Holy crap.
I’m here.
For over 9 months I have prayed, prepared, and dreamt of the World Race…and here I am. I feel like I’ve been gone weeks, but in reality it is only day two. However, my first few days as a racer have been entertaining to say the least.
Leaving launch I was a mess of emotions. I think the best description would be a blubbering hot mess. To all of you who told me I was courageous, bless you. I felt like a little wimp.
After a ton of prayer, I found myself on the first plane. My team, Aslan, and the girls of another team were handed the most interesting flight schedule of them all. While most of our squad would fly from Atlanta to Miami and then on to Quito, we would go from Atlanta to New York, then to Miami, on to Quito, and then we would take an 8 hour bus ride to Portoviejo (where our ministry site is located).
Como say whaaaaa???
Homegirl has travel anxiety to the max in foreign countries (I chose the WR as something to stretch me…no shock). However, the Lord has been good. When we landed in Quito we discovered that we has to wait on our ministry contact to pick us up…45 minutes later, we realize we had all been there the entire time, the screens just told them that our flight was late. Anywho, my team met our guide George Luis (who speaks like no english) and we started our 10pm trek to Portoviejo. Our first bus lasted an hour and we then found ourselves outside of a locked bus station. I don’t know how he did it, but blessed Gorge Luis convinced the security guards to let us in… only to discover that we could either take that bus and miss the other bus, making us sleep in the next bus station, or we could find some miracle. Intro the taxis.
We crammed eight of us and all our gear into two taxis and sped like none other through the streets of downtown Quito, and all we could do at this point is laugh. My teammate Chance was shocking us all with his awesome Spanish skills, which also remarkably still sounded like white boy. Seriously impressive and endearing. Anywho, we make it to the bus station… but jokes on us because we still have to go a ways to get to the actual station, and even further to the actual bus. Gorge Luis is booking it, and we are jet-lagged and carrying around 60 pounds of our earthy belongings with us. Mind you, Quito is 10,000 feet above sea level and the air is THIN. My donkey impersonation was on point. You know that scene where Bilbo is running away from the shire screaming “I’m going on an adventure!” Yeah, well they should have made him wheeze uncontrollably to make it more realistic. Seriously, did the man really do that much cardio? When we had this scenario at training camp I remember thinking “this is my worst nightmare” and I remember my squadmate Jason running beside me telling me to push on one more step…and I remember praying that God would never do that to me. And yet, there I was. Jason, you would be proud. I digress. Panting, wheezing, and halfway dead, we made it. Somehow. We made it.
Once on the bus we decided it would be wise to try to get some sleep (seeing as we slept in the Atlanta airport the night before and had been traveling all day) and took some sleeping medicine. BIG MISTAKE. About two hours in I found myself halfway awake being thrown all over the bus due to the GLORIOUS turns of the mountains of Ecuador. The problem was, I was so drugged tired that all I could do was hold on as best as I could and try to comprehend what was happening. The next time I woke up the bus was like a sauna (a smelly, smelly sauna) and we were in Portoviejo. We took taxis to our pastor’s house (mind you it is 5am at this point) and then my teammate Vanessa and I were sent to our host home.
When I say we scored with awesome hosts, we SCORED. Our host family are all doctors. Both parents are practicing physicians and all three children are studying medicine. They are the SWEETEST people and even have a dog named Pecosco (Picasso). We feel so welcomed, and all their children are around our age, which also rocks. We have AC and Wifi…which we are the only house that can say that. Such an awesome few days.
Today was our first day of ministry (although we did go to two church services yesterday). We did construction at the church this morning (first blister: CHECK!) and worked at a nursing home this afternoon. I was invited to stay the night by an old man named Papi, but Chance saved the day and told him that we were married and that he would have to fight him. Papi agreed to (even though he is in a wheel chair) and Chance digressed to sharing me so…what can I say? I’m a hot commodity.
Incase you didn’t know, I don’t speak Spanish. Well, a little, but not enough. Most conversations are part Spanish, and mostly English…and neither side really knowing what is going on. Its frustrating at times, but I am hoping to learn. I know some racers say that “a smile needs no language” or that “Jesus’ love covers all language barriers” but for right now that sounds like total CRAP. I want to talk to these people! I want to know them and I can only smile and feel dumb. Maybe this will change over time, or maybe I’ll become numb to not understanding, but for today, it is hard.
Spanglish is a form of art, let me tell you. It is something that can only be described as entertaining, frustrating, and confusing. But its worth it.
I can’t lie, I’m missing home a little and my friends, family, and definitely my small group girls. To my Junior Nuggets, I love you and brag on you daily.
To God be the Glory.
