This is a list of things racers are used to and things that we talk about that are not otherwise normal:
Talking about our bowel movements (all of the time)
Not flushing your toilet paper
Wearing the same thing four days in a row
Going a week without showering
Not shaving (I’ve only shaved my legs once on the race)
Speaking in broken English Ex: Me go to bathroom
Doing your laundry while also showering
Paying less than a dollar for a full meal
Also becoming outraged by a meal that is over two dollars
Giving each other feedback
Sleeping in tents even when you have a mattress available
Buddy system
Eating absolutely every piece of food that’s on your plate
Standing in a line of 50 people for every meal
Having something stolen and using the excuse, “Well, I guess the Lord didn’t want me to have it.”
Putting chili sauce on everything (in Cambodia)
Eating with your hands and also feeding other people as a sign of respect (Ethiopia)
No air conditioning
Cramming in public transportation
Riding in the back of a pickup truck to ministry (Nicaragua)
No ice ever
Diarrhea is a normal thing
Feeling a stabbing pain in your stomach and still proceeds to climb a volcano
Cold showers only
Can’t drink out of a sink without having a near death experience
Getting Typhoid in Africa
Hearing hyenas close to your tent while you sleep (Ethiopia)
Getting invited into random people’s homes and it not being creepy
Going to a market instead of a store
Coffee ceremonies (Ethiopia)
Cooking our own meals (Cambodia)
Conversations that usually lead with, “What is God teaching you right now?”
Hanging out with monkeys
Climbing mountains
Sleeping on airport floors
Praying for strangers
Meeting friends everywhere we go
Nightly Elle (She’s my teammate who freaks out at night and usually breaks out in dance)
Having a volcano in our backyard (Nicaragua)
Finding mirrors are like finding big foot
Going to the bathroom in a hole
Going into African huts and getting offered barley seeds
Teaching English classes
Climbing trees
Privacy does not exist even when you’re using the toilet
AND MANY OTHERS
Here’s just a few examples of our life on the field. Full of weirdos, and full of adventure.
