Happy New Year! As the days pass I am getting more and more exited about my upcoming trip. I was given three questions to think about, and they have made me realize what I am about to experience and what I need to be ready for mentally.
What is my biggest fear going into this experience? My biggest fear, is knowing that I am all alone. My parents and siblings are not with me and I am fully in charge of myself and my belongings. I need to be prepared for the things that might happen to me or anyone else on the trip. On top of that I am scared for communicating with the people there. Learning a new language is very hard, and when you are alone or need something it is very hard to ask someone for help or directions. But that is all part of the experience and that is something that I need to be prepared for.
What do you think will be the most difficult? I think the most difficult part will be putting my head in the right place. Realizing where I am and why I am there is something that I need to wrap my head around and I need to do it fast. When you first arrive it is all very overwhelming and you can get carried away with each other, clothes, food etc. but that will be my test that I'm setting for myself when I arrive. I also think it will be difficult to deal with regrets through the trip, on the plane coming home, and when I am finally home back with my family, regrets like "what if I did this", "what if I didn't to this" simple things that can get your mind spinning and lost. Then of course just about the hardest part of the entire trip, having to say goodbye. I will never forget the moments I said my last goodbyes to the kids in Cambodia in 2012, it was painful and never ending but I think back now and realize how much good I put into their lives and their 'home' you also know that each year more is coming.
In what ways do you think you'll change? I have a family, three siblings and a very loving mother and father. And I never saw it, never realized it until I came back from my trip to Cambodia. How fortunate I am, how easy things in life come to me. The life that we live in is so easy, we have cars to take us a mile away, big homes, warm beds but these kids don't have any of that, I don't even think they realize these things exist. My eyes were opened two years ago by children living under a wooden roof that we built for them. I have come to learn to be more grateful for my belongings and most importantly my family.
