Zambia and Turkey Day

ZAMBIA.
I feel like a bit of a phony by saying that I’ve been to Zambia because I had little opportunity to experience much of anything outside the lodge where our workshop was held. The heart of visiting any country, for me, is getting to know the people, the culture, and the way of life. Unfortunately I did not encounter any of that except for food- game animals galore at every meal! Granted, the lodge was located on the outskirts of Lusaka and situated within acres and acres of vast game reserve, a pristine setting that could no doubt rival scenes from any Hollywood flick. When we were allotted free time, I never hesitated to hop in the safari vehicle for a game drive, go for a boat ride, or take a tour of the cheese factory nearby. The workshop itself was educational and it reminded me a lot of several research classes I attended in graduate school. My favorite session was presented by a doctor from the states and dealt with biomedical interventions in HIV/AIDS with a particular emphasis on significant clinical trials occurring at present. I must admit that I miss the stimulation of a classroom setting.

THANKSGIVING.
Yet another holiday has come and gone in Lesotho. This year for Turkey Day, nearly 30 Volunteers made the 5 hour long bus passage on predominantly unpaved road to Semonkong Lodge, arguably one of the most beautiful places in the country. Aside from sheer serenity, the lodge offers abseiling, hikes to waterfalls, pony trekking, donkey pub crawling, fly fishing, and more. I ended up with intense gastrointestinal issues (accredited to the wrath of Zambia) so I actually didn’t do much of anything except hang out in the bathroom, fly fish, and participate in the PCV Make-Your-Own-Boat-Out-Of-Natural-Materials Race. Shouting “Get a Stick!” and a handful of people falling in the river were definitely highlights ;-) For the actual holiday, the lodge’s chef prepared a beautiful traditional Thanksgiving meal complete with pumpkin pie and ice cream. For fear of not being able to hold it down, I passed my portions on to Aaron who did a magnificent job at making America proud- I’m pretty sure he ingested every last bite. Mark my words- next year I’m slaughtering my own turkey just to say I did.

PICTURES ARE NOW AVAILABLE.

HIV/AIDS Workshop in Zambia

I have been blessed with the opportunity to attend an HIV/AIDS workshop in Lusaka, Zambia from November 16-20 with two Peace Corps staff members. Upon my return to Lesotho, I will relay the messages received to both the HIV/AIDS Committee and the greater Peace Corps Lesotho community. For those who are interested, the curricula of the week long seminar is as follows:

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Overview of Effective HIV Prevention Interventions

Presented by: The National Network of STD HIV Prevention Training Centers
(California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, University of California, San Francisco
and Denver STD/HIV Prevention Training Center, Denver Public Health/University of Colorado Denver) -
In partnership with: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global AIDS Program, The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

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Participant Agenda
Day 1– Overview of Preventions, Strategies, and Programming
Welcome, Introductions, and Course Background
Prevention Strategies Overview
Using Epidemiological Data to Guide HIV Prevention Decisions
Conducting a Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis
Social Context of Risk
Program Evaluation
Logic Models

Day 2– Behavioral Theories and Their Translation
Behavioral Science
Create Your Own Theory
Formal Theories
Overview of Domains
Understanding Domains
Utilizing Domains in Interventions

Day 3– Levels of Interventions
Levels of Interventions
Overview of Individual Level Interventions
Interventions for Couples and Sexual Partners
Risk Reduction Counseling
Overview of Group Level Interventions
Overview of Community Level Interventions
Skills Needed to Successfully Implement Interventions
Introduction to the Framework Activity – Pulling it All Together

Day 4– Emerging Strategies
Social Marketing and Mass Media Campaigns
Structural Interventions
Prevention with People Living with HIV
Biomedical Interventions
Serving High Risk Groups
Combination Prevention Approaches
Framework Activity – Pulling it All Together, continued

Day 5– Program Evaluation and Planning
Framework Activity – Pulling It All Together
Wrap-up/Course Evaluation

Loss in Lesotho

The day after arriving in village after having been away for almost two months, I was struck by the most heartbreaking news while riding on a taxi. Tankiso, a lively 5 year old boy who lives down the road, passed away due to a case of the “flu.” A significant portion of my first year of Peace Corps service was spent building relationships with the women employed at the hotel in my village. Because Tankiso’s mother is the owner, it wasn’t surprising that the plumpy little tot was always lurking nearby, attempting to stir up trouble and make patrons laugh at his ridiculous antics. Instantly we became friends. We danced, sang songs, watched movies, shared coke and peanuts, chatted, and laughed at each other’s silly faces. Because of his intrepidity, energetic manner, and English skills that rival that of a high school student, I knew he was going somewhere and wouldn’t be limited by the dark hole that Qacha’s Nek typically becomes for the youth raised in this impoverished region. Unfortunately, no one will ever know just what this boy could have made of his life. It was not his fault and his death probably could have been prevented. Upon further questioning at the hospital, I found out that Tankiso’s father passed away 5 years ago due to complications from HIV/AIDS. For reasons unknown- most likely fear, stigma, discrimination- Tankiso’s mother never opted to get herself or her son tested for HIV. He was admitted to the hospital this past Sunday with severe flu-like symptoms and died early Monday morning. If only his status was known earlier, if only he was on the life-extending anti-retroviral drugs. While the story of Tankiso is no doubt tragic, I do believe that the unexpectedness of the situation has opened more than a few eyes within our community. One lesson learned is that you cannot see or make a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS based solely on the look of an individual. Furthermore, children are innocent and it isn’t fair to deny them the opportunity of a healthy life because of fear on behalf of a caretaker. Tankiso- your smile and spirit will live on in all of us.

Meg & Mike

The past several months have been a whirlwind of events, travels, and big changes. And for better or worse, the same pattern will persist for the duration of the year. My month-long trip back home to both Idaho and Texas was wonderful and rejuvenating. Catching up with family and friends, eating delicious foods, seeing shows of various sorts, relaxing in the sun while sipping frappacinos, walking the dogs, enjoying the beach, massages and a haircut were just a few highlights. While it was sad to say goodbye to everyone, I know that I am where I belong at this point in my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There is a lot I’m looking forward to in Lesotho :-) As usual the farewells (yes, there was more than one) at the airport with my mom were the most difficult, but my sadness was momentarily suppressed by an unexpected encounter with Mike Tyson. While sitting in a lounge waiting to board my flight to London, people watching as usual, my gaze was fixed upon a large man with a dark tattoo covering the left side of his face. Recognizing the marking from one of those VH1 ‘100 Craziest Celebrity Stunts’ shows, I frantically searched for my camera in my carry-on luggage. Shocked that no one else was noticing the boxing champ, I inched closer to him and his family, tapped him on the knee, and introduced myself. I immediately conveyed my role as a Peace Corps Volunteer and to my surprise, both he and his family were interested in my work. They asked about Lesotho, HIV/AIDS, and the nature of the work of a PCV. After 5 minutes of chatting and a growing crowd, I asked if it would be possible to take a picture with him as a final send-off back to Africa and he happily obliged. His mother-in-law offered to take the photo, which according to Tyson was the first time she’d made such an offer to a ‘fan’. Upon parting, they wished me luck, reminded me to stay safe, and thanked me for my service. I thanked him for his entertaining fights- though I only remembered one in particular.

Kruger & Jo'Burg Vacation Pictures

Vacation is over but the fun shall soon continue in the States!

Pictures from Kruger and Johannesburg are now available for your viewing pleasure on my Picasa site.

Itinerary for Trip Home

For those of you who requested the details for my upcoming visit home:
October 8-October 14 in Boise, Idaho
October 14- November 2 in Texas, somewhere?

Feel free to shoot an email my way if you'd like to make plans. See you all soon!