In this class, I would like to learn about the Belizean culture and also the history of the country. Currently, I don't know much about the country, but I love to travel and learn about other countries and their customs. I think this class will give me the opportunity to see Belize while learning about something that I am interested in - micro-finance programs. When on this trip, I want to gain experience with micro-finance programs at work, and also give the people of Belize the ability to help themselves. Although I have read about the success of micro-credit, I feel like the hands-on experience I will gain through this trip will be invaluable. Lastly, this semester, I want to be able to develop relationships with my classmates and instructors. Because the class comes from various backgrounds and areas of study, I think that we can learn a lot from each other and be able to understand things differently than what we normally would.
My main concern involves traveling in a large group. The largest group I have traveled with overseas has been with my family of 6 people. Also, I have allergies, so I am somewhat concerned that my allergies will flare up while on the trip. I don't want to get sick and have to spend the trip indoors! This is also my first service trip, so I think that seeing another country from this standpoint, rather than that of a tourist, will be interesting, but I am not quite sure what to expect.
Some questions I have include: Will we be able to contact our families when in Belize? What will happen in case of a medical emergency? How many micro-loans will we be funding and how many people will we be able to support/work with? When looking at years past, how does this trip compare with funding, people attending, time spent working with BEST, etc?
This year, I will be able to make a unique contribution to Team Belize. Being an Economics major, I have taken International Trade and Finance, where my teacher, Dr. Durso, stressed the writings of Muhammad Yunus and the success of the micro-credit programs through Grameen Bank. I also feel that I will be able to apply some of the concepts I have studied in my economics courses to the project and in turn get a greater experience from the trip. Also, I am a very hard worker and I enjoy helping people. Because I am considering Micro-finance as my specialization for my major, I am completely interested in this service learning trip, and I can't wait to get there!
I expect others to be equally devoted to this project and willing to work hard while keeping our purpose in mind. Although it will be awesome to experience the culture and sight-see, our first priority is to help the people of Belize help themselves. Also, everyone will have a unique point of view or opinion, so I hope that other Team Belize members are open to other's ideas as well as open to sharing their own.
Kaitlin,
ReplyDeleteBe sure you are taking any allergy meds you have regularly before we leave so they are built up in your system. Usually we will be w/out A/C or air condition that isn't very effective, which contributes to allergens. It may be a good idea to talk to your doc before we leave, they may be able to write a new Rx or add something like a nasal spray or something. (This is coming from a fellow allergy sufferer with similar concerns.)
There will not be a lot of oppourtunity to talk to family, but we will make a call to a contact at BU, hopefully daily, who will send a note to everyone's family to let them know all is well. We will have an emergency cell phone that we will rent in case of an emergency.
I think other questions will begin to reveal themselves, but please let Melanie or I know if we do not answer something in the next couple of weeks!
-Jessica