Learning the meaning of TIA

I applied to be a volunteer at Amani Baby Cottage in February and sent off my final paperwork the day I left for Sarah's wedding in San Diego. My mom faxed off my final paperwork to be exact! She actually had no idea I had even applied, although she knew of my desire to travel to Africa this summer. She definitely freaked out a little bit, especially when she found out I would be traveling alone. But she and my dad came around to the idea, and they have been so awesome and supportive. Which reminds me of how thankful I am for everyone's support as I've pursued this trip. I started thinking about going to Africa last April, and I told a lot of people and I'm so proud of myself for actually following through with this dream. I'm so excited for this opportunity to learn more about the people of Africa, myself, and God.

There has already been a lot of learning. For example, I didn't hear anything from Amani for a month and a half. I sent an email reminding them of my enthusiasm for volunteering there this summer and got a reply of "Oh! We're so sorry we never emailed you. You're accepted!" This was two weeks ago. It was six thirty a.m. and I silently screamed a little scream of joy and danced around. Now there was so much to think about--plane tickets, vaccinations, accommodations. I sent out several emails to the orphanage asking more questions. Will there be room for me at the Amani Guest House? A week passed and I was getting anxious. Then came the reply. "There should be room...but call the Palm Tree Guest House as well." Hmmm. I needed something more definite than "there should be room."

I called the Palm Tree. A man answered with a simple "Hello?"
Me: (hesitating because I've just called half way around the world and I'm hoping I've dialed the right number) "Hi. Is this the Palm Tree Guest House?"
Man: "Yes"
Me: "Hi, I'm inquiring about whether you have a room available for the dates of July 12th-26th."
Man: "Yes, that should be fine. Yes, Ok"

It was all so laid back. Everyone living in Africa seemed so laissez faire about everything. This made the type-A control freak in me want to pull out my hair and demand definite, immediate answers. I emailed Abbie. Abbie volunteered at Amani last summer and she was how I heard about it. At least I could count on her to respond to me within the same day. Abbie's email later that day said, "Tracy, you literally just show up. A guy named Abdula will probably be assigned to pick you up at the airport...and just so you have an idea of Africa, I waited three hours and when he showed up he was like, ooopps, sorry Abbie :). That's it!??!! Get used to T.I.A. (you'll find yourself shaking your head OFTEN and just saying, "this is africa..." :)). and you'll LOVE it just the same." The missions woman at church concurred with Abbie's observation in an email later in the week.

As I tried to get used to TIA and learn some patience and trust, I finally got a definite answer about the Amani Guest House. I could stay there! I booked my ticket immediately. This was one week ago. I used my whole planning period debating which flight to take and whether that weird feeling in my stomach about that one flight was a sixth sense that something bad would happen to it and maybe I should take a different flight just in case. Intuition. I always regret not listening to it when the thing I sense will happen actually happens, so I chose to be prudent and take the flight that didn't make my stomach feel weird.

On Monday night I stopped by my parents' house. My mom gave me all my vaccination records from the time I was born and we talked about which shots I would need to get. She passed along the Travel Handbook we had received from Emory Clinic ten years ago when we got our shots to move to Brussels. "You should read it...there is good stuff in there for you to know, especially traveling to Africa, " she said. I haven't had to think about being careful to avoid brushing my teeth with tap water, steering away from washed peeled fruits and veggies, and avoiding prepared foods that might contain water that could make me sick since my missions trips to Romania and Belize in high school. I do remember my mom brushing her teeth with Orange Fanta in Romania though when she found herself inconveniently out of bottled water. I definitely need a refresher on safe travel tips.

So vaccinations are next on my checklist and then I feel like I will be set with the major preparations. I'd like to do more research on Uganda. I know that there used to be a cruel dictator and that there were several rebel groups who operated in the western part of the country near the border with the DRC. The country is stable and safe now. Jinja is in the eastern part of the country and almost right on the equator. It's going to be hot! I'll have to sleep under a mosquito net to protect myself from malaria. The village itself is right on Lake Victoria and on one of the Nile's tributaries. It seems to be a fairly decent-sized village with several restaurants and little supermarkets. Thinking about it makes me want to be there now, taking it all in, people watching, experiencing daily life. The trip seems so real some days and like a dream others. It will be here before I know it! I can't wait to see all those smiling babies. To check out some pictures of them, visit http://www.amanibabycottage.org/. As with any mission trip, I know that I will go there to serve people and to give of myself but that I will come away with so much more than I have given. I long for those lessons and the transparency and beauty of life that is experienced when we're out of our element. It is then that we realize that we are all connected and all the same deep down, all God's children, despite life's circumstances. It is then that the material things fade away--the things we think we need to achieve happiness. And what is revealed is that joy and love are all that matter and even the person with the least personal possessions can have these things and share them with a smile or a kind word.