6 Days...and Counting!!

Hi Everyone!
I leave in 6 days! I can't believe it is coming so quick. I've taken two of my finals and have three more to go. I have about half of my house packed up and still trying to figure out what I need to actually pack. My two country directors (Calvin and Raymon)went down to Belize on Monday. They've been staying at the mission presidents home while they search for our house. I was talking to Calvin last night and he said it is SOOOO hot and at night the mesquitos are ridiculous! So I'll be packing a lot of bug spray. I am exstatic about this trip. There are two branches (one english and one spanish)that we will be able to attend. The members there are so excited for us to come- some of them have washing machines and have offered to do our laundry! That is great news. Originally we were going to be living in Belize City. That is still a possibility but we may be living in a small town about an hour inland- the name is escaping me at the moment but if that is where we end up living, you will know for sure! Well I gotta run! Let me know if you guys have any tips and such! Love you all.

Last Training

I had my last training this past Saturday. It was great- we learned how to play the BEST game. This is a technique to teach the students(entrepreneurs)how to balance a business. As facilitators we have the ability to manipulate the game and emphasize different aspects of a business. For example if a person has a hard time keeping records we can give more "money" to those who keep the best records through the game. Or if someone has a hard time budgeting we can implement different costs such as family life, material costs, or savings. They have to figure out the best balance so that their family and business are both healthy as well as saving in case of emergencies. We have a lot of power as the facilitator to teach important concepts. We had the opportunity to play the game twice and create different products and market them to different stores. I learned a lot and we had a fun time as a team.

I want to first give a shout to all those who have been helping me get ready for this great adventure!! Thanks to all the donations so far, every little bit is helping out A LOT! I leave in two weeks and two days!! AHHH. ..I'm not ready but I am soooo excited. I leave in the middle of finals week so I'm trying to get ahead in classes so that I can take them early. I just got my vaccines today. My arms are so sore and I kinda feel like I'm going to pass out- a good night sleep tonight will help. I'm working on packing all of my belongings to put into storage and start packing the things that I need. If any of you have traveled internationally let me know some things that I might forget. Any suggestions will be useful-things that are common sense to you, may slip my mind. You should also become a follower also- this way you can comment on these blogs, ask questions, and I can respond and keep in touch with you all! Let me know if you have any questions.

About Belize

I have been researching Belize a little! This is a bit of what I have learned: The primary language spoken is English. There is a large Caribbean influence. The currency that they use is the Belizean Dollar (BE$), the exchange rate right now (and has been for years and years) is about $1=2 BE$. One thing that I am very excited about is that Belize is located on the Caribbean Coast. Along that coast is the second-longest barrier reef in the world(after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia). There are over 450 cayes (keys) or small islands located off the coast of Belize. I will be living in Belize City. It is located on a little peninsula in the middle-northern section of Belize. This is the nation's principal port and its financial and industrial hub. Belize City features a tropical monsoon climate, with warm and humid conditions throughout the course of the year. Their wet season runs from May to January. The average temperature while I will be there is a high of 88 degrees and the low of 75 degrees. Belize is about the size of Massachusetts, so you have a comparison within the United States.

Great Training!!

Last Saturday I went down to Provo for a business training. We learned different techniques of how to teach what can be complex concepts, very simply. We watched part of a movie that gave us a better idea of what we will actually be doing. These people just need a little money to feed their families. We are going to be helping save lives. We had different topics and got into groups and practiced actually teaching. We received feedback from the group so that we can improve before we go in-country. This has made me even more excited!! Next Saturday, I have my last training. It is another Business Training and we are learning about the BEST Game. I will tell you about it after. I also met my other country director, Calvin. There are only going to be 4-5 of us that are there the entire summer, so we are going to become great friends! During each wave we will have between 7-12 people coming and going. I can't explain how excited I am!!!

Easy ways to Donate

There are a few ways that you can donate:

1. Copy and paste the address below and pay through PayPal. Please put "Cydnee Haws-Belize" in the comment section so that the money will go towards my program and projects.

http://help-international.org/donors.html

2. Send a check to me: send me an email at cydnee_1@juno.com and I will get you the address to send it. Please make checks to Cydnee Haws and put HELP- Belize on the subject line

3. If I see you often just drop it by sometime or shoot me an email and I can meet you somewhere; or if you know my parents go a head and drop it off to them

Thank you so much for the help you are providing for me to go help the people of Belize!!!!

A Little Background

I'm leaving on May 5th with the HELP International Belize Team. We will go down and find the needs of the citizens. We will talk to the people, city leaders, and local businesses to create the most beneficial, productive, and sustainable projects possible. We will teach these people how to utilize the resources that they have close, in order to create a better life for them and their families. We will help small businesses create business plans and marketing ventures; teach families how to build gardens and different ways to cook that food; help in hospitals and orphanages; and teach how to build adobe stoves to improve health and efficiency for the women. This is just a few of the possible projects we will be working on. I will be keeping this blog up-to-date with details of the projects, the people, and the great experiences we are having. At the end we will create a country report with details of all of our projects and head home on August 25th.

MissionNotImpossible: "Operation Belize" now in Progress

Hi Everyone!!

I only have 29 1/2 days until I leave for Belize! I am so excited to help these poverty-stricken people. I am still looking for some sponsors or donations. Every dollar helps. If you would like to donate even $5 please email me cydnee_1@juno.com and I can get you contact information or a way for you to pay online through PayPal. This is a great way for you to do service and help the people of Belize without actually going there. I am excited for this opportunity. We have added a MoneyMeter to monitor my funds for this MissionNotImpossible: "Operation Belize" so we can keep track of how much more I need to raise. Let everyone know of this great opportunity to help!