"It's Independence Day!"

7/4/11 (a little late, the Internet was down last night)

Do you ever play a game with yourself and ask where you were a year ago?  I’ve been playing that game a lot recently, and today was kind of fun.  This time last year, I was in Columbus at Meg’s river house with her family, eating outside, swimming in dirty water, eating late night Sonic, and celebrating Meg’s birthday with good cake and good friends.  I’m pretty sure we went to some $1 movie, too, but I can’t remember.  I do remember Meg, JR, and I trying to get into the river house without a key, and a chair ended up broken, and JR ended up with a pretty big gash on his leg.

This year, I’m in Uganda, eating fish off of the bone, writing a potentially publishable program evaluation, and finding a new passion for HIV patients.  I got to go to the HIV clinic today, and it was fascinating, and I liked it a lot.  Everyone enrolled there gets free medical care. Period.  It’s amazing, and really well run.  The adherence nurse has a great job, where she sees all of the patients, asks if they’re having any problems on their therapy, counts their pills to see if they’re having any trouble remembering to take them, gives them counseling, advice, and sends them on to the doctor if they need one.  She seemed to know most of the patients pretty well, and she was personable, yet stern when necessary.  She obviously has a lot of passion for what she does.  You can tell that in just a couple of conversations with her, and she loves that her job is able to give people hope, because they all need it.  I figured she was a kindred spirit when she said that. 

It wasn’t quite this time last year, but it was close, that my whole world came crashing down very quickly.  I hope that this July is not a repeat.  But thinking of where I was then, and how I am now, my feelings about the whole situation have changed.  I’m grateful for resiliency, the strength to move on (even though it was slow going), and the excitement of starting something with someone new when I return.  I am better and stronger after all that happened, it feels like something that is very much my past rather than my present, and that gives me hope.  I think they call that healing.  And it also feels very much like independence.  So while I will be thankful for the independence of our country from colonialism, I’m also going to be grateful for my own newfound independence as well. 

I’m thankful...
1. For independence in all forms.  I pray that the people here will one day know freedom from poverty and illness, too.
2. For nice nurses who are willing to teach.  I really enjoyed my day.
3. For sunscreen.  I wish it had worked better on my face because this burn is embarrassing. 

Enjoy some fireworks for me, I miss those!