Today we leave Tubaniso and head back to our homestay sites. I was actually enjoying myself before I left 2 weeks ago and am looking forward to seeing my homestay family. First the health sector is having a field trip. We are going to an HIV/Aids facility.
As it turns out all HIV/Aids consultations, treatments and medications and any and all group and individual counseling are all paid for by the government here. Everything is free. Statistics show that those who start treatment when HIV is first detected live long lives without ever getting full blown Aids. Unfortunately, due to the stigma related to HIV/Aids, and the fact that no one usually gets tested until they are already symptomatic many cases of HIV go undetected. At that point the Aids is treated the best it can be and counseling is offered to help deal with their disease. Statistics show that the largest percentage of those testing positive for aids are married women between the ages of 18 and 35. I don’t believe their numbers are accurate as they are not testing the same number of people from each gender/age/marital status group. More young married women are coming in and being tested. There go there are more young married women with detected HIV. This facility does all their own testing, treatments, blood transfusions and counseling and men, women and children. If you need a blood transfusion they suggest coming in with your own donor. They will be tested for type and HIV, etc once there and they will transfer the blood directly. Waiting for blood from another source is next to impossible. It’s a sad place but necessary. Although there is a very small percentage of those affected with HIV/Aids in Mali. It is definitely not their main concern as it is in other parts of Africa.
After leaving the facility we were able to stay in Bamako and go to an American restaurant and then to the tubob (white person) store. I got pizza, which has no sauce, so it was more like a open quesadilla…which was still good. I also got a diet coke, which was awesome. It is very difficult to get diet soda here…and it was cold. I was in heaven. At the tubob store I got some candy to bring home to my host family, and a couple of things I will need when I move to my permanent site. I could have waited but there were a few things I think I will need immediately after being installed and it will just cause me less stress to bring them with me. Soap, laundry detergent, a non stick skillet (which you can’t find other than in a tubob store…and now that I think about it and do the math it was expensive…oh well), clothes pins and a new notebook. I really need to get my language notes in order.
We got home by 2 with instructions to be back at school to start language lessons again at 3. I saw my sister first and she was so excited to see me. I think she actually missed me. She told me her older, pain in the ass, brother was now staying in Bamako to go to university. That’s nice. I am dealing with him better these days but if I could spend the next 10 days not worrying about him giving me a hard time all the better. And it’s about time he did something besides sit around and drink tea. He is a typical 20 year old American kid. His mother told me he does “nothing”. So I’m glad. He will be home Saturday for the day and night and then return to Bamako on Sunday again. My younger brother Burama is now home and he also missed me. We kicked around a soccer ball for a little while out front of the house. It was fun. Then “mom” came home and we made dinner. All and all it was a good night. I set up my bug tent outside. Since I’ve been gone and it’s gotten hotter out everyone now sleeps in the courtyard. I was glad to do it…as long as I’m in my protective net. As you know creatures seek me out and step on me or jump on me or fly on me. There was no wind and it was definitely cooler then my room will ever be. I almost slept through the night.
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