Certain things you ought to know
Shingles behind my ear tells me I'm stressed. Next week I have an all-new 3 day AIDS workshop. I like the material I've compiled. Compared to the AIDS workshop I put together last year, this one seems to flow much better. However, I have just 5 short days to translate the whole thing into Bangla.
Writing the new AIDS modules makes me an awkward dinner companion. My undying enthusiasm for Bangladesh has not slackened, but now is peppered with bits of information of Bangladeshi's drug and sex habits. When someone comments on the cuddling behavior of the men in the park (opposed to regular men's holding hands in friendship), "They seemed almost Gay!" I am armed with newly acquired Bangla culture information.
In Bangladesh there are many "men who have sex with men," (about 8%) but few who would fit into a westerners idea of Gay. The myriad of classifications include men who sell sex, those who's roles are socio-religiously sanctioned, and heterosexuals who have sex with men when away from their wives as it is seen as safer than sex with a "dangerous (potentially infected)" sex worker. None of then would consider themselves "Gay," and each needs a different approach to influence their behavior in preventing AIDS.
Other conversations might start me off with the adulterous habits of men who migrate for work and live away from home for months at a time, the drug habits of slum dwelling teenagers, or the percentage of sex workers who live with an injecting drug user. It's fascinating and essential to know in crafting messages to prevent the spread of HIV in Bangladesh. But perhaps not the best topic for an after church dinner.
Writing the new AIDS modules makes me an awkward dinner companion. My undying enthusiasm for Bangladesh has not slackened, but now is peppered with bits of information of Bangladeshi's drug and sex habits. When someone comments on the cuddling behavior of the men in the park (opposed to regular men's holding hands in friendship), "They seemed almost Gay!" I am armed with newly acquired Bangla culture information.
In Bangladesh there are many "men who have sex with men," (about 8%) but few who would fit into a westerners idea of Gay. The myriad of classifications include men who sell sex, those who's roles are socio-religiously sanctioned, and heterosexuals who have sex with men when away from their wives as it is seen as safer than sex with a "dangerous (potentially infected)" sex worker. None of then would consider themselves "Gay," and each needs a different approach to influence their behavior in preventing AIDS.
Other conversations might start me off with the adulterous habits of men who migrate for work and live away from home for months at a time, the drug habits of slum dwelling teenagers, or the percentage of sex workers who live with an injecting drug user. It's fascinating and essential to know in crafting messages to prevent the spread of HIV in Bangladesh. But perhaps not the best topic for an after church dinner.
1 Comments:
whats with the shingles? You got chicken pox. That should vaccinate you against shingles. sorry, you got that one from meI get shingles mom
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