It’s been too long since I’ve done an “official update” so here it is!
LAUNCH
For those who don’t know already, I am leaving in October! Well, more like the very end of September. My parents and I will be leaving for Georgia September 28th and spending a few days together before I meet up with my squad.
After my team and I spend a few days doing more training in Georgia, then we will leave for Guatemala the first week of October!! The route that I will be going on is
Guatemala – October 2017
Nicaragua – November
Panama – December
Swaziland –January 2018
Lesotho -February
South Africa- March
Malaysia – April
Thailand – May
Cambodia – June
Indonesia – July
Philippines – August 2018 (I’ll get home end of August)
TRAINING CAMP
Ahhhh. Training camp. This is the first place I meet the 20 something people on my squad. It is happening August 19th thru the 30th in Georgia. Training camp is pretty much physical… and spiritual boot camp. I don’t know all the details, but here’s what I do know. It’s crazy.
There will be 3 squads there with us so that’s about 100 world racers. There will be lots of worship and learning sessions. Many people will be speaking on various subjects. We will be eating food from all different countries in order to get used to it. Bye cheeseburgers, hello crickets. That’s not a joke either. I heard they taste like a sunflower seed! Yum.
We will be put through various scenarios like trying to buy food at a market from people that are pretending to speak no english and sleeping in an “airport” where the lights are bright and airport noises are being played over speakers. We also do a physical test. Walking with all our stuff for about 2 miles in a certain amount of time. It’s important that we are able to carry all our stuff because there will be times on the race that we will have to do so.
This is also the time that I get my smaller team. “But Tessa, aren’t you already on a team?” Thanks for asking! Yes, I am. My whole team is called my squad and there are about 20 of us. We will travel together when we are moving from one country to another, but we are broken up into smaller teams of 7 or 8. My small team will be living with me day to day. They are chosen by leadership at training camp and will change every few months.
FUNDRAISING
I reached my goal of 10,000 early, which means I have enough to launch in October!! God has been so good during this fundraising journey. Thank you to everyone who has partnered with me to make this trip possible! I still need a little over 6,000 until I am fully funded. That amount is due in January, but my goal is to reach it way sooner. I will be doing a few more fundraisers before I leave so stay tuned for those! To donate just click the donate button at the top of my page.
LIFE
I’ve been working, babysitting, and painting so that I have enough money saved up for personal expenses on this trip and all my other expenses like flights to Georgia and the stuff I will pack. Speaking of the stuff I’ll pack, I have everything I need except for the clothes that I will bring. I thought it would be fun to write a blog about everything I’m bringing since a lot of people have asked me how I will fit everything. I’ve been spending my free time hanging out with friends and family, working out, going to bible study, listening to music and relaxing at my favorite coffee shops. And just for fun, these are my favorite things and the moment:
Favorite music: Without a doubt, Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. Do yourself a favor and listen to them. I also love his wife’s new album Red Sea Road. My favorite songs off the album are Find You Here, Fighting Words, He Will, and Red Sea Road. I’d tell you my favorite Drew Holcomb songs but I love them all. Lastly, Steffany Gretzinger’s album The Undoing is so raw and real. I can’t stop listening.
Favorite movie: Lion. I don’t need to say anymore, just watch it.
Favorite food: I had Pad Thai a few weeks ago and I still think about it.
Favorite coffee drink: If you know me, you know I love my coffee shops. As much as I wish I loved black coffee, I haven’t gotten to that level of awesomeness yet. In the mean time, I’ve been OBSESSED with iced rose lattes. Partly, because my middle name is Rose so I feel like it’s named after me, but mostly because they are just so darn good. And since were talking about coffee shops, I’m gonna throw it out there that I don’t like Starbucks. I’ll go if I’m desperate but I’d rather have my local shops. Just saying.
Favorite hobby: Lately I’ve really enjoyed taking photos. Portraits are my favorite to shoot.
Well, that’s the end! If you made it this far I want to thank you for reading all my ramblings.
It’s possible I might start blogging more so subscribe to this blog to receive updates and stories that will be much better than this one!
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