Almost time to go. T-minus 20 days. That reminds me, we should get that plane ticket booked. Curious about some other items on the list?
Travel to Africa ToDo List
32 of 44 Lariam pills secured (the rest are coming in the mail....shhhhh)
Purchase good ol’ hiking shoes
Get a backpack for fitting 3 months worth of everything
Get mosquito net
Why the heck go to Uganda for 4 months, anyway?
Maybe I’m getting dragged here by my lovely wife,
maybe I’m just looking for an incredible experience that will live with me for the rest of my life
Who better a person to share this experience with than Nicole, really? She might protest and say Andre Agassi, but that’s just because she’s reading his autobiography now.
Nicole has always wanted to work abroad but most of the clinical programs out there do not allow volunteers to bring a partner, unless said partner is also a doctor willing to work - I do not meet either of those qualifications. I was open to the idea of putting a little travel experience on the resume, but I felt like I needed to be working while away to justify such a hiatus from the “grind.” In speaking to friends and family, we came across the American Jewish World Service. A philanthropic organization that raises money granted to NGOs in East Africa and Southeast Asia. AJWS also has an arm that sends students and professionals to work at these organizations. And the kicker, they are a Jewish organization, what a perfect experience to share with my new wife (Editor's Note: even though she’s not a full fledged Jew, she is more often than not an honorary Jew, so she passes the test).
My first taste of this trip came on July 19th when I received a flurry of vaccinations for Typhoid, Pertussis, Diphtheria, a Tetanus booster, Hepatitis A, Polio, Yellow Fever, and Meningitis, …. What the hell did I get myself into? The travel doc, who happened to be very good and thorough, spoke about the Yellow Fever belt and having had the Yellow Fever vaccination 3 times (it lasts for 10 years), he also grew up in Africa and had to take the "Sunday Pill" which is for Malaria (See check list above, I'm covered, Mom). He had a med student with him and was in rare teaching mode, so I learned a lot more. He busted out some maps of the yellow fever belt, which happens to cover northern Uganda, Sudan and countries in that latitude. Though we are not traveling to that part of the country, we included that shot as a precautionary measure, and who's to say a rogue mosquito doesn't make his way to Kampala and into my mosquito net? The doc also spoke about his experiences taking boats across borders that weren’t a big deal back in the day, but now never could happen so easily. Oh the times they are a changing.
Health Insurance Begets Medical Bills Begets the Pockets of America
Yesterday, I took care of the health insurance thing. I’ve come to the quick conclusion that our healthcare system needs a little more than an extreme makeover, more extreme than the ones you see on Oprah. International Insurance: 4 months of up to $1mm coverage for 2 people with a $100 deductible will cost us $440 together. You don't want to know what health insurance costs when we get back home. Much more than $440. Much, much more. Maybe this healthcare thing will be fixed by the time we return. Oh the times, they ain’t a changing.
Yesterday, I took care of the health insurance thing. I’ve come to the quick conclusion that our healthcare system needs a little more than an extreme makeover, more extreme than the ones you see on Oprah. International Insurance: 4 months of up to $1mm coverage for 2 people with a $100 deductible will cost us $440 together. You don't want to know what health insurance costs when we get back home. Much more than $440. Much, much more. Maybe this healthcare thing will be fixed by the time we return. Oh the times, they ain’t a changing.
