It is official- the year the of the Fulbright has begun. I started off the beginning of the season by obtaining some of my shots, buying my plane ticket, and receiving my funds! One of the things that I thought would be easiest to plan actually ended up being one of the more daunting tasks. The commission instructs Fulbright Fellows to buy our tickets round trip, which makes sense in theory, and the price to buy one way is almost equivalent to that of a round trip ticket! What makes this tricky is that you don’t know when or where you will be when you want to leave. A bonus of the Fulbright system is that they provide the funds for the ticket, but they do not purchase it for you or limit you to a specific date for return. This means that I allowed myself to arrive a few dates prior to orientation, and I leave about a week after the teaching placement ends. Taking a shot in the dark, I booked in and out of the Sao Paulo International Airport, and I figured that the ending of my journey can lead me back to this airport, and continue onto the USA.
Another task that I expected to go more smoothly- vaccinations. This process may have been a bit smoother if there wasn’t currently an international depletion and shortage of the yellow fever vaccine. The commission suggests that we prepare for our time in Brazil by getting three shots: yellow fever, hepatitis A, and Typhoid. The Hepatitis A and Typhoid can both be could at local CVS pharmacies and minute clinics, and some work with insurances to cover the cost. Yellow Fever on the other hand, has been a challenge to even find within New Jersey. After checking the CDC website, I found several viable options to call and ask. To my surprise, two hours worth of calling led to find that only one place on my list only still carries the vaccine, which is their main office in Central NJ. All other clinics and doctors offices that I called had run out a year or two ago. Being the penny saver that I am, I tried to avoid going to a travel clinic that doesn’t accept insurance and charges over three hundred dollars for the vaccine, but this is turning out to be the only option. It’s better to be safe than sorry when adventuring abroad for nine to ten months.
The moral of the story is- I’m glad that I began my search for the vaccines early, and I recommend doing so to anyone looking to go abroad. Don’t forget that some local pharmacies provide some travel immunizations, and this may save on some costs that you could incur at travel clinics. I’m stoked to have my plane ticket booked, and it feels surreal looking at the ticket! I can’t wait for the year of the Fulbright to be in full swing.
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