Have you eaten anything unusual- bugs or spiders for example? And if so what and did it taste like chicken?
I’ve not any bugs, but have eaten many cultural foods that I would not have eaten at home. In Ghana we tried fufu and banku which are both traditional foods. Fufu is boiled casava & plantain that is mashed & made into a dough. Banku is casava dough & fermented corn mixed together with hot water and resembles mashed potatoes. I was not a huge fan of either because of the texture. You aren’t supposed to chew them, just swallow….that was the hardest part, it was odd. Other than that I ate some tiny prawns, shell and all, in Cambodia. They weren’t too bad, but I still prefer my prawns shelled & devained, & without antennas. None of it tasted like chicken.
What is the most important lesson you have learned so far?
Boob punches are a brutal, yet effective form of conditioning (and that Princess JWat has no mercy, lol). But seriously, I don’t think that I could pick the most important lesson. Throughout the Race I have learned so much & God has been teaching me more about myself & himself. He’s broken down walls that I didn’t even know were there by calling me his precious jewel, placed me on teams that challenge me to shed my false identities & walk with confidence as the woman God created, and expanded my view of what ministry & community are.
What is the ONE item, aside from the essentials you NEED for the race, that you just couldn’t live without? (think Survivor where the contestants are allowed one “luxury” item to take)
It’s odd for me to say, but makeup. It was suggested at Training Camp that we bring some minimal makeup. I completely ignored it because I never wear makeup and didn’t want to waste space. But when you live in the same 4-5 outfits for months & are constantly sweating, putting on a quick swipe of mascara can make a world of difference in how you feel. Plus there are always special occasions, like celebrating birthdays or number of days on the race. If you are lucky you have an awesome squad that throws a prom, because, why not? So even if it is just a tube of mascara and a two tone eye shadow you will be super glad you brought it.
What has been the most rewarding or humbling experience so far during the world race?
I can’t choose, so I’m giving two answers. 1- In Ghana I taught 3rd grade. My teacher expressed how much she was looking forward to having help so I stepped up to the plate and taught (which was terrifying!). I used my free time to make lesson plans & bounced so many ideas off of my teammates. I loved teaching those kids! The days were draining but seeing them grasp concepts, encourage them, let them know they are smart & loved…that was worth all the effort! Saying goodbye was hard & I miss their smiles & hugs.
Myanmar…just the entire month. In the beginning our entire team struggled to feel motivated. We had expected to be doing an Ask The Lord month & a day before we traveled we found out we had a host. Travel day was rough, some of us were sick, we had no idea what we were supposed to do there. After we voiced that we all prayed for an attitude change. The rest of that month was wonderful! We taught English to Bible College students & played volleyball. TCJ became closer and we LOVED our host so much! We could have tried to tough it out on our own & I think that we would have been miserable. But after we lifted the month up in prayer & gave it over to God the month & our feelings about it did a 180. That was super humbling.
What’s the strangest experience you’ve had so far?
In Cambodia me, Des, Krob, & Katie got massages for Christmas. I’ve gotten many massages before and thought I signed up for the regular table massage where they work out knots. Nope. We signed up for traditional Cambodian massages. Well, it was basically a workout! We were all in one big room on individual beds next to each other which was a bit odd. There was a lot of stretching; it felt like a physical therapy session. The most painful part was when she stood on my calves at the end. I nearly cried. Some of the massage was relaxing, and the stretching was needed, but dang, I was not expecting that kind of massage.
Has anything scary happened?
Driving in Nepal was hands down the scariest ever! Most drivers there do whatever they want. And the roads are not very safe. There were several times where I was so scared that all I could do was pray that Jesus would protect us. Then there is public transportation. Say you were taking 54 people to a Hindu temple to pray. In America we would take 4 15 passenger vans or possibly 3 and a minivan. But in Nepal…well 54 people will fit into 2 15 passenger vans. But wait, there’s more! 54 does not include the driver, money collector, or other passengers. On that specific trip there were 6-10 people not with our group that also were shoved into the vans. So we had people in seats who were in turn sat on (sometimes there was a third person on top), people hunched over in the “aisle” and in many cases a person or two hanging off of the van from the open doorway. That brings the total to 66-74 people in a space meant for 30. *Mic drop*
Have you been sick at all?
I was sick for a good bit of Nepal which led to a reoccurring cold that I finally kicked 2 months later in Myanmar after getting antibiotics. It was a pain in the butt but didn’t keep me from ministry for too long.
What do you miss most from home(not people)?
Reliable electricity & wifi. It is always nice to not worry about the A/C or heat shutting off because of regular power outages. As far as wifi goes, I wouldn’t consider myself dependent on the internet or my phone, it isn’t difficult for me to not have those things. But it is nice to have access. The beginning of the Race I realized how often I googled random stuff. It isn’t essential to living, but I enjoy being able to quickly answer questions or get unlost.
What has been your best experience?
In India we worked with an amazing organization called Rescue Pink. That was November, aka, Thanksgiving. In my home Thanksgiving is a big deal. We go to visit family and eat way too much. There are tons of people crammed into one house; it is loud & chaotic but I LOVE IT! Most of team didn’t have super strong feelings about this holiday, but I really wanted to celebrate. Well, we talked to our fabulous hosts about switching days off so that we could celebrate.
We told them we could cook and they wouldn’t need to come in at all unless they needed to work (we were staying in their office). They graciously took me and Erica out to get groceries. Thanksgiving morning I was up by 9 and cooking. There were a few stressed out moments, like when we ran out of gas & when I never seemed to have enough hands to prep all of the veggies. But KRob took some side dishes off my hands while I finished the chicken & many teammates helped me peel & cut veggies. By 6 we had a huge Thanksgiving fest with fancy place mats & decorations that the Rescue Pink team from the states brought us. We all ate as much as we wanted & still had leftovers then later we put up a cute Christmas tree that our host brought over. It may seem silly. But on that day I was really missing my family. My team knew how important Thanksgiving was & they cam along side me to celebrate, even though it wasn’t a big deal for their families. That meant the world to me!
Are you planning any return trips to any ministry yet?
At the moment I’m not actively planning any return trips but I would love to go back and visit Rescue Pink in India as well as Lighthouse in Cambodia.
Did you ever consider leaving the field? If so why?
Nope not once. At training camp I thought of leaving while on the 3 mile fitness test, and I was super nervous at Launch. But even in my lowest moments on the field leaving I never thought coming home.
How do periods work out, and is it different for you than for the average local?
Funny story, we had a group chat going on our squad called “Girls Room” and at least 50% of the discussion was dedicated to periods. The general rule of thumb for the World Race is: if you are picky/particular about your period supplies then bring enough for the entire year. However, Racers utilize a variety of methods in regards to period management. Some get IUDs or already had a form of BC that lessen or stop their period. Others explore reusable/environmentally friendly options (diva cups, cloth pads, period panties, etc) so that they do not have to worry about a ton of space in their packs being taken up by Aunt Flo. I have not looked extensively at period supplies in other countries nor has the topic come up with those we worked with so I am not an expert. What I have seen the most of is pads. Out of the seven countries I only remember one having tampons but they are not fancy like in the States.
