Countdown to Tanzania! 1 month!

I received my visa today so it's official... I'm going to Tanzania!!! I will be in Moshi, a bustling town right outside of the Mt Kilimanjaro park and very close to the Kenyan border. For those of you who will be keeping up with my travels in Africa via Local Townie, I will post periodically before I leave on October 25 and will post as much as possible while I'm in Tanzania (although I make no promises with the internet access!).

The countdown is on! 1 month!

I will be staying in a compound for volunteers that are working at KCMC (Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center) in Moshi, Tanzania with other international medical students, physicians, and volunteers. Duke has a relationship with the hospital and I will be attending rounds in the pediatric wards. A student went from the acute/chronic program last year, but no one has gone from the primary care program before so I will be the first, which should be interesting since I'll also be working in a children's clinic in town.

I'm starting to pack and starting with my small arsenal of a pharmacy which will include: advil, malaria prophylaxis, diamox (for high altitudes), cipro (for those GI bugs), pedilyte (for rehydration after the GI bugs), probiotics (to return to normal after the GI bugs), bug spray.

I am up to date on all my vaccines after next week with yellow fever, HepA, flu, and typhoid.

The reality of my trip has only partially set in but what's more unreal is that when I finish this trip, I will be finished with graduate school. Just one short month of Raleigh clinic work and two months abroad stand in the way of me being a PNP and that's pretty hard to believe!

My family and friends have done well to support me in organizing this trip while battling "Africa time" and encouraging me to take this opportunity. It will undoubtedly be the greatest adventure I have ever embarked on.