finally he's home

the Limcumpao family is complete again because papa's home! although there's just four of us, we're a happy and rowdy bunch especially during mealtimes. we stay at the dinner table for more than an hour because the dinner table is mostly where all the jokes as well as serious talks take place. i thought i wasn't going to be able to pick him up at the airport with my mother, sister, and kuya John. but after OJT ended early, i decided to take the LRT with Mitchie and Pao then got off at the Vito Cruz station. at McDo, everyone else was waiting for me and off we went to the airport. dropped by glorietta for a while then to Teriyaki Boy for late lunch. i was too full to eat although there was plenty of food. i had to struggle to keep my eyes open but after my father cracked his corny jokes and funny stories, i was instantly perky again.

i finally have a scanner. my ancient one (since way back freshman high school days) is broken even after i've updated the driver which i downloaded for way too long hours! it's so cool but it took me a long time to figure the settings out because i made one stupid mistake. wehehe!

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practicum was fun today. it was an adventure to remember! like any other practicum morning, we started by reporting to Mrs. Ming at the PGH. she had a talk with us-- a very serious one like overview on HIV/AIDS in the Philippines and about the Republic Act 8504 which was well-written because it has a wide scope from education on HIV/AIDS to protection of health workers that deal with HIV/AIDS. it's also divided into sections but the problem is that the law may be well-written but it is not well-implemented. our job is to find out if hospitals that deal with HIV/AIDS patients are aware of the RA 8504, if they follow the protocols, and if they follow certain guidelines when dealing with HIV/AIDS patients.

we spent the morning taking the LRT to San Lazaro hospital after the talk. we even got lost because we got wrong directions. took the jeep back to the right place where San Lazaro Hospital really is. i got a little dizzy then we walked to the hospital. it was a different sight there and the realization that it's actually my first time to stare at HIV/AIDS this close is beyond overwhelming. we saw Bahay Lingap which was established by Ming Ramos for the HIV/AIDS positive patients who come all the way from the province and have no place to stay in the city. we were supposed to gather data (informally) but to no avail because we observed that the hospital workers are very guarded when it comes to HIV/AIDS related issues. it makes sense, actually since it states in the RA 8504 that it is the patients' right to conceal their identities and practice confidentiality.

tomorrow, my groupmates and i might meet with an NGO composed of members who are HIV/AIDS patients.

the weekend. finally. :)