A Routine.

Whenever it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, I start to get a few reminders in my inbox. People wonder how I am and what I’m doing, and most of all they wonder why the heck I haven’t written in a while. I actually love these little reminders. It tells me that I’m not alone and that after all this time, I actually still have readers! YES! While sometimes you might imagine a worst case scenario of why I haven’t written (for example, having emergency surgery), if you start to imagine the best case scenario instead, chances are you’ll be right.

For the last two weekends, I’ve had the chance to just hang out with people I enjoy in some of the most beautiful places. These special days offer a time for recuperation from the work week, a chance to de-stress, and most of all, just a chance to be myself. In living and working in another culture, I of course am always myself, but it is done with a specific consciousness of cultural difference. Most of all, during these days of hanging out with friends, I am able to enjoy the American-style sense of humor that I’m so comfortable with. Humor is one of those funny (no pun intended) aspects of life that is so ingrained in culture and attitude, and so far it has been one of the most obvious examples of cultural difference.

Anyways, back to why I was writing this in the first place! In the first four months I’ve been at site, I have been able to establish a routine that is rarely dictated by the clock. I have become adjusted to things that once seemed unusual or exotic, which explains the lack of blogging. While I still might look twice and sometimes wonder or even flinch, I am no longer surprised at the chickens on the road on the way to work, at the brightly painted jeeps, at the men urinating and spitting on the sidewalks, or at the sound of hip-hop blaring through the neighborhood. It all just “is”. I think I’ll become aware of all the adjustments I have made again when my mom visits in May—her questions and surprise will be a reminder to me that I am actually living in a very different place than what I’ve always known. It’s crazy how this adjustment to new sights and sounds creeps into us.

On another note, last week we held our Training of Trainers for HIV/AIDS for professionals within our local barangay. Twenty-seven people participated in the training, and for the most part it was very successful. The pre-test and post-test showed a significant increase in HIV knowledge, including the modes of transmission and successful modes of prevention. During the second day of the training, participants worked within their sectors (schools, rural health unit, barangay council, etc.) to create action plans for upcoming months of HIV awareness activities. Overall, an excitement for HIV/AIDS awareness and education has been spurred, and hopefully it will continue into the future.