Been a busy few days in AYO-land.
Green Expo
Saturday was the Isthmus's Green Expo, at which AYO had a booth. I helped out for the last half of the expo, having missed the beginning in favor of running Crazylegs (a local 5 mile run that starts at the state capitol and ends in Camp Randall stadium) because apparently I'm a masochist. Once I got there my job was basically just talking to anyone who visited us and explaining about the items we had for sale.
We get a lot of items from programs from all over Africa through programs like Global Mamas, which is a program that helps woman-owned businesses in Africa, thus negating some of the steep gender inequality they face. Many of our products came from Ghana and they were all pretty neat. Some of the bags and little coin purses were made out of recycled water bags (water there isn't bottled, it's bagged), and scraps from the clothing they made went into making pot holders and the like. There were also some adorable puppets and sweet recycled glass figurines. (All of which you can buy through AYO... contact them or me if you're interested!)
So in the end I hear AYO made some money off of the booth, all of which goes to buy things like supplies for our camp. All in all, definitely a good day.
Today -- flyers and Zulu
Annie (another volunteer, one traveling this summer to De Wildt) dropped off some flyers and the like for me this afternoon. After my classes I visited State Street to try and drum up (get it?) a bit of support for our next event, Drumming For Hope. I visited a whole bunch of shops on State and asked them if I could put the flyers up. Some said no, but a lot more than I expected said yes, mostly comprising of locally owned stores. Franchises (I'm looking at you, Chipotle!) turned me down for the most part. Either way, hopefully a few more people show up at what is promising to be a pretty interesting event.
In between doing this I had to run up to Van Hise for a Zulu lesson, though thankfully not literally, as Francis' office is on the fourteenth floor. I soaked up a bit more of the native language, including some grammar, which I think is fascinating. After my lifetime of English and five years of Spanish, to learn a language that has such a radically different grammar is really interesting. I've been looking it up online, too. Hopefully in the next few weeks before we leave I'll get a bit of a handle on the basics. I learned how to say that I'm going to Africa in June: Ngiya eMzantsi ngoJune. And that I'll be returning in July: Ngibuya eMerika ngoJuly. By the way, I think the fact that they spell it "Merika" is pretty awesome. Looks way sweeter.
Hamba kahle! (Go well!)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Vaccinations!
I almost forgot to tell everyone about my fun trip to the travel doctor!
Since I'm a student at the UW, I can get vaccinations at University Health Services. The only good thing about all of the construction on campus is the shiny new buildings that I get to use, one of which houses UHS now.
I made the appointment a few weeks ago and spent the intervening time trying to track down my vaccination records. I have the doctor's information from my more recent shots (for college and middle school), but they didn't have anything about my baby shots! Luckily my mom kept track of all of my vaccinations (what a good parent), so I was able to answer all of the questions with reasonable certainty.
I met with the travel doctor on April 3rd. I think the UW does a good job in that you have to meet with someone and discuss you trip a bit before they recommend vaccinations. AYO suggests getting up to date on Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid Fever. I was good on Hep. B, and their information turned out to be correct, but it's good to speak with a doctor about this. She also was able to give me perscriptions for two drugs to take with me and recommendations on what activities/things to avoid.
Now, I'm a huge nerd about medicine, so I hope you'll indulge me a bit while I elaborate. My first perscription is for Ciprofloxacin, which treats traveler's diarrhea. This isn't a specific disease, but more a condition caused by travelling to an area you're not used to. Basically, everybody has certain bacteria and organisms living in their body based on where they live and who they come in contact with. These organisms are not harmful, and very often are helpful. When you travel to a very different area such as South Africa, though, you are exposed to different types of nonpathogenic (not-disease-causing) bacteria. They don't hurt you, but your body sometimes takes a bit to adjust to this new "gut flora" (gut organisms), which can cause diarrhea. It probably sounds gross to most people, but it's really interesting to me!
I also got a perscription for Malarone, which is an anti-malarial. A lot of people have the mistaken assumption that there is a vaccine for malaria, which is not the case. Malaria is caused by a parasite, and because parasites are so much more complex than viruses or bacteria, they are much harder to make vaccines for. At this time I don't think there are any vaccines for parasitic diseases (though I could be wrong!). I'm taking a parasitology class this semester, so I've been learning all about this.
Lastly, the doctor explained some activties to avoid, such as petting any animals (like dogs), for fear of rabies. Also, she warned me against going into any freshwater lakes or rivers (even just wading). This last bit was because of Schistosomiasis, another disease caused by a parasite that can penetrate your intact skin and give you some pretty bad rashes (or worse). Another parasite from my class!
After this discussion the travel doctor sent me over to get my actual vaccines: Hep. A, Typhoid Fever, and polio. This last one was because I was due for a booster shot, not because of any inherent risk of polio in South Africa. I got two in my left arm and one in the right, and the one that hurt the most was the polio, which was subcutaneous. This means that instead of injecting it into muscle, they pull a flap of skin away from your arm and inject it there. Ouch! I have a brand new respect for people who deal with diabetes.
Anyway, I'm sure many of you reading this found this entry to be gross/boring, but let me just say that as a Medical Microbiology and Immunology major, and even though I don't like shots, this was one of the most exciting and interesting parts of the trip yet!
Since I'm a student at the UW, I can get vaccinations at University Health Services. The only good thing about all of the construction on campus is the shiny new buildings that I get to use, one of which houses UHS now.
I made the appointment a few weeks ago and spent the intervening time trying to track down my vaccination records. I have the doctor's information from my more recent shots (for college and middle school), but they didn't have anything about my baby shots! Luckily my mom kept track of all of my vaccinations (what a good parent), so I was able to answer all of the questions with reasonable certainty.
I met with the travel doctor on April 3rd. I think the UW does a good job in that you have to meet with someone and discuss you trip a bit before they recommend vaccinations. AYO suggests getting up to date on Hepatitis A and B and Typhoid Fever. I was good on Hep. B, and their information turned out to be correct, but it's good to speak with a doctor about this. She also was able to give me perscriptions for two drugs to take with me and recommendations on what activities/things to avoid.
Now, I'm a huge nerd about medicine, so I hope you'll indulge me a bit while I elaborate. My first perscription is for Ciprofloxacin, which treats traveler's diarrhea. This isn't a specific disease, but more a condition caused by travelling to an area you're not used to. Basically, everybody has certain bacteria and organisms living in their body based on where they live and who they come in contact with. These organisms are not harmful, and very often are helpful. When you travel to a very different area such as South Africa, though, you are exposed to different types of nonpathogenic (not-disease-causing) bacteria. They don't hurt you, but your body sometimes takes a bit to adjust to this new "gut flora" (gut organisms), which can cause diarrhea. It probably sounds gross to most people, but it's really interesting to me!
I also got a perscription for Malarone, which is an anti-malarial. A lot of people have the mistaken assumption that there is a vaccine for malaria, which is not the case. Malaria is caused by a parasite, and because parasites are so much more complex than viruses or bacteria, they are much harder to make vaccines for. At this time I don't think there are any vaccines for parasitic diseases (though I could be wrong!). I'm taking a parasitology class this semester, so I've been learning all about this.
Lastly, the doctor explained some activties to avoid, such as petting any animals (like dogs), for fear of rabies. Also, she warned me against going into any freshwater lakes or rivers (even just wading). This last bit was because of Schistosomiasis, another disease caused by a parasite that can penetrate your intact skin and give you some pretty bad rashes (or worse). Another parasite from my class!
After this discussion the travel doctor sent me over to get my actual vaccines: Hep. A, Typhoid Fever, and polio. This last one was because I was due for a booster shot, not because of any inherent risk of polio in South Africa. I got two in my left arm and one in the right, and the one that hurt the most was the polio, which was subcutaneous. This means that instead of injecting it into muscle, they pull a flap of skin away from your arm and inject it there. Ouch! I have a brand new respect for people who deal with diabetes.
Anyway, I'm sure many of you reading this found this entry to be gross/boring, but let me just say that as a Medical Microbiology and Immunology major, and even though I don't like shots, this was one of the most exciting and interesting parts of the trip yet!
April training
Yesterday we had another meeting for our trip, though it was thankfully shorter because it was on a weekday. We all met around 6 and started out by doing an activity outside, while we still had light and a beautiful spring day to work with. While in Africa we'll teach a lesson on drugs and alcohol and one of our activities features some pretty powerful beer-goggles. They look like huge safety goggles and people wearing them look hilarious because their eyes seem huge and distorted. We each took turns putting them on and being spun around a few times, and then tried to slalom between colored dots on the ground. It was remarkably hard to do! I'm sure we all looked pretty ridiculous, stumbling around. Thankfully Ytevia took off her awesome high heels and wore Rebecca's slippers, otherwise we may have had to end the meeting there with a trip to the hospital.
We also demonstrated another little activity that compares reaction time while "sober" by catching a pen or marker that someone drops into your hand versus "under the influence", by sticking your hand in a bowl of freezing ice water. I was the brave volunteer for this, although I think a lifetime of living in Wisconsin has trained me better than most at functioning with frozen and numb hands.
Our second activity of the night was making "power dolls", which was also a lot of fun. Basically, you write a message to yourself down on a half-sheet of paper (a goal, a reminder of something you've overcome) and then you crumple that paper up into a ball. This is the doll's head. Using some fabric and yarn, you make the body around that. I can see why the kids will enjoy it.
In case you're wondering why a group of grown women were stumbling around with beer goggles and sitting around making dolls, I should mention that all of the activities we'll be doing with the kids at the actual camps we do here and now in Wisconsin. It's a good experience because it's easier to teach and lead an activity when you've done it yourself. Some of it is a bit silly, like making these dolls, but meanwhile we were discussing why we did this and how we were going to present it to kids there. It certainly makes me more comfortable with the prospect of leading these camps.
After that we moved on to some more discussion. We went over some information we'd been given on alcohol and drugs in South Africa. It's interesting to think about because the environment is so different there. Even in Madison walking home while drunk can be dangerous, but in South Africa walking home while inebriated along a dark, narrow road can be much worse. The beer goggle activity may sound silly, but we're hoping it shows these kids how hard it is to walk when you're not fully in control, because they'll be traversing roads where even a little stumble could put you right in the path of a vehicle.
After this was some review on HIV (and I love this topic so much that I'm sure I ended up being very annoying. I kept wanting to answer all of the questions I knew about!) and a discussion on safe sex and healthy relationships. The discussion kind of put us in the roles of the kids we'll be teaching later, in that Rebecca was asking us a lot of questions about what we think healthy relationships are and what to say to someone who is pressuring you into sex or unsafe sex. It's one of those topics that I'm sure we all know pretty well, but it takes some getting used to talking about it. It was a good learning experience because watching Rebecca try to draw more information out of us showed how we can do it for these kids.
I'd just like to mention here that I'm trying to raise money right now for AYO. I've set a rather lofty goal of $1000.00, but I really think that I can reach it. I mean, if I can get 50 people to donate $20 each, I'll get there with no problem... and I know I have at least fifty friends! Even $5 is an awesome step towards reaching my goal. All donations are tax-deductible. This is a new experience for me, because I've always had a problem "selling" things, even when it was for things people loved like Girl Scout Cookies. This is even harder because there's no tangible good, but the cause is so much more important to me that I just have to try.
If you're at all interested in donating any amount of money, you can do so online through my FirstGiving page here. If you don't like donating over the internet you can make a check out to African Youth Outreach and either mail it to me (e-mail me at mariley2@wisc.edu for my address, I don't feel right putting it on the internet!) or you can mail it directly to AYO at
We also demonstrated another little activity that compares reaction time while "sober" by catching a pen or marker that someone drops into your hand versus "under the influence", by sticking your hand in a bowl of freezing ice water. I was the brave volunteer for this, although I think a lifetime of living in Wisconsin has trained me better than most at functioning with frozen and numb hands.
Our second activity of the night was making "power dolls", which was also a lot of fun. Basically, you write a message to yourself down on a half-sheet of paper (a goal, a reminder of something you've overcome) and then you crumple that paper up into a ball. This is the doll's head. Using some fabric and yarn, you make the body around that. I can see why the kids will enjoy it.
In case you're wondering why a group of grown women were stumbling around with beer goggles and sitting around making dolls, I should mention that all of the activities we'll be doing with the kids at the actual camps we do here and now in Wisconsin. It's a good experience because it's easier to teach and lead an activity when you've done it yourself. Some of it is a bit silly, like making these dolls, but meanwhile we were discussing why we did this and how we were going to present it to kids there. It certainly makes me more comfortable with the prospect of leading these camps.
After that we moved on to some more discussion. We went over some information we'd been given on alcohol and drugs in South Africa. It's interesting to think about because the environment is so different there. Even in Madison walking home while drunk can be dangerous, but in South Africa walking home while inebriated along a dark, narrow road can be much worse. The beer goggle activity may sound silly, but we're hoping it shows these kids how hard it is to walk when you're not fully in control, because they'll be traversing roads where even a little stumble could put you right in the path of a vehicle.
After this was some review on HIV (and I love this topic so much that I'm sure I ended up being very annoying. I kept wanting to answer all of the questions I knew about!) and a discussion on safe sex and healthy relationships. The discussion kind of put us in the roles of the kids we'll be teaching later, in that Rebecca was asking us a lot of questions about what we think healthy relationships are and what to say to someone who is pressuring you into sex or unsafe sex. It's one of those topics that I'm sure we all know pretty well, but it takes some getting used to talking about it. It was a good learning experience because watching Rebecca try to draw more information out of us showed how we can do it for these kids.
I'd just like to mention here that I'm trying to raise money right now for AYO. I've set a rather lofty goal of $1000.00, but I really think that I can reach it. I mean, if I can get 50 people to donate $20 each, I'll get there with no problem... and I know I have at least fifty friends! Even $5 is an awesome step towards reaching my goal. All donations are tax-deductible. This is a new experience for me, because I've always had a problem "selling" things, even when it was for things people loved like Girl Scout Cookies. This is even harder because there's no tangible good, but the cause is so much more important to me that I just have to try.
If you're at all interested in donating any amount of money, you can do so online through my FirstGiving page here. If you don't like donating over the internet you can make a check out to African Youth Outreach and either mail it to me (e-mail me at mariley2@wisc.edu for my address, I don't feel right putting it on the internet!) or you can mail it directly to AYO at
African Youth OutreachJust mention in the memo line that it's for Megan Riley. Thank you all so much for all of your help, and I hope you keep reading my blog!
C/O Alexander Kendziorski
406 Sethne Court
Monona, WI 53716
USA
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