Durbuntu
Now that I’ve explained our official name, I would like to elaborate on our unofficial, yet perhaps even more fitting name—Durbuntu.
Like the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly, Durbuntu can’t be described by static identifiers, but rather phases or scenes which take place in time.
This is Durbuntu.
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Our first dinner as a team. After accidentally passing the place a few times in our cars, we went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Toccoa Falls. We talked about what we wanted from the race. Kyle and James established their roles as leftover food disposals. We went to Zaxby’s for shakes and almost got some sweet tats together (temporary.) Megan got a dragon.
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Not recognizing James at launch because he had grown a full beard. I wondered why a lot of the squad recognized him.
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With no discussion, deciding as a team during a training activity that Kristen would be the one to get ran over by a van in the hypothetical scenario we were given.
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During our debrief before leaving for Guatemala, we sat in silence with our squad leaders and coaches. “When you guys are together, do you talk to each other?” one of the coaches asked. I imagined us making PB&J’s in the hotel, staring at one another in uncomfortable silence. We laughed, and I explained that maybe we were like onions and the more talkative layers would come out later.
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One of our first squad activities in Guatemala was to create a team skit. We decided on a Lion King theme with shadows.
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In Guatemala we worked at an elderly day car center. We bleached and painted the walls in the kitchen. One day, we took a break and went upstairs to the roof. We were taking a normal group picture, when I said we should stand far away from each other as a joke. Lincoln got the idea to take a band picture, and thus was born Ubuntu: the band.
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At our ministry in Guatemala we played soccer with the elderly there. Inspired by the spirit of competition, I kicked the ball straight into an elderly man’s head. Poor Gorge…
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Dani falling from her chair at a restaurant to pick up Quetzal (Guatemalan currency) and tipping the table on the hostel friends we had recently made.
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In Nicaragua, blissfully unaware of the dengue plague to ensue, my team and squad leaders sat cramped in the back of a truck that would take us to the tree-house hostel as we belted out “Some Nights.”
- Writing a poem about sandwiches and posting it on Kyle’s blog.
- Climbing and sliding down a volcano.
(Laura Gamble’s pic)
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Taking a weekend trip to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. Hopping a fence to explore a mountain beside the water. Pushing each other into the waves.
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Singing about one big giant pancake with Dani in Costa Rica.
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Setting up a tea party for team time where we drank coffee, ate donuts, and internally processed together.
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The girls on the team facing conflict for the first time and working it out in the branches of a tree.
Okay, I realize most of these moments are the kind you would have to be there for… Durbuntu will remain a mystery.
In order to stay out on the field on the World Race, I must reach financial deadlines to cover the cost of food, lodging, visa fees, supplies and transportation. I am currently about $1,000 away from the December 1st deadline. If you feel led to give, click “Support Me!” on the left panel on this page. You can also mail a check and avoid processing fees. For that option be sure to write “For Stephanie Ransom” in the memo line and make the check payable to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Thank you all so much again!
-Stephanie
