To Do List

By 2:55pm March 2nd (time/date of departure)

• Make a to-do list
  
• 3 discharge reports for my remaining early-intervention clients
• 10:45am 2/22/2011 Travel Health Clinic appointment to make sure my vaccinations are up to date and to get anti-malarial medication for the Africa/South Asia part of my trip... and emergency meds for traveler's diarrhea
• 11:00am 2/24/2011 Follow-up appointment to get shots
  
• Cancel YMCA membership because I won't be here for 3 months.
• Call credit & debit card companies to notify that I might use them out of country
• Get travel health insurance
• Register with US Embassy so they know where I am in case of emergencies
• Buy plane tickets from Chicago to Kolkata to Nairobi to Accra and back to Chicago, using a discounted humanitarian fare, if possible.
• Collect Spanish children books, educational toys (things from Peru's list of requests) from people and from Goodwill stores


• Pack 2 suitcases full of donations; make sure they weigh under 70 lbs (these will stay in Peru)
  
• Pack my backpack of my own clothes and necessities (sanitizer, infrared water purifier, insect repellent, camp towel...)
  
• Get multivitamin chewables (bc I am NOT good with pills), in case the food is not nutritious enough (this is more relevant for Africa; I bet it'll be fine in Peru), and non-perishable, healthy snacks
  
• Get a pocket Spanish-English dictionary
• Get things to do during the 17 hours of travel on the way there, and 23 hours on the way back (upload e-books!)
• Saturday 2/26/2011 phone meeting with ThWB's Psychotherapist Consultant, part of the new ThWB Advisory Board
• Make sure I bring enough memory for my camera!
• Constant contact with India, Kenya, and Ghana people to keep planning/preparing
  
• Find my passport. I swear it's somewhere in my room.

I will return to Chicago March 15th. The next set of travel will be March 29 or so. While I'm back home (more to be determined):

• Submit my passport and other required items to Passportsandvisas.com to get my India and Ghana visas expedited. Kenya visa can be purchased upon arrival.
  
• Start the anti-malarial medication (2 wks before travel)
  
• Pay volunteer fees to Village Volunteers
  
• Get more suitcases and more donations to fill them with
• Upload all pictures and clear memory to prepare for more
• Update ThWB website as much as possible with new information!
  
• Finish my guidebook for caregivers of people with disabilities
• Cut hair and donate to Locks of Love