Homeward Bound

After almost 180 days away from Canadian soil, I'm about to make my triumphant return. I am in Cairo in Egpyt, sitting in a small but very slick internet cafe. It has been 6 months since I've used a computer even close to this quick... its like a home is teasing me just a little bit. Caitlin and I have spent the last 2 weeks roaming around Egypt trying to see as much as we could.

I've posted a few photos at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/russf/sets/72157600013427371/

I'm leaving tonight and if all goes according to plan... getting home tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family, and to sleeping in my own bed. Take care, Russ.

Last day on the job

Today was my last day in the village. It was quiet, and anti-climactic. I had a quiet day of tidying up my database project for deployment, and visiting with our home based care team one last time. I am going to miss this place. It has been an eye-opening experience to say the least.

Yesterday we took some time out to play soccer with the little kids in the daycare at the community centre. I thought I would post a final couple of photos.




Tomorrow afternoon we leave for Durban - the start of a 3 week trip home. We're in South Africa for another 5 days and then off to Egypt for 2 weeks of playing tourist again. Whee!

I can start to see the darkness at the end of my tunnel again :)

My HIV test

3 months ago I handled a test tube marred with dried blood. The blood was being sent for CD4 counts, and was infected with HIV. I had a small open cut on the end of one finger... meaning there was a chance I was infected. It was my fault. I should have been wearing gloves.

So yesterday I got tested for HIV. In Ndawana HIV testing is not quite the same as it is in Canada. In Canada everything feels somehow detached: sterile, impersonal, and scary. In Ndawana, everything feels very real: it is dirty, personally invasive, and scary. There is a thin layer of dust covering everything. The layers of grime seems to accumulate instantly. The tester is always someone you know... in a town of 5000 people you know everyone... In my case it was Nontsikilelo, one of the ladies I've been working with for the last 4 months. Rather than send tests away to a lab, and have worrisome results relayed over the phone, in Ndawana you get to watch the HIV counsellor do the test. They explain to you how the test works. Your blood is placed on a small test tab, along with a buffer. The solution runs the length of the tab, covering two test areas. If there is a line in one test area you are HIV negative. If there are lines in both areas, you are HIV positive. It takes about 5 minutes. So for 5 minutes you have to make small talk in order to keep your mind off the test you are watching... to keep yourself from jumping to conclusions.

I'm sure the chances of me having been infected by the blood on that test tube were astronomically low... but since the van I was driving got hit by lightning last month I've stopped dismissing unlikely as impossible.

I lucked out. I only got one line. HIV negative.

Caution: Children playing...

Today was a fun day. Edzimkulu has decided to build playgrounds for the playschool kids out of old tires. Its a fun change of pace. For our last couple of weeks here we are going to be painting tires, and digging them into the ground. This afternoon, we thought it might be fun to get the kids to help us do the painting... retrospectively, we should have bought water based paints. Whoops :)

Creepy crawlies...

Coming to rural South Africa is about the people. But it turns out you have to have a pretty fair stomach for wildlife too. We've seen lots of things around the country, but this is a small sample of what we've seen at the volunteer residence....

Three weeks ago we ran into a puff adder, one of the more poisonous snakes you can find. It is estimated that 60% of snake bites deaths in Africa are attributed to this type of snake. This one was full-sized, measuring about 3 feet in length. He's the one on the left with the yellow markings. Two weeks ago I was walking out of the house when I heard what I thought was a cat hissing at me. I looked down, and low and behold - another poisonous snake - the night adder. He is relatively safe, and would prefer not to bite you. When threatened he makes a puffing sound.



Last week, noticing our nibble marks in our food - we decided to set some mouse traps. Imagine our surprise when we caught a rat the size of an eggplant.



Yesterday I was asked if I wanted to help catch a spider. I got a little container... and gasped when I saw a baboon spider. It looks like a tarantula, but has only a mildly poisonous bite. Its body is about the size of my thumb. This is a female, and it can live for up to 25 years.