It's the story from AIDS Day 2005....
I went to join AIDS Day campaign with a group of Semarang Community that concerns on HIV/AIDS Prevention at 1 to 6 p.m. This afternoon was very hot and humid, however, there were some volunteers from USA, Belgium and Netherland who joined that activity with their big enthusiasm. They join a work camp held by my work camp organization, IIWC, and since November 27 they have been having some activities dealing with HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns in my hometwon.
Yesterday we had a seminar with university students, and today we broke the national record. We made the biggest HIV/AIDS awareness red-ribbon formation, with a total of 2.664 volunteers, all wearing red on the city square. Feel good to be involved! I have been joining AIDS prevention campaign since I was teenager, and it's always amazing to see the number of people who get infected year by year...
In Indonesia, there are already around 3800 HIV+ cases and 3600 AIDS... When I joined the campaign in 1998, it was only around 1500 HIV+ and less than 1000 AIDS... it's really growing, but thank God, there are also more people aware and do some efforts to fight it.
Another interesting thing that I find from today's activity is the fact that there are more people become more open about their life. There was a group of gay community, also some prostitutes joined the campaign. I also met a nice prostitute, who was very open... and I was amazed by her story...
She's only 22 year old. She was studying theology, almost became a Christian priest, but she needed money to fund her foster children! She was from Palembang (a little town in Sumatra), but 1 year ago decided to come to Semarang, becoming prostitute in SK, a prostitution area in Semarang. She said that she does this job to get big money in a short time, saving it, then leave prostitution to start a business and get the money in the right way for her children....oh, life is so ironic...
But it's amazed me to hear how much she can earn: as a call girl, she gets Rp. 1.500.000 for 4 hours dating with a customer! But as a prostitute in SK, she earn Rp. 100.000 for 1 hour... really easy money... no wonder that it's like a perfect shortcut for someone in need, as in Semarang, the average monthly income is Rp. 500.000. (please don't get surprised : it's only around 45 euros!)
As a call girl, she specializes in serving foreigners, mostly Europeans and Chinese, ... I really wonder how she does it, as her English is terrible...
Another shocking confession was, she still want to be back as a Chistian Priest after she's been economically settled! Ah... really, we never be able to guess, how life is.... and what are people dreams. Thoughts of religions, sins... I'm thinking, which one God will prefer? a prostitute who works for orphans, or somenone rich but never cares for others?
Sometimes I think that it's my destiny to meet amazing people, to have unusual experiences, to have not so ordinary life... I am lucky, blessed, or I don't know, but I think God gave me opportunity to always learn other sides of life. I always wonder how people can talk to me so honestly, like explaining the whole of their life, only in the first 1 hour after I started the conversation...
And as for that girl, she invited me to her home in SK, she said that she likes me, and would like to give me a pearl necklace that she made.I can feel that she needs a friend, and I can feel that she's a sincere and lovingful person...
Hum... again, I'm amazed to find my very colorful life. I meet colorful people, so much. I think that's a way I can learn more about a life.
