Getting Ready for Kenya!

4/3/11:
It all started on a regular Monday night with an out of the blue e-mail from an old friend. One of those old friends that even though you don’t talk to each other regularly, when you do get together it is just like you are back in sixth grade again and no time has ever passed. Marianne sent an e-mail entitled “AFRICA?” saying that she knew we had been talking about going to Australia next year but would I be interested in possibly going to Africa on a safari with her this year. It took all of 3 minutes for me to write back that I was planning a trip with my brother and wasn’t sure if I could afford to do both but I would check my finances and get back to her as the excitement was already starting to build. She replied with the itinerary and an invite extended to my brother to join us…and a trip of a lifetime was in the making!

4/6/11:
When the idea of this trip first came up I realized it was so far out of my realm and comfort zone that it had never even made it to my bucket list. Africa, maybe, but a camping safari in Kenya with bugs and wild animals, not quite. I love being in the outdoors and hiking but come night time I want a soft cushy bed and a hot shower. I keep wondering what it is going to feel like being in nature with the animals. I’ve been on many a “safari” at Disney and Busch Gardens and been up close and personal with giraffe, hippos, elephants, and other animals…I know that it will not even compare but I have to admit that I will be more than a little disappointed if it does. After all, Disney World does not require a 30 hour flight nor a host of immunizations to get there.

And onto the topic of immunizations…I’ve made my appointment for next Friday to consult on what immunizations I may need and am surprised that I am not all that freaked out by it. At this point in time it seems like just another check on the list of things to get done before I can go on this exotic adventure. We’ll see if I still feel that way when the nurse is standing in front of me holding the giant needle.

4/9/11:
I’m expecting my poor little credit card to pass out from exhaustion any day now. While it will all get paid off at the end of the month, I’ve had to put the plane tickets for both my brother and me and the actual safari on the card (as well as tickets non-safari related but very exciting none-the-less to see Michael Buble in concert and the Zac Brown Band in concert) and now I bought a new fancy digital SLR camera in preparation for my trip! I’ve been eyeing one for a few years now but kept waiting for the right time to purchase and what better time then right before an African safari!? I bought it online so I won’t actually get it for a few days but I am so excited to start playing with it and trying out all the cool features so I will be ready come June for this trip.

4/15/11:
I went for my first immunization appointment and have 2 shots down and 2 more to go! I had to get the tetanus shot and the polio booster today. I was most weary of the tetanus shot and was praying I would not be super sore after it so I planned my appointment for a Friday just in case so that it wouldn’t interrupt my work. A little tip from the nurse that worked fabulously: flap your arm like a chicken wing to disperse the shot into the muscle and keep from getting sore! All these years and no one has ever told me that before about a shot. It worked like a charm. Granted the person in the car next to me on the way home probably thought I had a few screws loose as I was flapping down the road and singing to the radio.

5/1/11:
The trip is booked, I just received my visa in the mail, and now onto the fun part of preparations…shopping! I realized quite quickly that I don’t exactly have appropriate clothing for a safari. I’m not exactly the most outdoorsy of people so a trip to the outlet mall to meet up with a friend was the perfect chance to look for some more safari appropriate clothing. Here’s what I discovered: 1) if you wait until it gets warm out then all the long sleeve stuff is onsale- BONUS! 2) A fabulous pair of pants that can be worn long, Capri, or as shorts- score! And extra score is they come in long sizes to fit my legs J
Everytime I get something new done for the trip it just feels a little bit closer and more real. I’m still a bit in awe of the fact that I am actually getting to do this trip!