I'm constantly being asked, 'how are you feeling?' and in all honesty - I don't know.
Am I excited? Yes.
Am I nervous? Yes.
Am I ready? - what is ready? Am I packed? Nope - not entirely sure what I'm supposed to bring...
Do I know what my address is out there? Nope. I don't even know what my accommodation is going to be like - will it have running water? Will there be electricity? All I know is I'm house-sharing with a fellow (female) volunteer and that I'll be living near the teacher training college (whatever 'near' means!?)
This is what I have been doing:
- catching up with people and saying my goodbyes
- getting immunised (11 injections in total - 3x rabies, 3x hep B, hep A, yellow fever, typhoid, MMR (measles, mumps & rubella - although I distinctly remember having measles on Christmas day when I was a kid...) and pdt - polio, diphtheria and tetanus.
- getting all my First Aid Kit together - 1 yr's supply of antimalarials - check; 1 course of malaria treatment - check; antiseptic cream - check; asthma inhalers - check...need to get so much more...
- shopping?!?! - I keep buying shoes?!?
- year's supply of contact lenses ordered
Things I need to do:
- begin learning Kinyarwanda (local dialect spoken in Rwanda)
- brush up on French - ok, so I might have taught the BASICS last year but I would not be able to hold a conversation with anyone, I took my GCSEs over half my life-time ago!!!
- read up on the history of Rwanda - this I am stalling...it's too disturbing to think about :(
- write a check list of things to buy/take
- tidy-up/life-laundry of belongings at home ready for storage
- sort out car stuff and other bills for home
The list is endless. But I have hope. I have peace.
