Tonight, I write for the last time as someone who has not yet met their World Race team. Tomorrow begins the epic adventure we call training camp, and the epic adventure we call an 8-hour drive to Gainesville, GA. Meeting my team for the first time and dawning our illustrious red colors will be the first adventure of many. B Squad here I come!
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, which is centered almost entirely on packing. I don’t want to be cold. I don’t like cold at all. If you don’t know me, here’s a fun fact: you’ve probably never met someone who gets cold faster than I do. Here’s another fun fact: you can only fit so much and be so prepared for weather ranging from 40 degrees to 70 degrees during the course of a day in 2 backpacks. 80 liters of space just really isn’t that much. Of course, the biggest difference between this training camp and the real deal race is that I’m bringing more clothes for this. I don’t expect to do laundry, but I do expect to still be in American culture. On the race it will be literal bare minimum, but here I think I can splurge a little, maybe…hopefully that’s not a mistake.
Anyway, all day I’ve been seeing little notifications from squadmates who are making the epic journey to Gainesville. The plane has arrived. The car has departed. The train has left the station. Ok, in reality I haven’t actually heard anyone say they’re taking a train, but they should because trains are really cool. I guess they just don’t get close enough to Gainesville or something. But they’re epic.
Tomorrow will be my turn. The long journey to Gainesville. Although, I actually plan to sleep in tomorrow. And when I say sleep in I mean like 6am. Get up, shower the last hot shower for a whole ten days, eat the last food of my own choice for the next 10 days, and hit the road. It won’t be long now before I’m embraced in the arms of a squad I’ve never met but have been bonding with for months. And still, I’ll always say it’s bittersweet. Sacrifices to make. An approaching journey that is daunting and exciting to say the least. These are the people who will experience it with me. The highs and lows. The ups and downs and in-betweens and all arounds. What I’m embarking on is going to be something. Hopefully there’ll be some good in it, but overall I can’t say I know what to expect, or who.
So, pray for my squad’s safe travels. Pray for epic bonding. Pray for crazy adventures. Pray that we learn a lot. You, the person reading my blog, don’t forget that you play a role in my life and my journey too.
And, to my team, I say for the last time: “I can’t wait to meet you!”
