I tried to update a while back, but couldn’t remember how to log in to my account. Kids today and their technology.
Anyway, the deadline for my program fee has came and went, and thanks to everyone’s generosity I was able to pay it in full. I had estimated the trip to cost about $6,000. I contributed 1/3 of my own money, fundraised 1/3, and the final 1/3 was support from my family. THANK YOU again, to everyone who helped me to reach my goal.
My final fundraiser, to backtrack a bit further, went much better than I had expected. Capital Wine and Liquor had offered me 10% of sales from people who came in and mentioned that they were my facebook friends on the First Friday of November. Three friends came in, and Mark, the owner, made a generous personal donation as well. Many thanks to him and to Capital Wine and Liquor!
This past Friday I sent away my visa application (and passport!!) to the Tanzanian embassy in NYC. It was a fairly smooth process consisting of completing several simple forms explaining when and why I want to go to Tanzania, and how I will support myself financially while I am there. I had passport photos taken at CVS ($@ off with coupon, check their website!), and brought the whole shebang to FedEx. I purchased two three-day shipping envelopes with tracking, to prevent losing my passport. I was pretty nervous to let the passport out of my sight, but there isn’t another option. (Even if you apply in person, you need to leave the passport at the embassy for at least a day or two while they complete your paperwork.) I checked the tracking today, and my package has graced the presence of Menands, Tennessee, and NYC. It has yet to reach its destination. I’m beginning to get quite nervous that between 6 days of shipping and two weeks of processing I might not get everything back in time. If that happens, I’m
REALLY screwed.
Today, I called my pharmacy to check on the prices of the prescriptions I need to fill when I go. The naive third world traveler that I am, I had expected a figure between $100-$200. WRONG. I have three medications (malaria, typhoid, and traveler’s diarrhea) prescribed. The rough costs are $20, $60, and $275. That makes a grand total of $355. This is in addition, mind you, to the $97 Yellow Fever shot I got a few weeks ago.
Yikes.
On a happier note, I received a final preparation packet from CCS. The packet included a recommended packing list, contact information to leave with family and friends, and a powerpoint with some useful Swahili phrases and other information including pictures of the home base where I’ll stay. It’s a lot nicer than I expected. I’m not disappointed by any means, but I am concerned about the message sent by traveling all the way to east Africa to volunteer with some of the world’s poorest people, only to spend time in a nice building with all the amenities of home. I’ll have to wait and see what it’s really like when I get there.
Finally, another bit of good news from my helpful professor, Barbara Rio. She informed me last week that the SUNY School of Social Welfare had some scholarships that may be able to help me. I went in today with a receipt for my money order for my visa application ($100), and the school will mail me a check in the same amount! This is both exciting and unexpected, and I plan to put the check towards my prescriptions when it arrives.
The next step, as I understand it, is to be patient about my visa/passport, begin shopping for things I need to being (a English/Swahili dictionary, conservative T-shirts, etc), and pack! I’m leaving in
22 days!!!
