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| This is how I feel... |
I don't normally like to write in my travel blog pre-departure. But this next adventure, I feel, needs some kind of primer in this journal. Not just in case some curious passersby’s come to read my stories - I feel like I need to document somehow the intensity that has flooded my life for about 2 months at the end of 2011. Even if it ends up some tome-like journal entry. Which it is. Skim away, if you’d like.
Oh my goodness. I'm moving to Rwanda.
There's a certain disbelief in me as I prepare myself. Alright, a lot of disbelief. I have wanted, dreamed, strived to go to Africa for I don't know how long. I had started to believe that it was never going to happen. The kind of goals or dreams you put on your fireplace mantle and polish once in a while to remind you of what you've wanted.
I have never understood fully my deep interest and passion in going to travel the world and live in other places, especially Africa. Sometimes, I wish I didn't have this pull. I wish that I could be complacent and happy staying and doing whatever. However, the universe - and my soul - has had completely different plans for me than that. It seems that I am destined for something that I don't quite know, yet, and I have to just follow the path and the waves.
I have looked for years for opportunities in Africa. The problem is that...most opportunities were more cost than benefit to me. I can't do PeaceCorps - I am a health liability with my medical records (read: Hashimoto's). They don't want to drop me off in some rural area of wherever and find me 6 months from now in a coma. I get that. And I can't do the normal volunteer route that so many people I know and have spoken to have done. I could never afford to take a few months out of my life and pay my way through volunteering abroad. You know, paying my dues, as many public servants tell me. The idea is kind of ludicrous to my business self; why on Earth would I pay money to work for organizations, when my work is perfectly salary-worthy? And my parents have been incredibly supportive, but the idea of them paying for my life any more than they already have was vomit-inducing.
And looking for jobs that pay over there have prohibitive requirements for me. Primarily, you must have already lived in Africa before. Kind of strange, many of the jobs I was qualified for, except this one piece of information. It was much like a club card, in my head. You can't go to Africa unless you're already in the Africa club. So, I was told to travel and get more international experience. Which brings us back to the previous obstacles. The easy paths burned up pretty quickly for me, in these senses.
And then in a matter of a very brief period of time, something that I could work with fell into my lap. Teaching business math (I love math) for girls in Kigali with a school. It doesn't pay much, but it pays enough. And I've mustered enough money on my end to make it work. It was like meeting opportunity halfway.
I though to myself, I can teach. And the contract is so far only for 9 months - I can come back if I need to. Or perhaps it'll be so perfect that I end up staying. I don't know, yet. Part of me wants it to be brief, and part of me is curious to see what unfolds.
The pain in leaving comes with The Man. I love him so much, and the idea of not having him there with me is heartbreaking. The idea of having to go our ways for a while so that we can do what we need to do has had me cry many nights. It's more or less horrifying right now, to me. But he's fantastic, we've talked a lot, and there's a chance (a really good chance, if I have any say) that he could find opportunity here, and come join me. I pray every night that something good crops up for him that fills his soul and can join me, if it's in our best interest.
I've been extremely surprised at how many people I know have mentioned their interest in coming to visit me. Some friends have said, "Well, I was planning on going to Kenya anyways...", "My grandfather really loved Rwanda, and I've always wanted to visit...", "I'd LOVE to see the gorillas!"... I hope that people actually take up on their interests.
Feelings and emotions aside (because I have a lot of those...), the preparations have been a bit overwhelming. I've had less than 2 months to organize and everything, from tying up pieces here to opening things there. And it's been a lot of stuff, a lot I hadn't even really considered. I'm not going with a program that does everything for you, or offers you housing. For all intents and purposes, I'm on my own. The journey so far has been pretty full. And, as I know of myself, I better organize thoughts in lists. Lists, thus, are the way for this post.
Moving: I must love moving a lot, because I do it at least once a year. I have been, at least, for the last 7 years. That’s sarcasm – I hate moving all of my belongings in one big, strenuous day of crying, mishaps, and losing things. But alas, and alack. Moving had to happen.
It was not an idea moving situation. I mentioned to my ex-roommates the notion of me moving to Africa, and before I knew it, they had someone waiting to hear if I was moving or not because they wanted the room. I wanted more time. And I regret telling them my thoughts before I signed any papers. I accepted the job in Rwanda and moved out of my place in 2 weeks. And a jarring 2 weeks it was; I packed up everything I had, and got rid of a few things that I knew I wouldn’t need again. And I had to deconstruct shelves and buy more plastic boxes to put more things in it. It was a frantic move. I hurt every moment of it. But it’s over.
I had about 1.5 carloads of stuff to move. The bed remained on the curb. Did I mention we didn’t rent a truck? Our old Buick Park Avenue that moved me from Old Place to The Man’s Place. One trip of my stuff went to my dad’s for storage, the other one went to The Man’s. Dad and his roommate complained that I had too much stuff. But, I think for someone who’s lived on their own for about two years, I don’t have much stuff at all. Really, I don’t. It just feels like it when you’re coming down to the wire. But, done is done, and I moved one evening after work, and that was that.
Housing: This was the most daunting thing for me, at first. From what I've read, expats pay around $300+ monthly for housing; that's a lot more than I could muster, I know. Some people pay up to a grand! A grand?! Aren't we in Africa?!
Based on recommendations from the founder of the girls' school, I joined a listserve for Kigali folks, called Kigali Life. This listserve has dozens of emails a day from people with offers and asking for help. So, I posted a request for free/cheap accommodations on the listserve, thinking, "What on Earth do I expect to come out of that?!" Surprisingly, a whole lot. I got lots of emails. Local Rwandans offering me to stay with their families; expats offering (slightly pricier than I can pay) rooms in their houses; Rwandans apologizing (apologizing?!) for not being able to offer me space. And one US woman emailed me with an offer - a place to stay with her local Rwandan roommates while she's in the US doing some things for a few months. And the rent is fantastic - $100/month! The house is cute, and I don't need frills, so I said, "Why not?!" And the woman and I have started emailing back and forth, much like a pen pal system. It seems that we actually are QUITE a lot alike, with similar interests and everything. She has been instrumental in my preparations, with her recommendations and insights on the country where I will be moving in January. I'm actually really excited to meet her and the future roommates. It sounds like a great match - I hope it lives up to what it sounds like!
Airfare: Airfare to Kigali is, of course, ridiculous. It's not a very well-traversed flight path, to date. So there's a lot of planning and praying and figuring out what works on your schedule and your wallet. My dad has been really helpful with this, actually. I used CheapOAir.com, which is alright for finding cheaper flights (albeit not that much cheaper). Only they've changed my flights a few times already, and for each set of roundtrip tickets I've reserved, they had to immediately alter the flights to pretty different itineraries. Which means more money. To be honest, I don't know if I actually saved any money. But it's done.
I had to buy two roundtrip tickets - one for getting there and coming back at the end of the contract, and one for coming and going to my sister'swedding in May. A 3-day stop in Boston for big wedding?! I am a little bit worried about that, but do I have much choice? I'm going to make the most of the brief stopover, and I plan on switching out my wardrobe to freshen up my style a bit. I'm trying to minimize my packing load. More on that later…
Visa & Staying: Thankfully, Rwanda doesn't necessarily require a visa to enter their country; they give you a visa once you get there. Now I just have to figure out the rest of that visa stuff, later...
...As well as the banking information...I know I'll bring my banking card with me, but I have a feeling I'll need to get an African bank account. I'm currently eying Ecobank or Fina Bank. Not sure, at all. I really don't know what I'm talking about on this. But I am also trying to make a nice buffer, or cushion, of cash for when I'm there. And therein lays the main challenge for the moment...
And I have had to register with the US Embassy there, so that they know I'm there, just in case. I think it's amazing that I have to really make sure they know I exist. Because Africa is such a hotspot for conflict. Granted, Rwanda seems to have gotten over its conflict pretty decently, and they are very safe now. But you never know what could happen, nowadays. Or, rather, ever.
Mail: It's something so simple that is so easy to forget. I had to change everything I have my address on, ever, to my dad's. My dad is letting me use his address while I'm away. It makes sense to me - that way the address change isn't too grand. But everything has to change! And it's hard to remember everything. Amazon, banks, insurance, PayPal, retirement accounts, old work places, membership organizations, friends, visa accounts... And mail forwarding (brought to you by USPS) can only do so much, much to my chagrin. So that takes up a lot of thinking and time. But I think, after combing my thoughts, I think it's done!
And as I have continued getting prepared for this move, I remembered something so easily forgotten - my driver's license is going to expire in a few weeks! On my birthday, to be exact. Sooo sometime I have to do that. I haven't decided which state I should maintain my residence. Which one makes more sense, anymore?
Vaccines: Thank goodness most vaccines I had to receive already for my trips to India and Guatemala. The only vaccine I had left was Yellow Fever. The shot spot still itches and is a bit read, but last week I got the flu shot and Yellow Fever, and happily got my yellow card that proves I'm immunized. It's so funny, to me, that this piece of flimsy cardboard could make or break your ability to enter another country. Just one more thing to remember...
Funny story about that appointment at the doctor's... I knew my insurance wouldn't cover the travel clinic, $100. And I knew it wouldn't cover my vaccines, $150. A necessary evil, I guess. But when I got to the receptionist to pay, she mentioned that my fee was $275 - $25 more than I had initially anticipated. Being a bit of a miser right now, I mentioned I hadn't known about the additional cost, and she became immediately impatient with me. So she called one of the health center's accountants to ask her about me. This kind of exacerbated me, and I tried to encourage her to get off the phone. No, I'll pay, it's okay. But she was still on the phone, looking pensive and scribbling/typing things in, looking at me. I became flabbergasted. This isn't supposed to be that hard! When she hung up the phone, however, she mentioned that she was glad she called; I had $185 in credit at the center! Some insurance hiccup from a while back. So, instead of paying the big bill I thought I'd pay, I only had $90 to pay! I was so happy!
Oh, and about malaria. I love my doctor, for one thing. He's the first doctor I've ever had that made me feel comfortable and listened to. He's an integrative doctor, with more holistic insights than most, and he listens. I love that. And he knows how sensitive I am to medications, and how reluctant I am to take pills. So after a good discussion, we both decided pleasantly that malaria pills for 9 months would be too costly, both financially and physically. So I promised to take every other precaution I can. So, I'll be wearing long sleeve outfits at night, and sleeping in a bednet (my roommate-to-be got mine already), and I'll wear DEET. Fortunately, I'll have insurance, so if I need to be treated at all, I have that.
Insurance: I have to say, kudos (so far) to Seven Corners. They have a great comprehensive list of insurance options, and their customer reps are totally knowledgeable on their products. One guy specifically (His name is Ron!) walked through with me the best options I had and for decent prices. So I bought the insurance for my trip, and I'm so happy that wasn't as difficult as US insurance can be.
I also bought the International Volunteer Card. I don't remember at all how I know about it, but it's got discounts, and some additional travel insurance (including dental). I think I'll be alright.
Supplies: Things I never would have considered to pack seem to keep coming out of the woodwork and are being added to my "to buy" list. The ever-growing list...
Thank you, my future housemate-to-be. She's been really helpful for my journey of hunting and gathering for this trip.
Things I never thought about before that I am packing include:
- solar-powered flashlights, with USB plugs to charge other electronics
- a rain suit
- leggings (this actually I heard about some Kenyan women wearing leggings/stockings to work to prevent assault)
- a jump rope for exercise (thank you, my seasoned-traveler friend, Felicity!)
- an eReader (I believe this is going to be a Christmas gift from my family. Thank you in advance!), as there might not be more to do for fun, especially on my budget
- a hard drive
- gluten digestive enzymes (I've been told to suck it up while I'm abroad)
- a year’s supply of medications (no no, thank YOU, Canadadrugs.com!)
- hiking boots
- etc.
Packing: Packing would be a whole lot simple, if it weren't for the textbooks. I'm hauling with me some textbooks for the school. And, well, textbooks are bulky and heavy. I've negotiated to take fewer books than they sent me to Rwanda, but it's still 30 extra pounds of stuff. I worry I'll be going over limits at the airport. I'm hoping I won't have to pay too much in fees, I can't afford it!
I roll absolutely everything that can be rolled in my luggage. That's the only way I'll get everything there within the 2-bag limit. I swear by rolled clothing.
Preparing Classwork: Something that stresses me out a bit has been the need to prepare for my classroom in Kigali. I’m teaching 3 classes: math, IT, and financial accounting. The first two are easy as cake for me. The latter, well…it’s been a while, let’s say. So I’ve been rereading my NYU Stern business school textbooks and trying to remember all I can so that I can teach it. It makes me nervous, but I’m smart. I can do it. I can! I must!!
And I received a deadline for my syllabi. I nearly panicked.
Not (just) because of my impending departure date to some brave new world with such things in it. I am, after all, in NYC working 3+ jobs and running around trying to clean my life up. Freelancing full time, plus tutoring, plus consulting. It adds up. I haven’t seen the gym in a while, and it shows. And adding more dishes to my weight has gotten me in a bit of a fix.
Fortunately, previous teachers at this school have written these syllabi before. I used their syllabi (HEAVILY) to create my own. Now I just need to make sure that it works for the director of the school. Fingers crossed!
Tying up ends here: Refer to the last few sentences above. I have many responsibilities here. And I’m trying to delegate some of these tasks in a way so that I can come back and reinstate myself at these positions. That means, finding friends who can take over my students. That means, figuring out how much I can help out my consulting clients. That means, maintaining fantastic relationships with the company I freelance and love so much so that I can come back and play with them again. And settling debts. And seeing friends. And then there’s Christmas…
I’ve got 18 days to go. I think I’ll be ready by then…
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