On the eve of departure

Things to do before going to Haiti...

1. Tetanus, diptheria, and polio shots. Tyhoid fever pills. Chloroquine to guard against malaria. Acquire many more over-the-counter medicines as well.

2. Pay all bills, and figure out how to pay the ones that accumulate during absence.

3. Clean out refrigerator.

4. Figure out where to store a car.

5. Drink a glass of wine every now and then.

6. Buy overly-priced freeze-dried meals as back-up in case you aren't ready to give up vegetarianism right away.

7. Buy overly-priced, individually wrapped energy bars. Fifty of them.

8. Write a project proposal. This will take several weeks, if not months. Hope for approval. Keep hoping.

9. Develop surveys and interview guides. Buy a digital recorder.

10. Search far and wide for funding. Hope here too.

11. Appreciate the well-paved roads. I've been told to take note of this lovely detail. I expect authentic and profound appreciation to follow soon.

12. Fill all sorts of prescriptions in 3-month supply. The weight of all the pills will depend on how many problems you have. My prescriptions weigh a lot.

13. Arrange for your mail to be held at the post office. Hope nothing important arrives.

14. Buy 2 quick-dry towels that are on sale for $5.99 each. It seems like a good idea.

15. Pack and repack your things. Put the 5 bottles of SPF 45 in a large generic 'zip-lock' bag. Do the same with 2 cans of DEET.

16. Buy 6 pairs of socks.

17. Revise the above-mentioned proposal (#8) at least 4 times.

18. Go to Whole Foods, even though it too is over-priced, because you'll need to purchase raisins, granola, pumpkin seeds, and soy-nuts in bulk. There is no telling where and when safe food will be available, so 'they' say. And I believe 'them'. Expect to involuntarily assume a low-calorie lifestyle. I've been told that I won't likely have a chance for meals during the day, but will probably be able to throw pellets of the aforementioned bulk foods at my face and mouth.

19. Think about the process for hiring an interpreter. Keep thinking.

20. Think more and more about the research design; is it asking the right questions? will the results be able to inform improved service delivery?

21. Twiddle your thumbs and watch the Daily Show on your free cable even though you vowed to stop watching television 2 years ago. You can't resist Jon Stewart. Few can. Drink apple juice, or a beer, or root beer while you do this. You won't have an opportunity for this particular combination of activities for 67 days.

22. Twiddle your thumbs a little more because you've spent so much time preparing and you are just antsy and anxious and excited to put your plan into action. On the ground. Not on paper. In real life. Find out what caregivers need to help their malnourished kids get better. This is the focus of everything else. Even purchasing 6 pairs of breathable socks that can be easily hand-washed is part of this big goal. I think....

23. Worry that you are forgetting things.

24. Make phone dates with members of your immediate family.

25. Don't be intimidated by the U.S. Department of State's recommendation that you seriously reconsider your travel to Haiti because 60 U.S. citizens were abducted in 2006.

26. Go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens because they are beautiful and lush.

27. Order #2313 at Pho Grand Vietnamese Restaurant and then eat it all because it is so delicious and you will crave it.

28. Ask yourself where exactly your interviews with caregivers will take place. Will there be chairs? Should you bring a blanket to sit on? Probably.

29. Get really excited. Hope that you can stay in touch with people through a blog. Because you never thought you would have a blog. Because the first time you really ever used a computer was your first year in college and you sort of hoped that Y2K would make computers obselete because you were basically scared of them. Because the world got small and you want to take your friends and family with you in some way. And now you love technology (even though it still freaks you out most of the time).

Soon, I'll write more. And I'll post at least one picture every day. And if you want to learn more about the host organization, go to medsandfoodforkids.org. I haven't figured out how to put links into this thing yet. Blast.

Tomorrow I fly to the wonderful Miami International Airport where I'll spend the night before a 6:00 am flight to Cap Haitien. Check-in time is 4:00 am on Thursday. That's right.