We’re about 90 days out until “wheels up” for Malawi, which means it’s crunch time. It sounds like a lot of days, but I know from experience that it will evaporate in no time. Nick’s going to be focused on wrapping up his current job and starting his mid-level consular training, so the bulk of the shopping and pack-out are my responsibilities. Thank goodness I’ve done this before (and that I know how to create a kick-ass spreadsheet!)
The movers come at the end of June and we will vacate our apartment immediately after. We don’t leave for Malawi until late July, so July will be a mix of hotels and family visits. We’re looking forward to our time with family and friends before we take off.
Of course there are some new challenges to complicate this move. Here are some of the most pressing on my mind:
- The Car: We need to switch over to a right-hand drive vehicle that is capable of handling rough roads. First step is to clean up and sell the Kia Rondo here in DC. We are looking at importing a used vehicle from Japan, which is a common thing to do in Africa, as Japan apparently has no used vehicle market. So they ship them to Africa via boat. Bizarre, huh? But wait, it gets weirder. Malawi is land-locked, so the car would get shipped to a border country like Tanzania and then someone would be paid to drive it to Lilongwe (our new city). Thankfully, this is not my department, so Mr. Nicholas will be figuring out the logistics on this one. Sorry honey.
- Food: We have our first ever consumables allowance, which means we’re allotted a shipment of 2500 pounds of food. While I am grateful that the USG ensures we have adequate food (there is a food shortage going on in Malawi at the moment), it is completely daunting to think about what items our family would like to have on hand to eat for the NEXT TWO YEARS. Because do we go through 1 bottle of olive oil a month, or 2? And how much do I factor in expiration dates? And do we do the entire shipment at once or do we split it in two? And will it go bad sitting on the docks in the hot sun like it did in Manila? These are the questions that have me up and night. Granted, I know we won’t starve if I mess this up, but the bigger question is where to begin?
- Malaria Meds: So, Malawi has Malaria, like most of Africa. That means we need to be on constant medication to avoid getting it. The bad news: Mefloquine, the most common Malarial med can have icky side effects like nightmares, depression, and hallucinations. The good news: a generic version of Malarone (which was previously too expensive for most to take) has recently been released, so we won’t have to take our chances with Mefloquine. Initially I thought I wouldn’t have to go on Malarone because one of the other medications I take doubles as a Malarial med. But wouldn’t you know it, Malawi’s mosquitos are so savvy that they’ve become resistant to that medicine, so it’s no longer effective there. Guess it’s Malarone for all the Novaks.
- Preschool: Information in Africa is scarce. Thankfully, the Embassy helps bridge the gap for things like schooling. Of the 3 preschools we’re considering, only 1 has a website. So once again, we’ll be choosing a school sight-unseen (or risk not getting a slot for fall). Complicating this process is the fact that we’re supposed to fill out the registration forms and provide our address (which we don’t know yet), provide phone numbers (which we also don’t have) and pay a registration fee (which I have no easy way to get to them). We will prevail though, it’s just going to take a little creativity.
- Camping: Safari-ing is ridiculously expensive in Africa, even for locals. The only way to do it cost-effectively is to camp. I know what you’re thinking… is that safe? We’re told it is and that lots of people do it, so we’re rolling with it. Never mind the fact that we’ve never camped before, let alone with wild animals roaming outside our tent walls. It feels strangely exciting though, and very Africa-y. This weekend is our ‘test run’ at camping at a cushy, kid-friendly campground outside of DC. We’re scared-cited but curious to see if we have the items we need to make it successfully through a weekend of camping. I’ll report back next week.
And then there’s our 7000 pound household effects shipment, but that’s for a whole different blog post. You’ll be hearing more from me in the coming weeks. Send us calming vibes please! We could really use it right now.
Photo Credit: Christina Sicoli, used with permission via Creative Commons license. https://stocksnap.io/photo/H0I37RQOZ9
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