July is wrapping up and so we have the month of August to take care of anything and everything we'll need before leaving on September 6th. What clothes do we pack? What health insurance do we buy? Can we ship a package ahead of us? Should we though? All sorts of questions.
One thing I'm clear on is how important documenting this year will be. Being intentional about photographing important things. Writing often and with as little pretense as possible. Without sounding scientific, I'll want to record our days objectively, seeing with eyes unclouded by my culture and privilege. Or, more correctly, eyes that are aware of my biases and make allowances for them.
UPDATE, August 14: Writing about "Africa the country" is a pitfall that I'm becoming more aware of, and nervous about, the closer we get to leaving. I had originally squeezed some links and analysis into this post but I'm moving them under their own heading today.
We have about three weeks until departure. I say "about" because I can't bring myself to pull up the calendar and do the deliberate calculations needed to come up with an exact number -- that's anxiety. One growing reason I'm looking forward to arriving in Kisoro is to begin the (long, slow) process of replacing everything I thought I knew (or knew I imagined) about Uganda with the actual daily realities of the place. Until then I can only pack and prepare...two more things that I'm pretty good at putting off.
