We go in less than 2 weeks time and I am surrounded by endless ‘to do’ lists. This is hilarious for as my husband will vouch, I HATE LISTS! However in order to keep my Madventure under control whilst holding down the day job I succumb.
My lists are many and varied and include – personal lists; GPs to chase; lists of what other people have promised; contacts; provisional Malawi timetable; questions to ask when I’m there – I practically need a list of my lists.
Just to impress my husband I’m keeping them altogether in one notebook instead of a flurry of scrappy bits of papers.
Dave, to my mind, cheats with his lists by including things he’s already done – so on the grounds of what is good enough for him here goes!
- Flights booked
- Accommodation confirmed and yes they do provide towels and mosquito nets
- Transport booked from the airport to the guest house at the CURE hospital
- Vaccinations up to date
- Malaria tablets sorted – we’d look silly as 2 pharmacists contracting malaria
- Spare bed has totally disappeared under brightly coloured children’s clothing and toys
- Huge bag of knitted bonnets for pre- babies from Cardiff U3A plus tabards and bonnets from Angela of Life for African Mothers, all via our sister club SI Cardiff
- Medicines bought with the fantastic donations from my work colleagues at Coventry and Rugby CCG especially Sue, my Mum and my SI Club
- Diabetic testing meters and strips donated by manufacturers
- Digital thermometers from the lovely Caroline, owner of Leyes Lane Pharmacy, Kenilworth – who has also been very generous about the cost of the medicines
- Instruments for minor ops donated by surgeries
- 39 Children’s British National Formularies courtesy of Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Walsall CCG – each weighs 0.5kg!
Now for a spreadsheet of all the equipment we’ve collected to take. Think I’d better have a column for weights – it’s going to be close!
