First Impressions

    After our arrival in KL, we were received a warm Malaysian welcome of some Aiesec UM members. We were able to get to know each other, and do some sightseeing around KL. After seeing some places around the city and trying many Malaysian food, it was time for us to start our project.
    The start of our project was a visit to two shelter homes for people living with HIV or AIDS. The first shelter home we visited was for women. Luckily, two women were speaking English, so we could listen to some of their stories. It was very impressive to hear their stories and to hear how happy they were to live in this shelter home. Most of the women don't have contact with any family members and some of them used to be homeless, so they were very thankful that they can live in this house. The women showed us how they make little carpets to sell to visitors, to earn some extra income. After we said goodbye, we went to another shelter home. This shelter home was especially for transgenders living with HIV or AIDS. Also in this shelter we heart some impressive stories. One man could no longer speak, because the HIV virus attacked his brains. He would really like to communicate with us, so we used pen and paper. The visits to the shelter homes were a very impressive start of our project. Although these people are very happy to live in these homes, to hear the stories of those living with HIV and AIDS really stresses the importance of preventing this virus to spread.
    The next day, we were able to spread our message about HIV and AIDS in the first workshop. We went to Mahsa college to do the workshop with nursing students. Our first impression of Malaysian students was really positive. The students were very interested and although being a bit shy in the beginning, they were very enthusiastic to participate. Especially the games were received with much enthusiasm. In three different games, we explain how the HIV virus works, we stress the importance of getting tested, and we tell about the importance of caring for those living with HIV and AIDS. It's good to bring the message in the workshops in such an interactive way, and I really have the feeling that the students gained much knowledge about this issue.

By Manon