Daunting
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| Dr Livingstone I presume |
I believe I am the world's worst, or should that be best, procrastinator. Most of the forms sit in the corner of the study earmarked attention. Husband continuously nags about all my rubbish.
Flight booked and paid for. The visa is a matter of getting passport photos done and paying $95 to the Tanzanian Embassy. That's easy especially as it just around the corner from the Travel Doctor. They are very efficient and if you are prepared to collect, it will be ready the next day.
Registration as a nurse / midwife with the Tanzanian Nursing and Midwifery Council has to go through GHAWA. All my certificates scanned and $250 attached. Several weeks later still no news. Seems to be the experience of all those who have gone before.
The most daunting paperwork is for my employer and Department of Health. Several forests were destroyed getting that together. We have been given uniform tops, disposable gloves and a brief overview of the accommodation and our work schedule.
However its now 6 weeks to departure for me but only 3 for another colleague and neither of us is authorised to go. Should be interesting.
Meanwhile my pathetic attempts to learn some basic Swahili are just not coming to anything. Mimi ni ya kukatisha katika akizungumza Kiswahili. I don't seem to have an ear for languages.
Getting started
A phone call to the GHAWA team made me feel elated. They thought my "expertise" would be a positive contribution. Ego soothed!! Then the paperwork - eek! It was daunting. I nearly gave up before I'd started. Spurred on by my ever patient and encouraging husband I ploughed on.
Hint to those that follow:
- start the process as early as possible
- make a list
- do it in small bits
The first challenge was to find my passport and vaccination certificates. The latter of course hadn't been completed adequately since I first started nursing in 1975! So the next challenge was to track down any immunisations and results I had in the intervening years.
Next was the appointment with the Travel Doctor. Naturally the city office had moved and the new location wasn't in the white pages - now St Martin's Square! I only found out later that there is also a branch in Claremont.
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| Travel Doctor Perth |
Immunisations
The list is long. Travel Doctor says Yellow Fever isn't necessary. Immigration won't let you back in the country without it. Allow an extra half an hour wait to see if you have a reaction to the shot. I've opted to have the Rabies course of 3 as well, because I will be in the country for 3 months. I won't be 100% covered but at least i won't require a full course of treatment if I am infected.
I've reached that stage in life where my own mortality comes frequently to mind. I have become restless and know that if there isn't something to get me out of this slump I will do something foolish.
I have a good job, and a wonderful family. So why should I feel like this? Where has my life taken me and what have I achieved. Compared with many of my peers my life seems so mundane. When I saw the advertisement for midwives and nurses to consider volunteering to work in Africa through the Global Health Alliance WA I knew that this was the challenge I needed.
With the support and blessing of my family I applied for a 3 month placement. Little did I realise that the challenges weren't only in Africa.
