A year ago (tomorrow) I stepped foot on a plane in Atlanta, GA and stepped off the plane onto Dominican Republic soil. The moment I had been waiting for was here. I was officially on the World Race.
I had no idea what I was in for.
I have tried multiple times writing this blog. The infamous “I’m back in the states, the World Race is over” blog. It’s hard to put into words this past year. I didn’t just go on a trip, but a year of my life was lived. The moving from place to place, having a different job, the long bus rides, the smell of Africa, the unbearably hot days in Asia, the insane traffic in Guatemala City, bartering prices at the market, and baking bread outside on the picnic table in Mozambique. All of these things, they became normal. It was my every day life.
Being back in America has been amazing. Reuniting with family and friends who I had missed so much. Sharing stories from the past year. Having the option to get in my car and drive anywhere I want…..by myself. Getting to play ball with my nephew and have conversations with him in person (somewhere along the way he started talking in full sentences and went from baby to toddler….WHAT?!)
But I want to be honest with y’all. Being back in America has it’s challenges. I found a blog I wrote back in month ten as I was processing how I felt about the Race ending and what it would be like to be back in the states. I think it will give you a glimpse of what the transition has been like.
Here I am in month 10 of the race. We have just over one week left in Laos before we are on our way to Cambodia. There we will have two full weeks and then final debrief….and then we will hop on a plane and be America bound.
It’s hard to explain how that makes me feel. My stomach goes into knots whenever I say it.
I’ve never had such extreme emotions that are the polar opposite. I am stoked to see family and friends, I can’t wait to drive my car, or drink a nice hot cup of real coffee out of my favorite mug, using hazelnut creamer….or any flavored creamer for that matter. I can’t wait to hug my nephew Brodi and swap stories with my family/friends from the past year of our lives.
There is a ‘but’ though….
I will be saying goodbye to 42 people who have become very near and dear to my heart. People who I have had the amazing opportunity to share the past 11 months with. That thought alone breaks my heart.
I will be saying goodbye to 11 months of living in very different cultures than America. What has become normal to me, won’t be a thing back in America. Things like….
— Eating street food that is less than 3 USD for a meal (that’s with a coke too).
— For 11 months there has been no such thing as speed limits and traffic regulations.
— For the past 6 months the “right” side of the road has gone back and forth from the right to the left and back again and I’m not really sure what side of the road is the “right” side anymore.
— I can flush the toilet paper? Because that just seems so wrong.
— It’s only a 15 minute walk to get food? No big deal!
— It’s not weird to wear the same clothes at least two days in a row. I’ve gone 3 1/2 days wearing the same outfit….
— There is nothing more refreshing than a coke and a snickers.
— It’s normal to be surrounded by people who don’t understand what I am saying. It’s weird to think about being surrounded by people who will know and understand every word that I speak.
— Having to calculate in my head how much 20,000 kip is in USD. It sure feels like I’m spending a lot of money but in reality it’s only $2.50!
— In Asia, walking barefoot is a thing. Before entering houses/hostels/churches/temples and etc. you always take off your shoes.
— Speaking of shoes, you haven’t worn the same pair of shoes every day for a year for all occasions? To church, to hike in, to swim in the river, and every day in between?
Truth is, I’m going to be a weird person when I go back to America. It’s going to be a completely different culture and I’m going to be a different person. It won’t be the same because I’m not the same. It will be a process of figuring out who I am now and how/where that fits in back home. It should be interesting.
I want to say thank you.
Thank you for the encouragement, the love, the prayers, the financial support you all have poured out to me this year. There has never been a minute I didn’t feel it. I can’t express how much this year has meant to me and the impact it has and will have on my life.
I’m thankful I was given the opportunity to be a part of the World Race. I’m thankful for the way Jesus met me where I was at, the way He spoke sweet words to me and used the people around me to speak truth over me. I’m thankful for the ways He has shown me how much bigger He is than the box I had him in.
It’s been a year of surrender, trust, crazy adventures, breaking out of my comfort zone, chains being broken, freedom, breathtaking sights, and learning a whole lot of who I am and who my God is. And it only leaves me wanting to know more and more of Him. I just can’t get enough.
This year would not have been possible without YOU. You were such a huge part of it, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for choosing to invest in me, thank you for believing in me, and thank you for furthering the Kingdom.
All my love,
Kaci
P.S. I want to ask for y’all to have grace for me as I make this transition. As wonderful as it is to be home, my heart feels like it’s in a hundred different places. Which is a weird/amazing/hard/sad/wonderful thing.
With that being said, I truly am happy to be home. Thanks for being patient with me. 🙂
Be on the lookout for a blog about what is next for me….it’s coming soon!
