What Do I Expect?
The Obvious and Logistical:
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I expect to be gone for 11 months.
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I expect to go to at least 11 different countries.
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I expect to leave in August of 2011.
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I expect to raise at least $14,300 – $15,500.
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I expect to do a lot of fund raising the next 8.5 mos.
Before the Race:
- I expect to find camping gear and learn how to use said camping gear … I see a practice camping trip in my near Spring time warmer weather future.
- I expect to practice cohabitating with bugs … right now I am still at the squeal and jump on a chair stage of that process.
- I expect to become frustrated with support raising.
- I expect to become elated with God’s provision despite my frustrations.
- I expect to prepare myself spiritually for the trip ahead by becoming more faithful in my quiet times.
- I expect to see God show up every step of the way.
- I expect to slowly release my tight grip on control.
- I expect my route to change – because that’s what will happen after I prepare myself for these 11 countries (Hence why logistically I will not say I expect to go to: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malaysia,Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania) and that’s okay.
- I expect to write a million lists (or something close).
- I expect to freak out in the doctor’s office as I wait to get my vaccines for travel.
- I expect to be broken at Training Camp and to meet the most amazing people whom I will call family on this trip.
On the Race:
- I expect to be utterly disgusting without showering on a daily basis, sometimes maybe not even weekly especially if I have to bathe in a river with leeches … pass, I’ll stink. Sorry future team.
- I expect to freak out on more than one occasion because of a bug or a spider or a rodent or a lizard or well, anything. Again, sorry future team.
- I expect to butcher the language of most every country I am in, not intentionally.
- I expect to get over my fear of flying quickly.
- I expect to miss high speed internet, alot!
- I expect to build up my leg muscles as I master the art of using the infamous squatty potty that apparantely exists most everywhere but here.
- I expect to swallow food whole to avoid tasting it, and I expect to not always be able to do that and eat some things I never knew existed.
- I expect that unfortunately I will not develop a fish allergy before leaving and will have no excuse not to eat my arch food nemesis especially as we are in many Asian countries.
- I expect to use my dirty hands to eat most meals.
- I expect to get sick.
- I expect to be thankful that I am neither a germaphobe (though I may become one) or claustrophobic as I expect to be in tight quarters with many people, all the time.
- I expect to have some interesting travel experiences.
- I expect to learn how to communicate my feelings better through the feedback process.
- I expect to realize that no matter how much I try to stalk the blogs and prepare, nothing will prepare me for what I experience on the field.
- I expect to see God do some miraculous things through myself and my squadmates.
- I expect to be forever changed.
… I know you should go into this trip with no expectations, but I expect that will be difficult for me to do seeing as those are just a small number of the expectations I came up with – the longer I think, and the closer to time, I know I will have many more expectations.
