Think I Can Use "Black Friday" as a Bargaining Tool at the Market?

Hey! So we've now finished our first work week in Babati, and gotten so much done! My group is working on two specific projects on top of as much teaching and talking to people as possible.

The first is something I hope my blog-reading audience (all 5 of you) can help out with. There is an HIV+ Support Group, UPENDO, that has worked with SIC in the past, and will be working most closely with my group. Ideally we will set up some kind of theatre-related project with them, but we are limited in time. What we're definitely doing is helping them get started on a "Kuku Project" - building a sustainable chicken coop that will be an ongoing source of nutrition and funds long after we leave. For a little more information see our facebook event - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=187077402527&index=1 - or comment here or email me and I can tell you anything you might want to know about chicken coop materials or the HIV+ group and their work here in Babati.

The second is Babati's World AIDS Day celebration. We're working together with a committee at the hospital, which means all of our decisions need to be approved by them, which makes things tricky on limited time. But there's going to be a dj and theatre performances and speakers and a big football tournament (always a huge draw, we've learned), and all sorts of other events. We're trying to make it really interactive, and playing with a "patchwork" project where we make a picture out of messages of support for HIV+ people, ideas for how to fight HIV, and reasons why people should come get tested. Hopefully we can turn the art we make that day into a present for UPENDO. We have lots of other ideas like this, and it's all happening really fast because we just started working this week and the event is on Tuesday.

One thing that helps is that Gerald, one of our teaching partners, is actually from Babati. Therefore he knows who to talk to and where to go for literally everything we might need. Joseph, our other teaching partner, has been in Arusha since break because Mama Joseph had appendicitis and malaria and was having surgery. He is on his way here now though, and thankfully I believe Mama Joseph is ok. I've really missed him, and it will be good to have him back.

I hope everyone in America had a lovely Thanksgiving. We are celebrating tomorrow, and I'm sure it won't be the same but nice nonetheless. For now, I'm thankful that you're reading this!