Now that I'm on the eve of another East African departure, I can't believe how recently I returned. I've fallen back into comfortable, LAZY, fun patterns of home. I spent many an hour talking to my cats, staying up late watching movies, and attempting to finish The Stand (Mission: Unaccomplished). I worked about 15 hours a week at the library and babysitting, yet managed to save maybe $50. What can I say, Pad Thai is an expensive habit. I enjoyed concerts, skiing and a visit to New York with my dad. I enjoyed gratuitous castration on Game of Thrones with my mom. FoMu, a non-dairy ice cream cafe, opened a location in JP and my heart leapt with lactose-free joy. I drove out to UMass! I tried to get everyone to go to 6 Flags with me and did not succeed! I went on a 10-mile run and might have re-injured my hip. I failed to learn Swahili. My ill-gotten ringworm from Kenya refused to go away. I did not get a TB test because, as the doctor said, you're going right back there anyway.
And you know what that means: Malaria pill time! Excessive use of baby wipes time! Blog time! I now present Wupdates: Tanzania Edition. I'm leaving for Dar es Salaam tomorrow at 6 A.M. GOOD GOD. My maniacal search for cheap tickets led me to a connecting flight through Johannesburg. 15 hour flight, bring it on! All in all, I'll be in Tanzania for about 11 weeks doing a nutrition-related research internship with the Harvard School of Public Health.
But now, T-10 hours from my flight, packing is the priority. Some people would say 30 pairs of underwear are excessive, but some people are not me.