240 days, 7 months and 26 days, 34 weeks and 2 days, 5760 hours, 345,600 minutes
What was once 240 days away (the day we were accepted) is now only 5 days away. It is hard to believe it's finally here. For so many months it seemed like this time would never come. I knew it was coming, but I never really thought about what it would really be like...to be in the air for almost 24 hours, traveling for many more, to say goodbye to loved ones and leave the country for 2 months, what it would be like to live in and immerse myself in a completely new culture that I really had no idea about.
January 4, 2015
Seattle - London - Johannesburg - Windhoek
For those of you who don't know, I will be traveling with 9 of my peers and our 2 professors to Namibia to begin our student teaching. We leave January 4th and return to Seattle on February 28th. My teaching partner Dani and me will be teaching 5th-7th grade math. Yes, you heard me...MATH!! I'm an elementary education major...that's like reading picture books and doing math with blocks. All I have to say is THANK GOD Dani is a math major!!
Every day the excitement has built. All these months and it seemed like it would never come. Each time we would meet as a team, we all got more excited. Then a few days would pass and many of us agreed we would stop and wonder what in the world we were doing! Now, as excited as I am, I think I can speak for many of our team members in saying...WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?! It's about to be a wild ride!
For those of you who know me, you know I am a big planner. My planner is adorned with countless, colorfully decorated post-it note lists, social plans, and my work schedule among other things. Needless to say, I like to know what's going on. For the next 8 weeks, I will be walking through the unknown... My bags are packed, 100 pounds worth (and hopefully not an ounce more!). I have clothes packed to the brim, and school supplies exploding from every inch of my luggage (at least 10 pounds of that are construction paper--yikes!). And hopefully, I won't forget anything important! On Sunday we will arrive at the airport, kiss loved ones goodbye for the next 8 weeks and there's no turning back. Although I am nervous, I could not be more ready to take this adventure as it comes. I know this experience will change me, as a person, friend, and teacher. It will shape the way I see the world around me. And above all, it will challenge me, every day in ways I could never prepare myself for. So here's to the trip of a lifetime! I cannot wait for what's ahead!!
Thank you to my parents, family and friends who have helped make this trip possible. They continue to support me every day without fail in whatever path I choose. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do two things I love--travel and teach! I am so thankful to know each and every one of you and I cannot wait to share stories and pictures with you along the way. If you would like to contact me, I will be able to communicate sporadically via Facebook, email (macdonsc@plu.edu) and WhatsApp.
Also...a quick shout out to some of our fabulous classmates (especially Hannah Hogeberg) for their generous school supply donations! We met all together just before Winter Break to sort the supplies that you donated for us to bring. Here is a picture of the mountain of supplies we divided up to bring with us. And that's not even all--I think we have more pencils than we know what to do with. We cannot thank you all enough!!
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler."
Henry David Thoreau
