Discussions générales sur Cayo Largo (General discussions) ‹ Container/conteneur Isla de la Juventud

[Finally]

Hello. I will post in English. I invite my friend guyguy to translate for me. She is going to be my liason if you will and I thank her for this offer of friendship. She and I have had many conversations so she is accustomed to my...unique way of expressing myself. She will do me proud. (Thanks GuyGuy)

I want to share some news. I think we all can use some good news.

All of you beautiful people who have donated to the Dubois Foundation and to those who are skeptical (like I was at first sadly)....I share joy. I am slightly embarrassed actually that until now, I did not even know of the Dubois Foundation located within an hours drive for me. But I do now thanks to all of you !!

I just got off the phone with Mr Dubois and we are going to meet him tomorrow and shake his hand on all our behalf. He is a beautiful man. I can not wait to meet him and all the people of the foundation. I promise you...we will represent this forum to the greatness that it is !!! He already knows I am a member here and I could honestly hear the joy in his voice when I spoke of this forum. You should all feel very very proud.

He would not accept our offer of physical help to load and pack the container tomorrow. He has already, too many volunteers. He is having to turn people away. (Isn't that one of the most beautiful things you've ever heard !!!!) He has people coming tomorrow from as far away as Renfrew which according to mapquest is a 6 hr journey !! (My heart is feeling so warm right now). Heck, Renfrew is closer to some of you for goodness sakes. It may even be someone else from this forum coming too?

I just wish to say that he has said that this will likely be the only container going direct to the Isla de la Juventud this year but he will be sending many more that will go to aid Cuba and as things are, it will be delegated from there and will still reach all our friends indirectly. Our money will help. He has been spending most of his days on the phone with Cuban officials and most of his nights until the wee hours answering emails from people wanting to donate by the van load. This organization seems .... I am at a loss for words....simply....beautiful and makes me very proud to be Canadian !!! He informed me that he had a shipment enroute and then had to work very hard with the Cuban authorities to get it redirected to the Pinar del Rio area so badly affected. He received confirmation today, that it has in fact reached it's new destination. It was a container filled with (please don't quote me but I think he said) 9,000 pieces of clothing and many other needed items !!!

I will post photo's but sadly not likely until Sunday. I will do my best to get as many photo's as I can in the breif time that he will allow us present. It poses liabilty to him to have too many people on site and I will respect that greatly.

I just had to say something to all of you. I can not contain this wonderful news inside.

I will be back to share as soon as I can. I do not do this for me...but for us. I am proud to be a member here.
I do not want thanks or way to go's....please if you wish...just send love through the Universe and I will grab it
and put it inside our container too.


Alors voici la version française du merveilleux message de Finally:
Je veux partager une très belle nouvelle avec vous tous :

À tous ceux qui ont donné à la Fondation Dubois et aussi à tous les sceptiques (malheureusement comme moi aussi au début) , je veux partager ma joie. Je suis même un peu embarrassée car jusqu’à présent je n’avais aucune idée de l’existence de cette fondation qui est située à quelques heures de chez moi. Mais maintenant je la connais et ce, grâce à vous! Merci!

Je viens juste de jaser avec M. Dubois au téléphone et demain nous allons nous serrer la main en personne et ce, en votre nom aussi. C’est un homme merveilleux. Je suis impatiente de faire sa connaissance ainsi que celle des autres membres de la fondation. Je vous promets de représenter le forum dans toute sa splendeur! Il sait déjà que je suis une participante du forum et on pouvait même entendre la joie dans sa voix quand je lui en parlais. Nous devrions tous en être extrèmement fiers!

Il ne pouvait accepter notre offre de l’aider demain à charger le conteneur puisqu’il a déjà plus d’aide qu’il ne lui en faut. Il doit même en refuser.( N’est-ce pas la plus belle chose que vous ayez entendue?) Il y aura des gens demain de partout même de Renfrew qui est à 6 heures de route de là selon Map quest. Mon cœur est plein de chaleur en ce moment. Aye, Renfrew est même plus près de certain d’entre vous ma parole. C’est peut-être même quelqu’un du forum, qui sait?

Je désire seulement vous dire que c’est probablement le seul conteneur qu’il enverra directement à l’île de La Jeunesse cette année mais il en enverra encore d’autres à Cuba comme tel qui seront immanquablement redirigés vers L’île de La Jeunesse aussi et qui aideront nos amis de toute façon. Nos dollars seront d’un grand secours. Il a passé ses journées au téléphone avec les hauts-placés cubains et une bonne partie de ses nuits même jusqu’au petit matin à répondre à des courriels de généreux donateurs. Cette organisation semble être…les mots me manquent ici...simplement merveilleuse et je me sens bien fière d’être canadienne !!! Il m’a dit qu’il y avait déjà un envoi en route au moment des ouragans et qu’il a du travailler bien fort afin que celui-ci soit redirigé vers la région dévastée de Pinar del Rio. Il a reçu une confirmation de son arrivée à bon port aujourd’hui.C’était un conteneur qui était rempli…heu, je crois qu’il a dit à peu près 9,000 articles de vêtements et encore de bien d’autres items de grande utilité .

Je vais prendre des photos mais je ne pourrai les mettre avant dimanche probablement. Je vais en prendre le plus possible durant le temps qui m'est alloué. Le fait d’avoir tant de gens présents pourrait s’avérer difficile voire même dangereux et je respecte entièrement ce fait..

Il fallait que je partage cela avec vous, je ne pouvais plus garder cette belle nouvelle que pour moi.
Je serai de retour le plus rapidement possible afin de vous raconter le tout. Je ne fais pas cela pour moi, je le fais pour nous tous et je suis bien fière de faire partie d’un si beau groupe.

Je ne désire aucun éloge et ni aucun merci….si vous le souhaitez, à la place, envoyez votre amour à travers l’univers et je l’attraperai au passage afin de les mettre dans notre conteneur aussi.

All the very best to each of you and to our Cuban friends.
Love and prayers,
Debb & Tim

[jedab]

...((...))......please if you wish...just send love through the Universe and I will grab it
and put it inside our container too.

All the very best to each of you and to our Cuban friends.
Love and prayers,
Debb & Tim

Do receive mine!!!!! Thank's a lot for everything!!!

[Finally]

oh ... you just made me cry!!

Received and promise of delivery for you jedab my friend..to all of you !!

I must run and not likely back online til Sunday....

God speed to our love....

[Anne M.]

Many people I "know" from another forum will be at the container packing tomorrow, you'll be in good company! I'm glad the Dubois Foundation is receiving so much help. A member of the forum is making the rounds of local hotels and was able to get them to donate sheets, drapes and mattresses, all for the Foundation!

I look forward to reading your post and seeing your pictures on Sunday!

[guyguy]

I'm very happy Finally...and so proud too! Please accept another great bundle of love...find it a little place in the container too for me... Can't wait to read about your journey and to see all these beautiful souls in action!

You made me cry too..as I was translating for you, I felt your joy, dedication and generosity....

ps: Don't hop in the container..it could be a very long trip!

[guylou2]

Thank's a lot Finally. I was a bit sceptic, when it's a matter of people as Monsieur Dubois and he's team it's a little bit difficult to belive it's made by generosity and it's comes from the heart. Could you clone him in several copys?
I hope that you can read my message, my English is not very good anymore, but I think it's normal to make the effort to answer you in your language. Caress on behalf of my family

[Lily]

Muchas Gracias Finally !!!

I can't wait to see the pictures and learn about your meeting with M. Dubois and all the volunteers, I wish I could be there too!!!

[Sophie]

Finally,

Thank you so much.

I am crying now. Probably it is of all what we do. Yesterday, at my job a receive a lot of money (donation) for them, WOUFFFF !!!

I will like to be a little bird to see all of that.

Besos,

Sophie

[Bwibwi]

J'encourage les gens du forums à envoyer un peu d'argent aussi à Sophie qui ira directement à l'Île de la jeunesse en octobre avec Jacynthe. Elles apporteront entre autres des médicaments. J'ai confiance en elles, elles sont connues du forum depuis longtemps et je les ai rencontrées toutes les deux, sans beaucoup les connaître. Sophie va très régulièrement à Cuba et elle connait très bien plusieurs employés. Sophie est le genre de personne qui s'implique quand elle va à Cuba.... vous ne la verrez pas sur les plages, mais dans les cuisines à travailler et discuter avec les employés. Je lui ai donc envoyé mon don en toute confiance.

[jedab]

....et même à leurs faire de la soupe aux carottes Je seconde ça Bwibwi et je vais certainement leurs envoyer un montant à elles aussi...ou à tout le moins à l'une des deux.

[Bwibwi]

[Anne M.]

En attendant des nouvelles de finally, voici un lien pour avoir de l'information (et des photos!) sur le remplissage du conteneur qui a eu lieu aujourd'hui:

Until we hear from Finally directly, here's a link with some info and some pics from today's container packing:

http://debbiesreviews.proboards88.com/index.cgi?board=Cuba&action=display&thread=6589

Many thanks to the Dubois Foundation and all its hard-working volunteers!

[Franco]

Merci Anne M.... c'est encourageant de voir cela.

[Finally]

Oh my....

I can not know what to say first and guyguy if you wish to translate as I go here...I totally welcome the assistance, but do not expect as...well...I talk too much sometimes !

I am firstly SO glad to know there are more photo's to look at. I will go there later to see anothers view. It was too much to take in all at once, and I mean that in a very good way.

I must first call out back to those who stopped by here...

Anne M...did I meet you today? There were so many. I am so sorry, my brain is still processing this day. If so please pm me sometime. I saw the sheets...and the blankets...and the doors.....and the toilets...and there was also flourescent ceiling fixtures complete with bulbs....ALL coming out of that one large cube van that was brought by the person you speak of. It was ... unbelievable !! And there was more I'm sure...I just could not be everywhere...to see everything. It was an amazing hub of organized chaos. (Mr Dubois actually used that phrase today).

What an AMAZING group of people, sponsors, volunteers !!!!

GuyGuy.... oooooh I wanted too. I so badly wanted to. Jump into the container. But it was FULL. It was the most beautiful full I ever have seen. Tears....I surprised myself. I did not cry. I almost did when we first arrived. And I will....later when I read this and everything else wonderful I see on this and all forums. THANK YOU for your post. You captured my words as I knew you would.....

Guylou2...your english is wonderful !! Please do not apologize. Thank you. Thank you all. I wish I could clone John. He insisted that his father is Mr Dobois I can't say no need to be skeptic, that is a personal decision for all...but I can reassure you that what I saw....has put my mind to rest and I can not wait to continue efforts with these lovely people.

Hola Lily...wow. I thank you for your assistance this weekend. You are a woman I greatly admire. Thank you for coming by.

Sophie...I will be a little birdie....I have many photos and will stay up all night placing them on here. It may be too many to some and for that I apologize. But I feel there are many of us...and a lot of us have this common....sigh hard to describe....kinship if you will. I want you all to see exactly what I saw. I only wish I had one hundred photo's to share. Our tears ... join together. It is all very overwhelming...

Bwibwi.....so many of us caring so much...can do amazing things for our Cuban friends. And that bonds us all as one no. I heard today the need for medicines is great. Everything is needed. Things I never ever would have thought of. Like a toilet. or a mop. or a wooden crate to hold items as the wood will be reused also. So wonderful....

jedab...carrot soup? sounds good.

Franco....hello to you and thank you for sharing also


I need to try to keep this short....but it will be hard....

I will need to take breaks so please bare with me....


Today we had the honor to meet Mr and Mrs Dubois. Beautiful people. 18 months ago they decided to move their warehouse operation from a rental to their home. They wanted to have less money spent as that money saved...could go back towards the Cuban people. I did not have much opportunity to have a lot of deep conversation with either of them but do plan to follow up more. They are the back bone to the fine oiled machine that is the Dubois Foundation. And they seem people that would not want the praise and glory either. And to that I say with all do respect ... PHOOEY ...you are going to get some anyways !!! They are two souls that deserve all praise they receive. They open up their HOME. At times I could not focus on just one activity. It was like ants on an anthill if you will. People coming and going. From the driveway to the house to the shop to the far side of the yard...in the house...out.....up...down...over here...over there. A buzz of activity. Much conversation. Smiles and laughter. Team effort. They have a beautiful piece of property in beautiful country. In the back there is more storage. Transport truck trailers...ready...eagerly awaiting their turn to be apart of the action. We saw no one get hurt. We saw no one grumble or complain. They have the right connections. They have help with the red tape of politics to get these shipment exactly to where they want them to go. They follow up to ensure. They visit nursing homes, hospitals, orphanages....they collect all year long. It was said today that it is easier to collect when it is hurricane relief...people...companies are more eager. It is a more difficult challenge to gain access to items of donation throughout the rest of the year...but they do it somehow. We saw gently used items and brand new purchased with donations of money. They are angels on this earth who know how to get the very most for each buck. It really is an honor to be in such presence.

It was an overcast day for which I am glad. The men in the container were drenched as it were in the humidity of the afternoon. Our container. I touched it. I had to. I had to place one hand on it and feel it's pulse. All of our love is placed inside. Secured very carefully in a cargo container that is proudly loaded to the maximum. Not one space mm was left. The doors will likely burst open when they cut the seal open. One man shared with us today that has happened in the past. The overcast eventually turned to rain today, Ike is passing by us so the weather channels say. We did not stay until the very end but I do think the rain would have held off long enough. She was almost full when we parted ways.

I hope this is ok I share like I do....

Our friends are receiving many many needed items. The container was half full already when we arrived and packing must be stratigic but the things I saw go inside.....phew...I can not describe.

OK enough of my chitter....some photo's and brief caps here and there....if anyone has any questions...please do not hesitate to ask.....it was all so overwhelming......

There was even the official from the Cuban council in Toronto there....we met steveyyz, many other people. I will not this time, remember all the names. I am poor with names to begin with and I was meeing people and also their sudo computer names too. It was really .... well really really cool !!! There were representatives there from other forums that we met....tripadvisor, happydaze (do not quote I need to check the spelling yet)...oh and another I forget but Tim will remember (I will add in later).

THIS forum is known by most. Some do not join here as the translation is difficult to which we all can attest. It made me feel very very proud to be there for all of us. Good words only were shared amoung us all. Stories of trips. Stories of life. Many thanks go out to all of us and the efforts of the shirts and bandana's is known by all. This website has been visited by all....

It has been a day filled with great things. I shall share...and likely share some more...I will return within the hour....

[Finally]

Sorting area - everything must be listed, and labelled with a number, tagged. These ladies did not stop working. The donations just kept pouring in.












That container on the right, beside the transport trailer which was UN-loading ... beside the linen cube van ....

is the Isla de la Juventud ocean container.
She was breathtaking.


By this point....words failed me and my mouth just dropped open.....it stayed that way most of the couple hours were were there...

I can not begin to capture each photo. I may come back from time to time in the next days to add in more. I wish I could describe each photo to minute detail...



clothing.....linen.....all repacked and labelled and listed...passed from the sorting area....now ready to be loaded....




that is Mrs Dubois in the centre





They were prepared. The organization it takes to pull this off...well phew....I think I am tainted as I work in logistics most of my adult life....I understand the complexity....they made it all look so easy...like it was just pure fun. Much goes into days like today in that driveway of love and will continue for months now. It is shipping season...

[Finally]

Meet Mr Dubois

He has a firm but gentle handshake. It contains compassion as his other hand slides on top of yours, already grasped. I like handshakes like that.




these photo's do not do justice...at the very front left are two mops and buckets on wheels....janitorial supplies. I had not even thought of something like that...taken for granted....below are chairs on top of a pallet of yet more.....I was in awe of the generousity.






above and below - the unloading of the truck spoken of earlier....with bedding and linen from hotels....





once Tim passed me the camera.... I could not stay still.....




not one square inch was unused.....the container is filling.....this is when I walked over and placed
all our love inside. Your messages have been delivered...it did not matter to me who was there....
who may laugh...who may wonder what I was doing....there was this hard to explain "gentle
understanding" Our love was placed inside during time I spent standing there during a small coffee break....





the large building fills to it's brims...awaiting transportation to our friends....

[Finally]

My photos tell a story. They are not mis ordered. The driveway is full....again. It never emptied. It all will not fit today, but it all will ship to where it is needed. The next months there will be many many more containers go....








children's toys by the bountiful....it warms the heart to see. One man shared of a story...a few years back....
they needed little girles undergarments.....women make them out of old linen on the islands....he went out....
spread word.....thousands of pairs of little panties were donated from the big box stores. The stories shared today...
warmed the soul.





there really can be too many cooks in the kitchen..so to speak. (that is a saying here...). There were
many times where many had to just stand back...stay out of the way. I understand the liability for sure.









Inside this wood crate are tools...brand new....tool bags too. They are muchly needed. More organized
encouragement of items needed for donation and more shows of answers to prayers being heard...

I may at times be disappointed by my govenment...but I as a Canadian...couldn't feel more proud to see
the power of the people at work !!






I could see my man's "itch".... want...need...desire to join in.

[Finally]

behind those wood crates were just stuffed mattresses when I took this photo.....they (the crates) had been loaded, then readjusted because it was discovered ah-HA mattresses would fit back here !! so more work to shift....rearrange....use every inch....you can't see it here but that wood will push against the door and this wonderful container really is going to be like a big smiley jack in the box going sproing!!! when it opens. It is stuffed....full. It makes me smile now....watching them push with the forktuck...tap tap...squish squish. A few men arranging the inside of that box like a jigsaw...knowing exactly where everything is so as what is breakable, what can be stacked upon what. Very impressive skills combined today....people...like you and I....




I knew he could not...not. A bin full of dishes, kitchen items....



and still more came.....banana boxes from grocery stores and suppliers....excellent strength for packing.....

oh....this is sad...many many stories were shared about the lack of food that Cuba now has.....



the crate above...with yet more bedding from that one truck...I was beginning to think I was in never never land....
trucks seemed to have no end....items just continued to show up. People came and went. Mr and Mrs Dubois choose to
speak personally to each person. They must...all....be exhausted right now. Good work to everyone !!!!!

[jedab]

Finally,

Thank you so much.

I am crying now. Probably it is of all what we do. Yesterday, at my job a receive a lot of money (donation) for them, WOUFFFF !!!

I will like to be a little bird to see all of that.

Besos,

Sophie

I agree with that!!! Many thanks to all of you!!!

With all these great photos ... it's almost like we were all little birds having a look on all that big work!!

I can't find the words to really make you understand how I feel!!!!

[Finally]

We begin to make our departure. Share our good byes.



The sorting area has once again gone ka-boom !!! And the ground is filled with more new items.

It is hard not to cry with joy...



So we veer off to go see the llamas. They have llamas for goodness sakes. I have never been so close.



Assistance lines the driveway....and spills out onto the shoulders of the highway.....



I ask our container to be safe and travel with speed.....one last look....as the powerful Ike starts to
appear visible in our skies....it's as if she too shall spill her tears on this container...to return as if to say
I'm sorry....





I am glad to have been able to share this here. Tim and I both say many hello's to each of you.


I will come back likely with coffee in the morning....




To Mr & Mrs Dobois and this wonderful organization:
we thank you for allowing us to participate
to share photo's
and for all that you do !!!