I'm leaving in a week. Didn't see that one coming, did ya?
Really, though. One week from today, I'll be on a plane on my way to Heathrow. So, I thought it was time to give a bit of a practical update to everyone who cares. Here's what's going on in my life for the next little while...
I'm working and frantically packing and wrapping presents and tying up loose ends here in Calgary for the next week. Seeing everyone I need to see, buying stuff I need to buy, throwing out stuff I need to get rid of... Sleeping might take a back seat in the priority bus. Story of my life.
Then, on Wednesday, December 21st, at 20:55, I should be flying off in a 9-ish hour flight to London Heathrow. I have a six hour layover, and then another 9-ish hour flight to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, where my parents are residing. By the time I get there it'll be about 7:30am their time on the 23rd of December. Just in time for my Mom's birthday. Considering I'm not usually able to sleep on planes, I'm planning on reading through at least one book, finishing whatever I'm knitting, and really, really messing up my body's schedule. (For all of you attending the IB reunion party thing, it'll be about 11:30pm when my plane lands... So if try really hard I can probably be on Skype with you within an hour and some of that. HOPEFULLY the flights will all be on schedule. Cross your fingers.)
And then I'll be in Tanzania. Living it up. Not climbing Kilimanjaro, sorry to disappoint.
Now, after that is still quite the situation. I still have this conditional acceptance to Cape Town. I think I've fulfilled most of the conditions. A letter was mailed to me almost a month ago, and I haven't received it yet. So it's hard to say what's going on, really. I've reached the point now that I'm just going to dive head-first into this thing, and see what happens. UCT wants me as a student. They're just bad at making that happen. So I figure if I keep emailing them and sending them random documents they'll eventually just let me in for sheer determination. That's my plan. I won't even tell you what the back-up plan is. I don't care what the back-up plan is. Sometimes you just have to think about Plan A.
I don't know if God wants me in Cape Town. But He hasn't let me know that that's where He doesn't want me, and since that's where I want to be, that's where I'm heading. I hope that if He ever does direct me elsewhere that I'll have the humility to go that direction and give up on what I think would be sweet. We'll cross that bridge and clear that hurdle and brave that storm if and when it comes.
In the meantime, I have stuff to do. And by stuff I mean lots of stuff. Getting to Tanzania means several things to me. Firstly, I get to see my family. Awesome. Secondly, I'll be in Africa. Awesome again. Thirdly, it'll be Christmas. Awesome to the max. Fourthly, I won't have to go to work or any such place. Oh, sweet relief. Fifthly, it'll be the end of this phase and the beginning of a new one, and it's always an adventure when that's the case.
Anyways, more reflections will come later. That's enough for now. That's your summary of my life for the near future. Hope you're having a wonderful Christmastime. Jesus always has the best birthday parties.
