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seticatI mean, like *really* early. One whole day early. Which is okay. I feel comfortable the we have the basic material to start teaching the state specific programs with a co-teacher. Now the free-form community stuff - that will take a bit.
But it was a good class and I learned a lot from it. And came out of it fairly depressed in some ways. So many folks have this mistaken belief that they're safe - that there's no way they could be at risk from HIV and that's so far from the truth it's scary. The latency period [no noticeable symptoms] can be up to 10-12 years and you're capable of infecting others during this entire time. And you may never know unless you've decided to be tested for some reason.
If I can do nothing else that make people aware of the fact that they are the *only* one who can protect themselves; that they can't rely on their partner to do so, then I think I will have accomplished something. And not just HIV, but all the various forms of hepatitis, STDs/STI's, etc.
All the information we've spent the last two weeks learning boils down to this: "It's not who you are, but what you do that puts you at risk from infection."
It's a scary, scary world out there. Don't forget to 'take a coat' with you when you go out.
But it was a good class and I learned a lot from it. And came out of it fairly depressed in some ways. So many folks have this mistaken belief that they're safe - that there's no way they could be at risk from HIV and that's so far from the truth it's scary. The latency period [no noticeable symptoms] can be up to 10-12 years and you're capable of infecting others during this entire time. And you may never know unless you've decided to be tested for some reason.
If I can do nothing else that make people aware of the fact that they are the *only* one who can protect themselves; that they can't rely on their partner to do so, then I think I will have accomplished something. And not just HIV, but all the various forms of hepatitis, STDs/STI's, etc.
All the information we've spent the last two weeks learning boils down to this: "It's not who you are, but what you do that puts you at risk from infection."
It's a scary, scary world out there. Don't forget to 'take a coat' with you when you go out.
