Do you know how long I've been holding on to that joke? Since fifth grade and I found out about WHO. Anyway, I had to get my shots for Uganda today. It felt like my first real commitment to going. I mean, it was announced in the bulletin at church and I told all of my coworkers, but it was when I was telling the doctor and nurses about my trip that made it feel real - that and the $608 I laid down to cover the cost.
Before I went, I researched all of the shots that I might need based on recommendations from people who've gone before, the Uganda handbook, and the CDC's website. I found out a lot. First, almost every shot you could get was recommended for me. Second, Yellow Fever shots are required to re-enter the US once you've been to Uganda so I better not lose my card. Third, polio and typhoid still occur - especially in rural Africa. I tallied up my potential cost for all of my shots to be $745 - most of which was not covered by insurance.
When I spoke with the Dr. today, I was expecting to just have a consultation and then schedule my shots for another day. She was excited to hear that I was going to Uganda and told me about her trip to Kenya she was planning for the summer. She then went through the checklist of vaccines. I was up on my tetanus shot so I didn't have to get that one ($ in my pocket -thanks). I began my hep-A and hep-B series about 10 years ago, but never got the remaining shots. She said that I could continue the series where I left off so I was two shots into a five shot series ($160 saved on that). Yellow Fever shots were required as well as meningitis, she listed off polio, typhoid, and rabies. I was told I didn't need to get the rabies shots. Here was the conversation about typhoid and polio:
Dr. Meyers: Well, it's up to you.
Me: What do you think I should do?
Dr. Meyers: What part of Uganda are you going to?
Me: Karamoja, it's kind of remote... [at this point I was interrupted by her shaking head]
Dr. Meyers: OK, you're getting those, it's not worth the risk.
I love that it was no longer up to me. But I agree, $200 is worth not getting polio or being the next Typhoid Mary.
Side note: How many families have frequent conversations about the Typhoid epidemic in America? So often, in fact, that Typhoid Mary becomes a well used euphemism for anyone who is sick and gives it to someone else? Just mine...that's what I thought.
So then she proceeds to talk about Malaria medication. Well, this is just classic me. I'm the kind of person who can't remember the name of the movie I want to see when I'm buying a ticket at the counter. I fold under pressure. I also can't remember words really well because I just read the first letter and fake my way through the rest. I remembered that there were three different kinds of preventative meds. The first gave you sunburns and nausea. The second (it began with an L) gave people anxiety, paranoia, nightmares, and delusions. Ummm...do I need help in the crazy department...no thanks. The third (the M one) didn't have many side effects, but was expensive. More money less crazy and vomit please. Thankfully, Dr. Meyers felt the same way and understood my “I don’t want the one that begins with an L.” "I'll never prescribe it!" She said.
They proceeded to give me all six of my shots at once today. The nurse was really good at her job, but two of the shots hurt. They had to be injected into my tricep and they also burned a bit. She did my left arm first and I was really calm and didn't wince or anything. But as she made her way to my right, I could feel my arm tense. "You'll only make it hurt worse," I kept telling myself, but willing yourself to relax seldom works. It hurt.
She gave me band-aids, but not cartoon characters and although I asked her if I'd get a lollipop if I didn't cry and she said yes, I am still without candy. Liar! She did suggest that I not drink water. When I asked her why, she said, "Because it would just pour out all of the holes in your arms." She was really sweet.
So despite the fact that I feel a little achy and I almost had to ask for help to change into my pajamas (I did cry then), I think that I'll be fine. I'm really excited to have made this commitment. It makes the whole trip seem more real.
Just do me a favor. When you see me in the next couple of days avoid hitting me in the arm.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Funny things my roommate and I say and do...
Frankly, I think my roommate, Julie, and I are hilarious. We make each other laugh all the time because, well, we're super funny. Here is a sample of things that Julie and/or I have said that have made us laugh.
1. Tonight when Julie was going to bed.
Julie: Goodnight.
Brenda (distracted while typing): Goodbye.
Julie laughing. Brenda realizing her faux-pas: Or goodnight.
Julie: I'll see you on the other side of that journey we call sleep.
2. We bought festive flowers for Memorial day. They have glitter blue sticks in them that look like fireworks. We sing a new patriotic song in honor of these flowers (and our military heroes) every morning. In harmony. With percussive accompaniment. So loud that our neighbors can hear.
3. We play Jeopardy! while it's on. We mock the contestants for their lack of social/fashion sense. We then discuss how we would be much better dressed contestants and how great Julie's hair would be. We also often make nerd jokes about clues and categories. We mock Alex's mocking voice. We are just super funny. Trust me. You'd have to be there, but you'd laugh if you were.
4. Whenever we watch cheesy and predictable movies (or change that to 'when we watch tv') we always ask questions about the obvious plot direction and then answer them. For example, while watching some romance movie where the characters are obviously going to end up together, but are going through some contrived conflict, one of us will ask, "Oh, no! Will they ever get together?" and the other will respond, "I don't know. It seems like this conflict will keep them apart forever!"
5. When watching Pride and Prejudice we make the same comments we've made for the past 8 years of watching P and P. We clap four times during the dance in which they pause to clap. When Elizabeth says, "I can safely promise you never to dance with Mr. Darcy." one of us will say, "Oh, yes you will." When Darcy is done writing the letter and there is a strange sound in the background that supposed to be a rooster crowing, I say, "Why is there a dying woman screaming?" and Julie says, "It's a rooster." When Darcy is taking a bath we say, "Nude scene!" After the proposal at the end (sorry for the spoiler), they both turn to walk and Julie says, "And they just keep walking." The best part is that we say these same phrases as if they had just occurred to us. It's like some bizarre self-imposed ground hog day.
6. Instead of saying 'thank you', Julie says, "Donkey" is a mocking salute to her mother's inability to pronounce German. I reply with a "Bitter" and we laugh and laugh.
7. We often times will speak with strange accents that always turn into British or Russian.
8. We try to guess who's calling and who the phone is for whenever it rings. I mean EVERY time.
9. We sing whatever song is in one person's head so as to get it into the head of the other.
10. We try to guess what the other wants to eat and we are usually right.
Julie when she came home from choir practice: Guess what I was thinking about the whole way home from choir practice?
Brenda on her way to the kitchen: How you wanted milkshakes for dessert.
Julie: You read my mind!
11. We make up stories about what our neighbors are really doing based on the strange sounds that emanate at all hours of the day. Our latest idea is that they have taken up tap dancing, but have some strange disorder with their balance so they fall a lot. They are also currently remodeling which requires them to move all of their furniture to the bathroom by dragging it across the floor. They also like to bowl - with their dogs. Their baby is really quiet though.
12. We make up names for the neighbors we don't know. Ugly dogwalking lady, tai-chi man, Frisbee guy, skater boys, Gilbert's baby, crazy pool lady. We are obviously very creative.
13. The other night we had this conversation:
Brenda from her room with her window open: Wow! It's really raining hard!
Julie from her room: really?
Brenda: Wait, is it 11:30?
Julie: It's 11:38, why?
Brenda: It's just the sprinklers. Sorry.
Laugh riot, right? No really, if you lived here you would lose weight simply by the excessive laughter burning calories. But you'd probably gain it all back from the plethora of snacks available - and the milkshakes. But you'd be happy.
1. Tonight when Julie was going to bed.
Julie: Goodnight.
Brenda (distracted while typing): Goodbye.
Julie laughing. Brenda realizing her faux-pas: Or goodnight.
Julie: I'll see you on the other side of that journey we call sleep.
2. We bought festive flowers for Memorial day. They have glitter blue sticks in them that look like fireworks. We sing a new patriotic song in honor of these flowers (and our military heroes) every morning. In harmony. With percussive accompaniment. So loud that our neighbors can hear.
3. We play Jeopardy! while it's on. We mock the contestants for their lack of social/fashion sense. We then discuss how we would be much better dressed contestants and how great Julie's hair would be. We also often make nerd jokes about clues and categories. We mock Alex's mocking voice. We are just super funny. Trust me. You'd have to be there, but you'd laugh if you were.
4. Whenever we watch cheesy and predictable movies (or change that to 'when we watch tv') we always ask questions about the obvious plot direction and then answer them. For example, while watching some romance movie where the characters are obviously going to end up together, but are going through some contrived conflict, one of us will ask, "Oh, no! Will they ever get together?" and the other will respond, "I don't know. It seems like this conflict will keep them apart forever!"
5. When watching Pride and Prejudice we make the same comments we've made for the past 8 years of watching P and P. We clap four times during the dance in which they pause to clap. When Elizabeth says, "I can safely promise you never to dance with Mr. Darcy." one of us will say, "Oh, yes you will." When Darcy is done writing the letter and there is a strange sound in the background that supposed to be a rooster crowing, I say, "Why is there a dying woman screaming?" and Julie says, "It's a rooster." When Darcy is taking a bath we say, "Nude scene!" After the proposal at the end (sorry for the spoiler), they both turn to walk and Julie says, "And they just keep walking." The best part is that we say these same phrases as if they had just occurred to us. It's like some bizarre self-imposed ground hog day.
6. Instead of saying 'thank you', Julie says, "Donkey" is a mocking salute to her mother's inability to pronounce German. I reply with a "Bitter" and we laugh and laugh.
7. We often times will speak with strange accents that always turn into British or Russian.
8. We try to guess who's calling and who the phone is for whenever it rings. I mean EVERY time.
9. We sing whatever song is in one person's head so as to get it into the head of the other.
10. We try to guess what the other wants to eat and we are usually right.
Julie when she came home from choir practice: Guess what I was thinking about the whole way home from choir practice?
Brenda on her way to the kitchen: How you wanted milkshakes for dessert.
Julie: You read my mind!
11. We make up stories about what our neighbors are really doing based on the strange sounds that emanate at all hours of the day. Our latest idea is that they have taken up tap dancing, but have some strange disorder with their balance so they fall a lot. They are also currently remodeling which requires them to move all of their furniture to the bathroom by dragging it across the floor. They also like to bowl - with their dogs. Their baby is really quiet though.
12. We make up names for the neighbors we don't know. Ugly dogwalking lady, tai-chi man, Frisbee guy, skater boys, Gilbert's baby, crazy pool lady. We are obviously very creative.
13. The other night we had this conversation:
Brenda from her room with her window open: Wow! It's really raining hard!
Julie from her room: really?
Brenda: Wait, is it 11:30?
Julie: It's 11:38, why?
Brenda: It's just the sprinklers. Sorry.
Laugh riot, right? No really, if you lived here you would lose weight simply by the excessive laughter burning calories. But you'd probably gain it all back from the plethora of snacks available - and the milkshakes. But you'd be happy.
Monday, May 19, 2008
My crazy summer!
I have a tendancy to overbook. I fill each moment of every day with some plans. I usually like this kind of life. I am reminded by the sane people around me that I need to take time to rest and recouperate, etc. and I am glad for them. I will totally ignore them when it comes to this summer.
School gets out on the 19th (a Thursday). I will be on summer vacation from the 20th through the 24th - 5 glorious days. On the 25th of June, I will fly in an airplane with 19 teenagers and 3 other adults to Washington D.C. It's the first time I've been on a D.C. trip with kids and I cannot wait. It should be pretty wonderful with tons of supervision and other people planning the details. I'm just there to make sure the great kids don't kill each other. Also, my dear friend Laura (who lives in Montana), will happen to be in Washington, D.C. at the same time. We'll get to see eachother and that makes me happy.
I will fly home on the 29th of June (it was supposed to be on the 28th, my birthday, but plans changed and now I'm not going to be with family on my birthday and I'll miss another week of church!). I should arrive late in the evening.
I will get the 30th - July 11th off. I plan to use that time having birthday parties, picnics, recording for VBS, seeing Wicked, and packing. On the 12th, I'll be driving with my parents, brothers, Erin, and the kids to visit the aforementioned Laura in Montana. Yes, I'm driving with my whole immediate family to a state far far away. During the trip we may also get to visit Opa and his new wife in Yellowstone (my first time going). We are taking two vehicles and a trailer. We'll be camping all the way. This may sound like torture to some of you, but that's only if you've never been on one of my mom's trips. She can make every trip educational, amazingly fun, and so well planned that she can tell you the time of every stop to the minute (+/- 3 minutes). Seriously, she's the best!
We should come home on the 25th of July, a Friday, just in time to go to Danny and Katybeth's wedding on the 26th. I plan to go to church on the 27th. On the 28th, I plan to leave for Uganda until the 22nd of August. I'm going there to teach in the Karamoja region. I'm really excited about the trip and I only have moments of fear. I just learned that I will be there when the Goodheart sisters (at least Laura and Karen Goodheart) will be in Uganda. We overlap about 12 days!
When I come home, I have the weekend to recover and then I have superweek at school. Superweek is the week before classes start where teachers can take all sorts of classes and seminars for free on various topics. I was invited to actually speak at one seminar, but I decided that I was a little busy this summer to plan that too. Yes, I actually turned something down! I'm growing.
So, this is my crazy summer. You know, as busy as it sounds, I'll actually probably have more rest than usual. Think about it, I'll be far away from my usual activities and friends. I'll be spending much of my time either in a car, at a campsite, or in a remote African village (with internet access). Except for the jet lag, I should be very rested this summer. I'll keep you all updated. And I'll appreciate your prayers for safety and health during my Africa trip (and I suppose all the other ones too!)
School gets out on the 19th (a Thursday). I will be on summer vacation from the 20th through the 24th - 5 glorious days. On the 25th of June, I will fly in an airplane with 19 teenagers and 3 other adults to Washington D.C. It's the first time I've been on a D.C. trip with kids and I cannot wait. It should be pretty wonderful with tons of supervision and other people planning the details. I'm just there to make sure the great kids don't kill each other. Also, my dear friend Laura (who lives in Montana), will happen to be in Washington, D.C. at the same time. We'll get to see eachother and that makes me happy.
I will fly home on the 29th of June (it was supposed to be on the 28th, my birthday, but plans changed and now I'm not going to be with family on my birthday and I'll miss another week of church!). I should arrive late in the evening.
I will get the 30th - July 11th off. I plan to use that time having birthday parties, picnics, recording for VBS, seeing Wicked, and packing. On the 12th, I'll be driving with my parents, brothers, Erin, and the kids to visit the aforementioned Laura in Montana. Yes, I'm driving with my whole immediate family to a state far far away. During the trip we may also get to visit Opa and his new wife in Yellowstone (my first time going). We are taking two vehicles and a trailer. We'll be camping all the way. This may sound like torture to some of you, but that's only if you've never been on one of my mom's trips. She can make every trip educational, amazingly fun, and so well planned that she can tell you the time of every stop to the minute (+/- 3 minutes). Seriously, she's the best!
We should come home on the 25th of July, a Friday, just in time to go to Danny and Katybeth's wedding on the 26th. I plan to go to church on the 27th. On the 28th, I plan to leave for Uganda until the 22nd of August. I'm going there to teach in the Karamoja region. I'm really excited about the trip and I only have moments of fear. I just learned that I will be there when the Goodheart sisters (at least Laura and Karen Goodheart) will be in Uganda. We overlap about 12 days!
When I come home, I have the weekend to recover and then I have superweek at school. Superweek is the week before classes start where teachers can take all sorts of classes and seminars for free on various topics. I was invited to actually speak at one seminar, but I decided that I was a little busy this summer to plan that too. Yes, I actually turned something down! I'm growing.
So, this is my crazy summer. You know, as busy as it sounds, I'll actually probably have more rest than usual. Think about it, I'll be far away from my usual activities and friends. I'll be spending much of my time either in a car, at a campsite, or in a remote African village (with internet access). Except for the jet lag, I should be very rested this summer. I'll keep you all updated. And I'll appreciate your prayers for safety and health during my Africa trip (and I suppose all the other ones too!)
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