Getting Ready

So we are now down to ten days until I leave for Philadelphia; in two weeks I will be on Zambian soil. It's hard to believe. I don't feel nervous or anxious, but I know that I probably am: last night I had a dream that I was trying to get to Logan Airport, but the public transit system was down and I had to walk through Ted Williams Tunnel (super dangerous-- kids, don't try this at home) only to find when I arrived at check-in that I had bought a ticket for the wrong flight and completely forgotten all my luggage...so, yeah, I'd say my subconscious is having some issues.

But mostly I'm just excited for this huge adventure coming my way. Most of my time has been devoted to packing and paperwork. I've requested immunization records from both my primary care physician and my school clinic-- while I'm in Philly I am going to receive a bunch of immunizations, including most likely a yellow fever shot and my first dose of malaria pills, but with the immunization lists I can make sure I don't receive more shots than I need. As it is I'm going to be suffering the side-effects of several vaccinations during the long plane ride to South Africa and then the shorter plane ride to Zambia, not to mention the jetlag. Good to start this trip off with a bang.

Other paperwork includes: medical and tax POA forms, insurance forms, passport/visa forms (the Peace Corps distributes special passports to volunteers, which expire at the end of service), student loan deferment forms, and staging forms. Not only will I be on a different continent for two years, but I'll most likely be spending most of those two years in a hut in the African bush without electricity, so it's important to get a lot of stuff straightened now when it's more convenient.

So far the packing process has involved discount shoe shopping, internet shopping for tents and electronics, hanging out in the LL Bean Factory Store (their camping section really is the coolest thing ever), digging through closets for lost items, "borrowing" stuff from my parents, stocking up on toiletries, snacks, journals, books, and stamps, arranging all the luggage in the house by size, weight, and durability, and laying everything I own out in neat rows on the bed and floor, as well as a fashion show of nearly every article of clothing I own (except the winter clothes, I don't think I'll be needing those). In addition to this I am packing up the stuff I won't be bringing to put into storage in my Mom's basement-- no need to have all my college stuff sitting unused in my room for two years like some sort of bizarre shrine. I just finished unpacking most of this stuff after bringing it home from college; now it's all going back into boxes again.

We are permitted a total of 80 lbs of checked luggage spread over 2 bags, plus a carry-on. The two checked bags each have to be less than 60" total dimensions; 107" total is the limit. I always like to pack as light as possible, and I keep reminding myself that I can buy just about anything I need in Zambia in the very globalized and well-stocked capitol city, Lusaka. I'm sure I'll bring a couple of things I don't need and forget a couple of things I do, so I guess as long as I go into this expecting to get this packing business a little bit wrong on the first try I won't mind so much when it actually happens.

Here are just a few of the things I am bringing:

--A wind-up flashlight and wind-up torch which I bought in the UK
--A wind-up/solar-powered shortwave radio
--A solar charger; Solio makes one that is apparently compatible with Zambian cell phones (I'll be buying a cell phone when I get there)
--A digital camera. I'm taking an old one my mom gave me, but I can't find the software that goes with it, so I may have to buy one of those memory-card-reading jumpdrives so that I can upload my pictures and show you all
--A deck of cards and some travel games of checkers and chess
--An ipod
--A small photo album with pictures of friends/family and my hometown
--Several blank journals and a couple of pens
--LL Bean Hiking Boots-- it's very warm in Zambia, but it's also very rainy there this time of year, so some good waterproof mudboots seem like a good idea (don't worry, I'm bringing sandals too)
--A tent and sleeping bag; I wasn't going to bring these, but the Peace Corps recommended them, and I figure they'll provide a good excuse for me to go camping
--Gifts for my host family: I'm bringing them some hard maple candies, but I'm still on the lookout for a nice book about Maine that I can give them

Anyone have any suggestions on what books I should bring? I have lots of ideas, and I won't bring too many since there are libraries at the Peace Corps outposts in each region of the country, but I'd like to bring a couple books to keep me busy-- any suggestions are welcome!

I'm working on a much larger post going into detail about Zambia and what I'll be doing there, so stay tuned!