The World Race has been an experience like no other I’ve had in my entire life. There are a huge number of things I can’t wait to reflect upon and share. For those of you like myself, however, who also enjoy fun statistics and quick numbers, this is the blog for you. Here is my incredible year all summed up– it’s The World Race by the Numbers!
Plane Rides: 14
Currencies Used: 12
US Dollar, Costa Rican Colones, Nicaraguan Cordobas, Honduran Lempira, Filipino Peso, Vietnamese Dong, Cambodian Riel, Thai Baht, Malaysian Ringgit, Zimbabwean Bond Notes, Zambian Kwacha, Malawian Kwacha
Countries Stepped Foot In: 14
United States, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, South Africa
Capitals Visited: 7
San Jose/Costa Rica, Tegucigalpa/Honduras, Manila/Philippines, Kuala Lumpur/Malaysia, Bangkok/Thailand, Lusaka/Zambia, Lilongwe/Malawi
Passport Stamps: 27
Languages Heard: 17
English, Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Warawara, Vietnamese, Khmer, Thai, French, Tamil, Malay, Russian, German, Shauna, Indeveli, Chichewa, Nyanja
World Race Teams: 4
Unsilenced, [email protected], Valiance, Proclamation
New Foods Tried: 36
Gallo Pinto, Iced Coffee with Coconut Pulp, Freso de Fruta, Wild Sugar Cane, Cacao Drink, Nacatamal, Banana Soda, Pastelitos Horchata, Baleadas, Pancit, Asado, Binagol, Soman, Balut, Quang Noodles, Pho Bo/Ga, Banh Mi, Eel, Beach Snails, Banh Xeo, Milkfruit, Jackfruit, Lotus Flower Root, Satcha Inchi Seeds, Straw Mushrooms, Tarantula, Thai Milk Tea, Rojak, Milo Ice, Jambu Batu, Rotee, Shwarma, Khao Soi, Sadza, Caterpillars, Nshima, Apple Max Soda, Brim Fish, Samoosa
Wild Animals Seen: 33
Saltwater Crocodile, Possum, Hummingbird, Hermit Crab, Iguana, White-faced Monkey, Rainbow Macaw, Toucan, Crab, Spider Monkey, Sloth, Long-tailed Macaque, Sun Skink, Baboon, Water Monitor, Water Buck, Lion, Impala, Hippopotamus, African Elephant, Eagle Owl, Hammercock, Killer Bee, Zebra, African Fish Eagle, Black Tailed Hare, Large Spotted Genati, Spotted Hyena, Bush-tailed Mongoose, Leopard, Hornbill, Warthog, Puku
Maximum People Shoved in a Car: 18
Times in a Complete Stranger’s Car: 5*
*NOTE: This is not including the entire month of Zimbabwe when we found out about halfway through the month that the cars we were paying to take us to ministry weren’t actual taxis, but just strangers whose cars we were hitchhiking in.
Times We’ve Been Legitimately Lost: 2
Boat Transportation: 2
Train Transportation: 1
Times I Wore a Seatbelt (excluding plane rides): 7
Random (as in, strangers) Parties Attended: 4
Weddings Attended: 1
Funerals Attended: 1
Hospital Visits: 1
San Pedro Sula, Honduras: Team Leader, Derik had food poisoning or something mysterious
Hot Showers: 41
Ways I’ve Bathed: 10
Bucket, Hose, Outdoor Shower, Actual Shower, Lake, Baby Wipes, Asian Shower, Rooftop Shower, Bathtub, Sink
Ways I’ve Slept: 12
Hammock, Sleeping Pad & Liner, Sleeping Pad & Bag, Couch, Foam Mat, Sleeper Bus, Actual Bed, Bunk Bed, Airplane Seat, Floor, Sleeper Train, Bus Seat
Journals Completed: 3 (and working on 4)
Books Read: 17
Forgotten God/Francis Chan, The Picture of Dorian Gray/Oscar Wilde, The Mingling of Souls/, The Pilgrimage/Paulo Coelho, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality/Peter Scazzero, The Lost World/Arthur Conan Doyle, A Foreign Country/Charles Cumming, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe/C.S. Lewis, The Strange Case of Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde/Robert Louis Stevenson, I Am Malala/Malala Yousafzai, First They Killed My Father/Loung Ung, The Alchemist/Paulo Coelho, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness/Timothy Keller, The Call of the Wild/Jack London, The Jungle Book/Rudyard Kipling, The Screwtape Letters/C.S. Lewis, Titanic/Filson Young
Items Brought That I’ve Lost: 12
Things I Experienced for the First Time:
Using a Machete, Doing Laundry in a Bucket, Slept in a Hammock for 30 Days, Sleeping in a Hostel, Chicken Bus, Chocolate Massage, Volcano Boarding, Making Tortillas from Scratch, Riding on a Double-Decker Plane, Not in North America, In Asia, Henna Tattoo, Jeepney Ride, Trike Ride, Three-Day Fast, Visa in Passport, Sleeper Bus Ride, Floating River Lanterns, Driving a Motorbike, Getting Lice, Using a “Squatty Potty”, Tuk-Tuk Ride, Write and Perform a Spoken Word, Eating a Spider, Cut Someone Else’s Hair, Fish Pedicure, Sitting in a Right-Sided Driving Car, Left-Side Driving Country, On a Train, Hand-Sewing, Celebrating Songkran, Attending a Foam Party, At a Cat Cafe, Playing with an Elephant, Getting a Flight Canceled, Getting a Free Hotel Stay, Ordering Room Service, Being an International Alleged Offender, Visiting the Southern Hemisphere, In Africa, Permanently Borrowing an Airline Blanket, Eating a Caterpillar, Hitting a Cop with a Car, Hitchhiking, Making Homemade Fried Chicken, Wearing a Vibrant, Driving a Right-Sided Car, Driving in a Different Country, Going on a Safari, Personal Shout Out on the Radio, Seeing Greenland, Personal Shout Out from an Airline
Holiday Locations:
Halloween – Granada, Nicaragua
Thanksgiving – San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Christmas – Tacloban City, Philippines
New Year’s Eve – Manila, Philippines
Valentine’s Day – Siem Reap, Cambodia
Easter – Sungai Petani, Malaysia
Independence Day – Blantyre, Malawi
