condones y lubricante!

People always tell you that service is a great way to bridge gaps and break down barriers. Sometimes when people hear the word service, they get so caught up in the idea of one person/group helping another that instead of breaking down or eliminating barriers, often they sort of unconsciously create more. But that's not really how service is supposed to be. when done well, it is a lot more of a unifier than a divider.
I've been learning about the power of service to transcend boundaries and bridge gaps in just about every way.

Every thursday night I go hand out condoms, lubricant, and information about AIDS and the organization for which i volunteer, the Fundacion Triangulo in Madrid's traditionally gay barrio, Chueca. The Fundacion Triangulo is one of Madrid's LGBT centers which works at promoting safe sex practices and informing the public about stereotypes and health.

I'm not going to lie, as i was preparing to go my first time, i was really apprehensive. I had no idea what to expect, my spanish leaves something to be desired, and i had no idea how strangers might respond to me thrusting condoms in their faces. i was also going to an area that i'd never been to with a few other students from my program, who i didn't know very well. also, because i was scared, for some reason all i could think about were all the lines and divisions in the situation. a line between me and the other kids volunteering with me, who are strangers. a line between the students and the facilitator and people of madrid, because we are american and they are spanish. a line between us, who come to chueca to "work," and those who come to chueca to "play."

it didn't take long to break the first couple of barriers. At the Fundacion headquarters, the other students and i quickly bonded and grew comfortable speaking spanish with each other, and our guide Pablo, as we packed bookbags full of condoms and jokingly threw packets of lubricant at each other as Pablo intermittently taught us about the latests sexual health statistics and quizzed us on it. Someone asked what we should say if someone asked why we were doing this, and Pablo told us to tell them that we are from the "equipo de salud," or "health team."

Condoms, lubricant, and pamphlets in hand we marched off to Chueca. In the first bar that we went into, i approached a man and smiled and offered him his pick of the assorted goodies in my bad for free. He asked why and i told him that i was with the "equipo de salud." "equipo de salud, eh?" he asked. He reached in to the bag and took and condom and a pamphlet , smiled and said to me in spanish, "well i'll be on your team too."

later as i thought about it, his words seemed completely appropriate. the fact that we had ziploc bags and backpacks didn't mean that we were fighting against disease and ignorance any more than any of the people that we met. i had one of those "we're all in this together sort of moments"

That's the mentality that i take back every thursday night. And i must admit, it's one of my favorite parts of the week. we've actually developed a pretty solid group of 8 to 10 people who can't wait to go volunteer every week because we have so much fun. Not only is are we learnign our way around new parts of Madrid now and improving spanish getting better, but we are making tons of new friends. Cheuca is sort of our second home now. We go whenever we get a chance, and always have a blast. And because the Fundacion Triangulo is fairly well known in Madrid, people actually take us seriously and listen to our schpiels about safe sex. and then they invite us to dance. and we do!

The Fundacion Triangulo has a film festival coming up that some of my friens and I are going to try to get involved with. If it's anything like what we've been doing, I can't wait.

Distributing condoms and lubricants.

-April Edwards, October 2006