My very first Q&A blog!
Part 1
I received so many questions I couldn’t include all of them one blog or this would be such a long post so I will be doing a part 2 next week, keep asking me questions!
You’ve made a lot of friends and have done incredible things, but are you ever afraid you’re “Missing out” on something because you chose a gap year?
I’ve known for a long time I wanted to take a gap year between high school and college. The thought of going straight to college seemed daunting and quiet frankly I needed a long break from tests, and studying, and the stresses of school life. I’ve always said I was going to travel around the world but did not expected it would be for this long or that I would be on a program like this, doing what I am doing. However, I honestly wouldn’t want to spend this year doing anything else. Most of the time there is no other place I’d rather be and nothing else I’d rather be doing than what I get to do every day, solely focusing on showing the people around me more of Jesus in missions. The people on my squad and team are amazing and full of incredible talents and they have the biggest hearts of anyone I know. Now, of course there are moments I miss home and what I left behind, being comfortable, and having my own space. Sometimes I will scroll past a picture of home, our friends getting together, or holiday pictures of my family all together and I feel sad that I missed out on that moment but, it is just a moment and then I remember that the moment I am in is so special, I will have many more holidays with my family at home, but right now I am surrounded my my world race family, the brothers and sisters God gave me for this season and the homesickness dissipates. Also, I know that being home wouldn’t satisfy my traveling and adventuring heart and I’d want to be back on the field. I am content being where I am right now, with this family God so graciously has given me for this season. I am still planning on going to college this coming fall and I am looking forward to that experience and season, when it comes. Right now, I am content being in this season, on the field serving in anyway I am asked, single, and falling deeper in love with Jesus and who he created me to be. And I honestly wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
What has been your favorite part so far?
My whole month in Nepal! I absolutely loved our host family, the location, and doing a new ministry everyday.
How has your perception of the U.S. and our culture changed?
What has been the biggest culture shock? So, I’m going to put these questions together because the biggest culture shock has changed how I now view good ‘ole ‘Merica. And that would be *cue drum roll* By not having access to everything and anything I want. The majority of Americans have access to anything! Americans don’t even have to GO to stores if they don’t want to. With the click of button it could be delivered right to their doorstep (trust me I’m a big fan of this as well as a fellow American). I new going into the race I would be giving up a lot of things and I new some things would be hard to find but I did not expect going places, like the grocery store, especially in Swaziland would be so difficult. In Swaziland, there was one grocery store called SaveMor about a quarter the size of the local Giant grocery store. And one restaurant called Niesela, that was it for miles. And not just, “that was it” in regards to grocery stores or restaurants that was it for anything, there a few houses speckled amongst the bushes but we were clearly living in the bush of Africa. So the biggest culture shock has been not having access to whatever I want, whenever I feel like wanting it. It was a huge ordeal if one decided to take a trip to SaveMor or Niesela. I would have to be willing to set aside hours or my entire off day to go because the transportation did not run on a schedule, they were like taxi vans that picked up people on its way like a bus. But you couldn’t call one ahead of time, you had to pray and wait for one to show up. You could be waiting at the bus stop for 15 minutes or 2 hours. You never knew, and then you had the set aside time after you were done shopping to wait for a ride back home as well. Swaziland runs on its own time. Being early somewhere means no one is there yet, being on time means it wont start for another hour or two and being late means the party is about to start.
Do you miss the snow back home?
Nope. Anyone who knows me knows I cannot stand being cold. In Swaziland the temperature was a high of 100 some days and low of 70 usually but it was dry heat which is totally different than humid sticky heat, shout out to Pennsylvania and Georgia and all of those states in between that are hot and muggy in the summer, boy I did not realize how bad we had it in summer. I will take dry heat of 100 degrees any day over even 80 degree humid weather! Sorry little rant there, back to your question, I miss the beauty of the snow and how it would cover the grass and landscape. But I do not miss how cold it was at all. I love my warm sunny 80 degree days so much and would trade them for nothing else! 🙂
What do you eat on a regular basis?
This would very extensive if I included my meals for all countries so I will only share what we eat here in India.
Indian Menu:
Breakfast (one bullet point a day)
- oatmeal and banana
- French toast with a hard boiled egg
- Buttery toast with a hard boiled egg
- This lentil bean thing with fried bread (this one’s my fav. Cuz it fills me up)
Lunch (one bullet point a day)
- Chow mein
- Ramen
- Mac and cheese with tomatoes (actually it includes no cheese we don’t know what to call so we still call it mac and cheese but it’s good)
- Chicken broth soup with some chicken, carrots, rice
Dinner (combination of a few make up one meal)
- We can always count on rice!
- Fried chicken or DFC: Dara Fried Chicken (Dara is our amazing cook whom without we would starve)
- Stir fry
- Some type of curry with potatoes (not spicy)
- Bora (fried onion grass very good!)
- French fries
- They look like styrofoam packing peanuts but they are indeed edible chip like puff things
What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten?
Impala in Swaziland which is an animal a lot like a deer in the US, very good!
Surprising?
I had a small piece of dog here in India. It wasn’t bad (I’m sorry all of you puppy loving readers). Coming to India my goal was to not eat dog, but peer pressure so I tried it, I couldn’t eat it again because I love puppies too much. It would make me too sad if I ate it again; but the piece I had was not bad, very spicy but not bad.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve encountered culturally/ministerially?
Demons inside people. I did not believe it still happened but, now I do. In Swaziland there was a demon possessed man who tried to attack a young girl at the school next to our base thankfully she got away and no one was harmed but he was clearly taken over by something, and was not himself. Then in Nepal my team met a man named Mongul who was also taken over by something and had to be chained together for his safety and the safety of those around him who were caring for him. Seeing his suffering broke my heart because I know my God is so much stronger than any demon inside of him. I pleaded and cried out to God in prayer asking him, “why won’t you heal this man?” I knew that He could but seeing that he didn’t when I and my whole team prayed for him tested my faith in God’s goodness. I carried that weight of frustration and anger at God for a little while but soon I realized it was weighing me down so I gave it to God. I had to surrender that there was nothing more I could do then pray and have faith that God had and still does have this whole situation in his hands and that He will use it to show He is Lord over all. I had to learn to trust God’s timing.
Saddest? (Also the most challenging)*discretion if reading allowed to children*
In Swaziland witches and medicine men would kidnapped children and use their limbs or body parts as sacrifices in hopes of swaying the election one way or another. It broke my heart to hear that news. Clearly that doesn’t work, but it is also absolutely terrifying and incredibly heart breaking that many innocent children’s lives are taken because of this. Please pray for this darkness in Swaziland to be brought to the light. Also Nsoko, Swaziland has the highest percentage of AID/HIV victims in the world which is also so sad to realize many of the children I was with for 3 months at the Joyella carepoint have AIDs and they may have shortened life spans because of it. That will continue the trend of generations of children in Swaziland grow up with one or no parents.
Something that brought you joy?
Even through all of the pain and saddens in this broken, wreck of a world we live in, God is bigger, is greater, and in total control. That gives me joy and peace.
Did you ever use your tent?
I did! In Swaziland for one week, and Gorka in Nepal for one week!
Did you pack something that you thought would be essential but learned you didn’t need it?
Absolutely, the amount of tampons and liners I bought for the race. way way way too many. Also you can buy pads all over the place, I don’t know why I was so worried.
What’s a custom you have observed that you greatly respect or would even like to adopt in your life?
*potty talk* Ha, a squatty potty. I have used one almost the whole race. For those of you who are unfamiliar as I used to be, primitive ones like the one I used in Swazi is simply a whole in the ground that you squat over to do number 1 and number 2. More high end, quality ones, are porcelain and kind of shaped like a urinal but on the ground. You simply pull your pants to your knees and squat down. Squatting is actually the proper position, as Iggs would say. I think they are comfortable and I have been debating putting one in my future home. They are also very easy to clean, you can rinse the whole stall off with water. (Did miss the first time in Africa so there is learning curve but can be learned with a little practice).
What is one thing you wish you did pack, but didn’t!
A bigger pillow, I have a small fold up pillow thing which is nice for travel days but a big pillow would be more comfortable.
What is your favorite food from each country you have visited?
Oh that is very hard, okay, so Swaziland would be the meatballs Faith made. Nepal would definitely be momos! They are very similar to Chinese dumplings or pot stickers I think some people call them. And India would be curry with pototoes and cauliflower.
What have you tried/eaten that you would never touch again? These fried soy balls, so gross, tasted like dog food.
Has anything about this year shaped what you want to do career or college wise?
Yes! It has confirmed I want to teach. But has shifted my focus to helping developmentally challenged, such as autistic, dyslexic, delayed and more to keep working on a concept until that lightbulb moment is reached, and or they need extra practice on something.
Do you have a strong connection with people in your group that help on your bad days?
Oh yes! My team is the absolute best. I have never had a group of friends, especially all girls, who were so invested in wanting to help me grow to look more like Jesus and who were around me 24/7! I know they are here for me no matter what. Good and bad days.
Have you ever been worried about your safety?
Yes, but not many times. Crossing the street in Kathmandu for sure! No cross walks, not traffic signals, no lines on the road that divide what could be split into 4 lanes. Absolute craziness, drove me insane, I hated crossing the road. But I survived and so did my whole team thanks to our amazing hosts who kept us all safe and in one piece. Then there was New Years Eve, our squad was in the tourist district of khatmandu, Nepal called Thamel. It was a crazy night. Think of Times Square, NYC on New Years then that times 10 and that was almost the craziness of that night. There had to have been thousands of people, some were definitely drunk, high and/or had bad intentions in mind. The party was tempting because of the fun music, party atmosphere, and it was New Years! I had to go through the crowd around 7pm to get my laundry from the laundromat and after that I said never again and thank goodness I said that because it just got worse out there the closer to midnight it got. Many girls on my squad went and had horrible things happen that night. It was really sad what happened.
Have you had that “ah ha” moment that told you this is exactly where God wants you to be?
More than once actually! Actually Christmas Eve I was sitting with a two young girls outside and i was letting them draw pictures on my hands. Then Jordan asked me, “If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would you go?” Classic question, and I did honestly think about it, but in that moment there was no other place I would rather be than where I was playing with these girls.
Do you miss your youth group leaders?? Yes!!!
Can you remind those of us surrounded by stuff how unimportant all our stuff is???
Oh my gosh yes!!! My teammate Gillian Schear did a very good blog post about this titled “Not My Life” go read it at www.gillianschear.theworldrace.org! Stuff is just stuff.
Tell us more about how others live with much less:
I have met people who live in one room mud houses. And not open concept one room houses I mean one room including a bed or two, mats on the floor and two burners or a fire outside used to cook meals. That is it. That opened my eyes to living with less.
What will you get rid of when you get home?
A lot of my clothes, I have learned from the race I don’t need so many clothes. A few pants, a few shirts, a few nice pieces, that’s all.
I have not seen pictures of you in the same dress twice. Do you swap clothes with others in your group?
Oh my, I have worn the same outfits for months. That’s one of the reasons I don’t post many pictures of myself actually. I’m too prideful to show that I have worn the same clothes and outfits for an exceedingly, innumerable amount of times. The girls on my squad since we have been all squad almost the entire race so far has shared many many clothes which I awesome! But we are all also all different shapes and sizes, and more me being the shortest on the squad that narrows down my options a bit. We have loved the buying new clothes in each country as well, and the clothes every where we have been are considerably cheaper than the US so it’s not hard to justify buying almost a new wardrobe in each county.
Have you seen something in the markets that you wished you could purchase but could not due to weight? Space? Funds?
Absolutely!!! In Swaziland I wanted to buy a big hand painted piece of a sunset on the Sahara but was too big and too delicate to carry around in my pack for the rest of the race. A tapestry and paintings from Nepal, again way too big and expensive to carry around with me the rest of the race, and here in India bamboo boxes and a stool. And too expensive and no way I could carry those along on the rest of my journey as well.
I hope this gives you a better look at what some of my experiences around the world has been like, eye opening, and life altering. One truth I have learned on the race is that the things of this world will never satisfy and the homesickness I may feel for home will not last, because what I am really homesick for is my true home, Heaven.
More questions and answers to come next week, keep sending me questions!
