Two posts in one week, let alone one month?! Yes, I am trying to post more!
Yesterday, I taught HIV to a class of high school students. This was my first time in front of a classroom in about 8 months and it went SO WELL. I really love to be in charge of classroom of students who need to learn topics like Sex Education, HIV/AIDS, and other difficult-to-cover subjects. The students were so engaged and the mentor who cam with me to make sure I could teach (since I'm doing this as a volunteer with the amazing Buddies of NJ AIDS organization) said I did an excellent job!
I was nervous at first, but once I got my flow, all of my training and background just took over. Granted, I kind of jumped from one topic to another, but the kids stayed interested and if I forgot anything I just jumped back. I managed to cover the 3 types of transmission, including an in-depth discussion for each of the 3 main modes of transmission (sexual contact, mother-to-child, and blood-to-blood [including needles and tattoos]), how an HIV test works, some theories behind how it was transferred into humans, what people with AIDS "look like", how many people in the US are HIV+ and how many people worldwide are positive, how stigma plays a role in knowing your status, how many people who have HIV have no idea, and volunteering with AIDS organizations at home and abroad. Oh, and of course, my favorite things in the world: a male condom demonstration, a female condom demonstration, and a dental dam demonstration.
It was exhilarating! It felt wonderful! And I really did give these kids some knowledge. I know this because a bunch came up to me/my counterpart/the teacher to thank us and to say they had learned a lot.
There were some funny moments. At one point, instead of saying "And then you take the condom off," I said, "And then you take the penis off!" I lost the class for a good minute at that point, and saved myself with a Lorena Bobbit joke! Ha! And then, I accidentally made a rude motion when I was talking with my hands, but the teacher was okay with that and laughed it off.
Anyway, this will hopefully keep me sharp for when I do get into the Peace Corps, where I am nominated for Health Extension.
Have a great rest of the week!
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sorry!
I know I apologize all the time for not keeping this blog up-to-date. I'm really trying, I swear!
Anyway, I came here to write a post about patience, only to realize, hey, that was my last post! I have been thinking about patience a lot, obviously, and the closer June gets, the more I think about the mountain I have to climb to get to an invitation. It seems worth it. It is worth it. And I'm using my time until then in a pretty okay way I think. Working, making money, volunteering, etc. It's just frustrating, I guess.
So, because of all this waiting, I had a few questions, which I sent to my recruiter in January. I haven't heard anything from her, so I decided to call the Peace Corps NY Regional Office instead, just to feel like I was doing something. On Wednesday, I spoke to a lovely woman (I wish I could remember her name!) who was very helpful in answering my questions and alleviating any fears. She was also deferred in her application process because of medical, and now she's a recruiter! So, that made me feel much better.
I have also realized I am ready to be away from driving for awhile.
(Before I start into this story, let me explain. The Peace Corps, from everything I've read, does NOT allow you to drive while you are in country. If you want to drive, you have to get special permission. When Peace Corps started, a lot of people received motorcycles to get to different places, but once the death count started to climb, they nixed the motorcycles and instead started giving out bikes, which they still do to this day.)
If you know me, you know I love to drive. I am so comfortable behind the wheel, and revel in the fact that I can get from one place to another rather quickly. I had a driving job in college for 3 years. In high school, I was almost always the one to drive my friends around. Both of my best friends at home aren't that comfortable driving, so I'm usually the one to drive. I had my own car in college, and I loved the freedom, driving all over LA County all the time, down to San Diego frequently, and over to Phoenix a few times. Until recently, I have been most comfortable in my car, alone, singing at the top of my lungs, and just feeling free.
Car accidents. Specifically, two in the span of four months. One in December, which I have already written about, and now one this month as well. As you may have read, in December, I hydroplaned but miraculously was unhurt. This time around, I was the passenger in a car that was T-boned on the passenger side. A small car, hit by a Dodge truck. It was terrifying. I had to go to the hospital to make sure I didn't mess up my head again. I also had to get an X-ray for my arm because I had seen the truck coming so I turned away and the seat belt was against the middle of my arm; they wanted to make sure it wasn't fractured. It wasn't... I just had a nice bruise for awhile. And the woman who was driving was fine. This was her first accident in over 20 years! I'm starting to think cars are attracted to me! Haha.
So yes, I am ready to take a break from cars for awhile. Public transportation sounds more appetizing than driving, however, I will never forget about seeing the overturned bus on the side of the road in Tanzania, so I'm even a little scared about that. Nor will I forget about the two times I hit my head on the roof of the bus on the way from TZ to Uganda because of potholes. Fun times.
Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing week!
Anyway, I came here to write a post about patience, only to realize, hey, that was my last post! I have been thinking about patience a lot, obviously, and the closer June gets, the more I think about the mountain I have to climb to get to an invitation. It seems worth it. It is worth it. And I'm using my time until then in a pretty okay way I think. Working, making money, volunteering, etc. It's just frustrating, I guess.
So, because of all this waiting, I had a few questions, which I sent to my recruiter in January. I haven't heard anything from her, so I decided to call the Peace Corps NY Regional Office instead, just to feel like I was doing something. On Wednesday, I spoke to a lovely woman (I wish I could remember her name!) who was very helpful in answering my questions and alleviating any fears. She was also deferred in her application process because of medical, and now she's a recruiter! So, that made me feel much better.
I have also realized I am ready to be away from driving for awhile.
(Before I start into this story, let me explain. The Peace Corps, from everything I've read, does NOT allow you to drive while you are in country. If you want to drive, you have to get special permission. When Peace Corps started, a lot of people received motorcycles to get to different places, but once the death count started to climb, they nixed the motorcycles and instead started giving out bikes, which they still do to this day.)
If you know me, you know I love to drive. I am so comfortable behind the wheel, and revel in the fact that I can get from one place to another rather quickly. I had a driving job in college for 3 years. In high school, I was almost always the one to drive my friends around. Both of my best friends at home aren't that comfortable driving, so I'm usually the one to drive. I had my own car in college, and I loved the freedom, driving all over LA County all the time, down to San Diego frequently, and over to Phoenix a few times. Until recently, I have been most comfortable in my car, alone, singing at the top of my lungs, and just feeling free.
Car accidents. Specifically, two in the span of four months. One in December, which I have already written about, and now one this month as well. As you may have read, in December, I hydroplaned but miraculously was unhurt. This time around, I was the passenger in a car that was T-boned on the passenger side. A small car, hit by a Dodge truck. It was terrifying. I had to go to the hospital to make sure I didn't mess up my head again. I also had to get an X-ray for my arm because I had seen the truck coming so I turned away and the seat belt was against the middle of my arm; they wanted to make sure it wasn't fractured. It wasn't... I just had a nice bruise for awhile. And the woman who was driving was fine. This was her first accident in over 20 years! I'm starting to think cars are attracted to me! Haha.
So yes, I am ready to take a break from cars for awhile. Public transportation sounds more appetizing than driving, however, I will never forget about seeing the overturned bus on the side of the road in Tanzania, so I'm even a little scared about that. Nor will I forget about the two times I hit my head on the roof of the bus on the way from TZ to Uganda because of potholes. Fun times.
Anyway, I hope you all have an amazing week!
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