Visual and Verbal Update

So a lot has happened since my last update, even though the last update was only in picture form. Thanksgiving left me speechless, i guess. There was more food than I have ever seen in an apartment kitchen and we even left the Kittitian guests unable to eat dessert, which is a noteworthy feat considering how impressively ravenous Kittitians are in buffet situations.

After my post-Thanksgiving stupor, I had to finish up my work with the Ministry of Health. Ive been working with NACHA, which is the National Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. December 1st was World AIDS Day, and a lot of the pictures I've uploaded were taken from the parade. I was assigned to go to several primary schools and give a talk/answer questions on HIV/AIDS. It was quite an interesting experience talking to kids as young as 5 about the virus.

Some of the questions that were brought up:
Can a person get HIV from the rain?
Is HIV the same thing as Dengue?
If someone with HIV uses my phone and then I touch it, will I get it?
And my favorite...
If i get bit by a snake and someone sucks the venom out but they have HIV, will I get it?

You have to give the kids credit for allowing their imaginations to reach such heights in the brief time I was speaking with them. But I guess that's what sets kids apart from us adults who have been programmed and mentally gridlocked. As much as I felt frustrated that I only had 30 minutes to warn these kids about a virus that is on the increase in their very communities, I felt even more frustrated at how many questions they had regarding all aspects of HIV/AIDS. Particularly within the realm of sex, they were curious on all the right topics, like where to get protection, how to use a condom, where to get tested, and they were very straight-forward and mature in delivering their questions, yet the teachers wouldn't let me elaborate on any of these truly important questions. The kids see the billboards that say "use a condom" and they see commercials on MTV saying for them to get tested, yet in the schools, where it's supposed to be their central domain for learning, they're hindered. I think the country is realizing the importance of education, and more importantly, the de-stigmatization of AIDS, and there is no denying the fact that kids at the primary school level are exposed to all things sex and HIV related, so hopefully in time they will meet this need with adequate levels of education.

After World AIDS Day, my work with NACHA was put on hold for the holidays. I am now planning my projects for after winter break, since everything basically shuts down for the holidays. Two of the volunteers that have been here for a year have been working with the Ministry of Sustainable Development to bring recycling to the island. Thanks to the morally conscious and environmentally responsible corporation that is Coca Cola, the St. Kitts bottling company switched from glass to plastic bottles last year. This has caused the landfill to reach it's capacity 2 years short. Because the two volunteers are leaving they wanted someone to help pick up the project, so I eagerly agreed. For a country that depends on the tourism industry, preserving the rich natural beauty of the island is imperative. Not to mention the broader picture that is our impending environmental degradation on a global scale. I am definitely excited to carry on this project.

I am also working to start up a theater program for the high school in my village. I have begun networking to find some people that will bring this project into motion, because I sure as hell cant do it on my own. Hopefully I will have positive updates on that topic soon.

In other areas of my life, I am trying to find balance and routine, as well as get as integrated as possible. I feel like Ive spent too much time away from my community, so I am trying to ameliorate that situation by making friends in any way possible. This includes getting up at 5:30 to jog with my landlady's neice, Keesa. Not something I ever saw myself doing, but if it means making local friends, I am 100% willing. Ive also been playing the violin for a lot of Christmas programs that various churches are putting on. It started with one, and then I got phone calls from people who were there and suddenly realized they needed a violinist at their church. Apparently, string players are scarce on this island. The whole thing is making me quite homesick, because it is the sole reminder of an impending holiday that I will not be home for. Particularly with Christmas programs, I have so many memories of playing "Little Drummer Boy" and "Silent Night" with my mom and Nathan. Fortunately, the sun is still burning out any other opportunities for reminiscing. My body still thinks it's September, and often times my mind is right there with it. If it was snowy and Basseterre suddenly had "Nuts 4 Nuts"vendors selling roasted cashews that smell exponentially better than they taste, then I would be in trouble.

Hope you all are healthy and happy and I still miss everyone like crazy.

PAZ