At this event, I finally had the opportunity to test (you can see me being tested in the above picture). I have always wanted to test at one of our events, but I have been unable due to the limited capacity that our testing partners usually have. Even though I have not been engaging in any risky behaviors, it was still a nervewracking process. I underwent precounseling for about five minutes and then proceeded to the test, which was relatively easy and painless. A nurse pricked my finger and squeezed out a few drops of blood. After twenty minutes of waiting, I returned to find one line on the small testing strip. I was nervous because I could not remember if one line meant positive or negative. Fortunately, one line meant negative. However for that moment, I understood the panic that goes through the minds of all of our participants when they receive their results. I strongly advocate for everyone to test at our events and now I'm proud to be an example when questioned by people that are hesitant to test themselves.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
101 Tested
We had another big VCT last weekend and magically managed to test 101 people despite the typical chaos (teams arriving hours late or not showing up at all, testing partners insisting they must leave much earlier than planned, and complete obliteration of the detailed schedule, to name a few).
At this event, I finally had the opportunity to test (you can see me being tested in the above picture). I have always wanted to test at one of our events, but I have been unable due to the limited capacity that our testing partners usually have. Even though I have not been engaging in any risky behaviors, it was still a nervewracking process. I underwent precounseling for about five minutes and then proceeded to the test, which was relatively easy and painless. A nurse pricked my finger and squeezed out a few drops of blood. After twenty minutes of waiting, I returned to find one line on the small testing strip. I was nervous because I could not remember if one line meant positive or negative. Fortunately, one line meant negative. However for that moment, I understood the panic that goes through the minds of all of our participants when they receive their results. I strongly advocate for everyone to test at our events and now I'm proud to be an example when questioned by people that are hesitant to test themselves.
At this event, I finally had the opportunity to test (you can see me being tested in the above picture). I have always wanted to test at one of our events, but I have been unable due to the limited capacity that our testing partners usually have. Even though I have not been engaging in any risky behaviors, it was still a nervewracking process. I underwent precounseling for about five minutes and then proceeded to the test, which was relatively easy and painless. A nurse pricked my finger and squeezed out a few drops of blood. After twenty minutes of waiting, I returned to find one line on the small testing strip. I was nervous because I could not remember if one line meant positive or negative. Fortunately, one line meant negative. However for that moment, I understood the panic that goes through the minds of all of our participants when they receive their results. I strongly advocate for everyone to test at our events and now I'm proud to be an example when questioned by people that are hesitant to test themselves.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Baby Lions!
Two weeks ago, we had friends visiting and finally decided to visit the baby lions just outside of Kimberley. Here are the pictures of the suprisingly tame baby lions. They were allowed to run around near small children and were only enclosed in a one foot high fence that they easily scaled whenever they wanted. The whole situation seemed a little precarious, but we were unharmed except for a few small scratches.
Cute and sweet...
... until he no longer wanted to be held.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"The Battle Against AIDS is Failing"
Check out this recent video about AIDS in Africa featured in the New York Times online.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Vacation
At the end of March, I left Kimberley and traveled to Cape Town to meet my parents for a two week vacation. They arrived on the eve of my birthday and I couldn't have wished for a better present. We spent the first week touring Cape Town - visiting Robben Island (like the Alcatraz of Cape Town) where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for a majority of his 27 years, hiking Table Mountain and Lion's Head, visiting the wine lands, and more. The following week, we flew to Kruger National Park for some safari time and then concluded with a short stay in Muizenberg, a relaxed beach town outside of Cape Town. I think we all agreed that the vacation was too good to be true and didn't want it to end. I've included a bunch of pictures below to give an idea of where we were. Enjoy!
My Dad on top of table mountain, after we hiked up.
Parents in the Kirstenbosh Botanical Gardens in Cape Town.
Gorgeous view from our apartment. Table Mountain is seen on the left and Lion's Head is seen on the right.
My Dad and I after climbing Lion's Head.
Table Mountain as seen from Lion's Head.
My Dad and I at Cape Point, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans merge.
My mom and I visiting the penguin colony at Boulder's Beach, outside Cape Town.
Celebrating my dad's birthday by doing a little surfing - definitely a vacation highlight.
Below are pictures and video from our five-day trip to Kruger National Park, South Africa's premier safari destination. We were lucky enough to see all of the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino) more than once. It was easily the most incredible part of the vacation.
View from one of our overnight huts at Olifant's Rest Camp.
Video of the same view.
Hyena next to our car
The elusive leopard
A little grooming.
Too cute.
A lion walking next to our Safari jeep. Surprisingly, it didn't mind us or even look at us. If you look closely, you can see that it's a pretty skinny lion.
My favorite endangered animal!
Lioness hunting in the night.
Overall, it was an amazing vacation that I will never forget.
My Dad on top of table mountain, after we hiked up.
Parents in the Kirstenbosh Botanical Gardens in Cape Town.
Gorgeous view from our apartment. Table Mountain is seen on the left and Lion's Head is seen on the right.
My Dad and I after climbing Lion's Head.
Table Mountain as seen from Lion's Head.
My Dad and I at Cape Point, where the Indian and Atlantic oceans merge.
My mom and I visiting the penguin colony at Boulder's Beach, outside Cape Town.
Celebrating my dad's birthday by doing a little surfing - definitely a vacation highlight.
Below are pictures and video from our five-day trip to Kruger National Park, South Africa's premier safari destination. We were lucky enough to see all of the Big Five (elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhino) more than once. It was easily the most incredible part of the vacation.
View from one of our overnight huts at Olifant's Rest Camp.Video of the same view.
Hyena next to our car
The elusive leopard
A little grooming.
Too cute.
A lion walking next to our Safari jeep. Surprisingly, it didn't mind us or even look at us. If you look closely, you can see that it's a pretty skinny lion.
My favorite endangered animal!
Lioness hunting in the night.
Overall, it was an amazing vacation that I will never forget.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Mini VCT
Thuso, our incredible assistant site coordinator and coach extraordinaire, teaching "Risk Field" to eager participants. HIV counseling and testing tents can be seen in the background. On March 20th, we had a mini VCT. It was the first of its kind in Kimberley and I hope to have more in the future. As discussed in a previous post, I had an idea for small VCTs to increase our testing numbers. Ideally, I wanted to be able to test people without having to invest as many resources or as much money as we do for our bigger events. We setup in the very center of the township, situated next to the grocery store and major roundabout where all major routes connect. At this location, we commanded attention and were guaranteed to interact with a lot of people.
In "Find the Ball", the tennis ball is labeled with "HIV". The participants secretly pass the ball back and forth. When the coach says, "stop", they stop passing the ball. The other line of participants tries to guess who is holding the "HIV" ball. Usually, it takes quite a few guesses before they get it right. The person holding the ball is supposed to represent a person with HIV and the point of the activity is that just as you cannot tell by looking at someone whether or not they are holding the ball, you cannot tell by looking at someone whether or not they are HIV positive.
Overall, the event was a success. We tested over 20 people in a few short hours while a bunch of local kids participated in 6 of our Skillz activities. Although the number of people tested was not huge, our testing partner had reached their total testing capacity for the half day and they were really happy with how quickly we had recruited passersby to test. As soon as our testing partners gain more staff, we'll be testing even more people at these relatively simple events.
Excited participants! These kids are from a school we have worked with a lot. The girls were part of our pilot Skillz Street League and we frequently play with them on the weekend. My next idea is to start doing similar small VCTs after school at the high schools where we work. I would love to combine an afternoon of HIV testing and counseling with pickup soccer with our Skillz coaches. Hopefully we'll see it in action soon!
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