It's that time again. For the last few days I have been laying out the small but mighty set of duds I'll need to fit in one carry-on bag for next week's trip to El Salvador. It's my 4th time traveling there with the good folks at Habitat Charlotte. We'll be in a new part of the country for me and it's supposed to be a LOT hotter than where I've been before. Last year we were up in the mountains and had to have a light sweater or jacket in the evenings. That ain't going to happen this time around. I have Usulutan on my weather.com app and the high today is 100 degrees. Yikes.
I'm pretty good at preparing for this trip. You could even say I'm an expert. I've been to the doctor, perused the sale stock on sierratradingpost.com, and put together my little magic travel moleskin notebook I use to keep things straight. I have my favorite washcloth, my sunscreen, my giant-sized-construction-worker-grade wipes, and I'll wear my oldest pair of hiking boots which will be recycled when I leave.
I am prepared to be hot, hungry, thirsty and just plain uncomfortable at times. At the end of each day I'll be tired, beat up (I generally fall down at least once...) and every day I will smell nasty on the bus on the way home. I will, once again, wonder about why the people there are so nice. I don't think I would be. I will laugh a lot. I will be in charge of NOTHING. I will also be "reconstituted."
I say that because this trip is always inspirational, affirming, and has a way of setting my head right for the coming year. It provides a context for thinking about life in general, and for formulating specific schemes for the coming months, too. It's more than just an attitude adjustment. The travel, the people, the work -- it just kind of makes the moving parts of my brain snap together in place.
Know what I mean?
I'm pretty good at preparing for this trip. You could even say I'm an expert. I've been to the doctor, perused the sale stock on sierratradingpost.com, and put together my little magic travel moleskin notebook I use to keep things straight. I have my favorite washcloth, my sunscreen, my giant-sized-construction-worker-grade wipes, and I'll wear my oldest pair of hiking boots which will be recycled when I leave.
I am prepared to be hot, hungry, thirsty and just plain uncomfortable at times. At the end of each day I'll be tired, beat up (I generally fall down at least once...) and every day I will smell nasty on the bus on the way home. I will, once again, wonder about why the people there are so nice. I don't think I would be. I will laugh a lot. I will be in charge of NOTHING. I will also be "reconstituted."
I say that because this trip is always inspirational, affirming, and has a way of setting my head right for the coming year. It provides a context for thinking about life in general, and for formulating specific schemes for the coming months, too. It's more than just an attitude adjustment. The travel, the people, the work -- it just kind of makes the moving parts of my brain snap together in place.
Know what I mean?