its the final countdown

Morning everyone!

Sorry it has been a while since my last posting, it has been a very busy few days for me. Where I last left off, it was the day before the GAAC toolkit weekend with fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, a representative of the CDC, and our supervisor from Peace Corps. The purpose of this weekend was to take all of the documents and things we had been compiling over the weeks on a google drive, into a working Toolkit for the GAAC program. During this meeting (Thursday through Saturday) we were able to complete a working mandatory checklist for all health centers interesting in having the GAAC program, two skeletons of informational flipbooks to train health staff and patients, and a 10 page toolkit (rather than the 45 page one in existence) that will be used to present to the Ministry of Health.

For those of you who haven’t read my past few blogs, GAAC is a community-based ART distribution and adherence-monitoring program by self-forming groups of patients on ART. This is  a great program not only because it creates a community based strategy for helping adherence to HIV treatment, it also helps reduce stigma and discrimination of patients, and helps increase the retention rate of those on the medication. We spent our time at a beach house (I know… though work weekend right?) and after our long and productive days some of us watched the world cup games that were on, while others cooked. It was a fantastic weekend. Productive, and enjoyable. I love when my coworkers are also friends. . . it creates a great work environment.

After this weekend, I had plans to return home to site, but my boss had other plans for me. I instead went to Maputo to participate in numerous meetings on Monday and Tuesday, to present what we had been working on that weekend. I was able to stay with a friend in the city, which was nice- first world comforts, and long working days. It almost felt like I had a real job and was a productive human being haha something that can be rare in a health volunteers life here. We are currently working on finalizing the presentations and toolkits to be given to the Ministry of Health, and the various partners (I-NGO’s that fund the health centers and the GAAC program), and I am helping Peace Corps with defining the PCV role in the GAAC program, in addition to a few other things they have me working on.

I got back to site on Thursday, after having spent Wednesday (which was Mozambique’s independence day) at Bilene Beach with a few close friends. We hung out on the beach, sat on the boat that stays tied up in the water- because we are too cheap to actually pay to have it take us around, cooked good food, and played some fun games. Never a bad time hanging out with good friends at one of my favorite spots. That’ll probably be the last time I’m there for a long time, if ever. Which is such a crazy thought.

hanging out at Bilene

The testing center here in town is open and running every day, which is amazing! I’m so happy that this project came though, and seems to be going well. There are still some kinks to iron out, and things to fix, but hopefully the next volunteer can help with the upkeep of the center. I posted a bunch of photos on facebook, but will put some on here as well.

Oscar opening the center for the day

testing our first patient

what it looks like from the outside.

The puppies are getting really big, they all have their own personalities, and have started to recognize me. We play together, and they are eating solid food now (xima, fortified with dried milk powder, and dried shrimp) Lua is continuing to nurse them, but not as often. I am a bit worried about how skinny she has stayed. Not really sure why she isn’t gaining weight back. . . hopefully her life in Panda is a good one. . . I cant believe I have to say goodbye to her in a week. Its going to be really really tough. The puppies all have homes, and will be looked after.

puppo's hanging out in the yard

I really cant believe that I have two weeks left. That's it. Its Monday the 30^th, in two weeks I’ll be waking up in Namaacha, and from there, moving forward with my life here in Mozambique. I couldn't even imagine if I was actually moving back to the states.. that's insanity. WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

Just so everyone is clear about what is happening in my life these next few weeks- I will be in Quissico until the 12/13^th of July, from there, I will be going to Namaacha to be a visiting volunteer for the new volunteer’s training. When that is over on the 20^th of July, I will move to Maputo to work with Peace Corps, ICAP, and hopefully the CDC until August 6^th, when the new volunteers swear-in. From there, I fly with them to Nampula City, where I participate in their supervisor’s conference, and then I will bus south to Quelimane – where I will be living until August 2015. The volunteer that I am replacing will be in Quelimane for about a month of overlap time, so I’m still not sure what my housing situation will be like for the first month I’m there. By September I should have the home I’ll be in for my third year. I get home leave from December 10^th to January 10^th, which will be a nice break- 30 days stateside to see friends and family over the holiday season. Aside from the fact that the cold weather will shock the hell out of me, I am really looking forward to the visit.

Lots of life changes coming up in these next few weeks. . . just trying to stay on top of it all. Today I went to the hospital for a bit, but then came home to start going through my home here. I have plans to put things in bags (I can have 2 bags and a box) on Sunday… so I’m just doing a lot of the prep work this week. I’ll be selling my refrigerator to the boys here, but aside from that, leaving a majority of the things for the next volunteer.

I kind of have the same feeling I did before leaving the states for Peace Corps. . that anxious, butterfly in the stomach, procrastinating packing, and not really wanting to say goodbye feeling. I know that it has been an incredible two years, and am very happy that my adventures here in Moz aren’t over yet… but this is the first “home” I’ve made on my own as an adult. . it will be very hard to say goodbye.