Tuesday and Wednesday

The work for the last two days has been much the same. We have been traveling all over Swaziland, visiting schools. The main goal is to present to them information regarding HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, depression/suicide, and stigma. It’s interesting here, as it is not just AIDS that is stigmatized, but myriad diseases and disorders. Anything from diabetes to mental retardation elicits unfavorable (at best) reactions from friends and family, to the point of people being ostracized. As such, much of our presentations focus on how the schools, churches, and communities can actually help these people, rather than abandon them to death or isolation.

Phil and I finally got to present together, on a host of topics, but most notably on substance abuse and treatment. This is a big deal for us, as we spent a fair amount of time before leaving putting together a knock out presentation. Up until yesterday, he and I would handle different groups and populations, as we tried our best to divide up the team based on our relative strengths. This has been a very effective strategy, and has allowed us to maximize our impact with the groups we visit. Anyhow, Phil and I gave a stellar presentation (at least we think so), and felt good about it.

The schools we visit are so similar: the majority of the students are orphans, and many of those are head-of-household. The shock has worn off with respect to this aspect. It is still a crisis situation, to be sure, but we’ve come to expect it everywhere we go. This is actually not a terrible thing for us, as it means that we can focus more on delivering effective interventions, and keep our personal feelings out of play.

And, of course, we travel. We have truly seen much of the Swazi nation. It just occurred to me last night that this is the most exposed I have ever been to another country and culture, on many different levels.

A highlight! Last night, we were taken out to dinner by Dr. Eddie Rokundo, a local physician we met last week. He was gracious enough to take us to his favorite local restaurant, a bit off of the beaten path, but decidedly great. We had a fantastic time chatting it up, and I found out that he even went to medical school with a Charleston physician (Dr. Rokundo went to medical school in the U.S.), Dr. Sam Parrish. What are the odds of that? Dr. Rokundo had quite an interesting story to tell; however, it’s to long for this post. To sum it up, he was a member of the (former) Royal Family of Rwanda, and they had to go into exile during the coup of 1961. Maybe more on that later.

Another highlight! Myself, Phil, Anna, Chrissyl, Joanna, and Monique made the national paper! This was from our interview that we conducted with them while visiting an AIDS clinic last week. It got our word and mission out to the Swazi people, which is important as it buys us credibility. The most important bit, however, was the close-up shot of yours truly.

Only a few more days to go…