Happy Birthday Zach!

Me & 16 year old Truth (the literal translation of his name) aka Stacks, one of the teen leaders of Teen Club Gaborone

I 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

"Just be what you are and speak from your guts and heart- it's all a person has." -Hubert H. Humphrey

Our sugar packets have insightful quotations on them and I've been collecting them daily so the title of this blog is from a packet I got last week. It fact, quote are incorporated in a number of places and there's something uplifting about seeing them throughout the day.

Something interesting popped into my head yesterday but I forgot to write about it. Since we've been here we've heard so much about how Motswana (They aren't called Botswanans like you might think) really care about their neighbor and will go out of their way for people they don't even know. And we've seen it as we've gone around the city and in our interactions with quite a few people. But despite this idea of camaraderie they are very worried about crime. There was a letter on our table about preventing theft in the apartments and it's not just locking your doors when you're gone, it's locking them when you're there which is not really something I'm use to. I just find it a little strange that a place that seems to have such a community, help thy neighbor, greet everyone you see attitude can have such a concern for theft. You would think that not stealing from your neighbor would just be implied. Maybe I'll ask someone to explain this to me.

(Pic: the 4 of us were crammed in the back of Pearl's car but you can only see Mandy & I in the pic haha)

Today was me & Kate's second day at Baylor. When we got there Dr. Ryan sent us off to a lecture which was really interesting. It was the KITSO training (Kitso means knowledge but is also an acronym) about Pediatric and Adolescent medicine dosage and adherence. Dr. Ryan was explaining that at Baylor adherence to taking medications is one of the biggest problems because if they fail to take their medicine at the right time they can develop and immunity and lower the longevity of their life. Dr. Partha who also works at Baylor and gave the psychosocial part of the lecture discussed ways to approach the disease with young children. He suggested describing the medicine as a way to help the child's soliders become stronger because there is a bad guy that makes them weak but when you take your medicine correctly he goes to sleep. This is essentially telling the truth about the disease, it attacks (the bad guy-HIV) a person's CD4 cells (soliders) and makes the child ill but if they take their medicine the viral load is lessen (putting the bad guy to sleep). He also expressed that full disclosure can be an important aspect of a child's medical and psychological health because they don't have secrets and have access to clinical, familial, social support that they may not if they don't disclose but he made it very clear that public disclosure is not usually that beneficial because of the stigma associated with the disease. Overall the presentation was insightful and I'm glad we were able to attend. It was interesting to be the only two white people attending though I'm not sure noticed initially. I felt bad that we had to leave as soon as he was done, it would have been nice to mingle with some of other people in attendance to see what kind of work they do but Dr. Partha said it was mainly pediatricians and doctors attending.

When we got back we helped Stu finish taking pictures of x-rays and labeling them. I'm amazed at how sloppy doctors write. I mean I knew it was bad but you would think they would at least make the name legible so that you know they could find the right file?! I did my best and now that project is completed. We also briefly met with the social worker and basically set up a meeting to meet with her and the psychologist tomorrow to discuss possibly creating the curriculum for parenting/caregiver groups that they have wanted to start. Then we had another lecture to go to called Better Medicine for Children, If Not Now...When? by Stuart MacLeod, a member of the World Health Organization. He was mainly discussing the lack of clinical testing of medication on children and how this can be detrimental. In the past 75% of drugs on the market had not been tested on children and yet were prescribed to them just the say. That's pretty scary if you ask me! I was getting pretty annoyed though because being "on time" is completely relative here. I could have showed up to the lecture 30 minutes into it and I don't think anyone would have cared, except maybe Dr. Ryan. People were coming in and out during almost the entire thing and it made it very difficult for me to focus on what he was saying. I felt completely distracted the entire time but as I looked around, it didn't seem like anyone else was phased by it. I can get being laid back but I guess to me it just felt really disrespectful to

have people showing up 40 minutes into the lecture and making so much noise while someone is trying to give a presentation. When we met with Dr. Ryan again he had talked to Mmpula about a pamphlet project they wanted us to work on so we have a meeting with her tomorrow morning to discuss what she needs from us. So it looks like we will be put to you!

I'm so tired anymore. I really think it's the lack of sunlight in the evenings because it just makes me think it's bed time. I laid down for a little after work but never really fell asleep. It's always pretty loud. The walls are thick but the doors are not at all so you hear every little thing. I think the other reason I was so tired today is because I was basically up from 4 something to 6:45 because the outside door kept slamming from the wind. I almost went crazy and knocked it down!! I hope it doesn't do that tonight.

Tonight Thato and Pearl took us to Square Market to get some groceries. Mandy and Kate have to pack their lunch unless they want to eat fat cakes and chips every day lol and I decided I wouldn't mind packing mine from time to time to avoid having to eat the same 6 items for lunch and dinner nearly everyday for a month! So I got some bread, peanut butter, jelly and chips to take with me.

(Pic:Here's Mandy and her sweet treat! I got 2 ice creams also but I'm saving them for later!)

Again, I don't have many pictures but there wasn't really anything to take pictures of today so I'll try to get some tomorrow because I know this is much more fun to look at when you can see the things I'm doing! I'm going to go shower and relax some before I head to bed. I may try to hit the sack again early in hopes that I will get a good nights rest!

5 Cow Special

I had my first day at BIPAI and it started off a little rough. We all loaded on to the bus and began to get dropped off. The advisors dropped us off and came into to ensure we were received. Unfortunately, the current program coordinator didn't know that we were specifically coming and was a little thrown off. He was really nice though and kept saying it wasn't out fault but that it does cause some problems because they have certain protocol that they follow pretty strictly. He took Kate and I into a conference room to ask some questions about our education background, experience, goals for our time there, interests, etc. He was really nice and helpful and seems to feel confidently that we can find some way to get involved. The staff psychologist and social worker were both out of the office today. The SW came back later and we met with her briefly before we headed home and will meet tomorrow afternoon to do paperwork and other logistical tasks.

After meeting with Dr. Ryan we met Ed who is in charge of a lot of their work with teenagers invited us to work with him and to go to their Teen Club meeting this Saturday. http://botswanateenclub.wordpress.com/ They get together once a month with adolescents and play sports and offer educational information about HIV/AIDS and provide life skills training. This Saturday they will be doing football drills (remember, that's soccer in the States) and doing a crime prevention lesson. Kate and I are going to attend and Clare said she's interested in going too so I hope it's a good experience.

Stu took us down the play group area which is typically outside in a decently open space that also has tables so kids can play with blocks, legos, read books, color, etc. But when it's colder or raining they have the group in under the stairwell which is a pretty small space. It would be great if they could somehow get a covering for the outside area and an outdoor heater to keep it warmer. I spent most of my time helping a little guy build a lego house. He was so adorable. I taught him how to give me five and he would just get the biggest smile on his face every time I put out my hand. It was a little weird knowing that all the kids we were with had HIV or AIDS, not because of the disease itself but because they seemed so lively and smart. A couple of them knew very good English which seemed surprising since they appeared quite young and we were told that English isn't usually taught until they are 6 years old. They helped teach us some words also so it was a learning experience. I need to write down some common sentences so that I can refer to it and communicate better with them as Setswana is mostly the preferred language of the kids.

We went to the "Visiting Scholars" office with Stu (another intern from Michigan State) and we were able to get on the computer and read some more material about the organization. We also met a few other interns: Josh, Lisa, JW and a new employee B2. I was reading about these Hero Books that they have children create which seemed really interesting but also seemed like they would take a long time to complete. http://botswanateenclub.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/making_a_hero_book.pdf But I really like the concept of them and it reminded me of the Lifebook Shawna (another intern at OU's Counseling & Psychological Services) had told me a lot of Social Workers utilize with adopted children.

By the time we ate lunch, I was absolutely starving. I felt like I had a hearty breakfast and I'm still amazed that I get hungry for meals because of how much I eat during them but apparently I'm just burning right through the calories! Stu, JW & Josh took us out to the Main Mall area to get some food. I didn't catch the name of the place but it was traditional Botswana cuisine and really good. After that we headed back but it was pretty much time for us to leave. We lucked out because we are only about 5 minutes from our organization so we can walk to and from and avoid the long bus ride others have to take. Everyone was really friendly and seem like they do a lot of stuff together, they already invited us to hang out this weekend so we might go do something fun, it will just depend on everything else we have going on. The name of this post actually comes from lunchtime.. as we were walking to Main Mall, Stu was telling me how on a number of occasions mothers have offered him their young daughters because they want them to marry white men. A lot of families still use a dowry system which is why they would tell him you can have my daughter for 5 cows...this is a special price as the traditional village we went to said that 8-9 cows was standard, hence, 5 cow special.

We got back at like 3:30 in the afternoon and I decided to take a little nap. It was realively short lived as most of my naps here have been. I swear I can hear every little thing, and it probably doesn't help that I'm the room closets to the outside hall because I hear everyone coming in and out of their apts. After some other people got back we attempted to go to the bookstore but it was closed. Everything closes really early here. Then we headed to our first meeting to discuss how everyone's first day and first week has been. A couple people shared moments that really made them uncomfortable while they have been here. I'm grateful that they did share those stories even though it seemed difficult for them because it really helped put some things in perspective for me and will force me to keep remembering that being the minority carries certain implications unfortunately.

One of the downfalls of this place is that because it is a clinic there are a lot of regulations and we cannot take pictures or anything like that. It's was kind of a bummer to see other peoples pictures with the kid and how cute they look and to just see all the stuff they do and know that I can't really offer that for my friends and family. They do have awesome art work everywhere and the clinic tends to not to have very many clients after 3pm so I'm going to run around with my camera and get some snap shots of the things I like which I can post.

Well that's about it for today... I'm going to go over to the boys room and watch a movie and organize some things for tomorrow!

First Day at Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative

I'm up and ready for my first day! Heading to breakfast (and probably having 3 cups of coffee) then out to the bus so we can all get dropped off... the bus pick up makes me feel like we're in middle school again! Wish me Luck!!

P.S. Coffee Count Total for week 1 = 18

wow..either this stuff is not strong or I'm immune to caffeine!