This morning I took the last dose of my oral typhoid vaccine. Now I never have to wear that annoying orange reminder bracelet again! Yaaay! Also I went back to Passport Health to get my second round of rabies vaccine and made an appointment at the Chicago Passport Health for the third round. So that's all set, I guess.
I did a whole bunch of shopping online and finally ordered everything I need, I think. Now all I have to do is wait for the packages to trickle in. I needed surprisingly a lot of stuff, from 50spf sunscreen and 30% deet bugspray to unscented laundry detergent and a money belt with lots in between. Hand sanitizer, a wash that makes your clothes spf 30, extra tank tops to wear under my fancy button-down shirts from L.L. Bean. These shirts, in the tropicwear line, are really fantastic. They are spf 50, moisture-wicking, and light as can be. And they have vents in the back so you are covered but your back is open to the air under some mesh. Delightful. I'm so excited for them to come in the mail. The pants I ordered from, of all places, Victoria's Secret came yesterday. They were the only place that had slim-fit khakis, which I need because they are lighter than jeans and can be tucked into work boots without looking ridiculous. Is it ridiculous that I care about how I'll look there? I generally always care about how I look. Even when I'm building a church in a tiny village in Ghana. Anyway, the pants fit like they were made for me, which is quite a relief, because I bought them sight-unseen off of the website (VS doesn't sell normal clothes in their stores, only online and via catalogue, in case you were wondering hahaha) and Lord knows it is hard enough to find pants that fit properly, let alone skinny jeans that fit properly. I also bought a pair of lovely poplin shorts that also fit quite well and are incredibly comfortable and lightweight. So so far I am pleased with my purchases.
Once all of my packages arrive, I'll need to pre-treat all my clothes with the spf 30 wash and the permethrin spray. Did I tell you this already? I can never remember who I told what and where I wrote what down. Oh well.
I am also planning on having an old broken camera repaired for the trip (hopefully it'll be cheap) and I need to have all the pictures on my SD card cleared onto a CD so I have as much room as possible for Africa pictures!! I'm not a big picture-taker, so I probably would be alright even if I didn't clear the card, but you never know. I may suddenly blossom into some fiendish photographer who cannot stop snapping shots. Say that ten times fast...
My mother has been suggesting that I lay out in the sun a bit before leaving to establish a base tan. Ghana is actually on the equator, so the sun will be pretty fierce. And I am pasty white... Still I was surprised to hear my mother suggest such a thing. It is very unlike her. So next week will probably find me in a little two-piece on a towel in my backyard with a bottle of spf 8 tanning oil (my brother's???). Fun fun! I've never lain out before for the sole purpose of getting tan. I'm not quite sure how to go about it. 15 minutes on each side? 30 minutes? More? How often to apply the oil? Good grief. I'll have to go to about.com or something. This really is ridiculous.
As are my dreams lately... I keep dreaming very paperwork-y dreams. Like, I have to go to an office and fill stuff out, or go to a school for orientation, or other nonsense like that. It's really quite boring and a little stressful. I generally prefer my dreams to be more pleasant. But I'm afraid that they do reflect what's been going on in my life lately; I have so many hoops to jump through before my preparation for what has come to be known simply as "Africa" are complete.
Ok, this post turned into a ramble a little bit, but that's alright. It has allowed you a little peek into my life as I prepare for what is certain to be a life-changing experience. And after all, what are blogs for but to allow us places to ramble with the hopes that someone else will read and enjoy?
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