Friday, July 20, 2007

The sky is falling

There's just so much to do! I'm nearing the final week of my current three week semester, in which I'm taking a Canadian Lit course and a film studies course, and I'm about ready to either give up or explode. Or maybe curl into the fetal position and hope that no one notices that I'm no longer a participating member of society.

For awhile, everything seemed to be coming together nicely. I got my criminal record checked, got my visa application and contract for employment in the mail, got immunized and all my prescriptions in order, bought my ticket and insurance, all the while whilst I kept on top of my schoolwork and even managed to tutor a few times a week. However, now everything seems to be crashing down around me.

I had a bad reaction to my Yellow Fever vaccine, which made my left arm swell up around the injection site, spreading a red ugly rash down my arm. It didn't really hurt (it was itchy as hell, though!), but my doctor was at a loss on how to deal with it, so I went back to the travel clinic and they told me to wait it out. Meanwhile, it continued to spread for a few more days (9 days in total!), but now, thankfully it's starting to lose it's angry red colour and heal from the inside out. Now it looks like I have a gigantic sour soother candy tattooed on my arm. It's pretty badass, if I do say so myself.

I also realized while trying to figure out my visa requirements that my passport needs to be valid for 6 months on my return date. People, take note. My passport expires in August 2008, and I'm coming back in April or May. I thought that was plenty of time, but apparently not. So, two months before I leave, I'm frantically trying to get a new passport in time that I can apply for a visa as well. Gong. Show. It was a whole day wasted in the passport office, jumping from queue to queue, until finally, after much deliberation as to whether my Guaranteer was acceptable, I was finally told that my passport will be in my hands within a few weeks. Learn from my mistake. Check your passport if you are planning on traveling anytime. Some countries won't even let you in if your passport isn't valid for 6 months on your return.

Other than that, I think I've fallen behind in school, despite my best efforts, and will be frantically trying to make up the work over the next week. I haven't yet missed a deadline, but next Thursday I have two essays and a term journal due. If anyone wants to send in reinforcements, I will be accepting them gratefully.

Always,

Emily

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

We welcome you to Munchkin Land

I got my shots today...*sniff*...I was very brave, so the nurse gave me a lollipop. Even though I'm 26 years old and shouldn't need a treat after 2 pokes with a needle, it was still oddly comforting. I am now immunized from Yellow Fever, Hep A and Typhoid. Oh yeah, and my sucker was orange flavoured, in case you were wondering.

Friday, July 6, 2007

I should be sleeping

I'm not sure why I'm not in bed. Perhaps it's because I feel like there is so much to do, and every time I close my eyes, I mentally run through a list of things I have to do rightthisminute or else the world is going to implode on itself.

I think I've figured out HOW to do most everything (visa application, finding housing, figuring out how to get place to place), but now it's time to start implementing these tactics, and I don't know where to start. Thanks to some newfound internet friends (I've never been one to talk to people I've never met, and now I have two people I correspond with every couple of days who are/have been in Ecuador), I have figured out exactly, step-by-step, how to obtain an intercultural visa, what I need to pack, what I can leave at home, where the best places to eat are, and some fun hostels I should check out whilst looking for more permanent accommodation. I've made doctor's appointments (apparently mine doesn't do physicals during the summer, which means I have to find one who does, and is willing to sign off on my trip, despite my kidney stuff), booked vaccination appointments, bought travel guidebooks (got the Lonely Planet Ecuador for only $4 from Russel's! And it's the previous version to the one that just came out!)...I still need to go get my criminal record check, which I'm procrastinating doing (not because I'm a dangerous criminal, but because I'm lazy and have a zit on my chin and what if there's a hot policeman? Gotta look my best!), and figure out how the heck I'm going to find the time to get over to the Ecuadorian Consulate in Richmond while I'm taking two summer classes this month everyday and one next month.

I know it seems like I should have a lot of time to do all this, after all, I'm not leaving for another 2.5 months, but everything takes so much TIME, and I'm in classes everyday, and when I'm not in classes, I'm trying to study and read and see people and be social...I don't anticipate having a spare moment until the end of August, and by then it'll be almost time for me to leave! And meanwhile I have to pack up my Victoria life, say goodbye to my friends, figure out what I need to bring for 6-8 months in a developing country, find a place to store my crap (U-Pak, I'm thinking) and tell my awesome landlord that I'm moving out of this super awesome apartment...Sigh. I'm gonna miss my cute little bachelor pad. And my nice soft bed with my pillows that have my drool on them (as opposed to some other random backpackers drool or bat/lizard shit).

I should sleep. Peace.

Always, Emily