3 weeks to go

Three weeks until I depart for Guate.

I am riddled with needle holes (rabies injection was FOUR needles! Why?!), and rattling with anti-malarials. No side-effects yet (apart from the foaming at the mouth - which I find strangely attractive).

Last night I lay in bed wondering why on earth I am doing this. And the truth is, I honestly can't remember. One minute we were having vague thoughts about visiting some Quakers in Bolivia, and the next we had bought tickets for six months in Guatemala - strange. Still, as people keep saying to me - "if you don't do it now....", and that's a depressing thought. I like to think that I'll be one of those groovy mums that drags her offspring all over the world, for it to grow up speaking inumerable languages and generally being the coolest kid in the world. But maybe it's not quite that easy, hmm.

The last 2 things I have been worrying about have been sorted out this weekend. Who, oh who will look after my guinea pigs (one of which suffers from an impacted rectum - I'm not going to describe it here, but believe me, you wouldn't want to look after him!), and who will look after Nobby, the little car that taught me to drive. All have now found loving homes, and fate alone will decide whether they will be alive when I return.

All that remains is to carefully construct a wardrobe that convinces the armed robbers that I'm not worth bothering with (shouldn't be too hard!).