wednesday

Well, less than two days to go. It definitely hasn't hit me yet that I will be living in a third world country in just a couple of days. It's a little hard to become mentally prepared to live in a sub-tropical climate for a year when it's 20 degrees outside. I'm pretty sure it won't hit me until I get off the plane in Belize City; I'm hoping the stress will miraculously vanish as well.

I started taking my malaria prophylaxis (thanks, mom!) last Tuesday and so far I haven't had any extreme side effects. I was a little dizzy for a couple of hours but I'm thinking that was probably because of the additional VazoBID + amoxicillin for the ridiculously persistent sinus infection. I've heard rumors of intense dreams and illness with malaria prophylaxis, but so far I'm good to go!

Last Monday I went to Columbia for a few hours to pick up donations. My car was packed full and I was overwhelmed by the amount of donations that CASA received. I failed my packing challenge and had to resort to two bags - one is packed full with the majority of the donations. I can't wait to see the faces of the TSA officers when they open the bag to rifle through it. It'll be great when the french catheters and gauze leap out at them...

My flight has four legs: Charleston to Charlotte to New Orleans to Houston to Belize City. Who doesn't love cheap tickets? Two of my layovers are pretty short. I'm hoping that everything is on time and this isn't a typical travel day for me (every time I fly, something goes amiss.. it all started when landing in Dallas and the strut to the wheel under my seat broke when we landed). I'll change carriers in New Orleans and of course the terminals are on opposite sides of the airport. It's going to be an exciting day of sprinting across airports.

The CASA quarterly newsletter was put online a few weeks ago but I forgot to post the link in my last post. So, here's the newsletter if you're interested in reading the official goings-on at CASA.

A huge thank you to all who have donated - from the medical supplies, to the monetary donations, to the advice and support. I will still be able to receive donations via Paypal whilst in Belize. I suppose the next time you hear from me, I'll be in my new home in San Ignacio hanging out with this guy.. oh, and some birds too.