Monday, February 23, 2009

Unwise and curiously planned

So. I am leaving for Uzbekistan in under a week. I am visa'd up (complete with bonus "You want to stay for how long? Are you nuts?" reaction from visa guy, which is mildly offputting when you're forking over nearly two hundred quid for a piece of paper), in posession of an air ticket (tricker than it sounds) and have memorised the Russian for "I don't speak Russian" and "I don't understand", which may or may not get me through the airport safely.

The fact that I probably wont be back home for a good eighteen months is only just beginning to sink in, which is probably why I waited until yesterday to begin sorting out various crucial bits and pieces that a more efficient person might have attended to at several weeks ago. Things that have made me yell "Shiiiiiit!" in the past 24 hours include, but are not limited to: a), discovering that 75% of my travel vaccinations expired last year, thus leaving me defenceless against any combination of hepatitis, typhoid and rabies that Uzbekistan cares to thow at me; b), realising my contact lens prescription expires next month, precluding me from ordering any more online; and c), being informed that foreign ATM cards don't work anywhere in Tashkent and that I need at least $2000 to cover my expenses during the first couple of months. WHY AM I SUCH AN IDIOT.

Consequently, today has been full of needles and opticians and travellers cheques, so I am now alleviating the ache in both my upper arms (stupid intramuscular injections) with fudge (I have rationalised all of my junk food decisions over the past month with the refrain "But I won't be able to get that in Uzbekistan!", and it has worked out very well for me) and thinking about making a list of all of the other stuff I need to do before Sunday. This includes packing at some point, I suppose. Organisation really, really sucks.