Stocking up

Now comes the time before every trip in which I re-inventory all my First Aid equipment. It's also a time to reflect on previous trips and note what is needed more than others and what's that one THING I wish I had had. However whilst order kit, its also a time to splash around a little money and get some cool new toys :-D.

I've also decided for the first time that instead of just taking my first aid kit, a military webtex medical pouch, I'll also use the +15l mini day pack that attaches to my 70l backpack. Over the past 2 years my first aid kit has grown out a bit to include things that aren't normally found in a urban Red Cross first aid kit, and it's now bulging at the seams.

On top of the usually Tough Cuts (scissors for removing clothing), Sharp Scissors (distinguished from tough cuts which are blunt), fine tipped tweezers, various dressings, wound pads, gauze, tapes, gloves, instant ice pack, asprin, plasters, penlight, saline solution. It contains an emergency military dressing with pressure bar, sterile pre-threaded sutures, a kelly clamp, disinfectant, anti-histamines, steristrips. tubigrip (now i know some of you might give me a lot of stick for carrying this, BUT last time when I was treating the daughter of a neighbour who had stepped on a farm implement whilst barefooted, tubigrip was a lifesaver in keeping the dressing on her foot and relatively clean!), a permanent marker (like one of the OHP ones, reason for it being permanent is you can write not only on paper for monitoring info, but also on your gloves, and the casualty!)

 By using the 15l bag, I can carry a more comprehensive kit including quikclot sponges, large zetuvit, and loads of different size crepe bandages and dressing. As well as a couple of SAM splints. So now my 'small' webtex pouch is always in my bag, where as the 15l bag will be grabbed if going somewhere where the stuff might be needed. Oh, I'll also have my proper size CPR mask in there and a selection of OP airways.

On order in addition to a general restock of my kit (including a bunch of steristrips, after I cut my thumb open yesterday and a stray piece of metal, I realized just how valuable they are for wounds!), a BVM (because ive wanted one for a while), a couple of differently sized sutures (just because, though they are still all of roughly a similar size and can be used any where I'd dare suture someone), a finger sized SAM splint (not because im expecting broken fingers, but it just sounds like a useful size), some finger gauzetube (because its near impossible to keep dressing on fingers when your fingers are slightly sweaty, so tubigrip for fingers is a good idea...i think).

Now its a well known fact amongst those that I travel with that I carry a pretty comprehensive 'travel pharmacy' with me. School trips saw the teachers coming to me for medication...not quite how the "students should hand over all medicine to teachers at the beginning of the trip" is meant to work but hey...So normally I have the usual collection of painkillers: paracetamol, asprin, ibuprofen. To which this year we'll add some co-codamol for good measure (thats codeine with paracetamol, OTC versions available as well as prescription versions. Travel Sickness tablets (i hardly ever get travel sick these days, but I figure better to have them and not need them than the other way around!), some general Antibiotics! (great addition to have to the kit!), Immodium (well generic there of and lots of it, I usually don't need it, but lots of others appreciate it!), multivitamins (now I'd never thought of this before, but as a suggestion from a friend, I think its a great idea), throat lozenges, flu medication (you know the type you mix with hot water and drink to make you feel human again).

We'll see what else I can come up with over the next few weeks and I'll keep you posted. One things for sure everybody is going to be well looked after :-)

Maddie is delighted to find blog entry named after her PLUS the joys of popular music in tanz

Back to the blog and see that Matt has done an entry all about me, myself and I. Touched, I am, truly touched. What's new at my end..... Oh yes - Im STRANDED in Spain! Jolly dee, hip hip hurrah. Just posted off my passport for a tanz visa (after sending a torrent of threatening emails to volunteers lagging behind in the application process, I felt like it would be hypocritcal not to get on it myself) and am sitting here on the other side of the channel (plus a few miles) crossing my fingers for a swift return of said document. Though I love Madrid, Im getting the outa-africa blues, plus its about time I started eating less tapas and beer and more plantane. I already gained a stone....... So, let's all hope that the Tanzanian embassy is feeling particularly efficient over the next few days.

And Matt, no more waiting around! You're meant to be the organised one!

I bring you a new and exciting topic: MUSIC! I can promise you now, dear volunteers, that even the most hard core hater of RnB will come back from the trip CONVERTED to usher, nigerian rap, neyo and Boyz2men. Yeh, that is spelt with a Z. Even you heavy metal fans will not escape. After a night or two in the infamous moshi clubs (that's right, there are discos) you're all gona be loving it. The best bit? The lyrics are so profound - it's just like poetry. In the words of Akon:

'I see you in the club. You're gettin' down. I want to get with you.'

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling that.

Got to be off, Chris Brown is calling.

How for now

Bloggers start you engines!

Today our 5 volunteer bloggers got emails from me with details on how to get access to their First Aid Africa Blogs. Over the next few weeks we should see posts appearing from Kathryn in Malawi, Fiona, Clare, and Rebecca in Tanzania, and Kerri in Kenya!

On other notes REALLY need to get my visa application in, however good news I've been reminded of the east africa pact which means that my single entry Kenyan tourist visa allows me to hop over the border to Tanzania and back without the need for a new visa, go figure. However YAY! no need for transit visas seeing as I'll be spending some time in Kenya visiting friends once the First Aid Africa trip has wound itself up.

The Journey to London - BOOKED

Something that could have been overlooked....I need to be in London (LHR T3) for my flight to Dubai then on to Nairobi! However fantastic news, Swiss International Airlines must have had some special deal going because I've managed to pick up my return ticket in August for only £50 more than the economy flight o_O! No complaints though so when I've spent the better part of 24hrs making my way from Africa back to Europe I get to enjoy lounge access (YES!!!) and increased baggage allowance (lots of goodies from Africa) in London before my trip back to Switzerland, I wouldn't say that I'm now looking forward to my flights back....but this sure does make them bareable :-)

Maddie joins the blog :-)

Long over due really. But Maddie has finally joined the blog and will be keeping you all entertained with her unique and quirky style of writting. Head over to the about Matt & Maddie page (look up a little...now a little more, now to the left a bit ..there it is) to read a little blurb about us, written by the wonderful Maddie.

I should probably also mention it's not really Maddie's fault that it took so long, it might have slipped my mind to give her access whilst I was  busy setting up the other First Aid Africa blogs for summer 2010. As you might have noticed (or not, as I think there might be only 1 reader of the blog by this point) loads of links have started appearing on the blog page. Please have a looky (in the future, because they arent writting yet) at the adventures our volunteers are having in Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania. You'll find the links on the right hand side.

Flights Confirmed!!! & Fundraising Building Momentum

It's Official! Flights for Tanzania Team 2 have been confirmed! Also means that 8 of my team (and half of Team 4) get to play hide and seek with me around London Heathrow Terminal 3! Details of the game will be posted to respective participants in the near future.

Tanzania Co-Ordinator, Harry, is now in country and things are getting sorted an a fantastic rate, vehicle check, place to live check, placements mostly check. Harry is such a star!

Plans coming together for our arrival in Nairobi as well with transportation being arranged from the airport to a hotel right by the bus station, where we'll take our coach to Moshi. Looked into the possibility of taking the volunteers to the Carnivore for dinner in Nairobi, then had the brutal realisation of remembering just how expensive it is!!! Soooo maybe another time when everyones no longer a student....(and everyones decided they want to eat meat!)

It's now high past the time for Visa applications to happen, it's all very well sending reminders out to the team, just need to get it done myself! Must get all the paperwork and pictures sorted (should probaly get the work permit ones done whilst I'm there as well) by the end of the week.

On the fundraising side of things I've found being on Industrial Placement in a foreign country to make it rather challenging, however fantastic means of fundraising from around the world; Easysearch.org.uk! If you choose to search the web with http://faafrica.easysearch.org.uk/ then you'll raise money for us for every search you make :-) not only do you get great search results (from Bing, yahoo, Ask.com) but your helping us at the same time. 2 weeks ago we raised £2.48 in 7 days (508 searches) if we keep that up all year we can buy 1800+ bandages to send with the project to East Africa! O you can also use the easyfundraising search box I've added to the buttom of the blog which will take you directly to the search engine page, but best course of action, BOOKMARK it, or make it your homepage. Thank yoou :-)

Maddie showed me this great documentary recently (Welcome to Lagos), which was shown on the BBC in about april, unfortunately this means it's no longer availiable on iplayer, however I suggest searching for it on a popular video side and you might get lucky *wink* *wink*. Anyways the purpose of showing me the footage was to propose we look into doing something similar of the Moshi and Himo area. This will be a great little side project for our limited free time and one that integrates well with our joint interest in photography.

Can't believe its only a month and a few days till lift off now!

D Minus 45

Can't help but be excited these days. Confirmation of flights coming through in the next 24 hours, Harry on the ground in Tanzania preparing everything for the teams arriving over the next couple of months! Though this means time to get in gear and sort out Visa for Tanzania. Kenyan one is only going to be a transit so will be sorted out at point of entry (Nairobi airport) when we arrive. Rough plans in place for transport from Nairobi to Moshi, so it's all coming together nicely. Good feedback so far from the team indicating that they are on top of sorting out Travel Insurance, Vaccinations, Visa, Health Declarations. Time to get on and start sorting out the rest of the luggage, Vaccinations all sorted now, and the travel Pharmacy that I carry has been restocked with a few new items making an apperance such as 2 courses worth of general Anti-biotics!

Continued from my last post, the last of the camera stuff arrived this morning, so I have a fantastic filter to protect my new lens from everything Africa throws at it (I HOPE!!!) and a shiny new camera/daybag. I've been on the hunt for something like this for quite sometime now, since I tend to be over prepared when on the travels, I carry a lot of junk in my daypack so usually use a 35l bag. However now I've expanded my camera equipment I'm a bit more weary of having it all bump around the bottom of my bag getting damaged. So my new day pack has plenty of pockets for all my first aidy and admin stuff, but in the bottom is a intended camera compartement complete with padding and all the bells and whistles!