Anyway, the course material was really interesting. I learned a lot about trauma, complex posttraumatic stress disorder, and how these fit in Rwanda (pretty obvious). The classes were long—almost six hours a day straight. I was taking notes of the entire class on my computer to give to the students when the course was over. None of the students were very proficient in English and so the fact that the course was taught in English was extremely challenging for most of them. So, having the notes of the course written out will be great for them to clarify the parts of the lectures they missed. The course lasted five days. The biggest problem for me about the week, besides being in the “city” of Butare, was that I became very sick! So there are a few problems when you get sick in a foreign place…the first and most frightening problem is you have no idea what you have! In the U.S. if I had the same symptoms I would take a couple Advil and lie on the couch and watch TV for a few days. Here…who knows what it could be! I was sure I had TB until my dad told me that takes months to develop! Oops. The second problem was—I was in Butare at this little guesthouse/taking notes for this class. In the guesthouse—there was no running hot water or really anything for that matter…basically it was a bed in a room without any windows. Then at the University, it was even more problematic because when I felt like I had to throw up but there was nowhere to go! The bathroom requires a key and is about 100 yards away—so I was out of luck there. Additionally, there were no garbage cans whatsoever—so I was planning, if it came to this point (which fortunately it did not), to simply throw up all over myself! Sorry for the graphic details…but this was a big dilemma for me. So it all started Tuesday morning when I woke up with a slight cough. As the day progressed this turned into the chills, nausea, and the worst sneezing attacks I have ever had. These symptoms persisted until Friday when the sneezing subsided and was replaced with incessant coughing—it felt like pneumonia. I could tell the class felt bad for me-because each day they bought me packets of tissues. I felt like the week would never end…but at one in the afternoon on Friday, we were driven home. I think I was pretty close to coughing up a lung during the two-hour ride home….but I managed. I jumped right into bed and pretty much never left for the remainder of the weekend!
The good news is—I am feeling much better now and the fever is gone. The cough is still very much present, but now I don’t feel as if I am going to stop breathing every time I feel the urge to cough. When I walked into the clinic today, it was FILLED with people! There weren’t enough seats for everyone—I learned that the little illness I had is going around Kigali. Go figure. Then I thought about what a baby I was—because these people don’t have Advil or Tylenol like I did. In addition, they probably walked miles to get to the clinic and were working to support their families! All I had to do was sit in a classroom for six hours a day. Just an example of putting things in perspective…
So now onto other things, like the kids program. It is without a doubt my favorite part of my experience here. It is the highlight of my week. I am so impressed with how kind, enthusiastic, and patient the children are. For example—there is a five-year old girl Annanice. Her father died from AIDS two years ago and she lives with her two older siblings, an adopted cousin (from the genocide) and her mother, who is infected. Annanice is the only child in the family who is also infected. The past two Sundays she has been upset by normal little kid stuff—but her big sister who is eleven—who comes to the Family Program (which is only for children with HIV) just to support Annanice—takes such good care of her. She pulls her aside, kisses her, and holds her hand until she feels better. It is so beautiful to watch. Something else I find amazing is their patience. There are so many kids to feed during snack time—but they just sit and wait patiently to be served. The last child to receive his food never complains—he just sits and waits quietly.
The above picture are two of my favorite kids--the one on the left was the one left in the woods. The hats they are wearing were donations from a sewing cooperative in San Fransisco
This is a picture of two of the girls I worked with on portrait drawing.
Yesterday we received a newcomer to the children’s program. I mentioned a few weeks ago a four year old girl who was left in the woods by her stepmother to die. In case you don’t remember or didn’t read that post, I will share the story—after this little girl’s mother died from AIDS, she was given to her stepmother (the father also died from AIDS), who didn’t want her. The stepmother left the girl in the woods to die. Four days went by and a woman heard her crying. She went into the woods and found her! The girl was in the hospital for over two months. The story though is happy now—the woman who found her in the woods decided to adopt the girl. So back to the Sunday program—the girl and her adopted mother came yesterday! It is so clear that the adopted mother loves the girl so much. And the little girl is the most vivacious and sweetest girl I have ever met! She was like a parrot—she would excitedly repeat any English word you said and emulate any face you made. It was a joy to watch how well she interacted with the other kids and also her guardian. Of course, a picture is included.
Such a beautiful smile
This was not posed at all--the kids gulping down their full glasses of milk
So I have only three weeks left here…it is hard for me to believe. There is much I want to accomplish in that short amount of time. My main focus will be working with the adolescent girls. I want to learn about the adolescent women and try to understand what is their sense of the world—how is it for them living with HIV in Rwanda. I want to talk to them about their plans for the future (job/marriage/children?), find out what kinds of outlets they have—can they talk with one another about living with HIV?, what it is like going to secondary school—do their classmates know they are infected?, etc. Also, because many of the young women are orphans, move homes often, don’t eat substantial meals—all life events than make one susceptible to developing depression—I would like to assess somehow if this is a problem among them. I am also going to ask similar questions to young women who are not infected to see how the responses compare. The overarching goal is to develop programs that address the needs of these young women and learn more about what they are going through. I’ve been struck by these young women—they are incredible leaders at the children’s group. They are so capable at such a young age. I think that even the focus group will allow the girls the space to share what is going on for them and hopefully have some therapeutic value. I have mentioned this before—but I would like to start a diary program for these girls-to give them an outlet to share their everyday thoughts and emotions about being a young adult woman and living with HIV.
And I’m spent! That was long. Hope you are all well and I am thinking about you.
