Expenses

My trip is costing more than I first expected. My mother is helping out by paying for the school part which is awesome so that I can afford the rest. I'm taking self defense courses from a friend which costs money and which I will blog about later. It is much cheaper because my friend is charging a lot less, but that is money I'm setting aside.

Also, I got my vaccinations today. The cost was 325 plus another 66 dollars in a month. I got 3 shots: yellow fever, hepatitis A, and B. B hurt quite unexpectedly. I also got some typhoid pills. Hep A and B are going to be good for a long time. Typhoid is only good for five years. The vaccinations actually are motivating me to stay longer in South America. I keep on getting nervous and thinking I will only do Ecuador for 1 month, but now I'm pretty sure I'm staying until December. Oh yeah, I need to buy pills for traveler’s diarrhea. Fun.

There are more expenses. I need to get tweezers and a needle for my first aid kit. I might have to get band aids as well. I need to get a big map of South America. South America on a Shoestring recommends getting earplugs, flashlight or head lamp, insect repellent, Swiss army knife, flash drive, and a universal sink plug. I think the plug is so I can wash my clothes in sinks. I have a feeling that I will be living more poorly in South America than I have ever before. I have done research on insect repellent as well. I plan on getting a lotion for my face and spray for the rest of my body.

I have more mundane expenses that I'm taking care of now. I need new shoes. I do not know how long I have own my sneakers but it has been more than two years. I need to buy new bras, pants (that fit - I lost more weight or inches or something), and probably more that I'm forgetting.

I also really need to create a basic plan on what I want to do in South America. I need to figure out which countries I want to visit and have time for. Then, decide what cities and sights in those cities. I will blog about my plan when I figure it out.