The time has come… my World Race experience has come to an end. We had our final banquet tonight and I just finished packing up my stuff for the last time. We will cherish the next few hours together and maybe sleep a little. Tomorrow morning (Saturday) we will fly from Bucharest, Romania to New York, USA. I can not believe that we will be Stateside tomorrow. Wow. We arrive late Saturday night so in true World Race fashion most of us will spend the night at JFK and then say our good-byes Sunday morning as we separate and fly home.
This year has been such an amazing experience, and I would not have been able to do this without my amazing faithful supporters. I am SO thankful for each and every one of you. God has proven this year that He is such a wonderful provider. I hope that you have enjoyed following me this year and have learned something yourself along the way. God has rocked my world this year. I have seen people healed and many come to Christ. I have fed street kids, prayed for the sick, loved on the least of these, built houses, preached, taught English, fallen in love and personally changed a lot. I am coming home a new Alicia!
I am EAGER to go deeper with God everyday. I do not put Jesus in a box. I am perfect in my Father’s eyes and that’s all that matters. I am a mother to the battered. I am a loved daughter of the Most High King. I am a new complete creation. My prayers are effective and heard. My voice is powerful and will change the Nations. My heart is broken for the things that breaks His. I have been set FREE.
So below was copied from my old roommate Elizabeth’s blog. She was the one who told me about the World Race and encouraged me to sign up. She was on C squad back in 2007 and posted this right before she returned home —>
These next couple of months will be an interesting transition back into American society, both for the Racer and his/her community. You might be wondering what’s happened to your sweet child and if they’ve been brainwashed. They may exhibit new attitudes, new behaviors and habits. Don’t be alarmed…this is to be expected. For your ease of mind, I’ve compiled a quick list of habits, questions, reactions or odd statements you should expect. This will better prepare you all for our inevitable social blunders…
Things You Can Expect From an Ex-Racer
If they come to your house, its perfectly normal to hear…
“Can I drink this water?”
“So, is it cool to flush the TP here…?”
“There wasn’t a name on it, so I used it. Hope that’s ok.”
“Where’s the Free Table?”
“Hey do you care if I borrow your toothbrush, I left mine at home.”
Routine behaviors that might raise an eyebrow, but are perfectly normal…
Excessive trips to the free refill counter, accompanied with lots of slurping and an excited “Ok, really, last trip…I promise. This is so much fun!!”
Instead of folding clothes into drawers, they are rolled tightly, military style (and MIGHT be stored in ziploc bags too)
Every month, clothes are tossed out, with the simple explanation of “It weighs too much. Get rid of it!!”
Constant blogging.
Guzzling gallons of iced tea at record pace.
Bargaining with the store clerks at Wal-Mart.
The offer to do your logistics for the family vacation.
The inability to stay in one place very long.
Gleeful laughing and clapping at the sight of a clothes dryer.
The insistence that another international trip must be planned quickly because “I still have 3 blank pages in my passport!”
Hand-sanitizing.
They’re really not kidding when they say…
“Sorry, officer… I really didn’t realize 10 people in one car was such a problem.”
“Who wants to climb that waterfall and jump off with me?”
“How much will you pay me to eat this bug?”
“I haven’t showered in, like, 3 days. I just didn’t think about it.”
“There’s one brownie left. Let’s arm-wrestle for it.”
“That looks so gross. Let’s taste it!”
Be patient when they say…
“$10 ?! I’m not paying that. In China, its only $2.”
“When I was in the Philippines….”
“Oh my gosh, when we were in Swaziland…”
“Well, in Cambodia…”
“Ha, that’s nothing. When we were in Thailand…”
“Yeah…when I was on the World Race…”
“Plan? No. Let’s just figure it out when we get there.”
You’ll notice they’re very resourceful…
“What’s our budget?”
“Refried beans? Spaghetti noodles? Spinach?…Yeah, I can definitely make a meal with this.”
“Just squish in!! Last time, we fit 10 people in one of these.”
“Want me to ask those random people to give us a ride?”
“Toilet paper? Yeah, sure. I have a roll in my pocket.”
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I seriously can not say Thank you enough!
(Just because this year is over doesn’t mean that I’m done writing blogs. It might be a little time before I write another but I want to share with you all what’s next.)
