Ever since getting accepted as a World Racer last October, there have been a lot of questions surrounding the trip. Where am I going, for how long, who’s going with me, etc. With only 29 days left at home in the U.S.A., I figured now’s a better time than ever to answer the most FAQ’s I’ve gotten over the last handful of months leading up to launch.
So, without further ado, and in no particular order, here are the top 10 most FAQ’s/statements about my 9 month missions trip with the World Race: Gap Year
Where are you going?
- Swaziland (September-November, 3 months), Nepal (December, 1 month), India (January-February, 2 months), and Guatemala (March-May, 3 months).
That’s like, insane, are you living in the desert for a year?!
- Eh, no. We’ll be in rural areas for sure, but will still have access to markets and more local town areas. I have no idea what this means, but we’ll see.
How long will you be gone? When can we hang out?!
- The whole trip is 9 months long. So, September-end of next May/early June. I’d LOVE to do something together before I leave on September 9th! Other then that, I’ll see ya next summer!
What about college?
- I’m going to Taylor University! I applied for fall of 2018 but when the Race came into the picture they kindly allowed me to keep my scholarships and defer for fall of 2019.
Why? Just why??
- Start of Senior year I was a mess. I had no clue about anything college related, and after an interesting series of events, ending up going on a missions trip to India in September of 2017. The idea of the World Race had first been introduced to me my Freshman year, and I briefly remembered it around August my Senior year of high school. Flash forward to mid India trip, I knew missions was where I was supposed to be. College for sure still felt part of my path, but maybe not necessarily when everyone said it should be. I filled out an application for the Race upon returning home from India, but let it sit there for about a month before paying the deposit and setting up an interview. After prayer and a shove, I paid the $150 (without telling my parents) and had my phone call. I was accepted to the World Race: Gap Year within the following week, and have officially been a racer since October of 2017.
I’m so excited for you, but I’d never do anything like that.
- Thank you! I’m super pumped too, but at the same time know it’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done with my life. 9 months is a long time away, let alone away in foreign countries. Life at home is going to move on without me. By the time I get back, my friends will be entering Sophomore year of college, I’ll have missed birthdays and family holidays, and everyone will have stories from the past year that I’m not part of. While yes, I love travel and missions, training camp definitely opened my eyes to the challenges and cost that comes with a commitment like this. There have been more than a handful of times I wanted to quit and do something else, but my faith says no, “Go and make disciples of all the nations,” (Matthew 28:19). So since we are commanded, I’m doing it because I’m told to, not depending on if I’ve felt “called” or not.
How in the world are you packing? What are you taking?
- Everything, and nothing. I only get 2 bags (one hiking backpack and a regular sized book bag), so I honestly don’t even know at this point, haha. I have everything from a one-person tent, harem pants (highly recommend BTW), a hammock, a zip-lock bag filled with zip-lock bags, 15 ball-point pens, bars of shampoo, a camera + polaroid, an inflatable solar light, ear plugs, eye mask, enough gum and mints to last me through the apocalypse…my list is 4 pages long. No joke.
You’re going a lot of different places, I’m sure the food will be crazy!
- Tums and Pepto Bismol, my friend. #donteattheairplanecurry
Are you going alone?
- Heeeeeeccccccckkkkkk NO. I cherish my alone time, believe me, but N-O. My squad (U SQUAD WHOO), is made up of 46 people, including myself, who are all traveling to the same countries, in the same order, at the same time. At training camp we were split up into teams of about 5-6 people, and those are the ones we’ll be sticking with for the year. Even though the teams will be in different areas of the country, there’s always the chance teams will be nearby and run into each other, and also the possibility of changing up teams throughout the race. Currently, I’m on a team (W*O*H*C Tribe) with 5 other girls who are amazing and I can’t wait to do life with for this next year and beyond.
How will we communicate? I still wanna talk!
- I’m taking my laptop (for writing, hey, just like this!), my tablet (for books, but I can also use internet), and *possibly* my phone (if not, skype and FB messenger will always work on a computer too). Connections will likely be hit or miss, but airport Wi-Fi and layovers will be my best friend for getting in touch back home. I’ll try my best! I wanna talk too!
Annnnnd BONUS ROUND!
Umm your braces?
- Definitely getting those bad boys off before I leave. Wouldn’t exactly be ideal to snap off a bracket in the middle of Africa, though I am technically supposed to have them on until next February. Whoops. Uh, retainers?? Jesus will be fine if I have crooked teeth, I’m sure. Yeah.
And there you have it! Hopefully this answers any questions and provides some insight to what I’m doing. I can’t wait for this next adventure and would love to get together to answer any other questions I can, or just chat and hangout before I leave (29 days and COUNTING!). Though I have until next January to raise the full amount for the trip, I do HAVE to have $10,000 raised by August 24th to actually be able to leave. We’re so so SO close! I’d absolutely love to talk more about it if you’re interested in supporting me for this journey.
Here’s to 29 days till I’m reunited with my family of 46.
GO U SQUAD!!
