After months of planning, anticipating, and not quite believing it would happen, I am a few short hours away from the trip of a lifetime. The itinerary is printed, the bags are nearly packed, the plans are being finalized, and the time has almost arrived for the adventure to begin.
This is a dream come true for me, one which began as a young child reading about missionaries in far away Africa. The siren call of that mysterious continent has beckoned me most of my life, and the answer is culminating tomorrow in a trip to reunite with my daughter, who has had the unbelievable fortune to spend her spring semester in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.
I am not sure whether I am more excited about seeing Africa, or seeing my daughter after four months of being apart, but I think my daughter edges out even the trip of a lifetime. I have missed her brilliant smile, her joyful presence, and her sarcastic wit more than anyone could imagine, and I can hardly wait to see her, hug her, and be with her again.
But I am also looking forward to seeing sights in person which I have only tasted in photographs. I will experience the Serengeti, I hope to see at least part of Mt. Kilimanjaro, I will experience Zanzibar and see where exotic spices are grown. There is so much to do, and we have so little time, it's difficult to choose what is most important in our brief excursion.
But the experience I look forward to more than anything else is seeing where my child has lived her life the last four months. I am thrilled that I will see her house, her school, her favorite spots. I will be able to meet the people who have interacted with her, and will get a taste of her life in that faraway land.
I have so many adventures ahead in the coming days. I am blessed with the greatest fortune God could bestow - I am having a lifetime dream come true. I hope to share the experience via this blog, and will keep updating as the adventure continues.
Soon, so very soon, I will be on the other side of the planet. How amazing, how thrilling, how enthralling. I am lucky woman, indeed.
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