I’m halfway through the World Race and I’m now pretty immersed in to the culture that comes with going on this journey. There are so many new terms that Racers come to learn and appreciate that they’ll probably only hear on the Race. I wanted to make a list and define some of those terms for my friends and family who probably hear me using them frequently and for future Racers to be a little more familiar before they begin.
Squad /singular noun/: The group of people who travel to the same countries as you. Usually, 20-50 people are on a squad and they become your family for 11 months and hopefully longer.
Team /singular noun/: A smaller group of people within the squad that are handpicked by leadership to live and do ministry together as a unit. Your squad will usually split up between different cities in each country, but teams go to the same city/ministry together. You typically have 2-3 different teams during the World Race and are with your team about 3-4 months.
Squad Mentor /singular noun/: A person employed by Adventures in Missions to keep track of your squad from the state of Georgia. They’re kind of the squad’s head honcho and make sure every part of the journey is running smoothly. Like their namesake, they are also there to mentor and will give great words of wisdom about the Race and life afterwards. They come to debriefs a few times a year to see the squad in person and catch up.
Squad Coaches /plural noun/: A married couple who are around your parents’ age that volunteer to share their wisdom and follow the journey of each person on the squad. They are cheerleaders who are always willing to talk and share tidbits about their walk with God. They do not physically go with you on the Race, but are always willing to talk to you from wherever they are. They also come to debrief a few times to see the squad. Basically, they are who you want to be in 20 years.
Squad Leaders /plural noun/: Alumni World Racers who travel with the squad for the first 5 months of the trip. They travel from team to team to check in, teach you how to interact with your ministry host, and help with problem solving when need be. They are around your age and become great friends and confidants. Once they leave, 3 new squad leaders are picked from the existing squad members.
Feedback /singular noun/: 1. Affirmative feedback- words of encouragement given to your fellow teammates when you see a behavior that you appreciate and want them to continue. 2. Constructive feedback- words given in a loving way to point your teammates towards the person that God wants them to be. You are not telling them what they are doing wrong, but simply giving a suggestion of how they can grow and improve.
Debrief /singular noun/: Done after months 1, 4, 6, 8, and 11. This is time set aside for the squad to come together with a few or all members of leadership to discuss your experiences and spiritual growth from the months prior. It’s a great time to bond with squad members that you haven’t seen in a while because they aren’t on your team. It’s full of worship, devotionals, teaching sessions, and fun. Also a great opportunity to take a daily nap after a month of painting walls and mixing concrete.
There are also a lot of words and phrases that I’ve heard my squadmates use and questions that I’ve been asked that are not a part of my normal vocabulary at home. I’ve really only started going to church consistently and being in community with Christians the past few years, so perhaps I’m just a little behind the curve. I still don’t use these regularly, and I still sometimes think they’re strange, but I’m starting to appreciate them more and more, especially as I get to know myself better.
Internal/External Processing /verb/: Basically, do you need to think about things in your head or do you need to say them out loud? Someone asked me if I was an internal or external processor at training camp in June and I had no clue what they were talking about. I’ve since found that I’m an internal processor, meaning I need to think about things in my head for a while before speaking. I have multiple teammates who are external processors and I will randomly hear them talking to themselves out loud. Currently still trying to figure out when they are talking to me and when they are externally processing their thoughts.
Enneagram number /singular noun/: I had heard of the Enneagram, a personality test consisting of 9 different results and explanations, before the World Race, but I’ve never heard people talk about it this much. I have 2 psychology degrees and I’ve never talked this much about personality types. Some of my squadmates can tell me more about myself than I can based on my Enneagram number. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading up on my personality type (I’m a 9 if you’d like to know more about me), but I’m still struggling with the idea of putting myself in to a box with personality tests.
Introverted/Extroverted /adjective/: People who get their energy from being alone vs. people who get it from being around others. This is one of the things that I’ve learned on the Race that has changed the way I view myself more than anything else. I’m an only child and have mostly lived by myself, so I’ve always thought that I was introverted. I’ve learned by living in community that I really enjoy being around people and actually feel better when I’m hanging out with others. Even when I need time to buckle down and complete solo tasks, I still feel the need to be around others. I can’t tell you the number of times a teammate and I have gone to a coffee shop together, sat at the same table, put earbuds in, remained silent, and completed our tasks. That’s actually happening as I write this blog. It just feels nice to have another person’s presence there, even if you aren’t interacting.
1:1 /singular noun/: If you’re a fan of “The Bachelor”, you’ll understand why this is weird for me. People use this term when they are going to lunch, coffee, hanging out with, etc. with just one other person. This is a great way to intentionally get to know people and check in with them. World Race leadership is really good about making space for people to have 1:1s with them so that they can find out how you’re doing and follow your spiritual journey. It still makes me giggle when I hear the term “1:1” because it feels like a date, but I absolutely love the concept of it.
Jesus Time /singular noun/: At home, I loved doing guided Bible studies and devotionals and even had a specific shelf on my bookcase dedicated to them. I would either wake up and spend some time doing them before work or I would do it right before going to bed. I referred to this as my devo time, but I’ve heard many on the Race refer to it as “Jesus Time” and they also do it without any kind of guide. I really appreciate this term because I should be able to spend time with the Lord without a book of questions in front of me. That would be like going to coffee with a friend and having a written script of what you guys will talk about. It’s still a hard concept and is still awkward at times, but I’m getting there.
It’s still pretty amazing how much I’ve learned about myself, community, and God on the Race and I know that there’s still a lot to learn. I hope you’ve also learned a lot, but if there’s anything you’d like to know more about, I’d love to tell you!
