World AIDS Day, winding down

The week in the village was semi-uneventful. About 1/3 of each class showed up to the seminars at our first school, and about 1/4 of each class showed up at our second school. We had a testing day during which we tested only 15 people, and then Nelea led us in a "Problem Tree" exercise, during which we dissected the reasons why people hadn't shown up to our testing day, when 150 people came to the teaching. Our conclusions were: #1) religion #2) stigma and #3) fear. These are issues we can address through education (done and done), but more specifically by going to teach at individual churches and address how getting tested does not in any way contradict religious faith.

The rainy season has brought mild sickness upon all of SIC. We all have colds and flus, and we're all also getting a little bit burned out from the program. It's been a long year, and as our kids are heading into their holiday season and summer break (December = summer!), we still have work left to do. So it's a weird mixture of feelings. I want to be home, but I want to be here. I know I'm going to miss Tanzania three days after I come back. But it wouldn't be so bad to be home right now, even just for a day.

Also, the feelings of leaving a place, knowing that you have done so much, yet could have done so much more, are starting to creep in. Yesterday was World AIDS Day. SIC helped make all the AIDS ribbons for the event, helped set up the entire event, and we were also a large part of the march through town (which was sooo cool! drums, trumpets, signs, signing...way cooler than UCLA's marches, sorry Bruins). The march ended at a soccer field where different AIDS-related organizations set up booths and testing units. Our favorite taxi driver came and got tested by SIC! The day ended with a soccer game between a women's team and an HIV+ team.

SIC contributed a lot to the day's events, but at the end, we still feel we could have done more. We spread awareness, tested people, and educated. And that's what we're there to do. But it's pretty much impossible to avoid even the slightest regret, knowing we've made the effort to come all the way out here, yet still feeling like a little bit more energy, a few more minutes of time, a few more smiles, could have been used to effect just a few more people and make our impact that much greater.

So that's that. This week should be another fairly uneventful week. With the school year officially over, most of what we do is hang around hoping to get the chance to teach one person here, two people there. And really, even though it's slow and monotonous, and we want to be quick and efficient, that is what we're there for. Whether we want to accept it or not.

Until wiki kesho,
Devon