For me it began in Botswana. I was twelve years old, and it was the first time I have ever been out of the coutry. I was transfixed by the place. It did not take me long to fall in love with Africa. Our charming and loveable guide, Moses, took us out every morning and afternoon for a wilderness safari. We put our life in his hands and he showed us the beauty of the country with knowledge, grace, and remarkable skill. I idealized him, the country, the land, the animals,  and the rhythm of Africa. A few days into the trip I over heard him talking to my mother. He confided in her because he knew she was a doctor. He was asking her about his brother. His brother had lost a lot of weight and he was worried that he might have AIDS. My mom began asking him questions about his wife, and when she realized that I had been listening, she told me to go off and "play." So, I walked a little ways away to look at the warthogs below the deck and eavesdropped intently...

At that moment, Moses became real to me. He was a man, with a family, and a brother. He went home every few weeks to a very different life than the luxurious one I had been living at this camp. That extreme mix of love and disappointment was my first personal introduction to AIDS.

I am from DC, where 1 in 20 is HIV positive. I didn't have to go all the way to Botswana to find an alarmingly high HIV prevalence rate, but that first experience was just enough to peak my interest.

What I have done, and what I will continue to do to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic is not what I want to talk about today.

What I want to remember is that feeling. That shock, that sadness, that fear that I felt upon first realizing what AIDS was, and how bad it can be.

And then I remeber Moses' beautiful smile, his dark skin, and the way he laughed when we joked about he can perform miracles.