44 DAYS

44 days until departure!

Well today I finished all of the shots I will need to travel.  I now only have to take malaria medication and I am good to go.  Heather still needs a few shots and she will soon be ready as well. 
Now, we are starting to think about what to pack for clothing.  We are allowed to wear scrubs to the clinic, but other than that we should be wearing long skirts.  They also recommend wearing tennis shoes because of the dirt and mud everywhere.  Of course, I am thinking that wearing tennis shoes with a skirt is a definite no-no in America, but last time I checked we will not be part of a fashion show while in Africa.  It will be a challenge to pack for two weeks especially when we aren't quite sure what the temperature will be.  June is the beginning of their winter season in Africa.  I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing snow; however, it does get down into the 40's at night.  The days are still pretty nice around 60 or 70.  Well, as I type this, it is snowing so I sure hope I don't bring this snow with me. 
Heather, aka travel researcher, has been finding all of the converters we need to be able to use some of our luxury items (hair dryer, cell phone charger, etc.)  I never thought I would have considered a hair dryer or flat iron a luxury.  I have gotten so used to having everything I need right at my fingertips that I have forgotten that many people don't have these items and probably never will.  We are very fortunate to be able to use our cell phones while we are there to keep our families posted on how we are doing. 
Oh, yeh, one last thing, it is recommended that we only bring big bills ($100) for the best exchange rate and they have to be printed after 2003.  Crazy huh!  I'm sure if I dig through Greg's slush fund I might find some of those bills !!!!  Do you think he would miss them???????

Ok - we are thinking that this might be an option for us while we are spending an entire day on a plane:)

Or maybe this one!  I personally like this one the best -

Flights

Well, today Heather and I found out that we will be on a plane for about 12 hours and then a one hour layover (which really means about 10 minutes before we board the next plane) and then six more hours until we arrive in Kenya.  Oh, did I mention that we arrive in Kenya at about 12:30 am local time (which means we will probably only get to our sleeping destination after 2:00 am).
Heather and I are a bit anxious about this, but we think that Advil PM and a few of the drugs I got from my surgery will help us through the 18+ hours of flying.  YIKES - we are in for an interesting time:)

Beginning Stages

Well, I have sent in all of the necessary paperwork to begin on my travels to Africa.  My sister and I will be traveling to Nairobi, Kenya to take part in a medical mission trip.  I know that this will be amazing and I will surely be humbled by the entire experience. 

It all began years ago when I had a desire to travel across the world to do mission work.  I really have not had a chance to participate in such a mission until now.  My sister called me in January and threw out the idea of us going to Africa.  She said that she will continue to pursue the opportunity even if I choose not to go.

I needed to secure some funds as the trip is going to cost us $3300.00.  I have been blessed by our church and they have given me $1500.00 to put toward the trip.  I couldn't be more excited to start this journey.

First set of shots

Today, I received my first set of shots that I need to go on my trip.  I needed the Hepatitis A and B and tetanus.  Heather and I have been talking almost everyday about the trip.  Each day that passes is a day closer to us leaving.
We found out that we will be leaving Chicago on the 12th and returning on the 24th.  We were a bit disappointed when we found out that we will not have a layover in London.  We will now be traveling from Chicago to Istanbul, Turkey.  Last time I checked, Istanbul doesn't quite have the appeal that London has, but I guess that is not the priority of our trip.