Orientation Sponsored by AJWS

“This September, what will you do to remember? Will you take time to maybe help paint a school, or plant a tree, or tutor a child? Wherever you are from you can demonstrate the common humanity that binds us together and makes our societies and our world stronger.”

Hillary Clinton, 9/10/11, U.S. Secretary of State

We started orientation on September 11th regarding the work we will be doing for the next three months.  After two weeks of travel and getting some amazing Africa experiences we are now settling in Kampala where we will live for the next stint of time. 

Who are the other crazy people in Africa with us?

There is a group of 11 volunteers.  Besides us, there are 6 women between the age of 23 and 27; one married woman 51; another woman in her 40s with an 11 year old son and husband; and one other male—a 42 year old Rabbi who has done a fair share of travel in his life.  However, I was most impressed by the two married women who left their husbands (and one left a son) behind for three months.

One of the orientation exercises we did today was tell the story of how we came to be here today.  Sorry Mark, DeeDee, and Joanne, but you inevitably came up, in the most positive way.  It was interesting to see the common threads that cropped up in people’s stories.  They include education, Jewish experiences in school and youth groups, the desire to give back, and parental influence. 

All of us are here to give our services but also to take away a very powerful and perhaps life changing experience.  We’ve stepped away from our lives at home to do this and though it will not be easy and flowery, we are aware of the impact, both good and bad, we can make while we are here.

Much like the Hippocratic Oath, our first job here is to do no harm—we learned there are plenty of ways to unknowingly cause damage.  Orientation was, in large part, to make us aware of how to be a responsible volunteer.  The orientation days were filled with workshops about East African history, cultural do’s and don’ts, troubleshooting issues in the workplace, safety and health.  At the end of the week we had the chance to meet representatives from our NGO’s.  This proved to be very interesting and informative.  We learned a bit more about what they expect from us.  I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about working in an office after so many years of doing hands on clinical work.  I’m hoping to transition into this new role without too many problems.  

The Countdown Begins

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

Shots (3 in each arm for me and the wife)

32 of 44 Lariam pills secured (the rest are coming in the mail....shhhhh)

Purchase synthetic clothing so we can wash things efficiently in the sink

Purchase good ol’ hiking shoes

Get a backpack for fitting 3 months worth of everything 

Send in all paperwork to AJWS

Get traveler’s health insurance

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 19^th 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.