Preparations Begin

It's slowly sinking in...that I'm going to be living in Africa for 6 months, but it all still feels a little intangible. Nevertheless, preparations are underway. In the last few days I've managed to:

• set up a fundraising web page (www.firstgiving.com/jenjackson)
• complete some of the WT (WorldTeach) paperwork
• secure the DJs and space for the fundraiser party
• send out a save-the-date for the party
• write up a little "flyer" about Namibia and WorldTeach to include in my fundraising letters
• tell my boss that I'm leaving <--- this was the biggy

I'm sure as I continue to cross off items from my oh-so-long to-do list, particularly when I start cleaning out my apartment, that everything will feel much more real.

It's funny the things people focus on when they hear I'm going to Africa. My boyfriend's mother the other day out of the blue said, "I'm worried about malaria. I don't want you to get malaria." I replied with, "Well, I don't want to get malaria either. And a lot is just going to depend on where in the country I get placed."

I realized though that I hadn't given much thought to things like malaria. I've travelled through countries where malaria is an issue here and there, but not a big one, and certainly not for an extended period of time. I can't say I'm worried about it, even though I AM the one that always seems to play 'mosquito bait'. I guess right now there is just too much that's unknown and too much to do to get caught up thinking about things like that.

I am excited though. Boy, my heart is kind of beating a little bit faster as I sit here and write my first blog post...imagining myself on the other side of the world in a few months doing the same thing.