Vancouver Weekend

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend. I shopped till my mom and I nearly dropped on Saturday. Coming from Bella Bella it was impossible to pick up certain things such as a plug adapter, passport photos, a lightweight towel, and over the counter medicines. So even though a mall is usually the last place you'd think to look for me I spent most of Saturday in Park Royal. After we were finally done, we made a quick trip to the airport.

In a classic move I forgot my malaria tablets and cipro (for the omg I have tummy problems that aren't polite to speak about even in cyber space moments) in Bella Bella. Long story short three very important people managed to get them to me so I didn't have to bother with going to a doctor, getting new perscriptions, and filling the perscriptions. Yay!

After this we had enough time to dash a back to North Vancouver to pick up my dad (who had wisely made the choice to not partake in the shopping extravaganza) and Jaymyn, before heading to the CAP AIDS event at the rhizome cafe.

This is where I got to meet the wonderful ladies Claire and Naomi for the first time. It was nice to put faces to the names and emails. The event was very informative for me and my parents both appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the organization who is hosting my internship. Naomi, the program director for CAP AIDS Uganda, gave a presentation and answered questions at the end.
Of course my dad got up and spoke a bit about who we are and how I'm going to Uganda and thanked the ladies for their presentation. I'm grateful to have a father who can always be counted on to step up and say something when he feels the need. In a world where too many good people remain silent I'm blessed to have a father who is always willing to speak. From his little speech we learned that there were several other coastal connections in the room. One lady had grown up in Ocean Falls, one was from Prince Rupert, and another grew up in Powell River. After the presentation I was able to talk more with the other people in the room and had a rather intense conversation with Naomi. Overall this was a great event, spent with good company.

Moving on...This morning I learned that doxycline should not be taken first thing in the morning before eating anything. I will not go into the gory details but suffice to say that my dad walked into the apartment and declared that I would not going to Africa and I would have to delay it for at least a week until I was better. But a quick Google search and trip to the walk-in clinic and all fears we assuaged.

This afternoon I met with Claire and Naomi to discuss my learning and workplan for the four months. Mostly I talked about what I was hoping to learn from this experience and what I could possibly give back in exchange. We also discussed expectations and what talents I have that might be beneficial to CAP AIDS, as well as reporting and keeping in touch with Claire while in country. I feel confident that this was a great first step towards a satisfying experience for everyone involved. I'm excited to have the opportunity to learn from such talented women.

Well it's 10:07 and I still have to reorganize my bag a bit before hitting the hay, but stay tuned for more updates. The next time I write it'll be from the CAP AIDS office in Kampala (EXCITING!). I'm very much looking forward to new adventures, challenges, and experiences.