Defining Hospitality

DH - Oscar Mejia
===

Speaker: [00:00:00] What I do is inconsequential. Why I do what I do is I get to shorten people's journeys every day. What I love about our hospitality industry is that it's our mission to make people feel cared for while on their journeys. Together we'll explore what hospitality means in the built environment, in business, and in our daily lives.

I'm Dan Ryan and this is Defining Hospitality.

This podcast is sponsored by Berman Falk Hospitality Group, a design driven furniture manufacturer who specializes in custom case goods and seating for hotel guest rooms.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Today's guest is someone who dedicates his work to providing safe housing and education to those who need it. He is strongly committed to fulfilling his company's mission statement by managing, supervising, and directing three work areas, healthcare, Education and housing.

He is the co founder of Asociacion de Casas a Hogares or Houses to Homes in Antigua Guatemala. Ladies and gentlemen, Oscar [00:01:00] Mejia. Welcome, Oscar.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Thank you, Dan. It's a pleasure to be here. It's the first time I'm doing something like this, but thank you for letting me do this with you.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Okay. Well,

I love, I love first times because for the experience that my family had with you, it was the first time that I'd actually built a house from start to finish. Um, and I just want to let all the listeners know. Two summers ago, my wife, Alexa, and my daughter, uh, Vivian, went down to Guatemala.

Alexa did all this research and found from houses to homes. Um, stayed in, you stayed, she stayed in a hotel, or they stayed in a hotel in Antigua, which is a beautiful colonial, Spanish colonial city that is just like so rich in history and in a beautiful setting on the banks of a volcano. Um, and I think they just celebrated last summer their 500th year?

500th anniversary?

anyway, the two of them went down and partnered with another family or [00:02:00] met up with another family and built a house, like from start to finish, they said it was really hard work, but they felt very, um, I don't know, enriched. And like, it felt like they really made a difference in a small way.

So then last summer, Alexa and Vivian were like, let's just get the whole family to go down. And we went down with another family friend of ours from the town next to us, uh, the Dotsons. And it was really amazing. Like. They built one house, and we built another house next to them for two families, um, that were living up, up in the hills in this really beautiful kind of agricultural area, um, up the hill from Antigua.

And it was just such an incredible experience for us to get down there, work hard, and And then hand the keys over to these families that were living in like a really tight, not great conditions, open flame, cooking, kitchen, smoke [00:03:00] everywhere. Um, and I dunno, it's just like a really powerful experience. And I think at the crux of it is hospitality, right.

And shelter and like those basic human needs. Um, so before we get into your experience and why you're so passionate about this Oscar, um, I would just like to ask you, how do you define hospitality? What does hospitality mean to you?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, for me, it's something that, uh, we can be able to provide any kind of help to anyone in need. I can, I could say something like that.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Okay. And I think that the way that you've structured your life and the organizations that you're involved in, so not only is it just built building a house, um, But we also, you took us to a school, and I want to talk about those three pillars of housing, healthcare, and [00:04:00] education. Um, how did you become so passionate about these three things, and how, like, what led you to the path that you're on now, with Houses to Homes?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, um, I want to let you know that, um, I never had a father. My father died some, some days before I was born, about four days before I was born. So, my paternal, uh, grandparents, uh, they throw out my mother from where she was living because they say, well, your husband is not here anymore and you have to get out of here.

So And, uh, well, at that time, my mother, she didn't have, uh, where to go. Uh, I'm glad that, uh, there were some good people around and they offered, uh, where to live with them while we could solve the [00:05:00] situation. Uh, and, um, my mother didn't have a bed, a house, uh, nothing. Uh, and, uh, we were sleeping in the. In the floor and, um, it was, uh, very hard at that time.

We were only two, uh, siblings and, uh, for my mother, it was a very difficult beginning again, you know, with the two of us and, uh, she decided to move to Guatemala city. And, um, while we were, uh, starting to live there, um, unfortunately my mother, she made a mistake and she had two more babies, uh, after four years. And, uh, you know, we, we were four at that time and my mother was a single mother, you know, trying to find ways to survive along with the four of us because these two men, uh, didn't want to, um, help her in any way. When I was about, [00:06:00] um, six years old, uh, there was a person who, uh, became to be, uh, um, Oh, he wanted to come to live with us. And well, he was our, uh, stepfather and, um, at the beginning he was okay, you know, but through, through the time, through the years, uh, he started to drink so much, he was, uh, forcing us to, uh, sell in the streets. He was not, uh, interesting in educating us. And, um, when I was about eight years old, on average of that, I decided to, uh, run away from home. And the reason is because I didn't like the way, uh, the type of life we were getting from, uh, from this guy. So I decided to looking for my maternal and grandparents and I explained the reasons I did that. so they were helping me, uh, at some point. They [00:07:00] were poor people also, and it was very difficult for them to help me. Um, but, uh, um, after a couple of years, maybe two or three years, uh, my grandmother, she decided to start looking for something else that I could help me. So she found an orphanage in a town that is close to Antigua, Guatemala, where we are located. And, she decided to send me there, um, well, I, I, I was happy with that decision because, uh, when I arrived to that place, we were only maybe 30 kids. This was an organization based in New York who were, um, who decided to start all of this for many people in Guatemala too. So I, uh, started living in that, uh, uh, orphanage when I was about 11 years old, and, uh, I took [00:08:00] advantage of the opportunity. Uh, they educated me really, really well, and I took advantage of that opportunity.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: I wanna, um, just share, 'cause I know this summer when we were together, um, and I was talking to you about, I, I, I had such a, we had such a profound experience that I just wanted to get you on here so that you could talk about your life experience and kinda how you came to be involved and lead houses to homes.

Um, but one of the things that struck me. Was about the orphanage. You said something like, um, getting into that orphanage was the best part of your childhood.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: And you are right and you can remember really well because that was the best part of my childhood for sure. I, I really enjoyed everything there and I took advantage of the opportunity. And, uh, you know, it's, uh, it was, uh, funny because we were hundreds of kids after some years there, maybe [00:09:00] 400 kids.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: it went from 30, it went from 30 kids to 400 kids while you were there? Oh wow.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: that, yes, we were so many kids. And, uh, through the years, you know, we were taking advantage, uh, studying and, you know,

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: I wanted to go into, like, this idea of, um, because to me, hospitality also is something about this idea of warmth and home. And like a hearth or a fire, like a fire, right? There's, there's some kind of feeling of home. to go into your idea of hospitality, really providing shelter and helping others.

I think that's what you said. Um, I think that that experience of being on the streets to having an incredible, fond memory of an orphanage. Like I don't, I don't know many people that have grown up in orphanages. And I think of all the stories I've heard of people that lived in orphan orphanages, most of them were very bad experiences.

So if you think about being on the streets and [00:10:00] getting into the orphanage and having that be a positive experience, what kind of, Was that like your first experience of receiving hospitality and being welcomed into the orphanage? Like what, I want to dig into that. Like what was that feeling or the switch from being on the streets to being in the orphanage?

And how did that, what was that feeling and how have you taken that feeling forward in your life?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: well, no doubt about that. I felt, uh, having a good hospitality in that place for sure, because where I was coming from, it was, you know, very different and, you know, I didn't have any opportunities, uh, with this stepfather that I was having. And, uh, you know, I never, uh, regret, regret it about, um, doing this, you know, because, um, I, I, I had some kind of feelings that I was going to be much better there for sure.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: was it just being in a clean, [00:11:00] well lit, warm place? Or was it the people that cared for you? Or was it all of it? Like, how did, how did you feel in that initial first couple of months going from the streets into the orphanage?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Oh my gosh. You know, I just didn't feel anything difference. I mean, in, in the way that, uh, being in there, I was just happy, you know, since the beginning,

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Wow.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: I just had some feelings that I was going to be much better there for sure.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Okay, so now this idea of like a house is a structure, it's shelter, it's basic. But a home, or hogare, is a shelter. Is something different, right? So how did you guys come up with the name from houses to homes? What is the difference in those two different words to you?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, it's because, uh, the type of people we help and, [00:12:00] you know, they have some very simple houses, the structure of the houses where they live, very simple. And when we are offering something better, we can see the difference of they have before and what they are going to have in, in, in a few days, you know? So that is one of the reasons we came with the, with the idea of, of the name. Uh, in this case, I can say that, uh, Joe Collins, the founder of the project, uh, he was with the idea of the name together with his son. So when they, uh, when Joe invited me to join him in this. I like to say sometimes like adventure in life. Um, when he told me about that, I said, well, I like the name. I like the logo we have. And, uh, uh, the logo has to do something with the name also.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: So Joe Collins, if I remember correctly, he passed away a few years ago, but he was from [00:13:00] New Jersey,

correct?

And he came down to Guatemala. what led him to found Houses to Homes?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: I met Joe Connors in my previous job. That was another charity. And the reason Joe was, uh, he came to Guatemala. It's because, He had a, uh, a son, uh, his name is Darren Collins, and, uh, this guy, he was, uh, volunteering and working in the north of Guatemala, and, uh, when he was doing all of that, and, um, he was telling Joe the stories about the, the, the poverty in Guatemala. And, uh, at that time, Joe couldn't believe what he was hearing from, uh, Daron, and he decided to visit him in Guatemala. He wanted to witness what he was hearing about the poverty. So when he decided to do it, uh, well, he didn't have any doubts about that. And when he saw many [00:14:00] things about how the people were living, the conditions where they were living, he didn't have any doubts about that.

And. After that, he came back to New Jersey and he started looking for a place where he could start volunteering. And he found this other organization where I was working for. And, uh, well, he started, uh, he was, uh, coming for three months, four months, six months, and, uh, he did, he really liked everything about, uh, what he was doing for, for the people here. And, um, you know, after a few years, three years, four years. We became to be good friends and, um, um, that's, that's, uh, the reason he, he was coming to Guatemala and, um, the reason he founded, uh, From Houses to Homes, it's because, uh, in the, in the other organization, he didn't like, uh, the way [00:15:00] he, they were helping the people, you know, the way they were getting donations to help the people, they were not used, used properly, you know, to help the people. So, he started telling his friends about this and he told them that he wanted to start his own organization, but he was not pretty sure about that because, um, he didn't have any experience and he didn't have any money, you know, to start something like that. But there were some people encouraging him and he decided to form From House to Somes in New Jersey in 2004. When, when that happened, uh, he told me about that and he told me, and he asked me if I wanted to work with him and join him. And I said, yes, right away, because I wanted to do something different too.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Um, I liked the idea. I want to dig into that word appropriately. Um, particularly, with how your [00:16:00] nonprofit works, because we surveyed when I say we, it wasn't me. It was my wife is the researcher, Alexa. She looks at everything, but there are a lot of organizations out there where you can have similar experiences around the world, or even in the U S so you do not to be limited. You're not limited in anywhere you could do it. All of these organizations exist. But what's, one of the things that led us to you is, I forget what the exact donation was, I think it was about 3, 000, is that correct? Okay, and for 3, 000, we write, we wrote a check to, from houses to homes, we go down there, we stay, we paid for our own hotel, but at the end of that, we build a freaking house for someone.

And some of these other organizations are a lot more expensive. Um, and I'm not, I don't want to like, I'm sorry. Because I think they're, they're all doing good, but it just seemed to me that [00:17:00] to build a house and then have also a part of that or that donation also go to fund a school and also healthcare.

And I assume of that 3, 000, a smaller percentage of that is going to the operations of the nonprofit as well. But it just seemed like such a tremendous, um, that a 3, 000 could check, could, could have. So going back to that idea of appropriate, what makes from houses to homes different or special? Um, people who want to make an impact.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: I think, uh, one of the most important thing is, uh, the way we like to do everything down here, you know, uh, improving the living conditions of the people. Um, it's the. The main goal for us for sure. And um, when we started all of this in 2005 here in Guatemala, we just wanted to You know, build a simple [00:18:00] house for, for a poor family. And we never thought that we were going to do this for many years. Uh, Joe told me that I probably will, uh, we were going to do that only for a couple of years only, or three years, according to what we could get from, you know, generous people. Um, so when we started with the first houses, he was telling the stories, uh, about when we started and he was telling his friends and at that time we were, um, asking, uh, 1, 500 per house. Because, um, that was the very beginning. And when the people were saying only 1500, well, I would like to donate for a house, you know, and, um, at the beginning we were just getting the money, but at the same time, Joe was doing a really good job, inviting some people to come to Guatemala to see [00:19:00] how this could be, you know, and, um, when the people started coming to Guatemala, they didn't have any doubts about keep helping us in different ways. Um, I think, um, for us at the beginning, the key, uh, it was having the volunteers with us because it's not the same when you, uh, tell the stories about many things we do here in U. S. or other countries. But if they decided to donate some money, probably in some cases, people will not, they're not going to be totally sure about what, if we are going to use the money. But when they are coming down here, it's really really different because they can see where their money is going to. And, uh, I think that is, uh, one of the, um, ways to have success for us, you know, when [00:20:00] people come and they can see the difference,

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: And just to let the listeners know, it was, and for the architects and designers and the, Contractors and people building things that listen to the show. It was really so well organized. So basically we get down there, we get up to the job site. All the materials are already there. So it's all concrete masonry units or cinder blocks.

They're all there, all the rebar is there, the roofing material is there, just all around, and the, uh, the trench for the foundation was dug, and I think the rebar was in there? I don't remember, but the trench was dug, and then we just get there, and we just start mixing concrete, which was really fun, and then pouring it into the footing.

Um, and then putting rebar in and then building up with con uh, cmu. And each house, I guess has, we had two masons with us. So my family, we would, we would lay the, the, the CMU or the cinder [00:21:00] box and then thank God the masons were there 'cause they would do all the corners and all the hard stuff that had to be level and which is like the real, real skill.

Um, and it was like, it was a really cool experience and just a lot of lifting and the family is right there the whole time helping out. I just found it very organized and I felt like the donation that we made to From Houses to Homes, I, I think a large percent of that went to all that materials and just getting it there and then, you know, our work to get it, um, and also to go to the school.

So tell us a little bit about the school as well, because one of the, one question I have, Oscar, is okay, you were orphaned, you were in an orphanage, now you're on this path and you're making an impact to, you know, thousands of people. when I went to that school and saw all the kids with the smiling faces and just the joy, and we actually, we sponsored Marjorie, I hope she's well, so [00:22:00] please tell her I say hello.

Um, there's so much poverty in Guatemala, Central America, South America. You're making a difference for a small group. How do you not want to help everyone? Like, I know that you're, like, there's constraints, there's only so much you can do, but how do you balance that, um, kind of struggle or conflict? That there's so much out there and you're making a small difference, but it is an important difference.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: well, since the beginning, we, we knew that, uh, we were going to do this as much as we could, you know, um, Of course that, uh, If we could have more money, more funds, I am sure that we could do be, uh, we could be doing more and more for sure. But, uh, we are doing what we can, uh, what we have now, and what we have, uh, um, had through the years, and what we are getting [00:23:00] Every time, every year. And, uh, you know, I think, uh, what we, uh, like to do is, uh, you know, trying to make sure that other people can have something better for living. But, uh, regarding education, since we started in 2005, uh, we decided not just, uh, helping to build houses, but, uh, we also decided to help those families. Every, every year, you know, at the beginning of the school year, we were providing some school supplies to those families and buying uniforms, you know, shoes. Uh, most of them, well, I think, uh, most of them or all of them are going to public schools, so it's cheaper in some way, but at the beginning it's a little expensive for them, you know, so that was the reason we were, uh, helping them. We were doing that for some years until we, we gave up because [00:24:00] after so many houses, we could not, uh, help, uh, all of those families regarding, uh, you know, sending them to the schools.

But, um, In 2007, uh, I told Joe that I, I, uh, I knew of a community. The name of this community is Santa Maria de Jesus. And I told him that, uh, there, there were many people in need of, uh, of education in there. Especially, uh, little kids. Uh, the ones who needs to go to preschool grades. Uh, because, uh, it's very common for many families that they are sending their children into first grade. But, uh, that is a big problem sometimes for some schools and for the teachers, you know, trying to teach for the first time to a kid, you know, with everything. So, I told Joe that I wanted to start helping preschool grades kids, uh, and, uh, [00:25:00] We started with five years old kids. So we created a little school.

We rented a small house that was not really appropriate for a school, but we were there and, uh, we were doing that for two years. Uh, and the idea was preparing them to go to first grade at any school. But, uh, after those two years, uh, I, I, I asked Joe, what about if we can help these kids and we can, uh, send them to, uh, or we can create a school where we could, uh, keep having them with us, grade by grade.

So we, we started with first grade and then second grade, you know, we were advancing by grades through the years until we had our first six graders. That was a good, a big, big achievement for us, for sure. And, uh, you know, through all those, uh, years, you know, Joe was working very, very hard, you know, getting donations and telling many [00:26:00] people that he wanted to build a school.

And, uh, when he told me his idea, I was, that is really good, you know, but I thought that we were going to build a small school. But when he told me his idea, I was like, wow, you know, I couldn't believe it.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: it's a really big, it's a big school. Very like when I, after actually building those houses and, um, mixing all the concrete and, and like learning how to build with concrete. Cause I actually, I know I've seen it, but I've never actually done it with my hands. And to think about all the forms and just how you built that school is a whole other, it's a whole other ball game, but

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: can say that as a, a unique building in Santa Maria de Jesus, you know, and, uh, through the years we have been educating, uh, on the rich of, uh, uh, A hundred and ninety kids every year, you know, since, uh, many years. And, uh, since we had the opening of this school in, in [00:27:00] 2013, um, we have been, you know, improving in many ways, educating the people there. And, uh, one of the reasons is because the experience I had, uh, at the orphanage, you know. My idea is trying to give an opportunity to anyone in the way that they can understand what they have with us. Sometimes we have success with some kids. They are doing really well. Some other times, you know, it's, uh, it doesn't work really well.

But, uh, uh, the, the, the good thing is that we, we keep working for, for the, for the community. And, uh, at that time when we created that school, uh, we were, uh, thinking about helping kids only on to sixth grade. But after that, I decided to keep helping them, uh, onto ninth grade. And then after that, we didn't want to give up.

And, uh, we continued, uh, helping them in high [00:28:00] school level. Some of them graduated, uh, from different careers. And I want to let you know that in Guatemala, uh, in high school level, it's when the kids can choose to have a career, like a secretary, an accountant, uh, and some other careers they can, uh, have. And then, uh, after that, they can choose to go to a university. But, uh, you know, having that, uh, level of education in Guatemala, it helps a lot, you know, to get a better job. So, for all the kids, we helped already. It's really nice to know that some of them have, uh, good work, working, and, uh, they are the, the first ones in their families, you know, at that type of level of education.

Speaker 2: Hey everybody. We've been doing this podcast for over three years now, and one of the themes that consistently comes up is sustainability. And I'm just really proud to announce that our sponsor Berman Falk Hospitality Group is the first within [00:29:00] our hospitality industry to switch to sustainable and recyclable packaging, eliminating the use of styrofoam.

Please check out their impact page in the show notes for more info.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Um, just to get our listeners, um, head around how, the, the scale of the impact that this organization that Joe Collins founded and now that you're leading, how many kids, how many children have made it through the school and how many homes have you built?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, regarding education, uh, an average of 30 kids have been graduated, and, uh, that, that is something that we, we feel so happy about because, uh, it is just amazing that, uh, we, we have had the opportunity, you know, sending them onto that type of level. And regarding the, uh, the number of houses we have been building through the years, you know, it has been [00:30:00] 2069 houses until the end of this year. And, um, it's just amazing what we have, uh, um, built in so many years, how many houses, the same number of families for sure. And, um, we have been helping, uh, in about 58 different communities, uh, around Antigua and a little far from Antigua, Guatemala.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: And then every year there's 190 kids in the school, correct? From

kindergarten or preschool through high school?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: From kindergarten until ninth grade.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Okay. I'm sorry. Kindergarten to ninth grade. Great.

Okay. And then, um, you mentioned the three things. So there's education, housing, and then how are you making a difference with healthcare?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: in 2009, um, we, we had some, um, benefactors of us that, [00:31:00] uh, you know, were supporting, uh, us in different ways. So we told them about maybe, you know, You know, finding a way to help the people with health care. So they, uh, we, we told some people and one of them, uh, helped us to buy a piece of land. And after that, we told another benefactor to help us, you know, to build it. So we built that, uh, medical clinic in 2000, uh, 10, and we started the operation of this clinic in 2011. Uh, we were, uh, helping in that clinic, uh, with general practitioner, uh, uh, dental, uh, dental services, and, uh, we got a gynecologist also. And, um, the idea was, uh, you know, supporting all those families, uh, that were getting houses from us.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Wow.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: we provide [00:32:00] to the people is totally free. You know, uh, the houses, the healthcare, education, totally free for the people. They don't have to pay back nothing to us.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: And then as far as the, um, on the medical side, um, how many, Members of your community or the communities that you're involved in go through the medical clinic on an annual basis.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: we were attending an average of 300 kids, uh, every, or 300, 300 patients every month. Um, that was the average of, uh, the people coming to the, to the clinic. And, um, you know, it was, uh, pretty hard for us, you know, getting all donations, uh, to have the medical clinic. And, uh, unfortunately, uh, the pandemic, um, you know, affected us, uh, a lot with our finances. And we [00:33:00] decided to, you know, give the medical clinic to another organization and they are the ones running the organization now. But in 10 years, you know, we were providing care to many families in different ways. You know, sometimes we were getting donations of medicine with some people and, uh, you know, but, uh, it was a little hard, you know, that part of the organization, it was a little hard, you know, getting enough, you know, to support everything we needed there

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: So in essence, you built this clinic. It got really difficult and difficult to fund. So you stuck to kind of what you were already doing best, which was providing housing. And education. And then, okay, let's keep this clinic going, but give it to someone who specializes in it. Is it still free to all the people that go through the clinic?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: and still, you know, uh, we, we made a deal with them, we decided to give it to them, but, uh, we, [00:34:00] uh, asked them to keep helping the same people we were helping through the years.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: one other thing that was really interesting is when we were down there, it was my family, our friend's family. There were a couple other families that were down as well. Um, from Denmark was one of the groups globally. Where are most of the, where all of your families coming from or groups coming down where they're coming down to build the houses is, uh, where is it, where are they from globally?

Mostly?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, in the, uh, in the first years, we know we were having, uh, volunteers from different countries, uh, Germany, Denmark, England, uh, but the U. S. also, uh, and Canada, uh, and, uh, one of the reasons, uh, we were having, um, volunteers from different countries, it's because many of them were coming to study Spanish to Antigua Guatemala. So while they were [00:35:00] here, uh, they were looking for something else to do, you know, and that was the reason they were choosing to volunteer with us. Through the years, you know, uh, you know, that was, uh, changing and most of the people are coming from U. S., uh, and, um, that, that is, that is what is happening, uh, in the, in the last years, you know, most of the people coming from, from U.

S. And from Canada, uh, now and, um, in the last years, uh, we have had some people coming from Denmark and, uh, a couple of months ago, we had a group from England too. So

what we are trying to do is, you know, to, uh, ask them to help us to spread the word, you know, with others in the way that they can come and help us to build houses.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Well, when this podcast is published, you've got to send it to all those people so that they can share it with their, with their friends and people who are considering. I didn't [00:36:00] realize, okay, so you were saying a lot of people were coming to learn Spanish. Um, are there a lot of, yeah. Immersion programs in Antigua where you could come down and build the house and either before or after Do a couple of days of full immersion Spanish.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Yes, they are. There

are

so many there are many Spanish schools, you know, and, and, and people still come into to learn. But

everything changed a little bit now because, uh, remember that after the pandemic, many people started to use, um, video calls and sometimes it's easy for, for the teachers now, you know, connecting with the people with video.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: so I, I speak very poor Spanish, um, but when I was just walking around Antigua and I was lost, or I was just trying to talk to someone in a shop, um, I found everyone was super duper, like, really patient with speaking Spanish with me, unlike other places [00:37:00] where it's so fast and I can't get it, and like, I don't know, the accent just seemed, it just seemed like a very easy.

Place to fumble through and safe to practice my Spanish. Is that unique to Antigua or Guatemala or do you, like, am I just. Being crazy thinking that?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: No, I think you are right. And one of the reasons it's because, uh, in the same way we want to learn English. We want, uh, the people speaking slow with us in a way that we can understand, you know, each other. But, uh, we really like to, uh, help the people, you know, to understand Spanish. And, uh, when that happen, we are trying to speak slow in the way that, uh, people can understand, uh, what they have learned through the years, you know.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Hmm. Yeah. I, um, we're going to talk over the holidays cause I think we want to do it again this summer. So we'll, we'll be in touch there. Um, I just, to everyone, like, it was just such a great experience. I felt so accomplished. I [00:38:00] was also super surprised that Vivian and Alexa went two summers ago, and that they wanted to go back.

Because after that week, like, on Monday to Friday, you build a house. It's a lot of heavy lifting. I was exhausted. Theo had, he developed pneumonia. He was coughing a lot. He wasn't feeling well. He had pneumonia. But he still worked and like felt so accomplished. I was actually surprised that, um, Alexa and Vivian wanted to go back and do it because it was really intense, but I just felt, and we all as a family, felt such like a tremendous sense of accomplishment, um, and just impact at such a, a basic level.

It was amazing. Um, I have a question about Joe. If, if Joe were to magically appear Today, like he were to come down and say, Oscar, this is, this is fantastic. What would he be most proud of? Um, if he were to come down today

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: That was [00:39:00] still, uh, 19 years later, you know, doing all of this. And, uh, keep doing the same, uh, work. With the passion we like to have, uh, for, for doing all of this,

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: and if in that same conversation, what would Joe say that you could be improving on?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: well, trying to, um, promote the organization a little more in the way that we can get more funds. Um, because, uh, that is what we are looking for to do, you know, um, social media, it seems like, uh, it's expanding in different ways. And we have to make sure that we can have all of that, uh, with us. And it's difficult, uh, especially because, uh, sometimes, um, we, we are in some social media and suddenly there are some new ones. So it's difficult to, you know, uh, make sure that our people can see about what we like to do in [00:40:00] Guatemala.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: I was also thinking it would be fun for Theo, like to get some of his football team to come down over the summer and just. Lift all those bags of concrete and get everything set up. I think it would be a good, a good preseason exercise for them. That would be really fun. so aside from just, uh, individuals coming down, small groups.

Families. What other types of, uh, groups of people come down? Do teams come down? Do, like, what, what are the types of groups that come down and get involved with Houses to Homes?

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, in, uh, most of the cases, uh, churches. Schools and small groups from different communities, uh, churches, but, um, you know, they are the ones, uh, telling the experience they are having here, like Alexa, your, your, your wife, you [00:41:00] know, uh, believe me when I say this, when we have people here, we feel really happy having everybody down here with us. But sometimes, uh, we are not totally sure if they really, we want to come back. You know, uh, we have no idea about that. Uh, in most of the cases, sometimes people, they say, well, we really like the experience and we would like to come back. Some people can make that some others, they cannot do that, you know?

Um, but when we heard that, uh, all of you were going to come as a family, two families, um, We were like, wow, you know, that, that's really great. But, uh, the good thing about all of this is that you really liked, uh, the experience, you know, being with us and helping us with our mission. And that is the most important thing for us, you know, uh, making sure that, uh, the people can really love what, uh, we, we are doing here, [00:42:00] uh, and, and the way that, uh, they can say, well, this is, this is worth it very much.

And we are going to invite others. You know, before the pandemic, I want to let you know that, uh, we were having an average of 400 and 400, uh, and 50 volunteers every year, every year through the years, you know, we were having the pandemic made that change. But, uh, this year we improved the number of, uh, boundaries.

Again, you know, just this year, uh, we ended, uh, the, the year with, uh, 345 volunteers we are getting better every year now again. So that is something that is making us very motivated, you know, because I hope next year we can have more volunteers.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: one of the things that struck me as far as just arriving to the job site and just the team that we were there to help, it was so well organized. And I know. It just [00:43:00] seems like, Hey, we just show up and everything's there, but it must be so difficult to buy the material, get the material there, get it organized into a workflow so that like we can be as efficient as possible.

Um, how long. Did it take to develop that system that you have? Um, and also it must be very difficult to get the right people to work on the job sites with all of us, um, kind of inexperienced masons. Although now I have a little bit of experience. I'm good with a trowel.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: in the first years, you know, I want to let you know that I was involved in the construction of the houses too, you know, I was helping to build. Um, so I was doing that for about four or five years. And after that, I couldn't continue because it was very difficult for me, you know, uh, working with different things. But at the beginning, uh, you know, we were helping the [00:44:00] families to get the materials to their sites. And it was very difficult for us because at the very beginning, we were using seven days of work. Uh, after three or four years, we decided to reduce the number of days to six. And since 2009 or something like that, or 2010, uh, we decided to build the houses only in five days.

And one of the reasons is because, uh, we wanted to make sure that the people could come in on the weekend and going back on the weekend to their homes. And regarding the materials, um, it was hard for us, you know, but we were enjoying that. But, uh, when we reduced the number of days to work to five, You know, we didn't have enough time to do that. So we started with the plan to tell the people that we were going to help them and that they were going to get the materials on their own. Sometimes [00:45:00] people are very lucky because they are right next to the streets where they live. And it's easy, you know, for the construction materials to send the, Everything to them, but some other times, you know, people aren't getting, you know, difficulty, uh, to get all the materials and it takes two or three days, uh, for them to, to put everything inside with the, uh, the idea for us, uh, about all of this is that we want to make sure that, uh, the people, they can feel that this is going to be for them.

And it's something like if they bought. And, uh, we, we want to tell them that when we are coming on Monday, we have, we want to have everything there. And, uh, usually we are sending the materials a week before, uh, to, to start. Uh, and when we are arriving, we have to make sure not just [00:46:00] only have the materials, we have to have the empty land where we are going to build. And we have to, uh, we need to have enough water to build and everything. Um, sometimes, um, you, you were saying when you, you came to Guatemala, that, uh, you know, the trench it was made, but, uh, the only reason we did that, we are not doing that with every volunteer, uh, with every,

uh, group of,

we, you were looking in one of the reasons it's because. Uh, and that, uh, little community digging, it's really, really hard, very,

very hard. And it's sometimes it's very rocky and, uh, we decided to start a few days before with some of the extra guys. So that was the reason, but, uh, and we were trying to avoid that we could be a long day in the first day, you know, doing all of this. And that is happening to our [00:47:00] construction guys once in a while.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: I have another question. So, well, from my experience, it was all so well organized and we could get there and then we could do the work. Um, another thing that I thought was funny and I, I'd love your, um, perspective. Whenever anyone starts doing a new process. So if you take our family that went down there, or in any business, you want to do a new accounts receivable process or create a new project management flow, when you take the new process.

And you have people implement it. I say that there's like, it's storming, like people storm, they argue, then they start to form the habit and then it becomes the norm. So when you're watching a family start working, cause it's just like, Hey, go the storming part must be really funny to see because everyone starts arguing with each other and know you do that.

You do that. You do that as a family. And then, then you just, everyone kind of forms the [00:48:00] habit and then you just go through what's your experience watching. These people come down like us who've never built, well, my daughter and wife had built it before, but who've never maybe built a house before.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: well for, for me, it's something normal after so many years. Uh, no doubt about that because, and just to let you know that most of the people coming with us, uh, don't have an experience, uh, building, you know, anything like that, so it's normal for us to see that, uh, some people, they, some people are, you know, uh, demanding like, Oh, what can I start to do it now, you know? But we are telling them, Hey, we are going to let you know what you can start helping us. And, uh, because I did this for many years, including the, the previous organization where I was working for, um, I was trying to make sure to teach our construction guys about all of that, you know, having patience with the [00:49:00] people and, uh, letting them know that, um, for many of them, very first time, you know, building something like this, you know?

Uh, so. It's easy for us to see, uh, in all of this and, um, also making, making sure that the guys, the construction guys we have, uh, for that purpose, uh, they can understand and they can lead, uh, the work with all the people. It's difficult sometimes when we have so many people. But, uh, it's easy, you know, for it, it requires some minutes, you know, to start letting some people, okay, can you help us with this?

And you can help us with that. And, you know, it's, it's not difficult for us. After so many years, it's easy.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: I was actually very nervous to be on the same work crew as my daughter, Vivian, because I thought, because she had the experience before, she would be [00:50:00] very bossy and mean to me, but she actually wasn't. She was really nice and supportive and she had a great experience and it was really cool to learn from her as well.

Um, I just, for anyone listening, if you're looking for a project to do as an individual or with some friends or as a family, like we just had an incredible experience and, um, the Dotsons who were with as well, they just had an incredible experience. I, I, I, I think they want to go back again too. Um, but it's something that I would definitely.

want to go back and do. And I think we're going to try and plan that over the Christmas holidays. But, um, Oscar, I just want to say thank you so much. I I've, I've wanted to do this for so long since the experience, just because I can help get the word out and maybe more people would be interested, especially in the design and construction world of hospitality.

Um, so I just want to say thank you so much, um, for coming here. If people wanted to learn more. About from houses to home or how to [00:51:00] get in touch with you. What's the best way for them to do that? And we can put all the notes in the, on the website and the show notes and in there.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, our organization is based in New Jersey. And, uh, we have a website where people can access and get the information needed. Um, you know, and there is a, uh, cell phone number, uh, there. And the project director in U. S. for us is Judy Baker. And she is the one, you know, letting the people know what to do, you know, to, uh, organize everything to come down to Guatemala. And, uh, usually we are trying to schedule the, the, the weeks, uh, you know, with the volunteers and we are trying to make sure to have an average of, um, five houses per week, if possible. Um, six, maybe, uh, we can build six houses. but, uh, it's, it's [00:52:00] very important for the, for the people who are interested in coming with us to, uh, talk to Judy Baker about, uh, where, when is the best, uh, week to come down,

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: awesome. really, Oscar, thank you so much for, for doing this. Um, it's been wonderful. We had a great experience and I can't wait to get This out there so that everyone else can learn from it. And hopefully maybe they'll fly down and do it. So it was a great experience for us and our family. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: Well, we are the ones, uh, that we are, um, we are very thankful with people like you and many, many others that are decided to come to help us without all of you, couldn't be possible what we like to do for sure. And, um, when everybody's coming here, you know, I am more than excited to know that you are here in Guatemala because, uh, they can, then, uh, we can make sure that we can show [00:53:00] everybody what we like to do. And, um, it is my, uh, my desire that, uh, we can continue doing this for many, many other years, because, uh, it, if it's because our governments, I don't think it's going to be possible to change, you know, um, what we like to do, it's because, uh, you know, unfortunately the governments, uh, we have had through the years, they are not interested in, uh, improving the living conditions of, of the. And in many other ways to education and health care. And I'm glad that, uh, we, uh, as organization exist, uh, to help a small portion of the people in Guatemala. So I have been feeling very proud and happy with everything we have been doing in 19 years. Next year, we are planning to celebrate 20 years of work and, uh, we're excited to [00:54:00] know about that.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: Oh, one other question I forgot to ask or confirm really. Um, just for anyone who might be concerned about this, you're not religiously affiliated in any way, shape, or form. It's just, you are your own organization. Um, without a religious affiliation, but you do have a lot of church groups

and other organizations come down as well.

oscar-mejia_1_12-12-2024_090024: You are right, and one of the reasons is because, uh, we really want to help anybody who is in need. It doesn't matter the religion they are. And, uh, for the people coming to help us also, we don't want to be, you know, selecting the ones who want to come to help us. You know, we have had different groups of different religions coming to help us.

And the most important thing, the main purpose, you know, helping the people. So, uh, you're right when you say that.

dan-ryan_39_12-12-2024_100021: So thank you very much. Thank you to our listeners. Um, and if anyone has any questions, [00:55:00] let's reach out to me as well. I'd love to share my experience further. Um, but we'll put all of the from houses to home information and we'll put Judy's info in there, um, in the Instagram, just so you guys can all check it out and please pass this along.

If you know anyone else who's thinking about, uh, going on a service trip or wanting to make an impact and go to a beautiful, incredible, wonderful city like Antigua. It's really so such a, a gem of a city. Um, pass it along. So thank you all very much. Thank you, Oscar. And, uh, we'll check you next time.