What was the hardest part about marriage on the race in month two?
Bryce: Let’s see. The hardest part about month two was the change of pace from month one. Like I said in the last marriage post, we spent a lot of month one learning what married life on the Race looks like and how to live that out. Month two was all-squad, meaning there were 55 people living under the same roof. So, as we learned to open up and let our team of seven into married life together in India, we now had to learn how to do life with 55 other people. But don’t get me wrong, once we adjusted it was an amazing month!
Kimmy: Let me start by saying that Nepal was a country we both were insanely looking forward to on our race! So, going into this month we were thrilled about actually stepping inside this country we’ve been gushing about. The hardest pasty about this month wasn’t necessarily the environment, country or ministry during our stay, it was the fact that it was all squad month. We LOVE all squad month and it was a great opportunity to have 1:1s with almost everyone [50+ people] on our squad, but it diminished our time together. We were constantly pouring out into other people, while accidentally neglecting one another. We had to learn the balance of being involved while also maintaining consistent time with one another!
What was the best part about marriage on the race in month two?
Bryce: The best part about month two was the ability to invest deeper in relationships. We spent almost two weeks with the squad at training camp, then for a few more days at launch, then we separated for the first month. This month was a time of uninterrupted relationship building with some incredible people. We took advantage of the time we may not be able to duplicate for the rest of the year by having as much one-on-one (you’ll learn this is a World Race buzzword) time as we could. We also need to give a shoutout to our other four teammates for putting together some money and gifts so that we could get a weekend away together!
Kimmy: The best part was that we we got to experience our most sought-after country, together!! We loved taking our marriage weekend in Thamel, tenting outside of Pokhara and getting a half day to visit the the tourist areas of Pokhara by ourselves! I also enjoyed seeing Bryce spend time with other people on our squad, it makes me happy to see other people he invests in as well. 🙂
Best advice for marriage on the race in Nepal?
Bryce: See as much of it as you can! It’s such a diverse country- there’s Kathmandu, including Thamel where anyone who’s a trekker will spend some time; there’s Pokhara, where you’ll see one of the most breath-taking views on the planet; or even something as small as taking one of the many day hikes available. With just the smallest bit of effort, you can always find a viewpoint overlooking God’s creation. Be warned, though- Kimmy and I (and most of our squadmates) went WAY over budget this month…
Kimmy: TAKE A WEEKEND IN THAMEL. If you have the option, do it!! It’s lovely there and we really enjoyed all the western food, amenities and beautiful sites in Nepal. Also, it was pretty affordable to spend a weekend trip there at a hotel [$30], we know a guy if you need the hookup!
