I am back in Botswana after an amazing trip to Sydney, Australia. The trip was successful on all fronts: I attended the Australiasian Sexual Health and HIV/ AIDS Conferences, did some memorable sight-seeing, and took care of some 'practical matters' in-country.
My main objective for the trip was to attend two conferences: The Australasian Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS conferences. The first one completely surpassed my expectations. I was very impressed with the quality and diversity of the topics and I think Africa and North America could greatly benefit from adopting some of the forward-thinking strategies discussed related to sexual health. The HIV/ AIDS conference was also very good, but the epidemic in Australasia is quite different than it is in Africa, so some of the information was less relevant to my work here in Botswana. For example, the prevalence of HIV/ AIDS is less and it largely affects gay men rather than heterosexuals.
During my time in Sydney, I also had time to explore the city. It reminded me a lot of Seattle- but everyone spoke like Crocodile Dundee and they sold Veggiemite in the grocery store (for veggiemite sandwiches). In short, I LOVED Sydney. Above is a picture of me on a cruise of the harbor with the Australian flag behind me.
Finally, my trip to Sydney offered me an opportunity to take care of some practical matters such as getting a hair cut. I also enjoyed seeing the deep turquoise ocean again (Botswana is a land-locked country), having high-speed internet, going to the grocery store without having to be searched by a security guard and having soap and paper towels in the public restrooms.
All in all, it was a great trip and I am looking forward to continuing to digest the voluminous materials I brought home from the conferences-- just as soon as I get my luggage, which has not arrived back in Gaborone, yet.
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