Ribbon Cutting and HIV Workshop

Last week I had the good fortune to see one of my schools move into a brand new building. Previously they had been sharing a elementary school space (elementary in the morning and secondary in the afternoon). While this might seem like a logical sharing of resources there were many problems with the arrangement. The middle school program is taught via videotapes and DVDs; the problem was is that the elementary school decided not to pay the electric bill so there hasn’t been electricity in over a year. There were also problems with the desks, sharing of materials, etc. Too make a long story short; everyone is excited to have our own school. We hope to start giving classes in the new building after Semaña Santa. This is a great achievement on the part of the school and the parents because the lack of funding to rural schools in Guatemala.

Kelly with my 8th Graders

Who is that handsome guy?

Setting up for the cutting

Some 9th Graders

Thanks to USAID for the tarp and shade

On my way to Totonicopan to teach about HIV

Welcome HIV AIDS

PCV Lynn our organizer

Teachers waiting to learn
Demonstrating the immune system

The same day I also agreed to help with an HIV workshop in another town. In all there were three two-person teams that gave a basic transmission and prevention charla to teachers. It may sound dull but teaching with the participatory method always brings laughter to a classroom.
We taught for about four hours and as always ended with a Q&A open to anything. There were the normal questions “Where does it come from?”, “How is it possible that an infected mother can give birth to a healthy child?” and “Are there more homosexuals infected than heterosexuals?”. This time though we got a question I haven’t had from an adult, “Does sex with a condom feel the same?” Being the only male volunteer still at the event the question fell to me to answer. I had no idea what to say in front of an audience of between 30 and 40 people. No one feels comfortable talking about sex, but this could have been a cultural minefield to maneuver through. Put on the spot I started speaking before I really had time to think.

My translation of what I said.
“Well… Okay… Lets see… Since we are now friends and there is trust between us I am going to tell you the truth. The truth is using a condom… The truth is using it feels... (Light bulb illuminating above my head) The truth is it feels better to be protected from HIV than to be infected by it.”
Perhaps it doesn’t sound all that clever, but when put on the spot and using a second language, I felt both relief and thankfulness that this moment was over.

The difference between HIV and AIDS

Some colleagues

"AIDS"

Having fun with our new friends

Why this is so important

All in all it was a long but fulfilling Peace Corps day. Sometimes I wish they were all that busy but we do what we can.

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