Hello Folks!
So, I figured this post could be a bit of an update about my journey to World Race. So far, it has been a little wild. I got fitted for my internal frame backpack, and a few days after I showed my mom which one I wanted, a very large package appeared at my door from REI. I wonder what I am getting for Christmas. My passport also came in the mail! It’s official. They’ll let me leave!
But on a more serious note, I have been massively humbled by the people around me, and the grace they have shown. I am not one to elaborate about my faith to my friends and family. In fact, it gives me a lot of stress to do so. So asking people to financially support a part of me that I don’t show often has been an interesting experience, to say the least. However, right after announcing my trip, I received a notification informing me that a friend of mine who is away at school in New York was the first person to donate to me. This friend isn’t one that I talk about my faith often with, but he cares about me enough to support me.
Going into this adventure, I knew full well that I would pretty much spend the next two years of my life asking for a lot of grace and patience from my family. It will radically redefine our family dynamic for me to live abroad for nine months. Think about it. I will leave a day before my sisters’ 14th birthday. By the time I get back, they will almost be 15 years old, and will have graduated middle school. Kara will be out of high school. I’ll be missing a year of Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and birthdays. Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited about my trip. The prospect of being in India for Christmas 2019 is so amazing, but that is a lot to miss out on, and it was really hard for my family to adjust to. However, we have come to a point where my family is genuinely excited for me. My sister Izzy seems to be the most excited, but I think that might just be because she was promised my room while I am away (she already tried to get my laptop too). I have been able to sit and daydream with my mom about life abroad, and my dad has been immensely supportive of me to everyone we talk to. The crazy change in the way they saw this trip has been humbling, and something amazing to be a part of.
It has been so sweet to see the way that people react to this trip. Some people are not so thrilled about it, understandably, but also, there have been people who have been over the moon for me and so supportive and I am so grateful.
I truly have no idea what is in store for this adventure. I think it is going to change me in ways I won’t even be able to describe. But I am ready, excited, and thoroughly supported.
Love you all,
Kylee.
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