Life is sooo GOOD!!!

Dear Blog Readers…
So sorry that I am not on top of this blog- there is just so much going on I never know what to write so I’m going to just try to write a short blog any time that I am able to get on the internet!

**So these past few weeks we have had much happen. Last week we had our new wavers come in. There are currently seventeen of us living in our house!! There are four single men, a married couple and the rest are girls! I’m not the youngest anymore- there is a girl who is 18 (she just graduated high school, which seems so weird) Everyone is so shocked when they learn that I am only 19. I take that as a compliment. They all guess between 21-24 years old. Not just looks, but because of my maturity :) I have implemented a new chore chart that seems to be working…ishly! But it has only been a week so I can’t judge it yet. I’m gaining much patience and am not so picky about things being completely organized- at least if it isn’t my stuff..my stuff is all very organized and I’m doing organization sessions with my fellow team members if they want them. I helped Calvin and then we check up on each other every night…A few others have expressed interest but we’ve been pretty busy.

**My computer classes are going fantastic!! It is so exciting for me to see the improvement of these two ladies. One could barely even control the mouse on the first day and now she is typing without looking at her fingers. On Tuesday’s I teach typing and on Thursday we do specific skills such as: business cards, business letters, powerpoint, specific programs, etc. Pretty much whatever the ladies want to learn.
I haven’t been doing very much with the woman’s group because I’ve been actively working with the Soilet. But the woman are working with a cook and will be learning how to cook something next week and then selling stuff at the market.
**The Soilet is going great! We have all the walls up and the lids were put on today. We’ve been digging and drilling and such and it is so fun. .. I guess I need to clarify! First, I don’t think that I have actually explained what the Soilet is. The soilet is an eco-friendly toilet. We make a box out of cement and the waste drains into this box. The solids stay in the box and are eaten by worms and microbes while the liquid drains through to a gravel pit where it gets filtered through the gravel and goes into the soil. It doesn’t smell and the worms reach equilibrium with the amount of waste that is going through the soilet so it is never full or smelly. We’ve been doing construction but I work more with the business side of things. I attended many meeting in the beginning and will now be doing a lot more work like that as well. Marissa and Ben are the married couple and they were brought here partially to help with the Soilet. Ben does microbiology and will be getting his MBA in the next couple of years. Marissa just graduated with her MBA and I’m super excited to work with her.

** Piano lessons are kinda not working out. I’m not entirely surprised; but a little bit sad it isn’t working out. I think next week things will pick up though because kids are out of school and they won’t have some of the conflicts that they currently have. If it isn’t working out in the next two weeks then I will not be teaching anymore. I have other projects that I can be putting a lot more time into and I’m much more interested in these other ones…So we’ll just see.

** My eye is so much better! I finally put my contacts back in for the first time since the incident. It is great to actually see (I haven’t been wearing my glasses either)
But I have been trying so hard not to be hurt or sick-but I fail! This last week was “WEEK 6” and injury #6 :) I will explain: The week after my eye injury I pulled a tendon in the bottom of my foot. It hurt so bad…I tried to push through and just work, but I couldn’t!! That lasted for about four days…but by day two and a half I just started hopping around everywhere because I can’t just sit around! Then this past week…I was lightly shoveling and I stopped so I wouldn’t hurt my back..but it still hurt a lot the next day- So I am now the official supervisor!! NO physical labor- but then I later in the week I wanted to do some drilling…one of the screws wasn’t going in- we had to try a few times, once I got it in, I touched it to make sure it was flush with the wood-but it was EXTREMELY hot!!! In short- I branded my thumb! It instantly blistered and there was a super cool design (the star type shape from the end of the screw). It hurt soo bad. Now it doesn’t look that bad but there is probably going to be a scar. Everyone calls me Cap’n Cyd because of my eye..but now since I’ve hurt my foot-I qualify for my wooden leg- and I hurt my had so I can have the hook…I have completed my injuries for my pirate status. I just need to get a parrot.

**Those are the basic-I will write another blog post that will update you on the other projects I’m starting.
Thanks for reading!! Please comment….I love hearing from people! Also check out the team blog at www.help-belize.blogspot.com there are pictures and other posts about what we are doing.