Does this mountain have a peak?

This job is an uphill journey.

I've been doing life skills for two years. That doesn't mean I'm an expert. It means it's been a Long journey in "peace corps" time.

My class yesterday evening was on HIV Transmission. We go over the 4 main fluids and the "Doors" by which those fluids enter our bodies. After the general HIV/AIDS information, we have an activity called "Take A Stand." I read common myths and participants stand under "True" and "False signs.

It was a struggle to dissuade the participants from believing that you can get HIV from bewitching, to encourage them to question the hearsay that a preacher said he had HIV and then was cured after he prayed.

I was relaxed in my explanation of why mosquitoes don't transmit HIV and I think I was rational and calm in discussing why a person who has TB or chronic diarrhea does not mean they have HIV/AIDS.

However, towards the end of the two-hour session I felt all the energy drain out of me. The energy to politely share information. Thankfully I have a great co-facilitator who, instead of endlessly debating what we believe, he was able to focus our conversation on the ways we can help people protect themselves from HIV.

The experience put my COSing feet right back on the ground.