Pacientes muy interesantes

Today we saw a bunch of really interesting patient cases. One mom brought in her four children and sent three of them, one at a time, to the HIV prevention counseling to learn about sex for basically the first time. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to educate the 12-year-old because apparently counseling is for 13 years and older. I was quite disappointed with this. But first the 14-year-old boy, who was pretty shy, came in and explained that his mom tricked him into coming here by saying they'd go get ceviche nearby. Claudia gave him all the regular information about sexually transmitted infections, and he was surprised that HIV could not be transmitted by mosquito bite. I asked him if he knew how to put on a condom, and Claudia and I showed him how on a dildo. Then he did it himself. It was really awesome that I was able to help! We also talked about consent. :D

The boy's sister then came in, and even though she was two years older, she was more conservative and didn't want to learn how to put on a condom. Claudia told her all about how to prevent STIs and how to get vaccinated against HPV. The girl told us that her dad had given her an abstinence "promise ring" and Claudia hadn't heard of that before. Apparently her parents also harass her daily about waiting until marriage. We discussed for a long time various views about sex, and the girl responded that she did think it was her choice when to have sex, not her parents, although she didn't want to for the time being. It struck me when she asked Claudia, "Am I bad? Or are my parents bad? Which of us is wrong?" We explained that neither of them are wrong, just have different views and different interests.

Another woman came in for non-sexual advice about her brother-in-law who was harassing her and trying to take over the house of her parents. Claudia gave her some impartial advice and I thought her story was very compelling.

One man came in and seemed to be sentimental in comparison to the toughness facade I've seen a lot of men in the clinic use. This man was worried that his ex-partner, with whom he has a daughter, had given him a disease because she cheated on him. He had had some partners in between their breakup and now. Unfortunately the HIV tests here are only the most effective at the six-month mark from the last exposure (which is generally defined here as unprotected sex, rather than just any kind of sex). Instead of getting an HIV test for himself today, he said he would bring his newest partner here so she could get one. I wonder if they will both get one or just her. :/

Another man came in and it was pretty clear he was here for an HIV test. He was very thin, his voice didn't sound well, and he smiled nervously. He was wearing a lot of clothes and a beanie because he had a fever that wouldn't go away and coughing. He said he had sex with men and sometimes didn't use a condom. He had had a lot of partners. Claudia and I explained to him that if his test came back positive, he could live a basically normal life as long as he took his medicine properly, used condoms for sex, and informed his partners beforehand. I really wish I could have given him a hug or gone out for coffee with him, because he seemed like he felt alone.

Towards the middle of the day, I started getting a ridiculous headache and then body chills. Thankfully I had a very big sweater that I'm borrowing from a friend in the US. I didn't want to leave early because the patients were so interesting but eventually I had to go because I was very uncomfortable with the body sensitivity, tiredness, and headaches. I got home at 2pm, ate some bread and cheese, drank some "sweet dreams" tea, took an aspirin, and slept for five hours.

Later tonight, Renzo and I went up to the roof of the apartment building to see the view. I also climbed a ladder so I could be on the equivalent of the 18th floor. The wind was pretty serious so I got down, but I took some pictures. There was a playground up there!

Then we took a bus to buy some movies... for $1. We watched "Get Him To The Greek" and tomorrow we'll watch "The Hangover II" aka Que Paso Ayer? (What Happened Yesterday?).

I bought emolliente, which is sort of like a tea because it has all kinds of herbs in it and is naturally sweet. It might have been a little too sweet for me, but it smelled and tasted great.  It was only a few cents.

A few stories from the previous days:

On the first day, a woman using the contraceptive injection was asked if she experienced any emotional differences, and she said, "Yes, but it could be because I'm reading sad novels and watching Korean movies all the time. You know how the Koreans are..." :)

Yesterday a Chinese man who didn't speak much Spanish came to counseling and Claudia had to say everything loudly and slowly so he could understand. He came with his friend, and when Claudia asked, "PAGAR PARA SEXO?" (Pay for sex?) he said, "Oh, si!" And his friend was like, "Ayyyy, hombre!"

A funny photo. USA 24 hours.