I’ve got about 36 hours until my first flight out and it still hasn’t hit me that I’m leaving. I mean it should have by now. There’s a big pile of clothes and books on the downstairs bed, my malaria medication is sitting on the kitchen counter, and I’ve been wearing a headlamp around the house for the past 2 hours (with my Jew fro and unshaven scruff, I look like a crazy spelunking hippie).

Despite the fact that it hasn’t hit me that I’m going to a place 6,939 miles away (thank you Google Earth), I am very excited to go. This has been in the works since I visited Cornelia (the study abroad coordinator for Africa at Emory) back in September. As I sat in Cornelia’s office after getting back from South Africa, trying not to laugh at her crazy hand gestures and speech patterns (if you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting this woman, I’m sorry but you’re missing out), I thought to myself, “I’d really like to go back to Africa.” And just a short nine months later, I’m about to head out.

I suppose I should talk a little bit about why I’m doing this… and by this I mean going for nine weeks to work for a malaria net distribution program.

Last summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in South Africa through an Emory program. That trip was one the best, if not the best, trip I ever went on. I made some incredible friends and learned a lot. But those things are not unique to visiting South Africa. What made the trip special (for lack of a better word) were the people, the history (both good and bad), and the culture of the country. You could see the impact of decades of unfair political policy while at the same time see how political activism was changing the country. There was an incredible sense of generosity on the part of people who didn’t have a lot to give. And to cap it off, the country was beautiful.

It may sound like I’m romanticizing this trip and that’s because that description was a little bit romanticized. You got me. The more disturbing things on the trip were probably more powerful than the good like the miles and miles of informal settlements right around the corner from the gentrified, upper class downtown Cape Town. The trip expanded my view on the harsh realities that billions of people have to face on a daily basis. Coming from a place of relative privilege even in the United States, this was a shock. The whole experience reinforced the idea that people as a whole have a responsibility to take care of each other.

While my life plans have been reshuffled several times over the past year, public health has remained my main area of interest. There are enormous benefits for a country which has a healthy population. Good public health can lead to increased education, a more powerful economy, and increased development (I’m sure the ‘d’ word will be a topic of many an entry). Unfortunately, Africa has seen its unfair share of disease compounded by poverty and unjust policies of political leaders both inside and outside the continent. What is especially tragic about the situation is that many of these diseases could be easily avoided.

As for expectations, I’m keeping an open mind. I don’t like the “I just want to make an impact” speech because I’m only going to be there for nine weeks. I recognize that whatever contribution I make will be small. I’m not out to change the world, at least not this time around. What I do hope for is that I can be useful to my organization. I also hope that I’m able to give back just as much as what I’ll be getting from this experience (a lofty goal indeed).

Ultimately, I hope to get a sense of what it’s like to work on the ground with an NGO in a developing country. I’m quite excited that I even have a chance to work with a public health oriented NGO. I’m also looking forward to immersing myself in another culture (although in full disclosure, I can’t bring myself to give up my iPod for nine weeks. Damn you Steve Jobs!). I should have a good time with my host family as well as the people I have the opportunity to work with.

So that’s it for now. Things will only get more interesting from here on out. Until later…

Dan