Hello everyone!
Wow! What a wild year this has been! I really don’t know how I can possibly explain how insane and life changing this past year has been. I mean, I could easily say read my other blogs or watch my YouTube videos but for when people ask me about my experience in person, how do I sum it all up?
How do I explain how I completely fell in love with Guatemala? The people, the food, the cities, little towns, the traditional Mayan clothing and how it’s impressive women can wear them everyday cause I could barely breathe wearing it for a couple hours. The chicken buses, packed with people. The markets and how crazy they are with women walking around carrying live chickens by their feet, or the strange fruits and vegetables. All the relationships we made in Bola de Oro, with the base staff and even with the staff at a little restaurant in Chimaltenago called Las Tortas. Every time they saw us walk by the restaurant they’d smile and wave at us.
All the food we tried! Chuchitos are probably my favorite thing we had in Guatemala. I can’t wait to make them for my family and teach them in the process. I loved going to little tortilla stands, especially our 17-year-old ministry host, Brayan’s, mum’s stand. She’s such a kind woman and always insisted on giving us a crazy amount of tortillas for free.
How do I explain the complete freedom I felt in Ethiopia? Not having any connection to the outside world was surprisingly amazing and refreshing. I was able to invest so heavily into relationships. My team and I grew closer, I became good friends with a man named Mango on the staff at HOPEthiopia, and I had the privilege of having a three year old named Fedessa become a best friend.
How do I explain the taste of an Ethiopian traditional dish called injera? I loved it but some of my squad mates didn’t like the sour taste very much. Through this dish, I was able to try ox for the first time and it’s amazing. My friends Blake, KJ, Sully, Mango and I ate 4.4 pounds of ox injera once, it was an amazing day. When I found out Ethiopia was in the year 2012 and my brain malfunctioned to the point I stopped what I was doing and actually shed tears over it.
How do I explain all the cool things I got to do in Thailand, although only getting two weeks there? I washed elephants, played with hedgehogs at a cafe, got more tattoos, saw my parents and stayed up late roaming around markets. I had an absolute blast although only getting three ministry days due to coming back home early because of COVID-19.
How do I explain all the holidays I celebrated all around the world? My birthday when my team got me nine piñatas (and I named all of them), balloons that said I was turning 11, and after dinner we ate a lot of cake and ice cream. Also how I was teaching an English class that day and one of my students, a mother, gave me a flower and a donut while telling me how she cared for me like a daughter.
Or what about Christmas? I spent Christmas day playing football in the middle of nowhere in Africa. My team made a blanket fort, and on Christmas Eve we did a skit for our whole squad and won the award for best acting.
Then there’s New Years. I don’t know how to properly explain how gorgeous all the stars were that night. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life, I could’ve sworn it was the whole galaxy shining bright just for us. Most of my squad stayed up until midnight, surrounding a huge fire counting down the new year while “It’s The Final Countdown” played in the background.
For Valentine’s day the boys on my squad made all 37 of us girls feel so loved and special (while still telling us they only love us as brothers because of covenant haha!).
Although our time on the field was cut short, I enjoyed every second of the race. I’m so thankful that I got to be with W squad. What are the odds that we all said yes to this crazy adventure at the same time?! They are the only people that will ever fully understand what I’ve walked through these past six and a half months, and I’m so grateful for that. We all have a special bond and such a crazy experience that will always tie us together. I’ll never forget this season of my life and I’m so glad I chose to take part in this adventure right out of high school.
Thank you to all my supporters for everything you did to help me throughout this journey. Thank you W squad for your friendship and amazing memories. Lastly, thank you team Esther for becoming my family and supporting me through everything. You guys have left a huge mark on my life.
This won’t be the last time I post here so…
See you soon!
-Chelsea
Instagram: @chels.dakota
YouTube: Chelsea Adamson
