Getting Ready For Guinea!

Hi. My name's not Mandy. 

I have a cat named Buttercup, a master's degree in karate, and strong moral values* 

*Only one of these things is true.

I officially leave for Guinea tomorrow morning at 6 am!

I'll be spending two months in Conakry working as a legal intern for Les Memes Droits Pour Tous, a wonderful human rights NGO that mainly advocates for victims of unlawful detainment and torture. However, in recent years they have also begun to advocate for victims of gender discrimination and female genital mutilation. I'm scared as hell, but I couldn't feel luckier to be a part of such a great organization. 

A few things I've done to prepare for my trip...

1. Shots. Lots of Shots. Four to be exact. Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Meningitis, and POLIO. Who gets polio anymore? Honestly.

2. Malaria prophylactic. There are two kinds that you can get for Guinea. One is $9/pill, which ADDS up since you take it daily. The other one is significantly cheaper (I think under $30 for a month) but has serious side effects. Most insurances don't cover it, but mine did so I was able to get the more expensive one without having to shell out $600. WIN.

3. Visa. I actually went to the Guinean Embassy in DC and got a visa! Tip: you can pay $20 and have it next-day delivered. I literally got my visa delivered to my parents house in San Diego the same week I applied for it in DC. 

4. Plane tickets. The rowboats from San Diego to Conakry were completely booked. 

5. Practice my French because Guinea is a French-speaking country. Except that I really didn't practice very much. I'm hoping it will all just come back to me the second I step off the plane. That's rational, right?

5. PACKING PACKING PACKING: 

For clothing, I was super aware that I was going to a predominantly muslim country where adult women tend to dress more conservatively. I packed a million basic tanks, long skirts, and moderately conservative dresses. I only brought FOUR PAIRS OF SHOES. Two pairs of flip-flops, a pair of running shoes, and a pair of wedges for going out dancing :) If you know me, you know that this is quite the achievement. Also, I brought Wellies since it's the rainy season, but I don't count those as shoes. They are made of rubber. 

Rubber shoes don't count.

Other than clothes, the most important things I packed include a 

Mosquito Net, Bug Spray, and a Lantern.

          

           My very supportive mother bought me five different kinds of bug spray, just in case the first four fail. 

ANYWAY, wish me luck! This is just about the craziest thing I've ever done. Well, the craziest thing that I'll post about on the internet, anyway. 

loff.