6 One Month From Today (10012009)

One month and counting! I am so excited about the trip, I already can't sleep at night sometimes! I've got a few updates for you:

SHOTS: Well, the vaccines are over. I went in and had seven shots for nine different diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, meningitis, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, polio, yellow fever and, funny as it may be, the seasonal flu. (They have it over there, too.) I spent an hour and a half with the nurse at the International Travel Clinic who explained all the shots, all the diseases and all the risks of the shots versus the diseases before he actually gave me the shots. If you ever want to be convinced NOT to do something, he is the one to talk to. But, I braved my way through it, signed the release forms and after an hour and a half of a dreadful conversation followed by about 90 seconds of shots one after the other, I left stronger (physically and mentally) than I was. (And the whole deal only cost $628. Ridiculous, I know.) When I left, the nurse gave me pills for typhoid which I am taking right now. Interesting as it may be, the typhoid vaccine pills are made of live salmonella. (My roommates are loving that we have live salmonella living in our refrigerator.) But really, talk about coating your stomach with lead. The nurse also wrote prescriptions for malaria and stomach sickness for me to take while I am gone. Nonetheless, I suppose my body will be prepared for just about anything I come across. For those of you wondering, I did NOT get sick off the pills or shots. The nurse said I probably would be sick, but instead of being sick, I was just super weak for a few days. I kind of felt like I had been running or something and was hit by a car. My body took a few days to feel like I had energy to walk. But, I am good now. :) (And as a side note: my family doc said he didn’t need to see me the day after the shots... after I told him about the shots appointment, he was pretty convinced that I was prepared.)

THE BOAT: In an earlier post, I mentioned that I would be traveling by boat from South Africa to Brazil. Some of you reading this probably were confused... but I am happy to provide you with more details! :) I will be on a cruise! My friend, Tripp... yes, the one I backpacked Europe with last year (offexploring.blogspot.com) has been traveling around the world working for Regent Seven Seas on the Voyager (tripparoundtheworld.blogspot.com). He is doing what he does best, singing and performing and helping lots of people have a great time as they explore the world. His trip began early this summer and the last leg of the cruise will be the one I am going to be on with him! He is an amazing friend and worked very hard to make all of this possible--THANK YOU, TRIPP!

PACKING: My trip to Europe taught me some about packing: Put everything that you NEED, only NEED, in a pile... then remove half of it. That's what you take. So, I'll be doing the same thing on this trip to Africa. I will be taking only the bare necessities and packing in my one backpack, if possible. I am realizing for this trip, though, that there is more that I would like or have to take: my new camera (a Nikon D60... bigger than the Europe Canon Digital Elph), tons of meds--that the nurse told me to take (both prescribed and over the counter), vaccine records, clothes that are appropriate for many different places, activities and people, my computer (still unsure about this one), and more snacks than last time (we ran out in Europe). So... that's the beginning of my packing chaos. More to come soon, I'm sure. (And, if you think of anything I need to take... please tell me!)

Thank you for reading! Here's to one more month at home with you all before my adventure!

Laura