Its Getting Closer.. Forty Days Left

This week I have been trying to figure out exactly what I need to take with me to Africa and how much I need to take.  My grandma is making a couple skirts for me, she already has one finished and it is so cute!  I almost don't want to take it to Africa because I like it so much. 

I am not going to take anything valuable with me, well except for my camera.  I'm not going to take my iPod or my computer with me.  I want to be in Africa and don't want any distractions.  I will have access to an internet cafe so I will be able to update my blog and email my family.  The only time I would use my iPod is on the plane ride there but its not necessary, I will take my headphones and can listen to the radio on the airplane or watch TV and if those get lost or stolen it won't be a big deal, I will have two more pairs at home and can always buy some more for ten dollars.  I will make sure to take a journal with a few pens, plenty of memory for my camera and a cheap book.

As far as clothes I plan to leave everything I take with me in Uganda so that I will have more room to bring things home with me.  I'm pretty much going to buy whatever I want since who knows when and if I will go to Africa again so I am going to take advantage of being there.  I might even take a smaller piece of luggage inside of a larger one so that I will have even more room to bring stuff home.  When I went to Hawaii with my family we had to buy another bag so we could take all of our stuff home and we were only there for two weeks.  Who knows how much stuff I can accumulate in six weeks?

 
Between planning a bridal shower for my sister, planning her wedding and moving, it hasn't left much time for me to plan for Africa but with only forty days left until I leave Salt Lake City I have to start getting things ready to go.

Its Official!

I finally received a confirmation for my flight.  I am really going to Africa, who does that?  Am I crazy?  Maybe a little but I'm ok with that :)

I hope this experience is everything I want it to be and that I will actually be able to make a difference in someone's life.  I'm excited to see Uganda and meet some awesome Ugandan people and maybe even learn a little bit of their language.

Airfare, ISIC card and Antimalarial Medication

I finally sent in a flight request with HELP International and heard back from the travel agent.  Now I am just waiting for confirmation that my flights have been booked/reserved.  I will be leaving the United States on June 8 and arriving in Uganda the next day.  I'll be in Uganda for six weeks and leave on July 20, arriving in Salt Lake City on July 21.  I am extremely excited that I get to have this opportunity and look forward to having my life change.

I received my International Student ID Card in the mail, the only thing is I have to put it together myself.  It says get a passport sized photo, cut it to fit and cover the whole card with plastic.  So  I got my passport sized photo, it was way to big!  By the time I cut it down to size my head was HUGE, so I decided to print out my own picture that is the right size in the first place.  My awesome dad is going to help me with that this weekend.

I went to the health department yesterday and got a prescription for antimalarial medication.  They gave me three choices, all of which had a list of side effects to go with them.  I ended up choosing the one with the least amount of side effects, it also happened to be the cheapest option :)  I am nervous about taking the pills because I have a very sensitive stomach and can't tolerate anything.  I really hope that I don't end up having an upset stomach for six weeks in Africa! 

LASIK Eye Surgery

The thought of having instruments near my eye while I am awake has always scared me; what if I moved my eye and the surgeon slipped and something went wrong?  I didn't want to be blind.  In the end my desire to have perfect vision won out and I decided to go ahead with the consultation for LASIK at Hoopes Vision.  I decided that this would be an ideal time to have the surgery so that I don't have to attempt to put contacts in or were glasses while I am in Africa.

My sister took me to Hoopes Vision for the consultation a couple weeks ago.  When I got there I had to watch a fifteen minute video about the procedure and answer some questions.  They showed me the room with the lasers, they have about six plus the intralase laser.  I then had to undergo several different tests in order to check my eyes to make sure that they were healthy enough to have the surgery.  I was there for about two hours and made an appointment to come in the next week for surgery.  They gave me a prescription for two different eye drops and told me to get some artificial tears.  I was instructed to bring all the eye drops with me on the day of surgery as well as a consent form that I had to sign.

My parents took me up to Sandy last Wednesday and I signed in for surgery.  They gave me a valium, as well as post-op instructions.  I was finally taken back to the surgery area, my dad was allowed to come with me and observe, my mom didn't want to.  The first step was intralase where they created the corneal flap. In between the steps I had to sit in a massage chair for about twenty minutes with my eyes closed.  The second step was the actual correction;  the surgeon moved  my flap, held my head and told me to stay very still while the laser reshaped my cornea which took a total of six seconds.

I went home and slept for three hours.  When I woke up I could see clearly across the room.  I can see things that I didn't even know I couldn't see!

I felt so sick, I thought I might throw up! I was so scared

Reading about the procedure.

The first step, intralase

The second step

All done!

This week I plan to:

• Finish reading my handbook
• Book a flight
• Get antimalarial medication

Want to Help? Here's How!

Everyone can't just fly nine thousand miles across the world and go to Africa to help people that are less fortunate than you are, but there are still ways that you can help.  Donating money is one of those ways.  No amount is to small or to big.  Any money you donate will go directly to HELP International and will be used on various projects that I am going to be working on this summer. 

Here are the steps to donating:

1. Donate online through PayPal

•  log on to help-international.org and click on the donate button on the left side or click here 
•  Make sure to include my name (Alissa Boyer) in the "Designation" box

2. Send a check to HELP International

Here's the address:              HELP International
                                            455 N. University Ave. Suite 212
                                            Provo, Utah 84601

• Make the check payable to HELP International
• Make sure to include my name (Alissa Boyer) on the memo line 

BONUS:  As an extra incentive anyone who donates will receive a small trinket from Uganda upon my return.  

  
It is very important that you include my name with your donation as this is how HELP International will know what/who the donation is for.  That is also how I will know of the donation so that i can be sure to bring you something from Uganda.

Please share this information with anyone/everyone who might be interested.   Help me get to Uganda and spread the word to others.  Thanks for your support!

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.

                             -Edmund Burke

Please do what you can, every bit helps-no matter the amount.

Training

The training for all the HELP International volunteers was this weekend at Brigham Young University.  We received our country handbooks which contain information about the Ugandan program, packing lists and various other things, about one hundred pages worth.  I better start reading!

I attended workshops about education and literacy, orphans and at risk populations and learned the basics of making an adobe stove.

Education is extremely important, especially for girls.  Check out the video below to see why.  I personally believe education is the way to change the world.  Education equals knowledge and knowledge equals power.  Imagine if everyone in the world knew that washing your hands could keep you from getting sick or that brushing your teeth could prevent gum disease?  These are just simple things that many of us take for granted, what if we could teach the world something more, something bigger?  

I also learned a lot about how to respect and be aware of other cultures and some specific things about Ugandan culture.  Apparently in Uganda it is illegal to take a picture on a bridge or to take a picture of the president.  So these are two things that I will not be coming home with.  I am very excited to be able to have the opportunity to immerse myself into another culture.

As the soil, however rich it may be, cannot be productive without cultivation, so the mind without culture will never produce good fruit.

                             -Seneca

Diseases, Parasites and Safety

A few people have asked me about the parasites in Uganda and if I am going to come home with some kind of weird disease.  Yes, it is true that there are several different kinds of parasites and diseases in Africa that my body is not used to because they aren't prevalent in the United States.   But does this mean I am going to contract some weird illness that no one has ever heard of?  

Absolutely not!  That is why I got a bunch of shots and will be taking anti malaria medication.  I won't get bitten by any wild animals, I have managed to avoid getting bit by an animal my whole life and don't know why being in Africa would make that any different :)

HELP International has been doing this for a long time and they know how to keep us safe.  There are two country directors that are basically in charge while we are in Uganda, they will arrive in Uganda a week before anyone else does.  They will find and rent a house for us to live in, hire a guard and hire a cook.  The house will be in a safe part of town and must have certain safety features such as working locks.  We have to be inside by dark and the guard will be outside from seven at night to seven in the morning.  I will always be with someone else and will never go anywhere by myself.  I will still have my common sense and be able to use my own good judgment if I am ever in a situation that I don't want to be in.

The bottom line is that I will be safe and I am not going to get some crazy sickness.