World AIDS Day 12/1/11

On Thursday December 1, 2011, I invited Chris to the school assembly, where I have to talk and he shared his experience and how it is to live with HIV/AIDS. In the auditorium I was real nervous and at some parts I was running out of words but I think that I got to delivered my message to the students that even thought Capstone is a class that many would think that you don't do anything in there, but is not true in that class you actually get to make a project a big thing and as I said in the auditorium "Capstone is WHATEVER you want it to be," but even thought I kinda forgot what to say, I think at the end it was a success so I am really proud of myself and what I did because right when I was leaving the school a classmate of I came to me and asked me where could he get tested, that made me realize that after all this project would help out and I'm trying really hard to make a difference.

This day Ismael and I got to help out at the VA and my first job was to get people that was passing by to get tested for free and have the opportunity to know their statues, some of the people that I talked to about HIV/AIDS what were we doing that day, got a little upset, others were rude and others were nice and actually got tested. For my luck the first person I talked to was actually really nice and he got tested, but I was also putting bags together with information, candy, pill reminders, and many other goodies some of the bags also had small pocket bags of Kleenex inside of them to give to the people that was getting tested for HIV. Together we got to set up about 250 bags with goodies inside (even with me taking some candy, but if you're reading this don't tell because this is confidential). In the VA I also got to see how many people were getting tested and I glad to see that so many people were getting tested but it was also sad how almost no young people actually got tested. While observing how people were getting tested, I also notice that people from different races and different parts of world and some with different social class, were still there to get tested. At the VA I also got to meet Chris' doctor, who I invited to senior night and I hope that she gets the opportunity to be present at this event, Furthermore I believe that the work at the VA was a real success for us that put this together and the whole world because now many more people can know if they are HIV positive or not and if they are, they have the opportunity to start treating it, because the soonest you start treating it, the better it is.

After we finished at the VA, we went to Thomas Street Health Center and in the way Chris was telling that this center only treats people with HIV and once we got there I got the opportunity to meet amazing people that live with HIV and look very healthy that I couldn't even tell they were actually HIV-Positive, but as well in the building they had many events going and also many tables set up with HIV information and little red ribbons and many other stuff. This building has four floors with their different areas, where the doctors have their office, I'm not really sure but I think that it is either in the Third or Fourth floor where the different research on HIV/AIDS are being made. I only had the opportunity to go to the first and second floor but it was also good because I got to the different table in the hospital and learn a little more as I moved from table to table.

At 2:00 pm the Thomas Street Health Center had a program for their 12th Annual World AIDS Day that ended at 3:00 pm. At this programs I got to meet a lot of great people who think that my project is great and that I should keep up to work like this.I was also invited to go to the center and volunteer and this I could learn more and be there when the HIV research goes on and also having the opportunity to met more people that have HIV and see if I could get to build a relationship with them, to the point where they can share their stories with me. Mr. Pete Rodriguez the director of the center suggested me to try joining a Latina group of women who doesn't speak English but are always there willing to help and always present in the events. Joining this group would be a great honor for me. While the speakers of the center were talking I found one more global connection of the many different people, of many different races, speaking a different language were all there together in a room sharing their experiences and how they had survive. I also learned to difficult it is for even the doctors to tell their patient that they are infected with HIV. The Thomas Street Center also has a program where they want to get to "Zero" which means "Zero new HIV-Infection, Zero Discrimination, and Zero HIV Deaths" all the people in that room, want to see this happen, they all want to get to zero and so do I. When the program ended I was really touched with all the stories and the experiences that were told in that room. After that I went down to the entrance of the center where they had a Christmas that is decorated with red ribbons and a photo of someone that has died with HIV/AIDS.

World AIDS day is really important and I came home with a lot of information that I'm always willing to share but most of all I came back home happy because I know I became part of something important  and because helping others and educating makes me happy but most of all I am happy that now I am part of a new family. As a conclusion this experience make me more open-minded to the world and also it showed me that I can always make a difference in the world.