Counting Down...

     Here I am, a day and a half from departure, and I'm swamped in laundry.  I ran most of my errands yesterday, and only need to find a few small things today, and then I should be set.  I'm still figuring out what exactly I need to take in terms of clothing, especially for the New Zealand part of the trip.  The rest of the journey is tropical and warm, although most likely rainy.  Sixth graders - if you had to make a list of everything you wore or used for three months, and then had to pack it, how would you do?  How many bags would you take?  I need to cut everything down to fit into two and a backpack.  My cats are trying to "help" me.  They are trying to get into my bags, roll in my clothes, and one apparently went sliding across the floor on a pillow I bought. 
     The most common question I've gotten over the last month or so is, "aren't you excited?"  Well...yes and no.  Leaving for three months is a daunting prospect.  There's a lot to be done in order to be able to disconnect from life here: make sure bills are paid, house and cats taken care of, school responsibilities are wrapped up, canoe club responsibilities are passed on, house is clean, car is clean (relatives are coming and will probably be using it).  Once that's all done, I'll have time and space in my head to be excited.  Of course, I watch the trailer for the documentary, or read the Facebook posts about what the fleet is currently doing in Pape'ete and I do get excited.   As with any adventure, I don't what exactly will happen or how, and that leads to some anxiety.  I do know it WILL happen, and once I'm there and in it, it will be grand.  I'm glad I'll be starting out in familiar territory...Tahiti and then the Cook Islands.  I have good friends in both places and look forward to seeing them soon.  I'm also very grateful to have my friend Michelle coming along with me. 
     Once I'm on the waka, life will change.  Privacy becomes a rare commodity.  I'll be on a watch, meaning that I'll work three hours, have six hours to rest, and will be back to work.  Some of those hours will be very late (or early, depending on how you look at it), some will be cold and rainy, but some...some will be clear and filled with stars.  Sleep, as you can imagine, is precious.  Life on the waka is team-oriented.  We all need to work together to get to our destination.  We'll need to put up, adjust and bring down sails and steer the waka.  We'll need to clean it and repair it as needed.  When we get to land, we will be participating in welcoming ceremonies, and then opening our waka "house" to the public to share it.  It will be a culture shock to come home and re-acquaint myself with the other "normal"!

     This is Fiona "helping"...