after the proliferation of entries from the h-squad on their tentative route, i realized that i never did get around to post on our tentative route.
here the countries and some free-association thoughts on a few of them:
- the philippines: mmmm, mangoes. mmmm…
- the peepow’s repubric of chiner (or the voldemort of our route): n.b., the g-squad will be incommunicado whilst there.
- kenya: makes me want to break out into song, like in the lion king, “nants ingonyama bagithi baba” (i always wondered what exactly the intro to “circle of life” was, and thanks to this website, i kinda sorta know now).
- uganda: i wanna see the invisible (children)
- ethiopia: all the times i’ve taken a cab home from the metro, the driver was ethiopian. . . can’t be coincidence. . .
- india: i love naan. & i hope we get to see where mother teresa made her home amongst the homeless…
- romania: here’s my chance to learn a new romance language.
- bosnia/serbia: who needs a degree in foreign service? we’re ministers of true reconciliation.
- mexico: my first missions trip was here…
- nicaragua: can’t wait to dive into the dumps.
- guatemala: crossed the border from honduras three years ago…can’t wait to step in further this time.
earlier today, as i was running a few errands, i realized that i don’t really have to go very far to embark on a world race. especially in major metropolitan areas like new york, or around washington, dc, where i am currently. i don’t think there’s no place in the u.s. that’s quite as diverse as queens, ny (holla!), but i think alexandria, va, is coming quite close. (nerdy tangent alert: alexandria, va, usa ≈ alexandria, egypt; how apt that the former is the namesake of the latter).
the ethiopian, hispanic, south asian, southeast asian, and eastern european communities in this metro area are growing. in one shopping plaza about half-a-mile from my apartment, i stepped into a dollar store run by indians, then on my way to the supermarket, i made a detour into a store specializing in filipino (or “flip”, if i may) products (seriously, the only dried mangoes i eat are philippine brand, which you can find at a costco neary you!), then passed by a beauty salon/supply store specializing in west african styles and a indo-pak grocery/market.
times like this i am grateful to have grown up as a city girl. as ray bakke shared at urbana 06, the world is urbanizing exponentially, and God is the sovereign Lord of it all. tim keller quips that some of us maybe surprised to see that heaven will be a lot like new york – people of every nation, tribe, and tongue – it will be, “the new jerusalem.”
p.s. there is just soooo much to blog about! waaaah~ they’re all a’comin’
thanx for your patience. 🙂
p.p.s. i’m a wee bit sad that we won’t be able to receive substantial packages overseas – no care packages of korean food. 🙁 it’s okay, it’s a sacrifice i gladly make. in the meantime, friends, now you know why i’ll be eating as much korean food as possible before i leave (mom, i will eat everything you make when i’m home before i launch!). and team, be warned – i’m going to hunt for kimchi (김치) as much as possible, especially when were in our asian countries, and i may be one of the few people on the squad who won’t get tired of rice.
