VCT

I'm not sure if it's just my cultural illiteracy here or what, but I'm am encountering great difficulties in reading facial expressions. At home I consider myself a fairly socially intelligent person - able to read people and situations with some degree of accuracy. Here I find I'm completely lost, even in situations which should be relatively simple to read. I'm sure it is likely a myriad of factors ranging from the fact that I don't speak the language, to the simple fact of physical differences in faces and expressions... I'm still lost.
This unfortunate social disability was illuminated today when I realized that I recognized a facial expression immediately - the first time in what seems like a very long time (but in reality is only about two weeks). I was paired with the nurse in the VCT/CCC (Voluntary Counselling and Testing/ Complete Care Clinic) room today. Here is where people can come for a voluntary, free and confidential HIV test. The CCC aspect follows patients who are known HIV positive providing them with counselling, advice, nutritional supplements and, when needed, ARVs (Anti-Retrovials). All services and drugs are provided free of charge (amazing!)
One of the first clients of the day was a mother of six children, four are her own, and two are orphaned by AIDS and she has taken them in. This mother is known HIV positive but doing well. She came today to have her newest child tested. The child is almost two years old and her mother and father have both now passed away from AIDS. It took all three of us to hold the poor girl so we could prick her finger and take two drops of blood for the test (the test is done similar to a blood sugar test, with drops of blood from the finger. It takes about ten minutes to finish.) Kids are the same anywhere... she kicked and screamed and tried to bite, then pouted for a few minutes afterward, holding up her finger as a reminder of how we had wronged her.
Ten minutes later... the mother seemed so calm, my inability to read her expression left me thinking that she was disinterested or not that concerned... but she is mother, I could not have been more wrong. When the nurse finally announced that the test was negative, relief was written all over her face, and even I picked up on it. The little girl couldn't have cared less, already distracted by her brother; but her mother looked filled with hope for this child. It was really beautiful.

Anyway VCT was terribly interesting, although it feels a bit weird to be so objectively interested in something that is such a personal and emotional moment for many people. The nurse assures me that Kenyan's don't have any fears surrounding HIV or AIDS and that there is no stigma here. She tells me they don't have to convince people to get tested because people just do it on their own. I'm not quite sure I can quite believe that, maybe it's just one of those curious things they feel white people want to hear.

On a lighter note... most of the people here cannot say my name. I think it is the 'ls' combination in the middle but it looks almost physically painful when people try to say it. They also can't remember it, which is not unusual, and besides, I can't remember half their names. At any rate, one lady has been really making a valiant effort to pronounce it, but today seemed to be the last straw. She has announced to most of the staff that from now on, I can be referred to as Wajiko (wa-gee-koh). Wajiko means "daughter of a Kikuyi" which is the tribe my host family belongs to (and, coincidentally, the incumbant President, Mr. Kubaki). At any rate, the staff found it so wildly entertaining that I think it has a chance of sticking - we'll see.

Also today, my host mother Grace and I stopped by the water office to find out why the water pump to their area hasn't been fixed yet (water is pumped from a large tank in town to a large tank in each yard, but the town pump has been broken for over two weeks and the residents are having to find other means of getting water, which can be expensive). As she was furiously debating them, I picked out the words "muzungu" white girl, and "bini" daughter. The two water men looked concerned. Finally Grace laughed and the men looked relieved. She turned to me and explained that she told them if they didn't fix the water soon her white dauther would turn black and they would be responsible! Apperently they were actually concerned that this was a real possibility!

Well, I am off to climb Mt. Kenya this weekend, the second highest peak in Africa! Haha, I am woefully unprepared as I left most of my mountain apparel in Canada (not feeling a strong need for my down-filled jacked and long johns in East Africa). I have managed to scrounge some fleece and wool from the second-hand market in town... I'm sure I'll be fine! Wish me luck!

Kelsey Aaron