Keeping My Hopes High

     So theres been a slight change of plans. Now before those of you who know me well get too worried, that sounds more ominous than it actually is. Yes, I am STILL going to Africa in just over a week, but I will no longer be using this pre-departure post to tell you the itinerary for our 26 day trip. Why? Well two reasons actually.

     First of all, I don't really know the itinerary.  My Pittsburgh -> Washington, DC -> Istanbul, Turkey -> Entebbe, Uganda plane tickets give me the heads up regarding the 21 hours of flight time,  not to mention over 10 hours in layovers, but after that things get a little less certain. There is a sample itinerary on the Amizade Tanzania website, but even that is vague at best. All I know for sure is our two teachers, Caitlin and Paul, will be picking us up at the airport at 2 AM and taking it from there.

     The second reason I'm not using this entry to explain just what we'll be doing is because I don't want to be let down if plans are changed and experiences I've been looking forward to don't end up happening.  This disappointment from things playing out differently (ie. "worse") than I expected is something I try to avoid, because it can ruin what would otherwise be a perfectly good time. The best way I know to guard against this disappointment comes from a friend who always says, "Keep your hopes high and your expectations low." Theres nothing wrong with hoping to do great things- hey the 'hope' I had for going to Tanzania before it was a reality is part of what led me to make it happen- but I tend to think that expectations only set you up to be let down.

    That being said, and for those of you who didn't click that link above, here are some of the possible things I hope to be doing in the next month- my 'Tanzania Bucket List,' so to speak: 

1. Stand at the equator

2. Visit the Rwanda genocide museum

3. See the Kroghs at the new CMU campus (or my World Vision child, Delphine?) in Kigali

4. Visit the beach at Zanzibar

5. Go on an OVERNIGHT SAFARI IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SERENGETI 

6. Work with two local NGOs on a water harvesting initiative and women's employment issues

7. Volunteer in a local elementary school

8. Take (and eat what I make in) an African cooking class

     If all of these things happen I will be thrilled, but I'll really be content if even a few take place. I'm excited for the beautiful adventure that lies ahead, and can't wait to share more with you through pictures and posts as things unfold. There are, of course, some nerves, but I think thats probably to be expected with anything unknown. Here's hoping for a month of excitement, adventure, self discovery and much much more!

PS: One request for anyone who wants my undying love and affection. I would be eternally grateful for detailed notes of every glorious Michael Phelps/Ryan Lochte head-to-head race. Starts, flipturns, and finishes, please and  thank you! (extra points for wet washboard ab photo evidence...)

Little by Little

       A post extolling the uses of Pinterest was probably not the first thing you expected to read on a blog meant to chronicle my time spent in rural Tanzania.  Then again, I don’t plan to use words like ‘extolling’ all that often, so lets consider this entry unique and move on. Anyway, Pinterest is fantastic. I mean what else lets you pour through hundreds of thousands of images, each linking you to a recipe, party planning idea, outfit, comic or home renovation project that you can ‘pin’ and save for future use?  The hours slip by and you find yourself wondering how you could EVER have lived without knowing how to make kale chips or turn an old suitcase into a chair, and before you know it you’ve even planned your wedding! Now if only there were a groom in the picture… (It’s a website people, it can only do so much)

       I know, I know- you don’t see where I’m going with this, do you? Give me a minute and it’ll all make sense.  You see, two of my favorite pinboards are “Oh the places I’ll go,” where I’ve amassed over 100 images of places where I want to travel, and “Words to live by,” where I keep quotes, bible verses, and other sayings that inspire me.  Sometime during the library induced haze that is CMU midterm week, probably after realizing I want Kate Middleton’s closet (and, lets be honest, her brother-in-law) but before deciding my first apartment needs to be a loft with lots of light and exposed brick walls, an image caught my eye: 

        When I saw it, the only thing that struck me more than its message was the fact that it’s an old Tanzanian proverb. Since that day, its become somewhat of my mantra- encouragement to work toward goals I’ve established, to persevere when all hope seems lost, and to reevaluate what I label as success and give myself a little more grace.  I’ve come to appreciate that taking baby steps is still taking steps, and that sometimes baby steps are the only way to get to the end of a road.  In the past 6 months my summer plans have changed more than they’ve stayed the same, and at times I didn’t know if I would even be graduating this year or next.  My road looked a little less like Forbes Avenue and a little more like the ones we saw in Ghana, and stubbornly planting my feet seemed more comfortable than bouncing over the potholes. 

       But here I am a CMU graduate (after I get these 6 credits, that is), employed, and headed to Africa in just under two weeks.  I’m not one of those people who interprets a seemingly everyday event as “a sign,” and to be honest I find myself more often than not feeling like Jim Carrey’s character in Bruce Almighty just begging for a clue as to what to do in my life.  But for the past two or three months, I’ve felt completely and positively at peace with the way God has clearly had His hand in leading me to this place.  The acceptance date for Amizade was pushed back. I was able to attend and walk at graduation.  I was offered a part time job that gives me structure to my week (and commission to pay, among other things, for my $2200 plane ticket!). The list goes on and on, but my point is just that for once its so refreshingly obvious that these little, but amazing, things have added up to bring me where I am now.  I’m not saying I’m not nervous (because I am), and I’m not saying I don’t need to keep working on goals that I have for my health and participation in the program (because I do), but I am saying I feel more confident than ever that there exist these “plans to prosper you and not to harm you,” and for me they involve this trip.

        So there are only 5 of us in the trip? Not worried about it. I’m spending 26 days in East Africa with people I’ve never met? Great. My passport and Tanzanian visa have yet to be returned from the embassy in DC? OK, that one’s got me a little nervous… Oh well. I’m not sure how much internet access I’ll have during the 26 day trip, but I’ll blog (with pictures!) when I can.  I’ll also update you again before I go with a little more about the program itself, but in the meantime feel free to check out the  Amizade website here. Thanks in advance for all your support, thoughts, encouragement and prayers!