that's me.....
usually my logic is I fear the unknown so I avoid it whenever possible
this usually results in my siblings dragging me to do the unknown and then when It is known to me I can do it.... usually.... but it's the making it known to me that's the hard part......
I can always tell when I'm really nervous about something cuz i get nauseous...
it's actually only happened a couple times in my life so when It does happen It's a big deal right? (I know i'm pathetic)... and then there's this stabbing pain I get in my chest but that doesn't happen when I'm nervous that's for something else but anyways it was just the nauseous sick feeling this time(I'm sorry this is the way I do post's....it's annoying to me too).... so going to another world country definitely made me try to find any excuse to get out of it.......
things like....
I can't afford it
I can't be gone from my work for that long
I can't be gone from my Church family and the ministries I get to help out in
I can't miss three months of Clayte's baby life!
I have to avoid the unknown!
and the "I cant's" go on and on......
Are you noticing the trend of I's? me me me..... clearly my thinking needs an adjustment!
It helped that my family said you're going whether you like it or not! When you're asking God to give you a sign that you should go or not and your godly advisers are saying you are going whether you want to or not that seems like a pretty clear sign to me.....though sometimes I do wish think maybe I'll break a bone....come down with disease or something that will stop me from going.......
do I realize how silly I am?
Yes I realize... it's sooo embarrassing
especially when I think of missionaries and people who have given a lot up to go into the unknown.... I mean the REAL unknown.....the SCARY unknown.....And then i know I'm being incredibly stoopid....
I tend to look at everything very realistically and always look at the worst possible outcomes to every situation so I'll be prepared for them if they happen and that scares me into just avoiding it. But I'm not going to avoid it this time Lord willing......... Why do I think it's so scary? I don't even really know.....I'm just being dramatic I guess =o) oh yes I can think of lot's of things that could happen but they're to silly to put here......
arrgh the clever one just tried to scare me...he said they went to pick out plane seats and i was gona have to sit by myself for most of them while him and the clingee( I'm the clinger so that make her the clingee right?) get to sit together..... he knows things like that freak me out.....
Oh and for the record Tobi is the only one who hasn't put a toe out of the USofA.... Bekah and I have both been in another country though mine doesn't really count cuz it was just Canada but anyways it's nice to hold it over Tobi's head =o) He's composing a song by me as I type.... his talent is frightening.... You don't have a piano do you Rachel?
Anyways I really don't want this trip to be about us....I'm hoping we can SOMe HOw be a blessing to the Hammetts ....... I have a fear they could get very sick of having us around...haha... If we're driving you CRAZY tell us!!
Rachel please tell your mom I like doing dishes and stuff like that.....it's about the only thing I'm good for and it give's me a feeling of secureness like maybe I'm actually being helpful....I'm a very simple girl so simple tasks I can do.....usually....I want to be helpful so please give me something to do! =o)
I hope you're willing to answer lot's of dumb questions.... i'm known as the dumb question asker in this family(It's ok I can
accept that...hurt feelings are silly so I don't have them...hehe) so i hope you don't mind...... I noticed a fence around your house and gasped to myself and realized Africa can be dangerous huh? It doesn't really scare me I just point out the obvious a lot.....
It's not that I fear the unknown is going to hurt me....it's more of not being able to feel in control because I know what is coming....which is really weird considering I'm more of a very clingy follower than a controller....I know It's so silly and embarrassing.....
Cons and Pros
(these are not listed by order of importance at all!)
cons:
1. I will owe dad and mum money for a while......i don't really mind if they don't....and I feel so very thankful to them for helping me out...I didn't even have to ask them...It was kinda part of the whole your going whether you want to or not thing ;o)
2. I'll miss a lot of work but I'm actually glad about that and my Boss said she definitely want's me back so this is more of a pro.
3. I feel bad about being away from my Church fam for so long and dropping the things I get to help out in. I know I will hear some good teaching in Africa but I don't want to miss my pastor's preachin so hopefully i'll get to download the messages..... everyone really makes up a part of the body you know? So in a sense I think it will strange being away from my body for a while...It seems like so many things could happen here in that three months but I know it will go fast.
4. I know our Clayte's gona change so much in those three months and I'm gona miss him..... but since we're able to survive without seeing our other two adorable nephews very often i think we'll make it...this is a silly con I know especially for people who hardly EVER get to see their family relations. There's definitely something wrong about a family being strewn all over the place and not being around each other much after living with them most of your life! but that's the way of life and probably even God's will in most cases so maybe I shouldn't call it wrong.....haha I'm just bitter......or in denial .... ;o)
5. My Jordy brother is not going with us and I'm sad about that =o(
I might miss his abusive picking at me...and personally I think he might go a little crazy without us. Actually I really don't like being away from my family in general....yes I get homesick........but i know I'll be back to the looney ward sooner then I think.........
6. We could all die of malaria or any number of exotic disease couldn't we? haha me being dramatic again.....I don't really fear death thanks to my Saviour....
Pros
1)Plane ride.......love them! makes me think of this quote
There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. ~Orson Welles
I am afraid me electronics will run out of batteries and I'll be bored so if you know of things to do on a long plane trip tell me!! The thing I don't like about a plane trip is going through security! it's seems like TSA wants to take everything away from you. So if you people who have done this before have any tips on getting through security please tell me!
2)I have to confess when i see all the goodies Rachel makes it does make me want to be there...haha...I hope you'll make us some....please?? that's a silly pro i guess but it's true =o)
3) Just getting to see a foreign country is going to be neat i know.....I really have no idea what it's going to be like so I don't know if I'm going to be shocked or what but It's gona be interesting I know...
4) I've seen some pics of the animals over there and I'm so amazed at all the stripes, spots, horns, and just all the creatures I never new existed....this creation just amazes me! I very much hope we get to see some up close...
I don't really know how the weather is gona be over there but this is going to be my constant companion.....and lot's of batteries =o) I hear it is supposed to be like our Alaskan summers but I get miserable in our summers so I'm a little worried about the heat.... I do not like hot.... I like cold so I can burrow and snuggle under all my blankets =o)
I was hoping we'd get to see a good storm while we're over there but it's not really the rainy season is it?.....I really have no idea about these things so you'll have to explain it to me..... i was REALLY hoping we could see one cuz we never do up here....Ok so this is getting long...um this is how my posts are gona go....I'm not witty or clever with words so what you get is a jumbled mess of thoughts..... It's so embarrissing but we're all supposed to post so this is it I guess.....please bear with me...... it you can't bear it that's ok....
To you people who have made this trip before...if you have any tips on what to pack or anything like that please tell me! I need your wisdom =o)
~The timid Traveler~
~Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God~
P.S. Don't tell anybody but I'm actually REALLY excited....it's mixed with the nauseous feeling but it's still there =o)
8 comments:
Krista,
Your post made me laugh a little, I must admit. Just think of this whole experience as broadening your world!
First, don't let Tobi give you a hard time. As long as two people agree, you can change seats once you are on the flight. So if you do get separated, you can probably convince a nearby passenger to switch with you, or you could make Tobi sit by himself. :)
As far as African countries to visit, this is one of the easiest and best, though I might be slightly biased. :) I say that because it is safer here than other neighboring countries and because we do live in a big city, so a lot of things are available here and we don't have a lot of problems with water/electric/internet like others who live in the bush. Our house is one of the most American houses in Francistown (not so much in looks as in 'culture') and all the food we eat is quite normal. Those are two big fears that most people have. For the weather, I can't really say, because I haven't experienced a Botswana winter yet. They do say that it gets down to freezing with frost on some nights, but still warms up during the day. There probably won't be any rain... it will be the dry season. Everybody says they NEVER see rain from the end of May until October. That's one reason that it does get so cool at nights, because there is no cloud cover.
We'll certainly put you to work! There will be an American couple and possibly a Zambian couple also staying with us, so we'll have a full house with a very busy schedule. When that's the case, there's always laundry and cleaning and cooking and dishes to be done, plus all the ministry stuff. You certainly won't be bored. :)
No piano yet... :( I miss my piano a lot.
Don't worry about asking too many questions. It's been so long since Africa was 'new' to me that I forget what it is like for people coming here the first time. And the only way to learn is to ask questions, right? We do have a wall around our house with electric fence, but that's pretty common around here. But again, it's much safer here than in SA.
As for security, you will have to put your bag through, and your shoes, baggie of liquids, and laptop through separately. Pack so that you can easily pull out your laptop and baggie, and just relax. :) Mostly, it's just a long wait in line. But a lot of times, once you go through the first security (in Anchorage), they won't make you go through again.
YES, I'll do lots of cooking and baking. :) Bring special recipes and requests! We have a lot of fun in the kitchen. It will be so much fun to have girls here this time!
Okay, this is getting long, so I'll forgo the packing tips. Haha... Just remember, you will have a great time!!! I can't wait for you guys to get here. :)
It's ok I'm used to being laughed at...hurt feeling are silly remember?
We'll definitely all be sitting together.. Tobi was just teasing me...we're actually flying out of Fairbanks I think.....
keep the tips coming....right now I'm trying to figure out what to do on the long plane trip.....
If you get a good selection of movies on your plane, that usually helps pass the time. :) I can't stand plane food and usually have a queasy stomach if I force myself to eat, so I bring my own snacks that sound appealing even when sick - for me that's pretzels, nuts & dried fruit, and peppermint gum, and a banana if I have room. Haha! But that helps tide me over and since I have them on hand, I can eat whenever I feel like it.
If there's a particular magazine you like, splurge and buy one to save for when you are really bored. I love home decorating magazines, so I always buy one before a long trip and don't let myself even read the cover until I am bored out of my mind.
Load up your iPod, bring a really, really interesting book, and make sure your laptop is charged. I like bringing Sudoku and crossword puzzles as well. But in the end, I just try to sleep as much as possible. Most planes also have a classical music channel that you can listen to, so I put in my noise-cancelling head phones, listen to the classical music, and just try to relax.
The nice thing is that you all don't have one really long plane ride, just several shorter ones. I don't know, do you consider 8 hours long? For me a 'long' plane ride is anything longer than 14 hours. LOL! Really, just being able to get off the plane, walk around the airport, use a regular restroom and buy some coffee before getting on the next flight helps break up the trip. And it sounds like you guys will be doing that a lot. :)
It might just be me, but you sound a little nervous. :) I was going to count how many times you used the words silly and embarrassing, but decided not to. I don't have time. :) Noticed you didn't include Aimee in the list of things you'll be missing. :) I know this in not all your fears because I've spent the last few week hearing them and it seems a few are missing. Don't worry, I won't let anyone steal you. Though we may have to bring a gag if you plan on talking this much on the trip. :)
Rachel pretty much covered it! I will say because I've been here so long, I think walls, bars on windows, gates, and alarm systems mean "safety" not danger. I thought it was super weird and kinda scary to NOT have them in the States! LOL
And I thought you were coming at the worst time of the year since it was our winter. But, then you're used to the "cold." :) I have only seen it get down to 34 degrees here a couple times. But then, it's probably a little less moderate in Francistown.
Rachel's right: I've never seen rain here between May and September. You might see some good dust storms though. :) August is our windy (a-gust) month when the earth cracks and peels back, looking like grated chocolate.
I usually advise visitors to leave their white skirts at home as I've literally had some change to a redish tint due to the ever-present red soil. Just a tip!
And since the houses aren't insulated, you should keep sufficiently cool. I laughed when I saw the hand-fan companion! Hey, maybe you will need it. I only own 4 jerseys so that's pretty tell-tale of the weather here.
And I usually have kids to entertain on the plane. :) I try to sleep, catch up on writing, go through a book, take Sudoku and MadGabs for the kids. And this last plane ride, a random lady came up to me, stood in the aisle and talked to me for an hour. lol So who knows, maybe something like that will break up the journey. (I don't wish it upon you though!)
Relax, have fun in the process and you'll have lots of stories to tell about the trip.
Oh, and if you get really hot (*doubtful eyebrow raising*), we have a big, cold pool. LOL!
Hey thanks for the comment...
I stopped wearing white things a long time ago cuz our hard water turns them rusty so no worries there..
I starting to see we probly aren't coming at the prettiest time of year and i'm kinda sad about that, but if it means we avoid the HOT weather it's ok I guess...... =o(
I don't think you understand how wimpy this cold blooded Alaskan girl can be about even slightly hot weather....I get miserable in our summers but I appreciate the encouragement that it won't be THAT bad =o)
unfortunately i won't have any cute little kids with freckles to entertain (like your little brother (o;) on the plane, and I don't think Bekah and Tobi will appreciate me trying to entertain them....hahaha...but I'll think of something to do =o)
.....what ARE you going to do on the plane?.....when your battery runs out...you don't read. I can't believe you don't read....something is wrong here.
ya mean ya never did learn me howta read mum?
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