As a team, we put together a list of things that have happened to us as a result of preparing to launch in July. For your reading pleasure, here are a few of the quaky, crazy, and out-of-this-world things we're experiencing as we prepare for this epic journey…
YOU KNOW YOU'RE PREPARING FOR THE WORLD RACE WHEN….
1. You have dreams about actually picking one of the Malaria medications and getting the prescription filled.
2. You send up little prayers of thanksgiving every time you take a hot shower or use a western toilet.
3. You can say the countries in your route in order faster than anyone can understand. (THIS IS SO TRUE FOR US)
4. You seriously consider applying for a job at REI because of how much research you have done on the different kinds of camping equipment.
5. You earnestly pray for teammates, whom you have never met, on a regular basis.
6. You have “practiced” setting up your tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag in your room for the night to try them out.
7. You used to get excited to live out of a backpack … now the thought of packing it is a source of anxiety. (AMEN)
8. To pass the time, you try to think up more words that start with your squad letter. (OURS IS "F")
9. Google hangouts are as close as you can get to meeting your team before Training Camp.
10. Instead of buying things, you are trying to sell everything you own.
11. You have two full time jobs- 1. A "real" job or school and 2. Fundraising (MOST DEFINITELY FEELS LIKE IT A LOT OF TIMES)
12.. You no longer hate using port-o-potties because you know that these will soon be luxury.
13. You try to hangout with your friends ALL THE TIME before you're gone for a year.
14. You ask God over and over and over for trust, and continue to ask!
15. You eat basically anything you want, because food will no longer be the same over there.
16. You become good friends with your local travel clinic nurse.
17. You don't care when you get extremely dirty at work, because you know that it's good practice for times when you won't be able to bathe.
18. You're starting to get used to the idea of body odor, knowing that that will be a REFRESHING smell in just a few short months. (OH, HOW TRUE THIS WILL BE)
19. If you decide to get new clothes or shoes, your deciding factors on whether to buy them are: a) will this be functional for the Race, and b) how small can this pack? You get funny looks at the store when you are trying to roll up a pair of jeans as tight as they will go, make some kind of sound of affirmation, and unroll them.
20. Your time on the internet is filled with reading blog after blog, watching video after video, researching countries, ministries, and gear.
21. You begin living with other people, even if you're married, in preparation for what it will be like on the Race. (CURRENTLY LIVING THIS ONE)
22. You start getting used to the idea that you'll have to live with spiders, even though they're your greatest fear (MOST DEFINITELY!!!)
23. You started saying your "goodbyes" months ago as if you'll never return.
24. You're already living out of a suitcase because everything else you own is packed away for the next 15 months.
25. You relish drinking water out of a faucet knowing that it won't happen again for almost a year. Water bottles will become our new best friends.
SO. CAN'T. WAIT. FOR. THIS. ADVENTURE! 51 DAYS!!!!!
