Taking an opportunity

Today we were supposed to start holding focus groups. Something was miscommunicated, however, because when we arrived, all of the students that had filled out questionnaires last week were in exams and a large group of students we had never seen were waiting to speak with us about HIV/AIDS.

We explained to the guidance and counseling teacher, Mr. Shikuku, that, because these students had not been given consent forms to take to their parents, we would not be able to hold the focus groups and they could not be a part of the study. He apologized for the confusion and asked us if we would be willing to stay and talk to the students about HIV/AIDS even though they were not eligible to participate in the study. They were expecting guest speakers today (that would be us) and he didn't want to disappoint them.

We were already there and we didn't have any conflicting plans for the remainder of the day because we had been planning on doing the focus groups. We decided to stay and speak to the students and it turned out to be a great experience for all of us.

The majority of the students are Islamic and the subject matter is somewhat sensitive. We had been advised by teachers at this school last week that, due to religious beliefs, the girls would not speak openly about issues of sexuality in a mixed group so we broke into groups of guys and girls.

I was placed with a group of about 50 male students and was asked to lead the class. I told the teacher that this is not what we had been planning, so I didn't have a lesson prepared. He told me that after observing the administration of the questionnaire and the ensuing question and answer session last week, he really wanted me to lead a class for this group of students too. He said that if we could do more questions and answers like we did last week, that would be great. These students hadn't been a part of that time and could really benefit from something similar.

OK then. Time to lead a class.

We spent the entire hour talking about HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Some of the questions that the students asked highlighted the fact that people living in an area afflicted with AIDS live with a very different reality than others. "How long after someone dies of AIDS do you have to wait before you can wash the body without risking infection?" "Can I get AIDS from sharing a bathroom with family members with AIDS?" There were questions about transmission. There were questions about prevention. There were questions about cures, myths, and rumors about AIDS.

It is can be a sobering subject, but I am also of the belief that life not should be lived without laughter. There were lots of questions about condom use and sex and it would really be a wasted opportunity to not throw some jokes into the mix. I figured a bit of a joke here and there was a safe bet for a group of 50 guys in their teens and 20s and it turns out I was right. The students didn't mind the jokes one bit and they would chime right in with some of their own. There were a few times that we were all howling with laughter to the point that I thought we might get shut down, but we never did. In fact, a few of the teachers came to hang around the periphery to see what was going on and I saw that they were laughing too. The levity that this created really seemed to put the students at ease and foster a very open environment. After the laughter, I would always try to make sure that I had fully addressed the most recent question and this usually led to much more serious follow up questions.

Mr. Shikuku told me afterwards that he had never heard his students be so open before and that he thought that the class went very, very well. The headmaster of the school, Mr Zani (a very serious man who runs a tight ship) told me that he had asked some of the students about their time with the researchers and he said that he had been getting excellent reports. He said that he is grateful for what we have done in the school and we are welcome any time. We exchanged contact information and he asked me to keep him informed of our progress with the study and any plans to come back.

Lindsay's time with the girls was also very successful. They all enjoyed their time together so much that they asked for consent forms to take to their parents so that they can participate in the study. Lindsay scheduled a focus group and a teacher interview for next week.

So, what started out as a bit of a bust turned out to be a very productive afternoon.

Not big news but still worth noting:

• I fed monkeys out of my hand the other day.
• I caught an old world chameleon last week.
• I love the geckos living in our little house here.
• It is strange to me that January is the dead of summer here and we are in it rather than the icy cold we grew up expecting to correlate with this month.
• I haven't worn socks in weeks because I am always barefoot or wearing flip flops.
• My flip flops sport the colors of the flag and say "Kenya Power." They cost less than $1.00.
• We ate 1kg (2.2 lbs) of spinach for dinner tonight. I made sukuma with it and it was delicious.
• We eat a pineapple every day.
• If you ever get the chance to try Chips Masala (french fries covered in a spicy indian sauce) your mouth will believe in God.