A couple weeks ago, I posted an invitation on Facebook for people to ask me questions about Race life. Below are the questions I was asked and my answers:
Karl Moss: How bad do your clothes really smell?
-Well, at this point, I fear they'll never truly smell great again. I'd describe it as a musty odor, worse than a week's worth of laundry piled together, but nowhere near as bad as the boys when they come home from Boy Scout camp. However, when the squad's all together our stuff smells atrocious. I feel so bad for the general public on travel days. I'm sending a few clothing items home, but the rest will be dropped in South Africa at the end of the Race. I'll buy a new outfit to go home in, and try to forget the smell 🙂
Mary Schreier: What's the best and weirdest food you've eaten?
-The best food I've eaten is hands down Thai fried rice. There was a little stand right outside our work site in Thailand, and the lady who owned it made the best fried rice! It always contained fresh peppers, onions, and carrots, lots of moist chicken, and had a perfectly fried egg on top. Drizzle some chili sauce on that sucker and you've got an amazing meal. An honorable mention would probably be roti, also in Thailand. A thin pastry fried to somewhere between chewy and crunchy, drowned in sweetened condensed milk, and topped with sugar, it was to die for!
The weirdest food I've eaten category needs to be broken down by country, I think.
China: Totally sketch "lamb" with rice. It did not taste like lamb, and I never want to know what it actually was. Thankfully I got to have delicious actual lamb later in Beijing.
Thailand: A cricket. Still getting over that one. Yuck.
Cambodia: A snake. Actually not too bad…tasted like jerky. It was weird to bite into that curvy body though.
Malaysia: Fried rice with what turned out to be anchovies. Yuck yuck yuck.
Japan: Natto. Fermented beans. Enough said.
Terri Robinson: What aspect of God's character has been a recurrent theme throughout your travels?
-Good one! Definitely God's love. He loves like no one else, pursues us like no one else, fights for us like no one else. I feel like I could spend the rest of my life learning more about His love and never feel the full weight of it. Even better is the fact that as I learn about this aspect of His character, I not only fall deeply in love with Him, but I also reflect that love to those around me. God loves us beyond description, and I am so blessed to bring that love to others around the world!
Rebecca Parker: Why do you think God called you to go on the Race?
-There are several reasons I believe God called me on the Race. Some of them I know, some of them I won't realize until later down the road. One reason is to catapult me out of the routines of my old life, my dependence on myself and my own strength, and into a deeper dependence in Him. I've learned a ton about truly depending on Him for everything, and I never want to go back to my old way of doing things. Another reason is to bring healing. If it wasn't for the Race, I wouldn't have been healed of my depression and anxiety. That freedom alone is so worth going wherever God leads. Also, God wanted to teach me what it means to live in a healthy community. He wanted me to know how to successfully and lovingly live with people and encourage them. It's so tough sometimes, but I know I have family for life in my squad. Yet another reason is to learn what really matters in this world. Living out of a backpack and on about $10 a day teaches you a lot about living simpler. Worldly possessions truly don't matter. They sure are nice, but they don't matter. If I lost my pack tomorrow, I would be just fine. Obviously life is easier with certain possessions, but in the scheme of things, relationships matter. Living the life God has given you, not holding back, is what truly matters. God has taught me what it means to LIVE for Him. And I'm never going back to just plodding through my days!
Bethany Fristad: Who is your favorite friend on the squad? (Answer carefully!)
-Well, that's a tough one. Obviously I love ALL of my squadmates, but I guess I could be accused of having some favorites. So here you go:
-Favorite team leader/support system: Amanda Goodroe
-Favorite venting buddy: Bethany Fristad
-Favorite listening ear/advice giver: Emily Miller
-Favorite goofy and encouraging Southern gentleman: Trent Hope
-Favorite fellow North Carolinian: Adam Parker
-Favorite hot mess: LaShon Gordon
-Favorite weirdo: Addison Fitts
-Favorite fellow beaver: Stephanie Archer
-Favorite quiet comic relief: Linsey Bumgardner
-Favorite Mexican comic relief: Tenille Ramirez
-Favorite vegetarian/hippie: Kayla Hatcher
-Favorite extrovert: Kristin Korson
-Favorite cuddly giant: Kyle Hyche
-Favorite Bananagrams buddy: Will Boggs
-Favorite logistics lady: Sharion Scott
-Favorite awkward interactions buddy: Rebekah Burney
-Favorite back rub giver: Linley Sullivan
-Favorite crazy adventure initiator: Ryan Johnson
-Favorite fellow nerd: Brian Ledtke
-Favorite beard (even though it's gone now): Cabe Stanford
-Favorite sister wife: Kari Williamson
-Favorite joyful, sweet sister: Kara Bryant
-Favorite Starbucks advocate: Jen McHutchion
-Favorite fellow puppy lover: Lindsey Newberry
-Favorite belly dancer/demure Wobbler: Erika Wynne
-Favorite stare-into-each-others-eyes-and-nod-a-lot buddy: Lauren Schraa
-Favorite fellow introvert: Libby Alcala
-Favorite Canadian: Kaitlyn Forbes
-Favorite redhead: Stephanie Kettel
-Favorite Southern belle: Kari Anna Tutor
-Favorite encourager: Laura Brown
-Favorite Photo Shop teacher: Diann Renhold
-Favorite blog writer: Stephanie Cashin
-Favorite Northerner: Sarah Hibbing
-Favorite mink farmer: Jake Brinkman
-Favorite musician: Jacob Johnson
-Favorite Disney princess: Allison Braun
-Favorite hair envy object (I've always wanted curls!): Anna Javaux
-Favorite photographer: Alysa Sharp
-Favorite slothing partner: Allison Laverty
-Favorite cat person: Carolyn Bradley
-Favorite weird expressions giver: Kaylaynn McAdams
-Favorite Blackfish: Hailey Crump
-Favorite hug sensei: Zach Cobos
-Favorite passionate conversationalist: Samie Griffis
-Favorite prayer warrior: Hannah Stambaugh
Amanda Goodroe: On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the mostest in the whole world, how much do you love me?
-Hmmmmm…I'd have to say 11.5
