last day of the AIDS conference

Last day of the AIDS conference. I'm sad because this is the first chance I've had to listen to speeches at an international gathering. I'm glad I did because I now get a chance to learn more about AIDS from leading experts. Because of the speeches, I also got to dispel a great misconception about AIDS--how the disease is passed. I was ignorant about it. I knew that you couldn't get it from kissing or sweat, but other than that, I still didn't know enough to calm my fears.

I've learnt that youths are in greater danger than I thought. I've always figured that adult males for the main culprit. I understand the plight of women living with HIV/AIDS (along with their children) better. I also have something to hope for with the medical advances. I've never realized that women are at a disadvantage in the fight against HIV/AIDS because one of the most effective ways to prevent infection are condoms, which men can refuse to use. [45% of Saudi Arabia's AIDS victims are women. I'm surprised the SA is even addressing the AIDS issue. Bravo for them.] I'm excited for microbicides because women don't have to depend on her male partners for protection anymore.

There's tons more than I've forgotten about.

I'm curious as to what the international media are writing about. ***The things I've regretted can be summed up in two parts: The things that have happened to me, and the things that I let happen to myself.***Coming here, I've seen how life goes by. How people and their lives come and go. In 2 years, they have built up relationships and friendships with people in the neighborhood. My family knows these people better than me. Some familiar faces still come by, but many have gone. I envy my family and their relationships, and the extensive network that exists among ordinary people living and working there. I wish I had the same connections that they have. It's pretty lonely when you really only know 5 people.

I saw a travel piece on Macau, and now I want to go. It's a tiny country, which I think will make it easier to see the whole culture at one time. I think you can get a more thorough understanding of the country that way. Plus, you don't have to come back the next time to see places that you don't get to this time.