“I WAS BRAVE!”

There is nothing like a reality check, such as getting the shots required for our move. In fact, there are not as many required vaccines as one would imagine (thankfully for Kirk and I, who both share no love for needles) Claire is undoubtedly one of the toughest little girls ever. She actually went FIRST for her shots during the first two of the three times we went in.

A huge blessing: usually travel vaccines are not covered under insurance, but Kirk’s plan COMPLETELY covered the costs of all our shots. We had a really wonderful nurse who actually made a spreadsheet of all the shots and who was getting them each time. (Yes, it actually made me feel better to see a chart!) To give you an idea what a big deal this is, the rabies vaccine itself is $400 a shot, and there are three shots in the series, so…3 shots each @ $400 per shot for 4 people…equals 12 shots…doing the math = ouch.

Kirk’s school in Kenya also provides us with health insurance, we even got an email after we finished our trips to the doctor telling us about a travel clinic right down the road where we could get our vaccines at much reduced rate than in the States. But, we were relieved that the entire situation went smoothly here and that we were able to be fully covered more than the 2 months recommended before travel. 

Never fear, if you are starting to contemplate a safari in your future: the only one you need is the yellow fever vaccination. The rest are because we will be staying for an extended time. Added bonus: Nairobi's elevation is too high for malaria-carrying mosquitos! 

Hate shots too? Claire learned a new trick that she likes to tell people: wiggle your toes. It works! (Which is good because her favorite game ever since has been playing doctor to us all and prescribing shots for all the ailments she detects in us!)

Maybe the cutest of all was what we overheard on the way home, “Don’t cry, Sissy. Shots are better than being sick. You were really brave too.”