I think back to home, I can spend $20.00 on a meal just for myself. After bargaining and allocating our 77 cents, we ended up purchasing a bag of rice and two stems of brocolli. Overall this was an incredibly impacting opportunity, as I now will be more careful when it comes to not wasting food.

Day 7

Today was a sad day, as it was our last day school building in the community of Shuid. We finished sanding and panting the roof tiles which was rewarding, so today we continued with the rest of the stations. A really cool experience that we encountered was as Ecuador is at an extremely high altitude, we literally worked in a cloud today! As a little girl I always wanted to see what it would be like in a cloud, now I can say that I finally know what it's like! We then said goodbye to the community, by playing games with the children and thanking them for their hospitality.

Day 8

Today we moved on to our second community of school building, Chismaute. This community was interesting, as it was much more developed, in addition to other NGO's who have helped build parts of the school as well. We began the day by mixing materials to create bricks. In this community the process to create bricks is much more difficult than in Shuid, as Shuid had a brick machine. This meant much more manual labour! After lunch we worked in pouring rain and hail and had to walk up the steep road to get to the bus as the bus would have slipped if we drove all the way down to the school. Following school building, we had a speaker come to visit named Maria who shared her experiences with us. Maria was priviledged to complete school all the way up to Grade 12. This was amazing as many Ecuadorian children do not receive the opportunity to go to school, especially girls, thus Maria was very lucky. Maria also ran to become the president of her community, and ended up receiving this title as many citizens voted her to become president in order to see her fail. However Maria ended up being an excellent president, one of the most notable acts being creating womens groups in a few communities of Ecuador. As women don't have equal rights to men in Ecuador, this was an extremely rare task that Maria took on. The womens groups have continued to grow and prosper, as there are now many alternative income projects that these women can benefit from throughout the year. After the presentation, it was our faciliator Nadia's 25th birthday today, so we had a fiesta with a pinata, cake, music, and dancing, which was really enjoyable.

Day 9

It was a really clear morning today, so we began the day by taking pictures in front of the Chimborazo mountain. Wow was the view ever spectacular! Once again we had a morning of school building. Unfortunately, after lunch we arrived to pouring rain and hail at the buildsite, so we had to pack up early and head back to the lodge.

Day 10

Today we had the pleasure of meeting a womens group that Maria had created. We took part in their alternative income projects, by shearing sheep, learning how to make the wool into string, and then making the string into clothing. After lunch we were paired up with one of the women and taken back to their homes in order to experience "A Day in the Life" of the Ecuadorian women. We were then shown their homes and animals. We then helped Norma garden. Back at the lodge that night we had a roaring campfire singing songs under the beautiful starry night.

Day 11

 We had another full building day in Chismaute. A great aspect that we had a priviledge of creating was a mural in the cafeteria, above the handwashing station. My idea of drawing bubbles above the station was lucky enough to have been chosen for one of the mural, as well as a water cycle. After I spent the morning drawing the bubbles, the entire group began painting the bubbles different shades of blue. Another highlight of the day was playing in the daycare with the children, all of their faces were so cute and adorable!!

Day 12

Sad to say that our school building has come to an end in Chismaute. For our last morning we finished painting the murals, and continued to complete our daily tasks. I must say the murals look absolutely amazing, good job team! In the afternoon we met with the girls group that Free the Children had created in Chismaute. We had a blast interacting with the girls, they sang their indigenous Kichwa songs, while we sang Don't Stop Believing. After singing we played the egg on a spoon game, and played relay races with the girls. We then had our last dinner back at the lodge, the kitchen staff made us a goodbye cake which was so sweet. It was sad to leave the people who took such great care of us for the past days. Then after dinner a local indigenous group came to perform for us, their voices and instruments were amazing to listen to! We were dancing while they performed and had a really great last night. After that we packed up for our amazing adventure to the Amazon Rainforest.

Day 13

6 AM start to our 10 hour drive to the Amazon! Wooo! As soon as we left the Andes Mountains there was a wave of warm air and humidity, my favorite kind of weather! In the mountains it was freezing, so it was nice and refreshing to return to summer weather for a few days. After we left the highway we hit yet another dirt road heading to the jungle. My friends Jasmine and Nadia sat at the back with me, we were legitimately flying in the air while our bus driver Fernando drove to the rainforest! We had lots of laughs hitting our heads on the roof. When the dirt road came to a close we hit the Napo river. We took a boat ride on the river to head to the Yachana Lodge, which was where we were staying during the Amazon. I absolutely loved the boat ride down the river, just taking in the spectacular scenery around me! I knew from that instant on I'd absolutely fall in love with the Amazon Rainforest.

Day 14

Today I woke up to the sound of pouring rain, I guess the name Rainfores really makes sense today! After breakfast the rain cleared out and we set off across the river to go birdwatching. We took a truck to go birdwatching that had seats on the top of the roof. It was really cool sitting on top of a vehicle while it was moving! We then stopped in the jungle to take a morning hike. Walking in the jungle was an experience I'll never forget. The sounds, the smells, the animals we encountered, it was really amazing to have so much biodiversity around us. After lunch we had our siesta (nap in Spanish!). The next part of our day was an experience of a lifetime. We went to see an indigenous Medicine Man, who performed a clensing ceremony on us. This involved us sitting down with our palms up on our lap, in order to get into a meditation state. The man smoked tobacco while clapping/waving leaves around us, while blowing smoke in order to rid the bad spirits around us. This was a very relaxing opportunity, and I really enjoyed it!

Day 15

Today we went to see the Kapok Tree, which has got to be the biggest tree I have ever seen in my entire life. It was so big, that it took 22 of us linking hands to get around the whole tree! The tree was over 200 years old! When we came back to the lodge we had a cooking lesson on how they cook fish and bugs. For lunch we also had a traditional Ecuadorian meal. The rest of the day was dedicated to creating an Action Plan which we would work on when we returned home.

Day 16

Today I had to say goodbye to the beautiful Amazon. We had a long travel day back to Quito. We visited the Quito Market that had so many different things to offer. I ended up purchasing some amazing artwork that I will be putting up in my future apartment. Upon our arrival in the Quito hostel, we had time to freshen up, shower, then go out for a final Ecuadorian meal prior to our departure to head home. The meal was great and it was so nice to spend time with our group one last time. For the rest of the evening we packed our belongings and had an early night as we had a long day ahead of us.

Day 17

Wake up at 2:30 AM, so early! I was sad to say goodbye to our amazing bus driver Fernando, but did get his email so I could stay in touch. It was really sad to say goodbye to all our group members, and to leave the beautiful country of Ecuador. However, I was looking forward to seeing my family and  friends once again, and to share my experiences with all of them.  

- Ecuador was an overall amazing experience and it has definitely change my life forever. It has really shown me how fortunate we are in Canada and it's nice to truly have that appreciation after seeing the conditions in Shuid and Chismaute. I definitely recommend Free the Children/Me to We Trips to anyone, it's an experience everyone should have the opportunity to encounter.

Danielle

My time in Toronto over the summer is an experience i will never forget. I met girls from all across Canada and made many friends. Since the competition I feel like I have grown as an individual. I can speak clearly and confidently infront of an audience, walk with grace, have a proper posture and have the ability to change peoples lives. In the competition I placed Top 20 out of 62 girls. I am very proud of myself and will continue to compete in pageants. I raised over 12,000 dollars for Free the Children for children across the world in need of education, food and water, shelter ect... Because I raised the most money for the charity I won a Me to We trip where i can travel to either Kenya, China, India, Ecuador or Arizon-Mexico. All these places would be amazing to visit but as of now I am thinking of going to Kenya.

Durning the pageant week we did many different things. Everyday we would eat lunch and dinner somewhere new. We went to all different types of restrants ranging, from Indian, to Greek,to Italian. We also had a different activity everyday. We went for a work out in the park, to learning latian dance,to going on a hippo bus/boat and visiting the CN tower. Are days were also filled with learning and rehearsing our dance routines. 

All the girls had a roomate. My roomate was Valerie Sawyer, from Kirkland Lake, Ontario. I feel very luck that I had Val for a roomate. We had a blast together. A bonus I must say was that Val didn't like to get up early, same as me so one of us wasn't getting up early to get ready and waking the other. We pushed the time for more sleep then hurried. Val and I to this day remain great friends! In September we go

My memories from MTC-W will never be forgotten. I don't  think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. I literally laughed until i cried. My experience will never be forgotten and i will have best stories to tell about it.

Hello everyone. My summer was amazing and very busy. I have already started my 11th grade of high school and it's going well. I tried out for the senior girls volleyball team and ,made the team :) We have already had our first divisional game, as well as this weekends tournament. I'm really sorry that i haven't been blogging lately, i have been very busy with school work. I am going to start posting short blogs just too keep you updated. I hope all is well.

danielle

We all have the power to make a difference and I believe that when we encounter those less fortunate, we have an obligation to help

                                                                                                                                                              - Oprah Winfery

All it took was two organizations sharing the same goals, to hold hands and is now changing the world and  the lives of others forever.  Free The Children and Oprah’s Angel Network have teamed up and are fighting  for human rights all across the globe. 

 FREE THE CHILDREN

A twelve year old boy from Toronto Canada, discovered one of the many terrible actions that are happening in the world today.  Craig Kielburger read about a little boy in Pakistan that was sold into child slavery for sixteen dollars and had been murdered. Craig was so shocked and effected by the story that he quickly started his own organization called Free The Children in 1995. 

http://www.oprah.com/angelnetwork/Free-The-Children

Free the Children is the world’s largest charity through children helping children. The mission is to free young people from poverty and exploitation.  They also implement four specific Education for All Children programs that help children reach their potential:

*School building

*Alternative Income

*Health Care,Water and Sanitation

*peace building

Free the Children has a proven record of success, with more than one million youth involved in education and development programs in 45 countries. The organization has received numerous awards such as: the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (Children’s Nobel prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Government Organizations. Free the Children has now teamed up with Oprah’s Angel Network which has proven to be a successful partnership!

ANGEL NETWORK

In 1994 a little girl named Nora appeared on the Oprah Show and spoke about her penny harvest project. Herself and other children had started collecting pennies that added up to one thousand dollars. Oprah started thinking about this and if this little girl could raise this money and have so much influence on the people then what could she, herself do. That was the start of an organization that started to change the world.

http://www.oprah.com/angelnetwork/The-History-of-Oprahs-Angel-Network

On September 18^th 1997 Oprah broadcasted an episode, inviting viewers to join her on a journey to improve the lives of others.  Oprah’s Angel Network started out by asking people to collect change and donate these coins to the charity to help improve the lives of  less fortunate people all over the globe. Her network has also awarded grants to organizations in more than 30 countries around the world that are improving access to education, protecting basic rights and creating communities

THE PARTNERSHIP   

The partnership began  in 1999, when Craig Kielburger appeared on The Oprah Show. At the time he was sixteen years of age, still fighting to free children from poverty and exploitation. Once again Oprah was inspired by a child and she automatically teamed up with Craig and Free The Children. Together they have built almost 60 schools in underdeveloped countries across the world

http://www.oprah.com/world/Oprah-and-Free-The-Children-Launch-O-Ambassadors 

Free the Children and Angel Network have been proudly working on the O Ambassadors Program together since 2006. This has really helped Free the Children grow and expand their horizons. Both of the organizations in this program have been meaningful because it aligns with both of their missions. Angel Network’s goal is to find a great match for it’s mission, not to own program efforts.

With the help of the Angel Network, Free the Children has now built more than 650 schools worldwide providing primary education to more than 50,000 students

every day. They have also helped provide to 1 million people, access to clean water, health care and sanitation.

These two charities have the same  basic goals, goals that everyone should think about. Some of us live in a very privileged world while others do not. We have so much given to us.  How hard is it to look outside of our world and help out?

“The Upper Class” is a brand new upcoming series filled with suspense, excitement, and heart break. Leading actress Danielle Frebrowski plays Brooke Skyes , a vibrant teenager from the small, quiet town of Cheatle newly moves to the thriving city of New York. Brooke meets a mysterious boy and feels a enduring sensation, drawing her towards him. She is asked to enter a secret group of ’friends’ which means putting aside who she really is.  We are taken on a journey that promotes front and center, the importance of being ones self and fighting in what you believe in.

“The Upper Class” is targeting teens that will be able to make a connection with this emotional series. Brooke gets sucked up into the wrong crowd at the wrong time. She is faced with wanting to fit in against truly being her self. “The upper Class is a nail bitter series with twists and unexpected turns happening in every episode. The ‘upper class’ may seem like the perfect group but Brooke feels that there is something else going on.

Faze Media, Frank Ideas and Execution and SMOJOE know that the proper image and marketing is very important. With the support of these business’s you can be assured that The Upper Class will be an unforgettable series. Both SMOJOE and Faze Idea can mean everything when it comes to marketing yourself or a product. With Frank Ideas and Execution  who specialize in social media marketing fully understand what is worth marketing and what is it. With these three sponsors you should be assured that The Upper Class will be a huge hit throughout North America and the world!

Hey everyone

School has now come to it’s end and this time of year is when the Awards are given out. Last week there were two award ceremonies and I attended both. The first one was Chestermere High School’s Athletics Awards Banquet ( http://plone.rockyview.ab.ca/chestermerehg ). For this event we dress up and my friends and I get excited to do it. Served for dinner, we had burgers, salad, chips, cake YUMMMMMM and punch.
There are different awards given out for each Grade and I was lucky enough to receive the Junior Athlete Award Of Excellence. The award is given out to an athlete that has participated in at least three sports and demonstrates leadership and sports man ship.
I also attended another evening awards ceremony called the Gem awards. Potluck supper served whilst the drama group and High School Band performed. The Gem Awards are given out to students that are involved in the arts, music and drama. I love art, it’s something that I have always been good at even when I was a little girl. I was awarded the Most Promising Artist Award.
I just wanted to make a quick blog about what I excelled at in school this year. Miss Teen Canada-World ( http://www.missteencanadaworld.com/ ) is just around the corner. I’m so busy and so excited. See you all soon.

Xoxo
Danielle

Welcome To Calgary

Calgary ( http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt? ) is a thriving oil based city located a short distance east of the stunning Rocky Mountains. As Miss Teen Rockyview County I am going to take you on a journey and help you to explore Calgary and it’s surrounding areas, at it’s best. Calgary is a multicultural city with residence from all over the world so no matter where you are from, you should feel right at home.

The climate in Calgary is very dry year round however we do get to enjoy the beauty of each very different Season. Calgary is located in the prairie and grass land region of Alberta so we tend to experience lots of wind fronts that come in from the mountains. Our Winter months may be extremely cold, but this region is known for warm Chinook winds that may change the temperature more than 10 degrees Celsius within a 24 hour period, and for the majority of days we have crystal clear blue skies, which is definitely a bonus.

I was born and raised in a small, lakeside community just east of the city called Chestermere ( http://www.chestermere.ca/ ). My personal feelings are that Calgary is a great city to visit year round. In the winter , Calgary is an amazing destination to travel to because it is located just 80 km east from the world renowned Rocky Mountains( http://www.discovertherockies.com/ ). A major part of my childhood was traveling to the Canadian Rockies to enjoy snow skiing which is one of my favourite hobbies to do during the Winter. Calgary is located so close to many different world class ski resorts. All the ski hills I have traveled to I have met people from all over the world enjoying our slopes. I’m not just saying that it’s good, it is good.

Sunshine Ski resort( http://skibanff.com/ ) has been serving skiers and snowboarders dreams for the past 80 years with endless mountain terrain in the heart of unspoilt wilderness. The hill is generally open for business from mid November to late May. Sun Shine’s annual average snow fall is over 30 feet every season. Day passes are $79.14 for an adult, $61.86 for a senior (65yrs+), $26.42 for a child (6-12) and $54.28 for a youth (13-17). The hill has lots of restaurants and resorts to make you feel right at home.

During the summer time come on out and go for a trail ride in our local Foothills. Trail riding is an experience you will never forget. You will be wowed by the surrounding beauty of the nature, the spectacular sights of the forests, waterfalls, rugged mountains slopes. Why just explore in a car? Get on the horse and discover Calgary’s heritage of the Wild West. Give Saddle Peaks a call and go for an adventure. Saddle Peaks ( http://www.saddle-peak.com/ ) offers day trips and over night trips. So give a call at 403-923-3299. Trust me you will have a blast.

July is when the stampede rushes into Calgary. The Calgary Stampede( http://calgarystampede.com/ ), also known as the Greatest Outdoor Show On Earth, normally begins the first Friday of July. The opening of the this ten day celebration is the parade, which you don‘t want to miss. Every year, my mom, sister and our friends go and watch the parade. It’s filled to the brim with beautiful colours, horses, princesses, floats, bands ,dancers and so much more. The biggest part of the Calgary Stampede is the carnival, rodeo and chuck wagons and last but not least, the spectacular Grand Stand Show. The stampede has a variety of things for every age, from rides and games to experiencing the western rodeo, to looking around at all the farm animals or partying in the saloon., kicking your heels up to both local and famous country bands.

There are all different accommodations in Calgary but I recommend the Fairmont Palliser Hotel ( http://www.fairmont.com/palliser/ ) located on 133 - 9th Avenue SW, in the heart of down town Calgary. This is a luxury hotel with lots to enjoy and probably offers just what anyone would be looking for. For the Miss Teen Alberta-World pageant, the Palliser was the host hotel. If you are looking to throw a party this hotel is right for you with it’s magical ball rooms. Phone to make a reservation at 403-262-1234. I’m telling you it seams like your staying in a old castle. For in the , it’s something that the whole family will love.

Down town Calgary is a great place to shop. It’s filled with anything and everything you can think of, from quaint boutiques to wide spread malls or just streets of shops. 17th Ave, SW is filled with all different kind of fashionable shops, intertwined with cute cafés and raving bars, it’s got it all. Another great place to shop in down town Calgary would be the Toronto Dominion (TD) mall ( http://www.coreshopping.ca/coreinfo.php ). I was there recently and was blown away with all the high end designers and bands that they have in stock. Lastly I would recommend Kensington area, just a ten minute walk from downtown. The number one thing that you have to find in Kensington would be Crave cup cakes ( http://www.cravecupcakes.ca/ )!! They are to die for. If you are looking for a delicious sweet treat, this is it!

Make sure you check out Global Fest ( http://www.globalfest.ca/ )! Global Fest is a world class, multicultural festival and fire work presentation. The firework displays are said to be a piece of art. For one week, different countries represent themselves with their own show case of fireworks that are timed with a chosen piece of music. The festival has authentic foods and entertainment, parking, shuttle buses are offered, pets are allowed and much more. So come on down, sit back and relax to watch the fireworks. Stay tuned for the announced days in late August!

The Calgary Tower ( http://www.calgarytower.com/ ) is one of Calgary’s treasured symbols. This tower offers the best wide spread view of the city, that is a must for anyone to see. One experience that you just have to check out is the glass floor. My visit up the Calgary tower I just had to step out on this floor and feel the thrill of the drop below my feet. Whilst you’re up that high in the sky, why not sit down, relax and enjoy a meal. The Calgary tower has its very own unique restaurant where the floor slowly moves, rotating your view around the entire city in sixty minutes - especially sweet at sunset.

Calgary offers so many different thing to all different age groups. So come on out and experience what I’m taking about. As Miss teen Rocky View County I would really like to thank my sponsors:
*Revita hair salon and spa
*Kerrie Tomshak at Luna Salon
*Minx
*Jennifer Charlebois-make up artiest
*Greg Harder-Photographer
Also I want to thank you! The fans and readers.