HOW TO PREPARE TO MOVE TO AFRICA IN 3 WEEKS:

If you ever find yourself needing to move to the heart of Africa in 3 short weeks, may I suggest that the following are things to do/ think about:
1. Constantly have a pen and paper handy (even in the middle of the night) for those moments when you suddenly think of something you have to do/ have before you go. These are generally things that you think you couldn’t possibly survive without. For example, surgical strength soap, extra batteries for your flashlight and the stuffed animal you’ve had since childhood. (yes, I’m 26 years old—so what?)
2. Hug everyone. Do this multiple times if possible. This is not part of some morbid “what if I never see you again” scenario. Rather, it is for 2 reasons. (they are both selfish) First, hugs let your friends and family know how much you love and appreciate their support. (Thanks!) If they don’t know, they may not feel bad about not sending you emails, commenting on your blog (hint), Skype-ing with you, writing you letters and including you in their prayers. Guilt is a powerful motivator. WAY better than good-will.
Second, strangers do not hug you (regardless of the continent, I recommend staying away from those who do) Since you will be moving to a new place where you do not know anyone, everyone will be a stranger at first. Hugs from sane people will be sparse. Physical contact with others is important. It keeps you grounded, healthier and happier. Get them in now, while you still can.
3. If you are afraid of getting sick, rickety planes, germs, smelly people, different people, other people in general, not knowing what the heck is going on, not having a plan, not sticking to a plan, having a plan totally screwed up by Dutch baggage handlers, not understanding taxi drivers when they speak to you, not understanding if someone is a taxi driver or just a guy with a car, traffic without rules, bathrooms without toilets, opening your mouth in the shower, not showering, second hand smoke, other people’s babies sitting on your lap, other people’s goats sitting on your lap, or being outside of your comfort zone in any way, GET OVER IT. Worrying will not help, these things will likely happen, just accept them and revel in the adventure of life.
4. You will have to get a lot of shots. A LOT. Also, it will not be possible to get all of these shots in one place. Only some physicians will be able to give you certain vaccinations. You will have to call around. Doctors offices will not return your calls. Its useful to know that if the CDC lists a clinic as offering yellow fever vaccinations, that does not mean that clinic offers yellow fever vaccinations. It does not even mean that the medical assistant answering the phone will have ever heard of yellow fever. She will also not schedule you an appointment. Also, note that some vaccinations interact negatively with others. Your doctor(s) will not tell you this. Despite your advanced degree in International Public Health, you may not know this. You pharmacist may in fact utter the phrase, “Well, at this point, I’d say you have to decide if you want to get malaria or typhoid… because you can’t take both pills in time.”
5. Have confidence in yourself and your dreams. If you have always wanted to move to Africa to do aid work, if you’ve been talking about it since you were a teenager, if you spent a lot of money and time getting a Master degree to prepare you to do this, they go confidently forward. Even if the VAST majority of other people tell you that you are insane, crazy, nuts, out of your mind, brave?, have totally lost it etc. Conviction makes up for a lot.
6. Listen to the advice of your friends. Some gems:
a. From Sara- Soak up all the positivity you can before you go. Have fun, avoid the drama. You’ll need those memories.
b. From Clayton- Shut up and stop worrying about it. For God’s sake, you’re moving to Sudan, stop worrying about the little crap, prepare your heart.
c. From my mom- Jennifer, you’re too trusting, remember that there are bad people out there.
d. From Darren- You are NOT going to Sudan to personally save every child. You are there to measure them. Do not do anything stupid, it probably won’t help the little feckers anyway.
e. From Dolores- WATCH YOUR PURSE!… (you have all your belongings stolen by an Italian thief once and you hear about it for life)
7. Recognize how very, very fortunate you are to have such amazing friends, supportive and loving family members, the chance to do your dream job and make the world better while you do it, the opportunity for adventure, and the luck to have had such great mentors (Nathan and my dad), bosses (Nancy, Eleanor, Annette, Isabelle) colleagues (Apollo, Jasenko, Sofia, Meg, Chelsea, Peter. Lilian), teachers (Mrs Barnes, Sue, Nathan again, Sabrina) and friends (far, far too many to list).
8. Do not despair if you go to the drugstore every single day before you leave. You need lots of baby wipes, sunscreen, q-tips, immodium, soap, and band-aids to mount a one-woman, year-long expedition to Yambio.
9. Try, really, really try to pack in such a way that you can carry ALL of your bags at once for at least 15 minutes. There is a fine line between over packing and good preparation. You probably never need more than you can carry.
Have fun, you’ll make it. At some point you may even find yourself sitting in the airport in Kenya, waiting to get on a flight to Juba, writing a blog post, chuckling at your stress.