Visa Application Sent...Finally!

I finally got my visa application sent via UPS yesterday to The Gambia's embassy in Washington D.C. It should arrive on Tuesday, and I should have it back (hopefully) by Friday. Now the only thing left to do is get some traveller's cheques to use when I'm away. We decided this would be the best way of spending money as it will be the most secure and the easiest.

We went to Halifax on Friday as well and bought some more clothes and general supplies for the trip (I don't know if "trip" is an accurate word...), so things are really starting to come together. Now I'm really just waiting for the time to come.

"The Gambia Connection: Attacking AIDS"

The last of CBC's Special report on The Gambia can be downloaded here. Once again, the RealPlayer is needed to view the file. It can be downloaded here.

I am so busy in the mornings when I'm home (I've been working nights for a while now). So far today I have confirmed my ticket and flight information. I will be flying from Halifax (leaving around 1:20pm) to Toronto, from there to Frankfurt, from there to Brussels and from Brussels to Banjul (The capital of The Gambia), I arrive around 5:20 (aprox.) the day after I leave Halifax!

I've also figured out some of the details of the visa application. I am now waiting to hear back from the travel agency about when exactly I will be scheduled to leave The Gambia so I can put that date on my visa application. The visa is pretty much the only thing left to acquire before I leave.


In other news: I successfully swallowed a pill; specifically one of the Typhoid Fever vaccination pills I have. I have never been able to swallow pills before, and a few days ago I trained myself to swallow things like that by chopping up Cheerios into different pill-sized segments. YAY!

"The Gambian Connection: Distant Beat" - Part 2 of The Gambia series

Part two of the CBC Special report about the Nova Scotia connection to The Gambia can be seen here. Again, this piece requires the RealPlayer to view, it can be downloaded here.

Also, I spoke last night with Mr. Neyestani, a canadian Baha'i serving on the National Assembly in The Gambia, who is currently visiting family in Canada. He answered some specific questions about where I will be staying (a two room appartment connected to the Baha'i Regional Centre) as well as questions I had about the type of visa I need to get into the country - As it turns out I only need a tourist visa to get there, and we sort the rest out once I'm there. Many more things to do today, contact a travel agency to find out prices, send away the form and stuff to apply for a visa, etc.

"The Gambia Connection: NS's unique ties to Africa"

For those who didn't see the CBC special about The Gambia on the 6:00 news last night, you can download the piece from the CBC website here. Please note that you will need to have the RealPlayer installed on your computer to view the video. It can be downloaded here. The next part will be on tonight (again, the 6:00 news) I will have the link to download it on here by tomorrow morning. Enjoy!

More Information

For those who are interested, some general information about The Gambia can be found here. Also, CBC is going to be airing a special Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night on the 6:00 news about The Gambia. You may want to tune into that!