Some more news

I thought I'd give a bit of an update on the week...
It has been a good week - I've felt more settled at CCP (the NGO I'm linked with here, for those a bit confused) and have been getting on with my research. I've been interviewing some staff at CCP, and went to the Dept. of Social Welfare yesterday to interview a lady there who is in charge of foster care of children with special needs (HIV is considered a special need). It has been interesting to talk with people about issues around HIV and extended family OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) care. There are so many influencing factors - social status, poverty, financial issues, healthcare access, stigma, gender etc. Going to be lots to write about!
CCP has been busy these last couple of days, rearranging the office spaces and putting in new desks and office dividers (total bargains by Rob earlier in the week, bought from a guy who took him to a dodgy warehouse! haha). One of the things they are organising is for a specific VCT room (voluntary counselling and testing....basically HIV testing) out in the prefab in the yard. Currently people coming to CCP for tests are sort of shoved into a corner in one of the offices...in fact the other day I was working on a computer and had to leave for a while so they could do some HIV tests in that office! Slight inconvenience for me, but crazy to think of the huge, potentially life-changing moment happening in the room. The future VCT room is pretty shabby at the moment, so I've offered to paint it next week. I'm quite excited at that! I helped move the medical equipment and supplies today...including a rather full sharps bin (non-medics: this is the bright yellow plastic tub that you put used needles etc in. It then gets taken away and incinerated). I held it up to point out that it was quite full, and pretty much on the verge of being a hazard, at which point Beatrice said 'ooo, be careful with that'. I was like 'well, yes!' It is a tub full of needles used for HIV tests, in an area with the highest prevalence of HIV in the world! Needle-stick injuries aren't exactly a major source of HIV infection, but it would be an understatement to say that I was being careful!
Next week I am meeting with some other social workers for research interviews, including travelling out to a more rural area, which will be interesting.
Tonight I have offered to cook for the family, which could be interesting! Went to the shop earlier to get ingredients and afew bits and bobs for me. Got some bargains (of course!), including a big tub of fresh pineapple chunks for 2Rand (about 15p)! My excitement was slightly doused by the pineapple opening in the bag on the way home and making quite a bit of stuff sticky! Ah well, tastes good!
I'm enjoying getting to know Rob and Debbie, the couple I'm staying with. Their kids love me (who can blame them, eh? haha), but seem to think I love playing games constantly as much as they do! Rob and Debbie are so cool, and we've had some great chats. They're really open and honest and full of amazing stories.
There is a big marathon happening tomorrow here in KZN (Kwa-zulu-Natal, this province). It is an annual thing, where runners go between Durban and PMB (Pietermaritzburg, here. They alternate which direction each year)...this is a DOUBLE marathon in the heat here! People have to do it in under 9 hours or something mental to get a medal. And I thought the great north run was bad...

Here are a couple of amusing things to share with you:
- jam here comes in a tin! (ok, that's not really funny, but it's kind of odd)
- ghekkos tails fall off when they are scared! (I found this pretty amusing. The cat caught a ghekko the other day, and yes, it's tail did fall off!!)
- i got asked by a guy at CCP last week, in all seriousness, if we have black people in England! I couldn't help laughing!

I'm sure there is lots more to tell, but I can't think what now!
Thanks for all your emails and messages.
Lots of love! xx