Me & 16 year old Truth (the literal translation of his name) aka Stacks, one of the teen leaders of Teen Club GaboroneI have yet to sleep in on this trip. Everyday there is something going on that I don't want to miss so yet again I sacrificed my weekend possible sleep in time but it was worth it! We met at Baylor at 8:30am to get ready and do some ice breakers. When everyone was standing in a circle it hit me that all of these young people are infected with HIV. I would like to say that I wasn't scared but there was a part of me that really was. I realize that the treatments are much more sophisticated
and that a number of these teens were not expected to live past their childhood and yet they are emerging into adulthood but the thought of living with this kind of disease is still very frightening to me. Eventually we headed to a nearby park and played sports with the older kids. Clare came, which was great because I had another athletically challenged person with me lol We chose to be on the tennis courts with some of the kids and played tennis (no net though), badmitton, and hula hooped. The kids were definitely better than me but that's not surprise! We got to meet some of the other volunteers and the Lindsay (the psychologist) who was very nice but super busy! We would love to work with her more but it's understandable that there is just too much going on at this moment. She said she will be out of the country again on Tuesday/Wednesday but hopefully we can discuss the group cirriculum when she gets back. I'm having difficulty finding information on HIV/AIDS Caregiver Support that I feel would be culturally appropriate. I'm hoping that they have some resources I can look at next week to get a better idea.
After teen club, Clare and I were worn out so we decided to nap. Unfortunately there were a dozen or so people in our apartment cooking a big birthday dinner for our roommates sister so it was a bit loud, even with ear plugs. I talked to Andrew for a little bit before finally falling asleep..I got about an hour in despite the noise so I can't complain too much. After I woke up I did some laundry the old fashion way and then got ready for our big night out. It was Zach's
birthday so most of the group headed to the Grand Palm casino. The place was AMAZING as we pulled up! I wish I could have gotten a picture but it was kind of dark and I
was in the back of the bus. We gambled for a little bit before one of the best meals I've ever had. Andrew asked me if was better than the Hacinda Sisel in Cancun, but I'm not sure I can really compare the two because it was different cuisine. Since the Gand Palm buffet didn't offer mexican which is a fav of mine, I will have to say Hacinda ranks first and Grand Palm is second lol Nonetheless, I stuffed my face...I included the pictures to prove it below lol I'm almost embarrassed to have these on here but what can I say, I wanted my P135 (a little over $25 dollars) worth haha I'm pretty sure I had 5 plates of food and thought my stomach was going to explode! After all my delicious desserts (apple pie a la mode, eclair, ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate chips) we went back to the casino while we waited for the bus. While we were there this Chinese woman came up Clare and asked her where she was from, then told her she was very pretty and insisted that she meet her husband. She literally drug her around the casino for a few minutes. She was a bit overbearing but I know she meant well. She did eventually get her husband and introduce them to Clare. It was kind of funny but I know Clare was a little thrown off!
After we left the casino we headed to Fashion Lounge. I liked how the bar was set up but there weren't very many people there initially. The bartenders said that people don't show up until 15 after midnight. Kind of late to pay the kind of cover they were charging! We've come to the conclusion that the 20 of us bring the party wherever we are anyway so it didn't make much of a difference. I was so exhausted from being up all day and running around but I got pretty tired so I had sit down for a little bit. It was still a lot of fun to take Zach out and he seemed to be having a really good time! Below are some of the other pictures I have from the night.
Zach's bday cake at the Grand Palm Casino restaurant and birthday shots with friends!
Meg & I at Fashion Lounge and the whole kombi on the way back from Zach's bday celebration
That little guy is 16??? Wow! I would've guessed 10-12.
ReplyDeleteIf I were you I wouldn't feel too bad about feeling a bit scared about being in the presence of so many with HIV/AIDS. I think it is only natural to have that level of fear/respect for such a potentially life ending disease.
I got a chuckle seeing your washing machine :) I also got a laugh at your chipmunk cheeks full of sweets! You looked like you were totally blissed out!
Sounds like Zach had a birthday celebration he will never forget. Pass along a Happy Birthday from me.