smack that

well, i am starting to get a tad nervous about my trip. of course, i am worried about all of the stupid, little things. my mom is taking care of the big to-worry list.

ann's to-worry list:

-me getting rabies, hiv, malaria, parasites, etc.

-my liver and/or immune system shutting down as a side effect of my graves' disease meds

-me wandering the streets of madagascar alone, lost and looking for where i'm supposed to be (my sense of direction is a bit flawed)

-me getting eaten by a shark while scuba diving

-me drowning while scuba diving

-me not eating fruits or vegetables for 3 months

-me refusing to wear a (hideous) fanny pack and therefore being robbed

my to-worry list:

-not being fast enough to keep up with the kids

i have been running 3-4 times a week, but have been plagued by major shin splints. that being said, i have just started using kinesio tape and i LOVE it. for those of you who watched the olympics this summer, it's that blue/black stuff that covered kerri walsh's shoulder on the beach volleyball court. i ran yesterday for the first time with it and wasn't bothered by my shins ONCE... the day before i ran without it and could barely walk by the end. it's pretty much my new bff.

-not learning all of my fish species in time

for the madagascar trip, we have to learn a bunch of fish species and take practice tests online to both identify them and make sure we know how to do the research. true to form, i have yet to start studying.

-breaking a bone

this is my one legitimate fear. i tend to break, on average, a bone a year. i've broken 11 total, with the most recent being a tiny stress fracture in my leg last spring... which was a direct result of running too much too quickly. since my one year mark will be up while i'm gone, and i'll be running a lot, it's obviously a concern. i typically only drink 2 glasses of milk per year, but i've been trying to boost the calcium consumption over the past few weeks.

-packing

i was recently informed that all of my luggage (my checked and carry-on luggage combined) could weigh no more than 44 pounds. i am a chronic overpacker. a 3 day trip to the cabin is usually accompanied by a suitcase that could comfortably house a morbidly obese family of 5.  by the time you factor in all of the random things i need to bring for this trip... mosquito net, frickin neoprene deathsuit (as i have renamed my wetsuit), fins, snorkel, running clothes, 2 pound first aid kit (complete with my very own set of sterile syringes! yippee!), dive booties, approx. 6.3 billion different kinds of medicine, toiletries for 3 months, species guides and dive manuals, clothes for hot weather in tanzania and cold weather in madagascar... well, things should get interesting pretty quickly. it doesn't help that i am spatially challenged and my entire packing team (kirby and sarah... i can always count on them to come over the night before a trip as i panic and try to squeeze 9 years worth of clothing into a small duffel) currently resides in colorado. i wonder how many pairs of underwear and tshirts one could squeeze under a frickin neoprene deathsuit? i may be wearing every article of clothing as i fly.

-picking out songs

since i will also be helping with the choir in tanzania, i have to choose a few songs to bring to teach the kids. i emailed jenaya, the volunteer coordinator, and asked her what sort of songs she recommended. her response: "well, the kids need something easy, without a lot of difficult words. they really enjoy church music (gospel in particular). they also REALLY love akon." i can just see it now...

okay kids, after our akon song we're going to praise jesus. but first, let's sing smack that! all together now... "smack that, give me some more. smack that, 'til you get sore..."

*as a sidenote, my mom and i were searching online the other night for good "camp" songs. there are hundreds of websites dedicated to camp song lyrics. however, we managed to stumble upon a little gem on a boyscout website entitled "the scrotum song." i kid you not.*

of course, none of these things are actually that important and i am actually not that concerned about them. mainly i am just super excited to go! with no school, no job, no friends (as they're all back at school), and having finished my college apps (!!!!!!!!!!!!), i tend to just bum around and find things to worry about. when i take the time to step back, i sort of just laugh at my ridiculousness and realize how unbelievably lucky i am. cmonnnnnn africa! 

all she's ever felt is held back. she said, "it's kinda nice to hear myself laugh." she's gonna do a lot more of that. she's making plans and making tracks. she said, "ohh. i've got to go and find me." ohh, she found the strength to break free. --rascal flatts