The First 8-Hour Flight

We made it to Amsterdam! Our flight from Columbus was late; so we had to hustle to the gate.  Our names were being announced by the time we got to the gate.  Fortunately, our seats weren't given away. We watched 3 movies, ate dinner, and breakfast.  We tried to sleep, but didn't.  Hopefully the next flight will bring some zzzzz's.  Below is a picture of us before taking off from Atlanta.  I'm sure the picture of us by the time we get to Kilimanjaro will be much different! Only 14 more hours to go!!

ALMOST!!

Tomorrow is the big day!  Today Bryan and I drove to Columbus with our dog Lily and with all of the bags (5 big bags, two carry on bags, and one Columbus over night bag). We had a nice family dinner and are now relaxing.  Bryan and my mom will help me bring the bags into the airport tomorrow morning, where we will meet Monica and Mike at about 10:30.  Below is a picture of Lily in the car.  There were so many bags in the car, that she chose to lay by my feet and gnaw her blanket.

Lily gnawing in the car

We are due to land in Kilimanjaro on Friday about 1:00 pm Ohio time.  I'll do my best to keep the blog updated! :)

Donations

This morning I spent some time in my cousin's warehouse organizing all of the donations.  A big THANK YOU goes out to my cousins/friends Patty and Joe! Patty helped me sort, organize and pack. Joe provide me with space, boxes, a fork lift, a big scale, and muscles.  He will ship the remaining bags to the Boston warehouse.  Thanks also to my husband, Bryan, for loading it all into the car!

Boston Shipment

4 Donation Bags (under 50 pounds each)

Packing

Yesterday I spent about 3 hours packing.  There is so much to bring! I'm actually proud of myself for limiting the clothing.  I followed the suggested list provided by RVCV, and didn't sway from that list.  Most of the cloths I'm bringing will be staying at the Village for other volunteers and kids.  I packed layers of clothing. The nights will be in the 50s, and the day time highs will be in the upper 60s to lower 70s.  Those of you that know me well will laugh at this---my shoe collection is not typical for my outfits.  I went for comfort, sturdiness, and coverage; not color coordinated, strappy, and tall.  You can expect most of the pictures with me in them to be waist up!  Half, if not more, of my bag consists of supplies needed: sun screen, LOTS of medicine, batteries, head lamps, LOTS of bug spray, Listerine, soap, snacks, and more!  The two pictures below are only part of the non-clothing contents. I also took a picture of my personal bag.

17 medications so far--a few are still at CVS.

SOME of the Supplies

My Bag

On Monday I'm going to my cousin's warehouse to sort through the donations and fill the duffle bags.  I'll be brining 3 bags of gifts, shampoo and medicine, and a 4th bag of book bags and paper --which were collected last year. (There were some left over last year.) My cousin will ship the remaining items to Boston, where a warehouse stores donations for RVCV.

Selsun Blue

June 19, 2013:

I finished moving my classroom today!  Now I can concentrate on preparing for my trip.  I leave for Columbus in 2 weeks.  The flight leaves in 15 days! This afternoon I spent some time organizing the donations.  I need to swap out one of the gift bags for some paper and book bags that were collected last year.  (Some were sent last year, and the rest are being stored until they are needed.)  I'm bringing four large bags stuffed with needed items: gifts, Selsun Blue, paper, book bags, and medicine (Advil, vitamins, eye drops, Calcium tablets). There are so many donations--I can't bring them all!  (What a positive problem!)  My cousin will store and the ship the remaining items to a warehouse in Boston.  Today I taped the 26 shampoo bottles shut so that they won't leak out on the airplane.  My cat, Hosta, had lots of fun watching and playing with bags.

Taped Shampoo Bottles

Hosta

Insurance, Donations, and Packed Car

 June 11, 2013:

I leave in 3 weeks and 2 days! Over the weekend I purchased the emergency travel insurance. I don't plan on getting sick, but just in case I do-- I'm covered.  Emergency travel (helicopter) and costs are covered under this plan.  My class and school community have been extremely supportive and generous!  We collected over 400 items.  I'll be bringing 4 duffle bags with me to RVCV.  A couple of more bags and boxes will be stored in a warehouse. There are more pictures of the Boulevard Service Project on my class website.  If you would like to learn/see more, please visit http://www.superbecerra.com/1213/Action1213/ActionProjects12-13.htm. 
 

Packed Car

Packed Car

Packed Car  

Many of the donations behind my couch

   

Visa, and Papers, and Shots, OH MY!

April 16, 2013:

Many things have fallen into place over the past month. I got my passport photos for my Visa, filled out  the Visa form, sent it to the Tanzanian Embassy in Washington DC (in the most secure way) with my passport, and received it all back just last week.  I got my last round of vaccinations--which left me feeling cruddy.  I'm just about back to normal.  I paid for my room and board for the month and for my Residence Permit. Next, I need to start learning some Swahili and purchase emergency medical insurance.  In 2.5 months, I'll be in Tanzania! Here is a video from a volunteer a few years ago!