As I prepare to go home in a matter of weeks, I am realizing there are many things I will and won’t miss about the Race. Here’s my list of things I won’t miss about my time abroad. Stay tuned for those things I will miss about the Race in a coming blog! 

  1. Being stared at.
  2. Packing and repacking. And then realizing you forgot to pack something.
  3. Using shower sandals.
  4. Having to lug groceries for a large number of people across town, then on a bus, then getting dropped off on the side of the road and having to walk the groceries to our house.
  5. Sleeping pads and sleeping bags.
  6. Having dirty feet for 11 straight months.
  7. Being sick in Pakse, Laos.
  8. Cambodia heat and humidity.
  9. Roosters.
  10. Carrying a daypack EVERYWHERE!
  11. Not being able to flush toilet paper.
  12. Standing on the corner trying to figure out what you are doing with 6 other people, while looking completely lost.
  13. Having people try and rip you off.
  14. Public transportation.
  15. Wearing the same sweater and jacket literally day and night for weeks on end without washing them because it is so cold all the time.
  16. Wearing dirty socks.
  17. Having to walk outside to use outhouses in the middle of the night.
  18. Hand washing clothes.
  19. Miscommunication with foreigners.
  20. Border crossings.