Final Update

With leaving in 5 days, this is probably my last post. I've got my supplies, and everything is all set. I can't wait. It has been so much just getting ready, it seems unreal that I'm finally going.

15 Days!

Down to 15 days until I leave, and I can't wait. I am almost ready, I just have to get a mosquito net, work gloves , and Christmas presents for the people there. Other than that, it's just a matter of waiting.

29 Days

29 days to go til I leave. I should be way more ready, but I'm getting there. I talked to the embassy, and because of my age, I don't need a visa. There's one less thing to worry about. Today, I need to open up a get spare passport photos, and get a memory card and battery for my camera. And totally irrelevant, but if you haven't seen google lately, check out their home page. They've had Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Bert and Ernie, Elmo, and now, the Count. Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!!!!!!!!

Midnight Phone Calls

First off, got Yellow Fever needle, and despite what people say, it doesn't hurt, so if you ever need it, don't stress, it's not painful. So that's all done, now I'm working on getting my visa. I called the Kenyan embassy of the country I'm a citizen of, but because of the time difference, this meant calling at 11:30PM on Thursday night. The person who answered the phone had no idea what I should do, and told me to call the Kenyan embassy in the country I live in. That would be fine, but I'm in school the entire time they are open. Now I'm going to either ask someone to call them for me or hope that they answer emails quickly.

Last Needle

It's been 5 months since my first needle, and today is my last of the nine. Even though I don't hate needle like I used to, I'm glad to be almost done. In 2 hours and 30 minutes, I will get the Yellow Fever vaccine. Other than that, I've been trying to figure out if I need a visa for the country I am a citizen of or the country I live in. To find out, I have to call the embassy of the country I am a citizen of, and because of the time difference, that means calling between 11:30pm and 6:30am. Haven't done it yet, but maybe tonight.

Changing Flights

I'm pretty lucky that I'm travelling with two other people, but they changed they're flights a few weeks ago without me realsing it, which means I had to change my flight to match theirs. This meant finding that flight, finding out I couldn't make the changes online, and calling them at 8:00 p.m., only to talk for 5 minutes and be on hold for 30. But, I did get my flight changed, so I will be meeting up with the others from the start.

The Billabong

A quick time out from the normal to tell you about a great new blog I've found, (Donal.S) The Billabong. It's got great pictures of nature and wildlife, some of them firsthand, so you probably can't find them anywhere else. If you are at all interested in nature, wildlife or art, this is a site to check out. You can take a look with the link below.
http://myownbillabong.blogspot.com/

Needles

If you're going to a foreign country, chances are you'll need needles. For me, this was a problem, as I am deathly afraid of needles, and I need a total of 9. I have had seven, and I thought I only needed one more, but was told by a doctor that because of the recent swine flu, I would need another. As much as I used to hate needles, this is like being thrown into the deep end when you can't swim, and learning how to deal with it because you have to.

Getting Ready

I'm going to Kenya in December for 21 days, and this is about all you have to do to get ready for a trip this huge. Even though I've already applied for the project that is taking me there and been accepted and booked my flights, there is still a lot left to do. I've had 6 vaccines, and starting contacting my leaders and people going on the trip with me, but there's still a lot to do between now and then.