28 Days and Counting

Take Off

I will be departing for Lome' on Tuesday, August 26, 2008. The flight leaves Atlanta, layovers in New York, and then heads straight for Accra, Ghana. I should arrive in Ghana on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 8:20AM. After my arrival in Ghana, I will board a plane and fly from Acrra, Ghana and Lome', Togo. My total flight time will be approximately 19-20 hours (Thank God for ipods, books, and granola bars!). Lome' is four hours ahead of US Eastern time. I step my feet on Togo soil at 11:40 AM, Wednesday, August 27, 2008 (that would be 7:40 AM Atlanta).

Vaccines, Medicine, and More

Who knew that traveling to Africa would require such extensive vaccines and medication. Up to date, I have had a total of five vaccines: Polio, Meningitis, Rabies, Typhoid, and Hepatitis A. All of these injections were received in a 5 minute time frame. Needless to say, my body had a difficult time acclimating. I had a 102 degree fever the following day:-(

Some would say, "Good job, Shelley. You made it through five shots and now it is time to go to Africa." My response would have to be, " WRONG!" I still have two more vaccines (Yellow Fever and MMR). I am putting these off as long as I possibly can. There is no time to be confined to the bed with a fever from those vaccines. I have people and see and things to do before I leave.

Not only do I have vaccines, I have to take Malaria medication every day starting two days before my departure and one month after my arrival back to the United States. The Malaria medication (the prescription in my price range, which is 60 cents per pill) is an antibiotic. Ladies you know what that means:-( Now I have to take medication to fight the itching and irritability that can be caused by antibiotics. When will this end!

My Lome' Connection

Thanks to my dear Friend Amber F. (you know who you are), who is always looking out for me despite the distance between us. Amber put me in contact with a US family, who was moving to Lome for 18 months. I have been e-mailing back and forth with this family and it is so heart warming to know I have a familiar faces (even though I have never seen them). This family has offered me the use of their washer and dryer and just good ol' fellowship if I need it. This is truly a blessing from God.