*Written 12 June 2024
It is just a few days before the trip, and I am already set to go. Because I live elsewhere in Texas, I will be flying into Houston tomorrow and staying with family near Rice for a few days leading up to our actual departure. This means I am completely packed with all the materials I will need (and hopefully not missing anything). I won’t lie; flying alone always makes me nervous, so I am getting pre-pre-trip anxiety (fun!) that will hopefully be gone by the time we begin our real travels. Other things I am worried about include but are not limited to: disease, snakes, missing a flight, getting lost, being kidnapped, forgetting/losing something important and the TSA. With so much that could go wrong, I will bravely endeavor to not have a heart attack before making it to the airport.
I’d like to think I am an experienced international traveler, as someone who has made multiple trips to Japan and Indonesia to visit family. (You’d think this would make me less nervous– it doesn’t.) If I had to pick, I think Indonesia would be the closest comparison I could make to Tanzania. They are in about the same latitudinal stretch, so I imagine the temperature conditions are similar. That said, visiting a city is a very different experience from roughing it outdoors, so this will be very new for me!
My expectations are high; beyond the nerves, my excitement is at an all time high! This is an unprecedented chance for me to learn about and experience things I have only seen in documentaries before. All told, the excitement definitely outweighs the fear, and I am raring to go. My goals as of now are to see as much wildlife as possible and hopefully take some sick photos for everyone back home. With luck, things will go smoothly, and I’ll have many amazing stories to tell in the future.
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*Update 14 June 2024
Made myself ill with anxiety this morning and had to break into the anti-nausea meds, so mission failed I guess :’)
