I often heard that having a daily journal is something good for people. I didn't really understand why... but now I seem to understand it more. I have a best friend, she's shy and the kind of girl that keeps all her emotions inside.
Thank God It's Friday! Well, you guys might have your weekend already but not for me. Still, it's a Friyay!
Have you ever wished to live someone else's life?
One of my friends works at a TV station, she basically cover stories and writes about it. Little did I know, Indonesia is having quite some refugees. I find it amusing, don't you? Earlier this year, my friend told me that there are some refugees from Afghanistan. I'm working at a company right now and so does my sister. We love our job, both in the office and with Indonesia Against AIDS. But lately, we've been thinking about being entrepreneurs. The thought of being entrepreneurs is one of our dreams, but maybe back then we didn't have enough guts to do it, we always were only giving ideas. Many of our friends are entrepreneurs and this is what motivates us even more.
My day was beyond fun! What about yours?
Today me and some other teachers were having a super fun yet thrilling moment with one of the pre kindergarten classes at our school. You know why? Because we were going to the market by using public transportation! It was the kids' first experience actually, that's why we as the teachers prepared everything carefully. A doctor working in a remote area in North Sulawesi, recently shared stories she encountered while on the job and they're real eye openers...
"The first story is about Melati (not her real name), a 21-year-old woman who was admitted to the emergency room with a big cut on her thumb, a head concussion and while in a state of hysteria. Her drunk husband had swung a machete at her during an argument. She was pregnant with her third child. Melati was a classic story: dropped out of school, she got married because of an unwanted pregnancy. Her husband worked as a daily laborer “buruh serabutan”, while she stayed at home. The second story comes from a couple of dropped-out junior high school students. The girl, an 8th grader and the boy, who was in 9th grade, were pulled out of school by their own parents, again because of a pregnancy. This couple was so young to get pregnant and here, in this corner of the world, I never would have expected it. And the third story is about another girl, let’s call her Bunga, an 11th grader. She came to me after missing her periods for two months in a row. I asked her a few questions. Did she have sex? Yes. Did they use protection? No. Did he ejaculate inside or outside? Inside. I blinked in astonishment as I heard her responses. Seriously, this girl did not know that letting a man ejaculate inside you can make you pregnant? I used to think that everyone at least knew that. I was wrong, apparently. On further asking, I found that she never thought of using condoms, because, well, she only did it with that one guy, how could she get sick? She asked if she could just abort it, because she still wanted to go to school and was afraid that the schools would expel pregnant girls. And where should she get her prenatal examinations? Going to the Puskesmas (public health clinic)? People would talk. Going to the senior midwife? Her husband is a relative of hers; they would judge. Some days later, Bunga came to me again. She was indeed pregnant. We talked again. That was how I found out about the father of the unborn baby. He couldn’t, or wouldn’t, take any responsibilities, because he was married already. A married guy who happily dated a high schooler and was stupid enough to make her pregnant? This is crazy! These youngsters have to bear horrible consequences, from deeds they didn’t fully understand. Upon interviewing Bunga, I realized one scary thing: these kids certainly know how to have sex, but they don’t know the slightest thing about it. It's alarming and it explains the incredibly high rate of teen pregnancies here, despite the fact that you can find a church every couple of blocks. My best friend ended her two year relationship with a boy and for the past 2 years I got to know him pretty well. We met regularly, he's nice and I liked how my best friend acted around him. I think they were good for each other, but what can I say? Relationships end and so did theirs.
"I came out in 1992, when I was 22 years old. This was an amazing time for me. I had fallen in love for the first time and was beginning to truly live out my life as a gay male. Four years later, I was diagnosed as being HIV-positive.
Have you ever dreamt of controlling everything, especially your life? Well, sometimes I do.
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Enter our territory and follow the days of the lives of the protagonists of our project. On this page they will tell you everything about their work with Bali Against Aids. This blog will be their online diary: an opportunity for them to share their experiences and to give you a sneak peak into their life.
Enjoy the ride! WELCOME
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