We came back from a quick trip to Mbita this morning, with the plan to head back out on Monday for two weeks. My first experience there was great - I have started to learn more Luo and was able to learn a lot more about that particular area - it's layout, largest health concerns, etc... Our first night there, we played football (soccer) with the boys from the vocational school (the school is on the same land as the clinic - the boys from the school built it). I am a sorry soccer player - especially next to them! and they play in bare feet. unbelievable. they definitely aren't used to having females on the soccer field - they show no mercy! but it was fun. Mbita is located on a peninsula - you can get there by road, but it takes close to 6 hours, so instead you take a ferry. It is about an hour and a half to the ferry, 30 minutes on the ferry and then another 15 minutes to the vocational school and the clinic.

On thursday, Kelsey, Marisa and I along with At Least (aka Dennis, but we call him At Least because he used to say that all the time) walked to a school intending to talk about Peer Educator programs. What we didn't realize was that the school was actually a two-hour walk (maybe that long because we kept getting lost...) - we had to ask for directions several times and each time, the person we asked would lead us for a little while. We were a little worried about making it there and back before dark, but that didn't end up being a problem. Most of the trek was on trails, until the end when we were on a hill overlooking the school and the only way there was to climb down some rocks and then walk through the bushes. I have scratches to prove it. :) But we made it and introduced ourselves to the head teacher and spoke with him and his staff about the population around there, their greatest health needs and concerns. The kids just stared at us at first - that's kind've the norm. They warmed up when we started taking their pictures - hopefully that will be a place we can come back to in the future; for now, it is a little far for regular visits. We made it back by sunset (barely) - we passed many more people on the way back and each time you must greet them, ask about their family, etc... Then sometimes they want to welcome you by giving you fruit and that invariably leads to inviting you into their home, which is so gracious! But we didn't have time for all of that - we did get some watermelon, but otherwise said we would come back another time.

It was nice to get back to YGC today and see all the kids. We are hoping to do a Valentine's Day project with them on Sunday, so marisa and I worked on the project during the morning. In the afternoon, I was able to go with Kelsey to a couple meetings for the clinic - we met with SWAP (Safe Water Aids Project) and MildMay, an organization that works with AIDS through education, providing ARV training and helping to set up comprehensive care centers (CCC), which are necessary to have an effective AIDS and HIV treatment program. Setting up a CCC is a longterm goal for the clinic, although initially the clinic's goals will be more simple, such as treating malaria, dysentary and pneumonia. MildMay taught us a lot about the proper channels and ways to set up a CCC - there are so many different levels of officials and channels to go through. Also, there are many changes happening right now with funding - the CDC and USAid have been running a lot of projects that they are now turning over to large NGO's, except for in places where the NGO's are not present. Mbita is one of those places, so for now, the CDC is who must be gone through for the lab and for testing.

I am enjoying all that I am getting to learn - my brain already feels full! It is only the beginning, I know. I am looking forward to going out into the community next week and doing community assessments and baseline health assessments. I will most likely be in Mbita for the next two weeks.

More to come soon - love to you all!