Just a little wisdom I have decided to impart upon future racers.
1. I would have been so clever and decided in the beginning to do the same thing in every country- like bring a white flag and hold it up in famous places in tune to “White Flag” by Chris Tomlin…. or write “Hello” in the language of whatever country I was in and post pictures.
2. I would NOT HAVE BROUGHT SO MUCH CLOTHING because I could have/ended up buying some from every country and it just got out of hand for a while.
3. Two words: ROLLING BACKPACK. Never encountered vast jungles where I could not have rolled my pack or flowing rivers to wade through waist deep with it on my back, but I DID encounter endless hours and DAYS every month of sweating, actually tearing up and wishing with every fiber in my being that my pack didn’t OWN me on travel days.
4. I would have appreciated my first team more because team changes on the race are certain and imminent.
5. Ditch that entire suitcase of medicine and toiletries. You can buy meds for a buck, and shampoo/conditioner/soap for even less in every single country.
6. I would not have decided having 7 pairs of shoes was OK.
7. I would have taken more pictures/video even on days I thought were going to be “normal” (news flash-no day is ever going to be normal.)
8. I would have gotten an international Schwab debit card. Literally spent over 400 bucks this year on ATM fees. SUCKS.
9.This is JUST ME, but I would have blogged more. I am an average blogger, I mean some people on this squad wrote a solid 3 for the entire year ha, but I definitely could have written so much more. It matters, not only for fundraising, but so people back home who care about you know what you are flippin doing!!!
10. I would have not worried so much about boys. My goodness!!!! A lot of my time was spent wondering, hoping, praying, rubbing my genie lamp with hopeful wishin, meeting the foreigners, breaking hearts world wide, ect. Boys can be dangerous for us female racers and it is a bad idea to be worrin about them more than the Lord’s business. Besides, honestly if you can go a whole year with men on your squad and still find them as charming and attractive as you did in the beginning of the race, you have witnessed a miracle.
In the words of my squad leader Jillian, “Eat this up. This is some good stuff.”
