Monday, October 22, 2012

Shot@Life trip blog: Night before the trip


One last night before the big trip. Having never gone to Africa before, I’m relying on the packing list provided by Shot@Life, the advice of friends, and my own instinct to travel lightly. Here’s the whole of my luggage for the week.


And here’s my daughter trying to squeeze into my carry-on so I can take her with me.



I’d say that’s a suspicious looking package!

Preparing to go to Uganda has provided lots of opportunities for good conversations with the kids about global thinking and kids in need. As I think about how much I’ll miss them (and my nervousness makes we hope fervently that nothing goes awry that would prevent me from seeing them again in one week), I’ve been purposefully making time to answer their questions and just bask in their silliness. Tonight, I had none of the usual conference calls or ringing phones. It was a night of home-cooked food, crafts, and talking.

One conversation was started by my 7yr old with something like this, “Mommy, I wish we could just get 2 big trucks and bring food to everyone in the world.” We explored the ideas of transport, geography, buying locally, scale…all sorts of things that led to the point that supporting UNICEF was really doing just what she envisioned. The conclusion was that we should keep Trick or Treating for UNICEF.

Anyway, it was an idyllic last night with them before the trip where I’ll be heading out to try to make sure parents and children have lots of nights to love one another.

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