World AIDS Day is coming up soon- December 1st, 2008. I am hoping to put together a (small) community event to increase awareness leading toward a larger series of week long events in May for AIDS Action Week. So, I'm looking to you, the community, for some ideas. What do you know about HIV/AIDS? What do you need to learn? What do your kids need to know? What would be a good way to present it? How can I get people involved? But most importantly- what will make you care? That is a loaded question, I know, but I'd like to honestly know what would make you start to care about HIV/AIDS? I feel like there is a strong perception of HIV as "something that doesn't happen here" in the suburbs- it's a gay disease, an African disease, a women disease, a poor person's disease, a minority disease, a prostitute's disease, an urban disease... what ever it is, it is someone else's disease. There are every kind of people living in every situation who are HIV+, so how do we stop the "us" and "them"?
And- though it was two weeks ago- my trip to New York was awesome. It was a great time to start planning things for the rest of the year, see some of the other volunteers and get to see where most of the United Methodist programs are staffed and run from.
After goodness knows how many drafts and even more hours of pondering I have finally forced myself to simply write this, as incomplete as it still feels. First, a shameless plug for an amazing opportunity coming up.
So without further adieu, a preview of my last Chaska Herald Article... Enjoy!
"Upon stepping back into the developed world at London's Heathrow Airport, I stood completely frozen. The glow of neon lights fell dimly on my face as shops of every kind stretched endlessly before me, and passengers, a startling number of whom seemed to be white, rushed past me to make connecting flights. I shivered as the sterile, seemingly freezing air filled my lungs. And that's when it hit me- this is 'culture shock'
People are beginning to ask if I'm getting used to being home from my two months of work Sierra Leone. I doubt they are ready to hear the full story. So, instead, I smile and tell them that I've only been back for a month, and things are very different here in the United States. Although in all honesty, I'm beginning to wonder if I will ever again be "used" to life here. It is amazing how two months in Africa can so drastically change perspectives gained from 19 years of living in America.
'Wance laif de, op de,' is a popular proverb in Sierra Leone. At first glance the phrase (translated 'as long as there is life, there is hope') hardly seems applicable to the poverty and desperation that so often is West Africa. Surrounded by rusted tin roofs, open mass graves, and terrible hygiene, I found myself in the midst of sheer beauty.
I watched time and time again as people gave away literally their last Leones (the local currency) to help a neighbor buy malaria medicine or pay school fees. These people, 70% of whom are living on less than $2 per day, gave away their money and possessions unflinchingly. The generosity and humility of these individuals who shared so freely, not knowing where their daily bread would come from, amazed me.
Hospitality is a word that isn’t used too often in the typical American’s vocabulary. It isn’t spoken off too often in Sierra Leone either; it is just a ways of life. My neighbors welcomed me into the community literally with open arms. I spent my evenings learning to cook African style, singing, dancing, and my personal favorite, playing on the streets with wonderful children. Lately I’ve found myself taking walks around my neighborhood, hoping to find someone to sit with or children to play with, only to find myself isolated.
Life wasn’t easy, and at times I became incredibly frustrated as I watched HIV patients waste away before my eyes. Worse yet was the constant reality that one in every four children I met would not live past the age of five. My African friends, sensing my discouragement, would tell me to 'take courage,' and invite me to come eat and sing with them. Most days I wondered who exactly was helping whom.
I have come back now with not only my story, but with the stories of my new family, friends and neighbors. I knew that working in Africa would change my life, but I wasn't prepared for Africa to become part of the very core of who I am.
I am, more than ever, dedicated to changing the world. I've fallen in love with wonderful people who just happen to be the poorest of the poor. Social justice is no longer an abstract concept that is hip to talk about while sipping fair trade coffee on the West Bank; it is the only hope for my friends’ futures. Life gets messy when you go from loving the idea of justice to loving the people who need it. Life also suddenly becomes much more beautiful.
People keep asking me what they can do to help. The truth is, I don't know. I've learned a lot, but I still don't have things figured out. There are only two things I can tell you. One is to love until it hurts, and then love more, as Mother Teresa eloquently put it. The second is to ask hard questions, even if you might not find, or like, the answers.
To those of you who are undoubtedly asking 'do you want to go back?' I'll simply tell you this-- I will be submitting my Peace Corps application in December."
I want to make you all aware of an awesome opportunity coming to the the twin cities soon. Colonial Church in Edina will be hosting World Vision's exhibit on AIDS October 31-November 3. Basically, you literally walk through a day of the life of a real child in Africa with AIDS. It is incredibly well put together and sure to be an enlightening and intense experience. Check out World Vision's website to see what it is all about.
In the past two weeks I have started to be asked "are you getting used to being home?" quite often. That is a really good question. In a way I suppose I am settling back into the rhythm of life here- school, intern/work, rehearsal, study, sleep, repeat. It is hectic, but not too hard to get used to. As far as acutally feeling normal- not at all.
A few days ago I had the opportunity to go see Chris Pope talk at Colonial Church in Edina. Chris works for world vision and has been all over the world to check in on how their projects are going. The topic of his talk was "what Africa teaches me about God and the poor." I left the talk practically skipping. It was so refreshing and relieving to simply listen and talk to someone else who understands. Who has been there. Who has seen it. Who has lived it.
I'm back from Sierra Leone and trying to make sense of it all. I am asking some big questions- what is justice? what is mercy? where are they in the world?- hopefully you'll come wrestle with them too.
This blog is centered around my experiences as a global justice volunteer in Sierra Leone during the summer of 2008. For two months I worked with Society for Women and Aids Africa Sierra Leone Chapter (SWAASL) and City of Rest (a drug rehabilitation and mental health facility) in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Thank You
I want to extend a sincere thank you to everybody who has supported me on this journey. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have so much support. And a special thanks to... The members of Discovery UMC The Chaska Herald, especially Mollee Francisco Missio Dei Youth Enrichment League Lake Minnetonka Orthodontics And all of the individuals who supported me financially, through prayers, and with their stories
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone, which lies on the West coast of Africa, is ranked lowest on the Human Development Index (177/177 countries) and seventh lowest on the Human Poverty Index. The country suffers from a 1.5% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate, as well as tremendous inequality in income distribution with 70.2% of the population below $2 per day.
