It's June.
Let's backup.
I became fully funded two months ago in Malaysia when awarded a scholarship from AIM. Whoohoo! I was thrilled and gave thanks to God for the parents who contributed to make that scholarship possible. (If you're reading-THANK YOU!) What an incredible gift and great relief to have the trip fully provided for. 😀
Cambodia was a month of blessings. We lived in an elementary school and taught English classes daily. I enjoyed teaching my 1st & 2nd graders even on the difficult days we struggled with a language barrier. A quick game of hangman usually settled class. 😉
While living conditions were more spacious than usual-including a large swimming pool-we had our share of creature adventures each night while bats and lizards played around in the kitchen. Overall, we met some sweet teachers and open-hearted children, made memories and had a great final month. It was the perfect touch of Western culture to get us ready for debrief. (A slight touch, but helpful nonetheless.)
Final debrief was much needed and exceeded my expectations. I soaked up the rest, sleep and air conditioning while having some great talks with God that helped me accept the race was over. In the end I realized I could never be "ready" for re-entry. So I focused on making the most of our last week as a squad.Those last days were fun and filled with memories but also brought some parting tears.
My favorite thing about the world race was learning to live in community. While I knew the squad was what I'd miss the most, by the end of debrief I couldn't help but feel I was as ready as I'd ever be to say goodbye. And then we did.
We flew out of Siem Reap into the capitol of South Korea, Seoul, before finally landing in LAX. America! Some goodbyes happened on the plane, others at luggage claim. Eventually I said my last goodbye at my flight gate and officially finished the race as I landed in Phoenix on May 29th.
May 29th was also my 22nd Birthday. The end of one year and the beginning of another. I was excited to share the day with both the squad and my family. And actually, because of the 14 hour time change it ended up being the longest birthday in history! A lot to be thankful for.
So now the World Race is over. It was the best thing I ever did that I never want to do again. Haha. 😉 I'll always be grateful for the experience and look forward to seeing how God uses everything I learned to do big things in the years to come. I know now that the race was only the beginning. Now the real adventure begins.
Stay tuned for updates on re-entry and what happens next! Thanks for following and supporting me on this great adventure!
