15, 840 minutes from now (11 days), I will be on a plane, luckily in a window seat (especially grateful to my father for that), just beginning to grasp the grandeur of the adventure I am about to embark on.
But as for today, I’ve been cleaning and packing all day. And I mean all day. I spent a total of five and a half hours cleaning my room. You may ask how it could be possible to spend five hours cleaning, but when you have way too many pairs of shoes, and books overflowing from your bookshelf, it’s not too difficult to become cluttered. Who am I kidding; I truly have way too much stuff. But after much ado, everything is organized, my closet is color coded, and my bed is made.
The most rewarding part of the day so far has been packing though. I’m starting to put everything together outside in the hallway, and as I cleaned I found more and more of what I am planning to bring along. I have both of my cameras, the larger one for safari, and the smaller camera for short trips, and days I don’t want to carry a bulky camera bag around. I’ve also packed my tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and water purifier. I got the coolest purifier from my grandmother for Christmas. It called a steripen and it purifies water with UV light!
Other miscellaneous Items I’ll be packing include binoculars, a head lamp, a plethora of medications, and gifts for my home stay family!
With a couple restrictions on clothing, my outfits for the trip will be an assortment of two skirts, two pairs of pants, shorts, a dress, and some tee-shirts. (you have to pack light when you're planning to carry everything on your back!) Prepare yourself for the same outfit over and over again in my photos. In Tanzania, it is a customary for women to cover their knees and shoulders. The only times we are allowed to wear shorts is in the national parks, and even then, our shorts must be knee length. At some points I’m told I'll even have to cover my hair. But even with restrictions, I’m really looking forward to discovering the cultural differences between the United States and Tanzania.
It strange the emotions I’m feeling right now. I’m scared, anxious, excited, uneasy, and restless all at the same time. It feels chaotic, and wrong, and I’m up half the night writing things down that I know in all reality I won’t forget (Or my family would never let me forget, like my passport or my camera). I can't believe it's so soon! These next eleven days are going to fly by.
Until then,
Wander, discover, and explore,
Emma
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