‘Twas two days before Christmas.
In the sale section of Anthropologie, that upscale clothing store that sells pretty things Pinterest users rip off with do-it-yourself projects… it hit me.
I set my shopping bag, heavy with last minute Christmas gifts, on the floor. I picked up what had caught my eye, a slim cardboard portfolio with the word “TRAVELOGUE” printed in black on its cover. I opened it. The folder contained a travel journal, luggage tags, and a little world map with gold paint over all the continents, with the idea that you could scrape off the paint to indicate where you’d traveled. I put the Travelogue back on the shelf and paused there.
Then I had a long overdue epiphany.
I’m going to a lot of places.
I’d be scraping off a lot of paint!
I’m about to travel the world!
It’s really going to happen!
I’m to the point where the Race is always in the back of my mind: I have less than a week left in the Northwest. There’s always one more thing I need to pick up at the store, or a thank you note to write to a donor, or a comfort from home to savor, or someone to tell: “In case I don’t bump into you again….”
People have been saying, “You must be so excited!” And I have been, I guess. But I’ve been planning for the World Race for about a year now. I’ve gotten used to getting ready. But for some reason, seeing the Travelogue nudged me from Getting Ready Mode to Actually Doing It Mode.
Being in Actually Doing It Mode is awesome because it’s finally clicking: I’m about to do something that people dream of doing. It’s something I’ve dreamt of doing. And finally, after months of preparation, it’s about to really happen! I’m deeply saddened at the prospect of being away from the people I love, but deeply happy because I know that God oversees our comings and goings.
This is my last week in the States. I have a few goals.
I’ve been in the process of packing for days now, and all my gear is strewn about my room, along with all the little baggies everything comes in. It’s amazing how many little baggies you accumulate when you buy things from REI: get a raincoat and it comes in a little stuff sack. Sleeping pad, tent, sleeping bag… even my duffel bag comes with its own storage baggie. I think I have more little baggies than I do gear.
Another goal is to finish watching the hit Korean drama Boys over Flowers with my friends Kristal and Lindsey.
I also would like to scan a voluminous Hebrew textbook I’ve been working through so I have an electronic copy to refer to on the field.
And perhaps one last walk or two on the Tacoma waterfront would be nice.
Next Sunday, January 5, my parents and I fly to Atlanta, where C squad will reunite and get some more specific training about life on the field. I’ve never gone to Atlanta for a normal reason. The two times I went were to be contestants on Family Feud. The third time I went was for World Race training camp. And this time, it will be to take a breath before launching into the biggest trip I’ve ever done. And that launch will be on January 9, when we fly to our first country, Honduras. At least, I think it will be Honduras. If there’s one thing to know about the World Race, it’s that nothing is set in stone (cf. my route change and team change).
One more thing: when I was looking into World Race, I spent a lot of time reading other racers’ blogs. My favorites were the entries that addressed the specifics of life on the field. I loved hearing about what people ate for breakfast, how long it took to walk to an internet cafe, the appearance of a next-door neighbor. I also loved reading about each team’s life together. Lately, I’ve been poring over any blog with “Packing List” in the title.
So, I have a favor to ask of you all.
If there is something about our World Race adventure that you’re curious about, I would love for you to contact me, either by email or blog comment, and let me know! This blog is written for you, so if there’s something you want to hear about, I’d be happy to try writing about it. No topic is off-limits, except they told me I can’t blog about our digestion issues at length because that’s gross. Maybe I’ll have a separate blog for that. Just kidding.
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. I ask you to remember my family especially this week, since this is a very weird time for all of us. Pray that we’d enjoy our last week together and have confidence in God’s continued faithfulness as Actually Doing It Mode keeps kicking in.
