In the Public Eye

Sorry it's been a while since my last post. Life has not been terribly varied, though I have found that I somehow manage to keep myself fairly busy every day.
There is one major adjustment I am in the process of making, along with my fellow American students. As white Americans who don' t speak the language, we are very noticeable, particularly in times of confusion and uncertainty, such as today when my friend Lindsay and I went to the mall and were not sure where to go to find a particular store. We are often targeted by people with a variety of motivations, and it is often disconcerting. To my dismay, I find myself adopting a defensive stance that immediately assumes that the person wants something from me. In life I've heard, this is a good philosophy to follow because it will protect you from being taken advantage of, but it makes me sad to lose that instant re pore with people that assumes they are decent, trustworthy human beings. I suppose there's a middle ground I must reach between detached suspicion and wide-eyed curiosity, and I'll find it soon enough, but I find my own reactions to be disconcerting.
I am still struggling to hone in on a topic for my independent research project, as I am sorting through a myriad of intensely fascinating subjects. For example, the HIV/AIDS assistance program in which Merck Pharaceuticals is donating free antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in conjunction with a larger U.S. based effort to fund HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness, research and care comes to an end of it's six year plan in 2009. I am curious to know what the government is planning and whether or not they will continue to receive the drugs free.
While thumbing through the massive amounts of literature about the AIDS crisis worldwide in the library, I found an extensive degree on the impact of HIV/AIDS on women in African societies where so much emphasis is placed on women being the caretakers, and often breadwinners when faced with the absence/death of her husband, particularly in cultures where the men migrate for up to years at a time to find work. In fact, in the literature I've looked through, a woman's identity is based on her ability to provide for a household and her reproductive success, which in times of desperation may drive a woman to sleep with other men in order to ensure that she bears a socially acceptable number of children. Obviously, this adds to the danger of a woman contracting HIV/AIDS. In light of this, I thought it might be interesting to study the impact of the AIDS epidemic on women both in Gaberone, and in more rural areas to see whether changing social structures and the movement of women into the workforce has increased or decreased her burden in the home.
I also found out today about a graduate student who has been living in Gaberone for quite some time who has been doing research on how ARV drugs are entering the country and also what economic planning initiatives are in place to continue the presence of free drugs in the country. Apparently, she is very well connected with all of the HIV/AIDS organizations in Gaberone, and I think she is my best bet for finding a topic as well as the sources I need to study that topic.
Hopefully by next week, I will be working in a clinic doing mostly clinical observation (which provides yet another venue for research, yikes!), but possibly assisting in taking vitals and other non-invasive (aka no needles) evaluation and care. The clinics are run by the Harvard-National AIDS coordinating agency, and they have other students from both Harvard and Princeton medical schools working in all of their clinics, so I am very confident that they have the structural set-up in place to protect us volunteers from disease, as well as protecting the patients from us. I promise to be very careful and discontinue my work if I feel that my safety is being compromised!
On a happier note, I am finding life to be falling into place for me, and I am able to exercise on a daily basis, and am eating well. Alyssa, my apartment mate and I have been doing all of our shopping and cooking together, and we are both committed to living a healthy lifestyle while we are here, so I have a lot of support in that regard. Last night I downloaded a training program for a 10K race (about 6.5 miles), which will give me direction and goals for the next two months, after which I plan to start a training program for a half-marathon! After quitting soccer, I have really struggled to create and maintain an exercise plan for myself, and part of my intention in coming here was to establish a fitness routine that I could continue when I returned to the states.
As many of you may know, the currency difference is about 5.1 Pula to one U.S. dollar, and I am very excited at the thought of buying many gifts that I will be able to use for birthdays and Christmas both this year, and hopefully for years to come. It is very exciting when you find clothing on sale for P20 or $4, and beautiful, handcrafted fabrics for less than $2 a meter! I had a dress tailor-made for me out of this beautiful blue fabric for about $40. I am actually really excited by the fact that Lindsay has experience in altering clothes, and I may look into buying fabrics and the numerous "tent" dresses that are common here, and sewing my own clothes for gifts! It will be hard with the limited sewing materials I have, but perhaps it will give me a summer hobby and an opportunity to learn from some of the sewing greats in my life! ;)
The weather has been very tolerable with clouds most of the day and rain off and on for the last two weeks or so, and very few really hot days. Unfortunately, with laundry needing sunlight to dry, I am cursing each day that passes as the mound of clothes builds higher and higher! It is supposed to be nicer this weekend, and despite the heat, I am sincerely hoping for sunshine so that I can clean my clothes!
Well, that's all I can say for now! Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! TTFN!