I got shot in the arm.

         Hey, everyone! Today was another eventful day in preparation for this big upcoming trip! It was dun, dun, dunnnnnnn: Vaccination Day! I should be quite thankful that there are vaccines created so one does not get sick, especially on travels similar to the one I will soon embark on. So, God bless the genius scientists who created these vaccines.

        When it came down to it, I only had to get two official shots... this round. Yellow Fever is now checked off my list! This immunization is good for a lifetime which is awesome if I ever travel again (which I certainly plan to). This shot is a live virus and does better when injected into the soft tissue, like the back of your arm. I am usually pretty good with needles but I could feel the size of the needle in my arm! The second shot I received was for Rabies. This pre-exposure shot is a 3 shot series over the course of several days. My first shot of the series was today, I go back on Thursday, and on June 1st I will have my final Rabies shot of the series. If one were to somehow mess up this order the series would have to be started all over again. This vaccine is not cheap either!! I'm praying all goes well and correctly! The other vaccine I will take is for Typhoid. It is an oral vaccine capsule taken every other day before I go on the trip. Seems easy enough! I will also take an everyday capsule for the prevention of Malaria while I am in Ethiopia. It was either an every day or a weekly pill that gives you terrible nightmares and weird side effects. I took the one without the strange effects!

        So, all in all, it is crazy scary how real all this is. Of course, there will be culture shock and some ups and downs but I am really looking forward to a change in my normal routine. It is sad to know that I will not be spending virtually every weekend at a cattle show and every day washing my heifer but you just cannot beat this gig! I am very much looking forward to the trip and my time spent with the people at the research center as well as the culture of this part of Africa!

~ Kelli

   

Picture Update (Orientation Day)

All 24 BR Interns with Amb. Ken Quinn & Program Director Lisa Fleming. 

Dr. Borlaug's portrait in the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. 

My travel mate for the summer! Looking forward to our adventures together!

Orientation Day!

I am so very proud and pleased to announce that I am a 2017 Borlaug-Ruan Intern for this summer! I will be working at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A few things about the internship:

- I leave June 16 and return August 15

- You can follow my trip on this blog (kelliwickstravels.blogspot.com)

- I am still unsure of the exact project I will be doing while I am there, I will update you all once I know!

- There is one other girl traveling with me from states, her name is Hannah Heit from New Hampton

- I can be reached through the free apps - Whatsapp & Skype (will post usernames later on!)

- Ethiopia is about 8 hours ahead of American Central Standard Time (CST)

Today, was orientation day for all 24 Borlaug-Ruan (BR) Interns at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines, IA. Mom and Dad both went with me to also be overwhelmed with loads of information. We listened to basic information about health things to keep in mind, culture shock, and going to and from out host countries.

I am so excited and looking forward to this new adventure this summer! Ambassador Ken Quinn reminded all interns that we will be able to have Dr. Borlaug's name on our resumes, and very few people have the opportunity. Dr. Borlaug is my hero and I cannot wait to keep working towards my goal of being like him! Feel free to comment or reach out to me through this blog! Thanks for following me on my travels! 

~ Kelli