Getting Prepared

Okay...so my trip to South Africa is coming up very quickly....I'm excited, nervous and filled with much anticipation! I leave in about 9 weeks. I keep running through my "things to do" list, and I actually think I'm almost ready. Setting up this blog site was one of the few things I had left to do. I've gotten all of my immunizations, my meds, my passport and my airline ticket.

My goal is to raise awareness as much as it is to travel abroad and actually help those affected by HIV/AIDS. Maybe....just maybe, sharing my experience will inspire just one person to volunteer. Perhaps it will serve as an educational tool, giving people a better understanding of the effect this horrendous disease has on people that are infected as well as those that aren't infected but are directly affected by losing loved ones. Maybe it will help squash the bigotry and discrimination that seems all too common. Maybe people will start to see that HIV/AIDS doesn't discriminate. It doesn't matter your race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Just maybe...I can make a difference.

So, here I am...my blog has been created and this is where I will journal every day from Cape Town. I fly out of Orlando on February 8th. Please bookmark this site and visit often. Tell your friends about it, send them the link.