1. It’s likely you’ll travel to more than 11 countries…in your first few months on The World Race. Case in point, ouR squad first flew into Amsterdam, and then into Istanbul, Turkey, and from there we took a 30 hour long bus ride through Macedonia and Greece to Albania. Then, for Month #2, we took a bus from Albania to Bulgaria, passing through Kosovo and Macedonia. Then our team took a train to Serbia where we currently are serving. That makes 9 countries in our first month on The World Race. That passport is filling up!
2. You will become a pro at using a squatty potty. I’ve heard of “squatty potties” for a quite while now, but nothing beats actually experiencing it in person. Apparently there was one normal toilet in one of the women’s bathrooms at the summer camp we were at in Albania, but I didn’t find out until about a week into our stay there. Also, putting showers in the same stall as the squatty potty is a great way to conserve space. Just be sure not to let any of your shampoo (or lotion) bottles fall into the squatty potty…because I can guarantee that you won’t want it back.
3. You can go for days without looking in a mirror. The camp we were at in Albania had no mirrors. We all adjusted to looking in a pocket mirror (or using our friend Erin’s makeup mirror- thanks girrr) maybe once or twice a day. When we went into the nearby town to explore and actually saw a full length mirror in one of the clothing shops, you can bet we all crowded around it. It felt like we had forgotten what it was like to see yourself in the mirror. This also became another great opportunity to feel more like a family. You know your squad mates have your back when they feel comfortable enough with you to inform you that hey, you spilled some toothpaste on your shirt or to fix your hair for you when you forgot to brush it that morning.
4. Toilet paper is a rare commodity. Although I have the feeling that in America, we would be pretty lost without it- somehow, most people around here seem to manage without it. We did begin to notice that the nearby restaurants we frequented began stocking up on toilet paper for those Americans. Please and thank you.
5. Now everyone who knows me well will laugh at me about this one but I’m gonna say it anyways… You can survive without lotion. (If this doesn't work for you, insert that one thing you love and would rather not live without.) Lotion is something that I love, and a few weeks into our stay in Albania, I had used up my small lotion from Bath & Body Works, and dropped my last one in the squatty potty, so I’ve gone a month without lotion! (I bought a new one in Albanian, but it smelled a little funky so I decided I could go without.) But, I will say, that I am really grateful to still have my B&BW body spray.
6. You will want to bring a hammock. If I could go back in time, the one thing I would have brought would have been a hammock. I would trade pretty much anything in my pack for one of those. Every weekend we spent in Albania, we would set up hammocks and sleep under the stars. One of my teammates, Maggie, was super gracious and let me borrow hers. I would seriously give anything for one… (early Christmas present anyone? Haha no, but seriously)
7. Chacos will be one of the greatest investments you make for The Race. I don’t care who says that if you don’t usually wear them you won’t like them—I did not wear my chacos until the day we left, but they quickly became one of the most useful and used items that I had brought. They’re so comfortable and durable. And yeah, they might peg you as a missionary or an American…but hey…you on The Race..just embrace it. (But do bring some kind of cute shoe so that when you want to blend in or just feel yourself, you can.)
8. Coffee will become something very precious, even if you don’t usually drink it. Having bible study with our ministry contact George every morning at 8am (after our 7:30am breakfast) was absolutely fantastic, but it also made us appreciate that cup of coffee that much more. (Thanks to the sweet Albanian ladies who worked in the kitchen…and to Sarah for the coffee!)
9. Getting to spend your first month on The Race with your entire squad is a blessing beyond blessing. Getting to worship together with them is one of the next best things. I never expected to fall so much in love with my squad (but training camp changed all that and life with them on The Race has proven no different), but they have truly become my family. They have so much to offer and God is doing so much in and through them. They are world changers, and I am so blessed to have them in my life and excited to see what God has for them and where he takes every single one of them.
10. Get to know the locals. This should be pretty obvious, but really, not only do they know of all of the best places to go, but more importantly they are just incredible people that you have the privilege to meet—so take the time to listen to them and make it a priority to get to know them and to hear their stories. One of my favorite memories was walking down the road from our camp to visit the beach that was about an hour away with some of my friends. We hitched a ride with one of our Albanian friends who just happened to drive by, and the trip that would have been an hour long walk became a 15 minute drive, but filled with great conversation. This beach was not touristy at all, and ended up being my favorite place to soak in the gorgeous view of the Adriatic Sea. Another of my favorite moments was sitting with some of the teenage counselors under the brilliant Albanian night sky, just listening to them talk about their lives. I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world.
11. Birthdays on The Race are pretty ballin’. I’m not always super excited about my birthday, but for some reason I had been looking forward to having my birthday on The Race for quite a while. Maybe it was the thought of having my birthday in another country…or getting to spend it with 50ish of my new friends. But regardless, it did not disappoint. It started with being kidnapped at 1am the morning of my birthday by my teammates and taken to a surprise party with my team, was spent hanging out with beautiful Albanian children at summer camp (which is one of my favorite things in the world), and ended with a great night of worship with my squad, going out with some of my best friends, and sleeping outside under the stars. I highly recommend having your birthday on The Race.
