whoosh

Time is flying. Whoosh.

And the rainy season has actually come this year. Double Whoosh. For every day the past week or so, there has been at the least a slight drizzle in the early afternoon, at the most torrential downpours accompanied by huge gusts of wind that basically prevent anyone, or anything, from staying completely dry.

But we are all very pleased, as it was getting dusty, and more importantly as last year it just didn't rain at all and food is thus becoming problematic and expensive.

Speaking of food, I conducted my final of 3 seminars on nutrition and balanced meals for PLWHA groups. It was a nice day, sort of routine as I've already facilitated this seminar 4 other times so I had it down pat, but the food was as usual plentiful and tasty and, fitting with the theme of the day, well balanced. And the people were EXCITED, and interested, and active and involved, and appreciative, and receptive, and it was a pleasure to be with them though only for one day.

Today I am in Mwanza town after a visit from my boss, which went well. I don't get a whole lot of visitors at my house, i.e. NONE other than my regular friends whom I don't view as 'visitors', so it was a pseudo big deal [i.e. involved some cooking, the first instance of such in several months].

But the big news is that, after this week, I will essentially have wrapped up my work in country. We are winding down a 12 day seminar for primary school teachers on using participatory methodology to teach about HIV/AIDS, and all in all it has been a fantastic experience, with me contributing a lot of input and ideas from a foreigner's perspective that has been well recieved by these local teachers. This is the longest in a line of seminars, for health workers and head teachers and subject teachers, which has featured a LOT of interesting and passionate conversations and what appears to me as some genuine progress toward development and improvement at these schools and health facilities. So it is definitely a positive note.

My plans for the remaining month at home [that's right, one month left] are to just hang out with my friends, enjoy and soak up life here, and begin to say goodbyes. I anticipate writing on the blog a few times over the course of this coming month, and then a few good final entries from Dar before I head back to the states. I am both excited and sad to be winding down my time here, but mostly looking forward to seeing my friends and relatives, i.e. you guys who are reading this. It's really starting to sink in that I will soon be home, and it feels good.

Peace, sorry for the rather unwitty entry, but we all have our days, huh?