People have been asking what do I miss from home? Am I sick of traveling yet? Am I ready to come home? I miss my people the most, but I feel that is a given. I also miss all my activities with my people; going for walks, bike rides, Supper Club, prayer group, P.E.O., etc. I will definitely be ready in May to come home. As for now, I am trying to make the most of every day. This year is truly a gift.
11 things that I miss from the homeland.
- My dog Lucy. I know she is not a thing, but a live creature and could easily be grouped into my people. She is such a great little buddy. She is currently in dog heaven; running around the farm, playing with two other dogs and having constant farm activities to watch.
- Running! I miss running so much. There have been some opportunities to run on the Race but it is more challenging. You have to find someone to run with you because you can’t go by yourself. You have to find a time that the other person is agreeable on. You might not have an opportunity to shower the day you run. Most of the time you are in the city and city streets are not conducive to getting a stride going and more conducive to getting hit by a car. I just finished the book “Born to Run” and I highly recommend it. It makes me want to run even more!
- Wearing jeans. I wear jeans at home if it is -30 outside or 100 degrees outside. I love jeans. I did not bring jeans on the race because they are heavy, take a long time to dry and would take up too much room in my pack. I do not regret not bringing jeans, but I miss them dearly.
- Reading magazines. Every week at home I get Sports Illustrated in my mailbox. Once a month I get National Geographic. Reading my magazines on my front porch is one of my favorite things to do. My teammates have pointed out to me that I can still read articles on-line. It is just not the same.
- Attending sporting events. At home I attend my nephews’ baseball, basketball, flag-football and soccer games. I attend my high school students’ football and basketball games with occasional stops to cross country meets or soccer matches. I attend any Iowa State sporting event that I can and on lucky weekends I get to take in a Cardinals or Rockies game. I have not attended any sporting events on the race. (I would also like to make a note that I really miss watching college and pro football on TV.)
- Playing sports. I love a three-sport day! At home when I can run a race, water ski and play basketball all in the same day or go on a run, go on a bike ride and play golf in the same day… I love it! Every country we have been in the sport of choice is soccer. I have played soccer more this year than I ever have in my life and I have learned that I am not good at soccer. I like the running part, but the making contact with the ball part, not so much. I did play basketball one day and volleyball one day.
- Milk. Family and friends, are you ready for this? I have not had a full glass of milk this entire time! I have had a few chocolate milks from the convenience stores, but I can count those on one hand. At home I drink two gallons of milk a week. I love having milk for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I love having it after a run. I love it with cookies. I tried out for the Got Milk ad campaign in college. I was not selected but I don’t think they really understood what I do for the dairy business. I also had a milk punch card in college- every 7th gallon free!
- Toilet Paper. When you walk into a bathroom in other countries you will never know if there will be toilet paper in the bathroom. Many times you have to pay to use a public bathroom, which then they usually give you a couple of squares, but sometimes even though you paid less than 50 cents to use the bathroom, there will be no paper in the stall. I miss the Land of the Free and free toilet paper in public bathrooms. It is wise to BYOTP with you, wherever you go.
- Schedules/Routines/Plans. I am a planner. I even brought my planner on the race. Yes, it is true. I still have a paper calendar planner. Yes, I know that technology exists; I blame my Mennonite roots. If there is anything you learn on the Race it is to be flexible and to be okay with not having a plan. All day- everyday- surprises! Schedules are always changing, ministry is changing daily and hardly anything ever stays the same week to week.
- My bed. This World Race I have yet to sleep on the ground, but have slept on concrete floors, carpeted floors and in bunk beds. I am starting to feel too old for bunk beds. I have always loved the top bunk, but I have started to prefer the bottom bunk. I have had one too many near misses as I try to figure out how to get down from bed at 3am to go to the bathroom. The ladders are somewhat helpful but many times it is easier to do balancing acts.
- My shower. Every time I shower, I miss the simplicity of home showers. At home, I can leave my shampoo, conditioner, soap, and razor in the shower. On the Race you carry your items back and forth with you for each shower. At home, I do not wear shower sandals. Here I would not even think about not showering without my shower sandals. One month our shower room was also used as a urinal and the rooster had to be shooed out at times. At home I do not have to think about how to keep my clothes dry. Some months you have to be really creative on how to keep the clothes you are going to put on after the shower dry, along with your towel. At home I never have to think about if I will have hot water or if the hot water will work. Here it is a 50/50 shot that the hot water will work.
Drink a glass of milk when wearing your jeans while watching a sporting event for me! I will keep trying to make the most of my days!
