First week, first impressions

Having lived in NYC for the last four years, I’m accustomed to the express plane trips back and forth to Wilmington, NC, where US Airways crowds three seats across and charges you for everything that could possibly make your flight more comfortable. Maybe it was the free headsets and endless episodes of House, but flying KLM economy is probably the most luxurious thing I’ve done in a very long time! Keep a Child Alive is able to visit our sites as often as we do through their Flying Blue program, where you can donate your air miles for our organization to use. (Visit the Get Mobilized page on www.keepachildalive.org to learn more)

Rhona, the Clinic Director for the Blue Roof, picked me up from the airport in Durban, and has been like a mother to me ever since I arrived. I had dinner with her family, with her wonderful husband Bucks and beautiful daughter Bronwyn. They also have a son named Nowell, who I met a few days later. I have never known another person named Nowell, and neither has he. We talked about nicknames to tell us apart, but we have the same nicknames (Noe, No-no) so I guess it’s going to be fun figuring out who is talking about who when! The flat they’ve arranged for me to live in was not ready to move into when I arrived, so I booked a room at the African Peninsula Guest House. It is such a sweet place, and the people that run it are so supportive of Keep a Child Alive’s work, and they always take such good care of us! I would highly recommend the African Peninsula as a place to stay if you want a lovely alternative to the more commercial resorts in Durban. Check out the view!


Excited to be in a new place, ready to start the new year right, I woke up early last Wednesday morning to go for my first run of 2009. It was pouring rain out, and I thought, “I ran the first half of the Honolulu Marathon in the rain, I think I can handle 30 minutes.” Rhona tells me that usually there are lots of people running along Marine Drive early in the morning, but not this morning! The only other people walking along the road were those walking to work or the bus stop. Their eyes smiled at me as I passed by, soaking wet, and I could hear them thinking, “Silly white girl! Running in the rain!”

After breakfast, Rhona picked me up and we went to the Blue Roof. It is a sight to behold! My imagination is already running wild with different ideas on how best to use all the additional space in the new, beautiful building! I met our amazing team at the Blue Roof – including Nicole and Wendy in reception, Shona and Randall in the pharmacy, our beautiful home-based care workers, the Sister nurses, and dear Moussa, the groundskeeper. The enthusiasm of the Blue Roof team is infectious, and I am confident that together we will make great things happen during these next few months.

The Blue Roof Clinic

Blue Roof Waiting Area

Blue Roof Downstairs

Blue Roof Upstairs

It rained all day Wednesday and Thursday, so Friday I was finally able to enjoy some of the beautiful weather I kept hearing about! It’s hot and humid, just like our North Carolina summers at home, just my style. After my run, I had breakfast at the guest house with Happiness, who cleans and cares for the guest house. She is so sweet! She asked me if I was in school here, and I told her that I worked at the Blue Roof Clinic, an HIV/AIDS clinic. She told me she was too scared to be tested and so I asked her why. She said that she thinks that if she found out she was positive, she would be so scared of dying, the thoughts alone would kill her. I explained to her that the clinic has medicine now that can keep her alive and help her live a normal life, but if she doesn’t get tested then she will never be free of her fear. I gave her a pamphlet with more information on the Blue Roof. I hope she comes to visit soon.

Sunrise