No yellow fever for me!

Yesterday I went to my doctor to get all the vaccinations and prescriptions I will need for my trip. Today my arm is sore from all the shots I got. In order to travel to Rwanda, the CDC recommends you get vaccinated for yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, polio and typhoid. Even though I think some of these are a little extreme (polio) and expensive ($250 just for the shots and Dr visit, I still have to get the rx's for typhoid and malaria) I decided to get all the immunizations. But honestly, I got them all because of my track record with illnesses in Africa and because I really just can't afford to get sick right now.

As far as the other preparations, Ben and I went to B&H Monday to check out some microphones. Looks like I'm going to have to spring for a cheap lavalier that will set me back about $150. I've decided to assign myself some easy video projects next week so I can re-familiarize myself with the cameras and get back into practice.
This weekend I will be heading north to Vermont to meet with my Executive Producer (my mom) and we will finalize a lot of our plans. My goals for the weekend are to get an itinerary hammered out, flesh out our plan of attack for when we get there and get all of the hotel, car and flight arrangements taken care of. I think it will be really good to get out of NYC for a couple of hours too.

One last thought... I've been pretty bad about writing in this blog, so I'm going to try to start writing more frequently. I also need to keep a journal/record of my expedition for Nat Geo, so I think I might use this as my main medium for that when I'm over there.

Land of A Thousand Hills

I was reading the other day that Rwanda is sometimes referred to as the 'land of a thousand hills' because of its mountainous topography. I couldn't help but draw parallels to hurdles that have gotten me to where I am today with this project. And the hardest part is still to come. As I continue my preparation, I am feeling slightly overwhelmed by what needs to get done, so I've put together a simplified list of tasks that will help me get organized. This may become a reoccurring theme on this blog, and I apologize for that.

1. speak with NatGeo about equipment and date changes
2. speak with employers about days off
3. create a contact list
4. create an itinerary
5. make a reading list of books to get from the NYPL


Sorry this seems so rudimentary, but frankly, I need to get my shit in order. One last fun fact before I go- Rwanda has five volcanoes! I hope that's not foreshadowing anything about my luck in African countries.

Rwanda or Bust

I guess I should introduce myself and tell you why I'm here. My name is Robin and I'm working on a short film about child labor in Rwanda. I've been working on this project for over a year and I've received some financial support from National Geographic to film in September for two weeks. I'm hoping this blog will work like a sketch pad for me as I flesh out the details of the film and provide a 'behind the scenes' look at my process. I hope you enjoy learning about this film and the people in Rwanda. Please send me your questions and comments!