First Day: Arrival!!!

Friday, April 14, 2017

          Today is the first day and I am full of anxiety. I am so anxious to get this trip started. Oh my gosh, I'm nervous, excited, tired, and more nervous. We left our house around 8:30 with lots of hugs and kisses goodbye, and took off for San Francisco around 10:30. There were no fist fights on this flight, super grateful. We were on the same flight as Zoe Littlepage (Jordan Penchas' mom) and her partner for this trip, Rainey. They were willing to give us tons of advice and told us a lot about their previous times going on this trip, (this being their 10th time and all). Hearing all of their stories just made me even more anxious, but less in denial.

          We got to the hotel around 1, which by the way, IS HUGE AND FANCY AND GORGEOUS. Apparently we will be experiencing lots of that over the next 23 days. My dad and I walked around our hotel through some street venders, food courts, Starbucks of course, before we met up in the lobby with the other teams for our first meeting. 

          We got to meet everyone we will be spending the next 23 days with, including Bill and Pamela (the creators of this trip). They talked to us about rules and regulations, what to do, what not to do, and how to go about this trip to get the most fun out of it. Everyone seems very kind hearted and free spirited and I am very excited to get to know everyone better. 

I don't think I'm as much in denial now as I was before, but I don't think it has fully hit me that I'm about to go on a crazy adventure in a bunch of different countries. This trip sounds super crazy from what I heard. And apparently, they might drop us off somewhere in Europe, and pick us up a week later in a different country. Only thing is we have to figure out on our own how we are going to get there, while completing scavenges, which sounds INSANE. I am worried I'm not ready for all of this, but my dad seems confident. And, I've been told that everyone cries at least once on the trip, so I feel a little bit better. My biggest worries are getting lost, not having fun, getting sick/injured, or losing terribly! Because this is a game, and we all want to win. I am hoping my dad and I at least have a shop, and I am just praying this goes well. So, were about to go to dinner for the Bon Voyage Party. I will keep writing, explaining my crazy adventures. Until next time! ;)

Sydney's dad:

"Get comfortable being uncomfortable."  That was the point of the trip when I brought it up to Sydney.  Well, it's here... and it's already uncomfortable in that good, excited way, that tingle in the belly when you really don't know what's going to happen but are excited to find out.  It's like the end of the fourth quarter in a tight game, but where you'd be happy with either team winning.

I'm a run of the mill middle-aged father in America - there aren't a lot of situations where *actual* discomfort enters into life.  Shortness of breath, yes - real uncertainty and total unknowns?  Not really... ever.  It's pretty interesting - I feel like I'm 15 again and learning how to drive, right before I leave that parking lot and go onto a real life road for the first time.  

The group heading out are like fantastically interesting characters in a book.  A 70+ year old couple from New Orleans, a thrill seeking couple from New Zealand, an American expat and Chinese national married couple from Shanghai.  A meteorologist and food blogger who have never met until today but are on a team together.  And everything in between.  What a fantastic, eclectic, inspiring, interesting group of humanity.  

Dinner was fantastic.  Really good Mexican food.  Interesting difference between Houston and San Francisco - in Houston Chinese restaurants have mostly Latino servers; in San Francisco Latino restaurants have mostly Asian servers.  We're off to bed until it all starts at 8:30 tomorrow!