Oct 5. 2014. One-way ticket

I did not realize how hard saving money was. I just found the air flight that goes directly from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Lusaka, Zambia, takes only 1 hour and a half. It was also way cheaper than my original air flight. My effort to save the money lasted 3 full days, from Friday to Sunday, but it turned out that I lost my time, additional transaction fee, and energy. The payment method of that airplane company did have problems, so they did not confirm my ticket, and their Sunday flight was already booked. The next flight would be on Monday, but I did want to go Zambia at least on Sunday because my new fellowship would begin on Monday. It was not okay for me to get there one day late only because the airplane ticket is cheap. After long fuss and fret, I finally got another ticket, South African Airways, departing today. It was the exact same flight as my original ticket except the date. I felt my destiny to lay over at Johannesburg, South Africa, was already set. Anyway, I go to Zambia today!

I arrived early at the Dar es Salaam international airport, and tried to find where the South African Airways office was. I could not print my airplane itinerary, so I was a little worry; I just needed a piece of thick actual ticket paper in my hands as early as possible. I asked several airport employees to find the South African Airway booth.

“Inside!”

Inside where? I wished they could explain more where exactly it was. After standing at the random place with big 2 luggage quite a while, and I literally entered inside. Before getting inside, a man who looked from immigration office or police checked my Tanzania visa and asked me the purpose of visit in Tanzania.

“For travel!”

I answered shortly because my Tanzania visa says I am a visitor in Tanzania. I finally found the booth I was eagerly looking for, send my 45kg luggage to Lusaka, and got the one-way ticket: Dar es Salaam to Lusaka. One-way ticket… I always like to make plan ahead, and every activity should be lined-up, but I do not still even know where to go after this December. I want to open and be flexible to find more job opportunity in Africa. That was why I only had the one-way ticket.

This one-way ticket, unfortunately, made some problem when I finally checked my passport and scanned right fingers at the immigration office. The officer glared at me and asked, “Why do you go to Zambia?” The simplest way to answer was travel, so I said, “For travel.”

“Do you have round-trip ticket?”

“No, I only have one-way ticket.”

“Then, I can’t allow you to go because we don’t allow anyone to visit African country here and there without ticket for going back to their country.”

Oh my… every time I passed immigration office, I had a serious problem. In Sierra Leone, the officer urged me to go back to Freetown to get monthly renew stamp, and this time, the officer in Tanzania wanted me to show him a round-trip ticket. He might worry the situation I never return to my country and hide somewhere in Zambia.

“I don’t have that ticket, but I do go back to my country. Everyone is waiting for me in Zambia!” said desperate Charles.

“I don’t care everyone is waiting for you there, and you are not allowed to go.”

Argument time with the immigration officer had just begun again. The situation was “Let me go, let me go!” and “You can’t go, You can’t go!” Some passengers behind me had already changed to other line, and others were still waiting for their order.

“Okay, so should I purchase round trip ticket now?”

I did not mind buying one at that moment. Oh, actually, I did not have any money to buy any other ticket. The officer looked so unhappy about this situation, but he finally let me go. He sealed my one-way ticket with a stamp.

“Thank you so much!”

He did not talk back to me, but I was not offended at all because anyway, I passed the immigration checkpoint!

“Ticket one way! Ticket one way! One way one way one way ticket…! Ticket one way! Ticket one way! 한참을 너에게 가버린 맘…” The 9Muses song, <Ticket>, lingered in my mind. I really like that song. Maybe, I have already got crush on African life, so I cannot even decide when to leave. To be honest, I am a bit fear of my future, and it is too funny that I cannot decide where to return: to South Korea? to the U.S.? Nothing has been decided, but as always, I do focus on my current one-way ticket.

“Zambia, I am coming! Please wait till this evening!”

I got on the airplane. Cool! It is now taking off. My new life in Africa is ready to expand in Zambia.

Oct 2. 2014. I am leaving tomorrow!

At last, my AIM-Health Programme fellowship is heading to terminal station. It is not easy to say good-bye to people, but I have to say that and leave. I greet each person in the office and said, “I am leaving tomorrow!” Then, people said to me, “Oh, I am going to miss you,” “Will you come back to Tanzania?” “Don’t go!” But, I have no job here anymore, so I have to leave. Living in Africa for 4 months seemed to be short, but now I feel like I am here for 40 months. So many emotions crossed my mind. I never knew what would happen tomorrow, and I had to deal with many unexpected happening in Africa. Occasionally, I felt uncomfortable to be in Tanzania, because I was not supposed to be here, and I did not belong to World Vision Tanzania (WVT). Nevertheless, 2 months in Tanzania would be unforgettable happy moment; every staff was nice, and I had a strong impression that they were my sincere friends, beyond the thought of work-related colleagues. Every day was never lethargic, and I had a real dramatic life in Africa: from Sierra Leone to Tanzania within 4 months. I have overcome the difficult situations during this period, but especially, Ebola outbreak is still there in West Africa. I still feel so heavy in the head…

I took a group picture with sponsorship volunteers. I did not ask their age, but most of them have just graduated from university or been on school vacation. They called me or came to see me to have lunch together, so I was never left to starve. Although I deliberately skipped Nam Hotel free lunch this week, I always came to sponsorship office and said hello to them. Friends, I will also going to miss you a lot!

I am fortunate to continue my fellowship experience with World Vision in Southern African countries from next week, until this December. At least, it is better to say, “I am going to Zambia!” I will be a new fellow as LiST analyst for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Zambia and Malawi. It will be only 2 month and a half program, but I will also have chance to visit Malawi during fellowship period. Air ticket for Zambia will be this Saturday afternoon, and I will go to Dar es Salaam city tomorrow to board an airplane on Saturday. It will be another long trip; it will take 8-9 hours to get Dar es Salaam by vehicle, and 7 hours to get Zambia from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I will lay over in South Africa and arrive in Lusaka, Zambia in the Saturday night. My new official work will begin on next Monday. 

Okay, let’s move on! My life in Africa has just been officially extended until this December.

Oct 1. 2014. Finally, Typhoid

I felt so terrible yesterday. I had a severe headache, stomachache, and diarrhea, so I could not do anything. But I had two Skype meeting yesterday, so I could not leave the office. One was at 11am, and second one was at 5pm. It was so painful to wait until 5pm to attend the meeting. I did not want to cancel the meeting because it was for my preparation of the next project with World Vision. Internet connection was not good, so the meeting at 5pm was over so quickly without exchanging specific information. I could not stand my condition anymore, so I had to leave right after this meeting. It was first time to come back home early in the evening; it was only 5:50pm, but I deliberately lay down on the bed and slept for a long time. And I had to go toilet in and out frequently at dawn.

Today in the morning, symptoms have almost gone, but I have already lost my appetite. It was an unpleasant feeling that I was hungry but had no appetite. However, I had to eat breakfast by force because I had to take medicine. Unfortunately, stomachache came again right away, and diarrhea also came again. Whatever I eat, stomachache and diarrhea always followed in a twinkle. In and out within a minute… The Aga Khan Medical Health Centre opened at 8am, and I was the first one for malaria/ typhoid check-up. A clinician initially failed to collect my blood, so two new syringes were used to take my blood. The examination would not take long because I was the first patient, so I decided to sit down and wait. Soon enough, many people stood in line to have medical service. This Health Center recently extended its service hours to 10pm, so I guess there should be many patients who visit this place. After 30 minute, I got the result; no parasite for malaria, but typhoid test was S. Typhi O: 1/80, S. Typhi H: 1/80.

I finally got typhoid. It was not severe typhoid, but I had the minimum requirement to be diagnosed as typhoid. I knocked the doctor’s door, and came to see a doctor to have prescription, but he told me to pay the consultation fee first. So I waited in a line and paid for that fee, and came back to the doctor. He wrote something on the backside of my result sheet, and I went to the pharmacy with that to get medicine. The medicines were Cephalkem for antibiotic and Cetamol for headache. Although it turned out to be typhoid, my pain has somewhat eased off mentally because at least I knew what the problem was. I thought I was physically strong, but it was not true; I am one of the normal people who are likely to get typhoid or malaria. I have heard the stories that most of Korean volunteers in Tanzania were suffering from malaria and typhoid. Local people also take it for granted that they contract those diseases. But I should not make slight of it because some people die of malaria or dengue. I do not know which food caused typhoid, so now I am afraid to eat any local food. It has been 4 months since I came to Africa; if my physical condition cannot bear this new environment, I have to change my plan of living in Africa for a long time. I realize again that I really have to be careful of eating food and preventing mosquito bite.

Living in Africa is not surely easy. Especially since I came to Tanzania, I have been nauseous whole 2 months and had sudden serious headache/stomachache from time to time. What food makes this problem? I indulge in headache pill, stomachache pill, diarrhea pill, antimalarial pill, mosquito repellent, torn bed net, cockroach spray, vitamin, and plus, typhoid pill. Without a firm faith and will, coming to Africa would never be fun. I wish to be stronger enough to continue my public health life in Africa. I am not done yet. So, I will be okay; no… I SHOULD be okay.

... Go away, Typhoid!