Today was AIDS day, which meant a presentation from two students at the beginning of the day and a small lesson from me in the English of AIDS in each class I taught. One of the more interesting things I've seen in Bulgarian kids so far (and this may apply to kids in general, I don't know) is that well over half of them think that mosquitos carry HIV around with them and transfer it into each person they bite. This, somehow, never seems to worry the kids who believe it, even if they say they get 5 or 6 bites a week during the summer. If I had thought that when I was 13 I'd have bled myself dry every time I got a bite. Somehow, I guess it never occured to me until I could figure out that the idea is ridiculous.
Also a bit ridiculous was a "fact" on the brochure all the kids got today. In the "How you can get it" section was written something to the effect of "YES. If you use a toothbrush with the blood of someone with AIDS on it and you have a bleeding sore in your mouth, you can get AIDS." "All who have bleeding sores in their mouth and enjoy using toothbrushes dripping with the fresh blood of their infected friends SHOULD BE CAREFUL!" was not written. I understand the need to convince kids to be careful about AIDS, but isn't the toothbrush thing going a little far? Of course, "NO! Your friend's toothbrush is perfectly safe. Use it whenever you want" would also seem a bit strange. I would say that the toothbrush thing is a sticky issue, but I've always been one for whom using somebody else's toothbrush is about 500 steps in desperation beyond using my own finger to brush. The whole toothbrush argument is moot for me.
The last bit of craziness in the day was the reaction I got whenever I said that abstinence was the best way to prevent STDs. I expected sighs and "you square"s, but instead I got absolute riotous laughter, a pause, and then questions like "are you really serious?" Sex is a loose issue here, I understood that. What I didn't understand was that having sex, or projecting in as loud or boisterous a way possible the false idea that one has had sex is nothing near a matter of debate here. Pubicly avoiding sex simply isn't done around these parts. Some in my tenth grade tried to convince me that it's a chemical need. Nobody, not one person, not one brownnoser, told me they were going to be a virgin for while. I don't think I've ever seen that in America, but that certainly doesn't mean it doesn't happen over there.
I didn't try to brainwash them. It's not my thing, brainwashing. I just told them that they should find other ways to be in love if they can, and if not, make sure they stay safe. Then we jumped right into grammar. Just the way AIDS Day should be.
Posted by Rob at December 1, 2004 04:08 PM