Tomorrow we will have been on The Race 100 days!! I know I can’t believe it either. September 9th we left Atlanta and headed to our first stop, Serbia. Since then we have been to Montenegro, Albania, Greece, Macedonia and now South Africa!! We have had a ton of incredible experiences so far, some sad and some really great ones. So to celebrate our 100th day on the race I thought I would make a list of 100 things I have learned so far, so here they are:
- Community is HARD!
- But community is so so GOOD.
- You think, because you only packed 5 shirts with you on the race, that you’ll be wearing the same 5 shirts over and over again,but because you live with a bunch of other girls you really have an unlimited supply of shirts to wear, borrow and trade!
- Sleeping in a hammock is the best way to sleep.
- The 3 pairs of shoes you left home with will somehow turn into 7 that you’ll have to drop due to weight (yay free pile).
- Sometimes you live with people who are always hot, and you’re always cold and since there’s more of them you get sick.
- But those people take care of you and bring you medicine and food around the clock.
- Not showering for 3 days is normal.
- If you like to cook, bring your own spices.
- Deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, and soap are universal- don’t waste weight by packing them you can buy them overseas (for cheaper too).
- Going to bed at 9pm is late; if you manage to make it till midnight you’re living life dangerously!
- You will NOT always get your way, in fact sometimes your way isn’t even heard.
- But the Lord will ALWAYS provide for your needs.
- Sometimes you have to abandon your tent at 1am due to a lightening storm – but in return you get to have a giant sleepover with all the women on your squad!
- Signs, Mafia and “What are the Odds” will replace TV shows and become common place ( i.e. What are the odds you won’t shower until the New Year #Cassidy)
- Foods you never ate at home will become your favorite.
- Things aren’t always how they look.
- Your route is likely to change 100 times- and month 4 is the first country you’ve made it to that was on your original route. #SemperGumby
- You might not understand what they are singing or saying during the service but you can and will still feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.
- Sometimes Africa feels more like home than Europe (which is really weird).
- Not everywhere flushes their toilet paper.
- Speaking of toilet paper, if it’s not white it’s scented- which is a good thing because a lot of places put toilet paper in the garbage bin #Balkans
- Sometimes you aren’t working with a church at all but that month is the closest you’ve felt to God on the race. #Greece
- The entire world looks exactly the same as America (except for a tree here and there).
- But your breath will continually be taken away 1000 times over at the beauty of this world and the landscapes you see.
- Naps are literal gold.
- Your wants and needs are two VERY different things; you’ll learn that you’re wants might not be met but your needs always will be.
- You think you’re an extrovert- but get on the race and within a month you will want alone time ALL THE TIME.
- You can make a bowl to eat with out of anything (water bottles are especially good for this).
- If you find shorts at Cotton On that are really cute- everyone else on the squad will try and buy them as well; you get used to matching people constantly.
- The hardest thing you might do is learn Hannah Montana’s Hoedown Throw-down and then teach it to 45 people for the Christmas Play you’re in.
- Because you are American every church you go to will expect you to, play, sing or act something at almost every service- get used to it.
- Africa has THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER EVER!! (Yum-Yum[that’s the brand name haha]).
- Strangers become family, who will drive you up the wall and make you feel like you’re going crazy but you still love them and will do anything for them.
- You start to figure out what you really care about.
- You can get along with anyone if you try hard enough (don’t mistake that for being easy because it’s not, but it is possible).
- Asking The Lord to break your heart for what breaks His hurts- a lot; but it’s worth it to see His people how He sees them.
- Dad jokes will NEVER get old.
- It’s ok to have fun, be goofy and dance to your own beat.
- Reading is great (especially on travel days) but don’t let it get in the way of Jesus time.
- If you play an instrument (and decided to not bring it on the race) you’ll buy a new one, month one, because you miss it.
- No-one uses dryers overseas; everything is hang dry.
- Washing laundry by hand takes FOREVER.
- Sniffing your clothes before putting them on becomes a normal activity.
- You will get multiple tan lines all over your body from your watch to your chacos- get used to it.
- You can carry your pack and all your belongings longer than you think is possible.
- Getting out of the shower and sweating right away is normal.
- Being able to drink cold water is a treat!
- Showering is a ridiculous process (not to mention trying to dry off after while you’re already sweating).
- It is possible to charge 30 people’s electronic devices in one plug.
- Hand washing your clothes will never quite get them clean.
- You learn to carry toilet paper with you everywhere you go!
- No shave November turned into No Shave World Race- ain’t nobody got time (or water) for that.
- If you find somewhere with wifi, the next day everyone on the squad will be there trying to use it!
- Your nalgene becomes like a third arm.
- Coke, M&Ms, Peanut butter and Oreos will be eaten all the time because it reminds you of home, even if you don’t eat them at home.
- Other people’s body odor doesn’t bother you near as much as it used to, because you realize you probably smell as bad if not worse than they do.
- In the first 100 days almost everyone on the squad will dye or cut their hair, pierce something or get a tattoo.
- You’ll start to make weird lists, categories and scales for everything. (i.e. Basic scale, Homeless scale and this list)
- Things you thought were important to you no longer are when you have to carry everything on your back.
- You learn how to say No to things.
- Budgeting is a real thing for adventure days, learn to do it early on.
- Spotify premium is a life saver.
- You’ll become an expert at entertaining yourself.
- You become willing to eat almost anything.
- You think since you’ve already moved away from home you won’t miss your family (that much) but it’s way different when you’re half way across the world.
- You will miss American Football!
- The metric system still makes no sense to you.
- You will always get overcharged for things when people realize you’re American (your accent will give you away more than you’d like).
- You can fit way more than 15 people in a 15 passenger van.
- Getting wifi, often times, requires a taxi ride.
- Taking a ride with strangers is normal (sorry Mom & Dad).
- When you find real fruit smoothies you will get really excited.
- Racism still happens around the world and it’s heartbreaking.
- When a little kid you just met hugs you and tells you they love you, you will want to put them in your backpack and take them home with you- every.single.time.
- Going to the bathroom with the door open and people in the room with you is a normal occurrence.
- You get really used to changing in front of people.
- You will master changing in your tent, while lying down.
- You learn the importance of staking down the rain fly for your tent.
- By the time you get home, you will be able to out camp any of your guy friends.
- Eating on $5 a day seems daunting, but it is possible overseas; and in some countries you will eat REALLY REALLY well.
- You learn to depend wholly on God- especially when he strips you of all your comforts.
- You are still as clumsy on the opposite side of the world as you are at home.
- Not wearing makeup becomes your normal, and when you do put makeup on you start to think you look weird.
- Sometimes you’ll have to pay to use the internet and you realize it is just not that important.
- Sometimes you have to pay to use the bathroom- but it is that important.
- You won’t want to work out on the race any more than you did at home.
- But because you’re surrounded by a bunch of people who actually enjoy it, you will start waking up early to work out with them, and start enjoying it yourself.
- $16,267 is ALOT of money, multiple that by 43 people on your squad and it seems like an impossible amount to raise; but The Lord is good and he will provide!
- You learn new ways to do your hair, because a ponytail everyday gets boring.
- Sometimes the countries have Holidays we don’t have at home, but it gets you a rest day in the middle of the week so you are very grateful for them!
- You think you will want to keep something from every country but then you remember you have to carry it with you for 11 months and quickly change your mind.
- At any given time you will have at least 3 different currencies in your wallet.
- You will continually attempt to pay with the wrong currency and people will think you’re crazy.
- You will get VERY excited when you find good mexican food.
- People you haven’t spoken to in years will donate to your trip and help you become fully funded!
- You will miss big events back home like weddings, engagements, births and holidays, but everything you are experiencing over here will make it 10000% worth it.
- There will be dogs in every country for you to love on (even if the locals think you’re crazy).
- Elephants are as awesome as you think they are!
- You can spend your time counting it down – or you can spend your time making it count!
So there you have it- my list of 100 things I’ve learned so far. Can’t wait to continue sharing my journey over the next 8 months!
xoxox
