I want to have a bit more fun with expectations and hopes for my trip, so to start things off …
Random list of ELEVEN…
Things I hope do happen:
-I eat 11 bananas in every country….oh, and remember to peel it from the bottom each time, like the monkeys do.
-I wash my hair at least 11 times. More is fine, but I have to start somewhere with cold bucket baths! I have never had lice and I am pretty sure my public-health nurse mother would rather I not start now.
-I sneak 11 orphans home with me and charm them right past homeland security.
-I sleep under the stars 11 times, and have the conversation from the Lion King at least once. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you need to go re-watch it…soon.
-I learn to say I love you and thank you in 11 languages (might have to get some tribal languages involved in this one…don’t be jealous of my tonal language capabilities.)
-I ride on 11 different modes of transportation, including on top of a pile of…something…on the back of a dump truck. Apparently world racers have been known to actually SLEEP there, so this may not be as unlikely as it sounds.
-I make true, life-long friends in 11 countries, seeing each of them at some point in my life after the race….preferably by returning the favor and hosting them in America, and then going back to visit them!
-I take 11,000 pictures, and at least 11% of them are worth printing.
-I swim in 11 different natural bodies of water and manage to not spend the whole time praying I am not about to be attacked/eaten/infested with whatever scary creature I am convinced is lurking with me.
-I taste 11 different types of cheese. yep thats right. cheese.
-I give and receive at least 11 hugs each day. Team Tharros, watch out…I’m a hugger!
Things I hope do NOT happen:
-I have the same 11 pair of underwear the whole year…I mean let’s be serious, hand-washing your drawers for a whole year is gunna wear those suckers OUT!
-I get 11 different types of food poisoning, followed by 11 days of grossness each time.
-My team mates and I fail to see the humor when a two hour bus ride turns into an 11 hour bus ride….11 times per month. This, evidently, is pretty much a regular occurrence in Africa.
-I lose any of the following 11 things: my passport, my sense of humor, my computer, my sense of adventure, my ipod, my mind, my Bible, my teeth, my ticket home, my focus on Christ, my toothbrush.
-I see 11…or let’s make that 1, sorry to ruin my theme here…people die who don’t know Jesus.
-I get bitten by 11 different types of vicious insects in one night. Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure this is going to happen too. (I knowwww mom and dad, I WILL take my Epipen!)
-I have to hike more than 11 miles at once with my full pack on in the cold rain. Now I love a good adventure and story as much as the next world racer, but things just stop being funny when you are cold and wet and carrying your every belonging for that long.
-There is dial-up internet only in 11 different countries. Consider this my disclaimer: if there is, expect minimal fun, exciting pictures and stories, considering you have to pay per minute. Let’s hope for the best! 🙂
-I gain 11 lbs or more and come home sluggish and out of shape. Now, I know everyone is super perplexed by this statement, as everyone thinks we will come home malnourished, but consider what happens when you eat potatoes, bread, rice, and noodles as 89% of your diet. And the other 11% is junk food from home that you are so happy to find that you nearly cry with excitement and then binge eat 11 servings of. Here's to gaining weight for the cause of Christ! 🙂
-I encounter a hungry or angry animal all alone at 11pm. If any WR leaders are reading this they are shaking their head in disappointment that I broke the never-go-anywhere-alone rule. Sorry guys, my team mates were, um….standing on furniture making declarations.
-I offend my host families 11 times each by misusing their language and comparing the food to poop or something equally embarrassing.
More from the list of ELEVEN’s soon to come….feel free to suggest one you would like to see!
