Blog #7 Article.

       Well this week has been one of those weeks. My best friend's father pasted away on Monday. Him and his father weren't close. This brings back painful memories of my father and I. I lost my dad almost a year and a half ago. I didn't see him a week before he passed. So far I've dealt with it really well. Out me, my mother and sister, I've coped the best. However when I found out what happened to Josh and his father, it brought back the pain, emptiness, and anger I felt towards my dad. Lucky for Josh he decided to go see his dad the day before he passed away. He is a strong man and I know he'll get through this and he knows I'll be there for him. There's just one issue, Josh is the type that will run away for along time before he decides to face this head on. It concerns me. But how do I help someone who runs away and now live in a different state? Normally i good with this sort of thing, however he is not just a hop, skip, and a jump away. And he can easily ignore my phone calls. Oh boy.

     On a brighter more productive note, I have decided to get a super head start on both this class and my substance abuse class. I can honestly admit I have let other, more personal things in my life take over and I have lost sight of my goal to be a great social worker. I'm trying to get that back now. I know it is not too late. I have to get my butt in gear because just getting along is not cutting it with me. So I've chosen the smarter path and getting a much needed jump start and it feels good.

Did You Know?

     I found an article that deals with HIV testing in schools. It seems that schools in South Africa face the same issues as we do. They are worried about the students know status' as a breeding ground for the stigma of HIV and AIDS as well as discrimination (Bodibe, 2011 ). The goal is for there to be HIV testing as well as counseling in schools, but like there is in every situation, some people disagree. instead of looking at the bigger and better picture, they are concerned with what people think. I feel that their views and opinions of people should be set aside and the health or these kids is what's most important. The whole reason for the counseling and testing is to "prevent new HIV infection in young people" (Bodibe, 2011 ). Call me crazy, but that sounds like a great idea to me. If you disagree, please tell me, I am interested to know why. I mean I understand that they don't want the kids to do with the taunts of having to live with HIV and AIDS. But what is better acting on the situation for a better tomorrow or leave it alone and it going on unnoticed?

This is a video that I found very powerful. It is only 33 seconds long, but it will have a huge impact on you. It doesn't relate to the article, but it's message is still there.

Source; Bodibe, K. (2011 , February 24). Scepticism over hiv testing in schools - living with aids. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://allafrica.com/stories/201102250005.html.