Visa and medicine

It's getting closer and closer to the date I actually leave for Uganda. I'm still in a state of disbelief about even going to Africa. It's kind of like when I was a kid and I designed my own house using shoe boxes and I picked all of the furniture out of the IKEA catalogue and made a budget for the cost of furnishing each room (yep, even then I was a dork). I did all of this planning and I enjoyed it, but I never expected to actually furnish the house. I was just planning.
So I've spent all of the money and I've filled out all of this paperwork and I've made phone calls and such, but my heart doesn't believe that I'm really going. I am certainly not emotionally prepared to go yet.

But I keep trekking on. So this week, Tuesday, I (with the wonderful help of my parents) filled out the application for my Visa to go to Uganda. I was particularly careful about each detail of the application and I made copies of all of my paperwork I had to send in (including my passport and yellow fever card).

Included in the package I sent I had to have two passport photos. I went to Kinkos and had the guy take my picture. I was without make-up and particularly feeling ugly. I had this flash to my mother's green card picture in which she was unable to smile and looked very much like a criminal. I thought that I couldn't smile for this one either. So I didn't and I looked like a criminal. An ugly one at that. After the pictures were printed, I looked at my passport picture and saw my big smile. What a dork! Of course I can smile for this. Why not! So I sent two of the ugliest pictures of me to the Ugandan consulate, hoping that they wouldn't be permanently added to any documentation I might need.

$100 later, I was forced to simply trust the USPS and the Ugandan consulate to not lose my passport and to return everything before the end of July.

I was then off to get my prescription filled for my anti-malaria pills that I chose to get. Previously I mentioned why I chose this particular brand of drugs - they were expensive, but had the least amount of side effects. I turned in the paper to the Wallgreens guy and asked him to call me back to the counter when he discovered the cost of my pills.

Five minutes later, while perusing some wonderful birthday cards, I was called over to the counter. "Your insurance doesn't cover this," He said, flinching. "It's rather expensive," he continued.

"Yes, I know. How much?"

"$246..." he looked like I was about to hit him or cry or pass out in shock.

"I suspected. Ok."

"You still want us to fill it?"

"Yep."

I was reminded of the time I was buying my house and you're dealing with numbers like $350,000 and $70,000 and someone says the price of the inspection is $100 and it instantly feels like the cheapest thing in the world. I'm in a similar state of mind. So my prescription is filled and all I have to do is wait for my visa...ding dong...(my impersonation of the door bell). At the door today was my package from the Ugandan consulate containing my passport with my yellow fever paper stapled inside and a beautiful Visa sticker on page 17! I have a VISA!!! I cannot believe the turnaround. I mailed it on Tuesday and it arrived on Wednesday in DC. Friday was a holiday and it arrived today in CA! Amazing! I will have to take back my distrust of the USPS. All that's left to do is pack.