ten days and counting.

i leave for africa in 10 days. 10 DAYS. TENDAYS.

i am seriously stoked. stoked to the point that work is d r a g g i n g and i keep dreaming about it. actually my dreams are pretty terrifying, i dream that my tooth keeps breaking off and i'll be in excruciating pain while i'm there (though it is important to note: one of my teeth is legitimately broken and my roommate keeps telling me that i'm going to have to have it pulled by a witch doctor while we're there so it's actually not that weird of a dream).

i have 2 concerns about this trip:
1. i have zero clues about what i'm going to wear. i'm going to be in south africa during their spring and london during their fall (thank you hemisphere differences). so i'm trying to narrow down my wardrobe and plan outfits that could possibly work in both because i only have so much room in my luggage. this is hard my friends. my go-to outfit is leggings and oversized shirts/short dresses which sounds versatile enough but i need to also pack clothes for days where we'll be playing soccer (futbal in SA, though it doesn't actually matter because i am terrible at sports) with the kids at lighthouse mission and potentially helping paint a home. and does climbing a mountain in leggings sound like a bad idea? because i think it sounds perfect. so yeah, packing. i'm probably just going to end up throwing a bunch of stuff in my pack and get there only to realize that i have 15 tank tops, 3 pairs of leggings, 4 pairs of underwear, no bras, no sweatshirts, no socks and i have conveniently forgotten all of my make-up on my sink. YOLO. (i never say that but it felt appropriate in this instance.)
2. driving on the other side of the road. i credit myself to be a pretty good driver and i really enjoy driving but i can guarantee that at some point during this trip i will end up on the right side of the road when i'm supposed to be on the left. it's engrained in me. luckily the pedals are still the same (gas on the right, brake on the left) or we would be in a world of hurt. i've also heard that capetown drivers aren't exactly the world's best. please take a minute and pray for the passengers in my car...that we don't get hit, that i'm aware and alert at all times behind the wheel and that they don't die of a heart attack. amen. praise the Lord i'm not driving in london, hallelujah.

i have some things that are no concern at all:
1. my travel partners. i'm going with my mom and one of my best friends. it's gonna be awesome and the experience of a lifetime. both of them have seen me at my best and my worst (i wish there was an "ugly cry" face i could put here) and they still chose to go on the trip with me. ha, suckers.
2. what we'll be doing. i get to see some friends that i haven't seen in 7 years and see the work they are doing and how they're impacting lives for the Kingdom. they're all rad people and i'm thrilled that they are letting me into their worlds for a few days.
3. getting ebola. everyone must think africa is tiny because whenever i've told people i'm going they're like, "what about ebola?" south africa is about as far from the countries with the outbreaks of ebola as minnesota is from mexico. and now there is a registered case of ebola in the states anyway so let's not live our lives in fear people.
4. safety. yep, i'm going to two very large cities. yep, crime happens in cities. but i promise i'll be smart; i'll always have a buddy and i won't walk in dangerous areas at night and i won't take candy from strangers in white windowless creeper vans. again with that not living our lives in fear thing. don't be stupid but don't let fear stop you from experiencing incredible things.
5. work. i'm getting ahead on stuff that i can and delegating stuff that i can't work ahead on to people i know will take care of it. i will not be easily accessible and i'm so okay with that. i think everyone needs to go off the grid for awhile, even if you're not traveling to a foreign country.
6. my jams. i've been scouring noisetrade and loading up my (borrowed) ipod with tons of songs to be the soundtrack to my countless hours of travel over those two weeks. i have a feeling there will be a lot of switchfoot, judah & the lion, needtobreathe, parachute and paper route being played directly into my ear holes. what can i say, i love listening to my favorites over and over and over and over again.

if you've got any good travel tips, lemme hear 'em!

xo