Today we are throwing back to one of our first blogs, originally published August 4, 2010. It’s a fun peek into our bloggers connection with the WOGO team and what she was thinking about 50 days before our first medical mission, which was in Kathmandu, Nepal. Enjoy!
Shopping at Harrods and Other Distant Memories
I have a memory that is 27 years old and still so clear it’s like it happened yesterday. I was sitting at the dinner table with my parents and sister having a normal family dinner when the phone rang. My Dad answered the phone and I was surprised when he handed it to me, as we normally didn’t take calls during dinner. It was my BFF Robyn (now Dr. Robyn Hakanson), who wanted to know if I could go to England and Scotland on the school trip with her. Someone had cancelled and there was a spot open for me. Figuring there was no way I was going to be able to go I asked my Mom and Dad and they said, “Yes.” I was going to Europe with my friends! I was 14.
Dr. Hakanson and our blogger in London, April, 1984
My first trip to Europe was a memorable one. It was filled with new experiences, new freedoms, making new friends. It introduced me to the perils of travel: having a too large suitcase, packing for the “usual” weather and getting an unexpected warm spell, jet lag. Robyn received a trip Wally award, “Another Award by the Royal Shakespeare Acting Company” because she was “the student who displayed signs of [being] a budding actress in the role of Juliet because, while hanging out of her window at a Stratford guest house she introduced herself to people on the ground below. ‘Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou, Romeo’?” (Truth? I was egging her on just behind the window curtains.) Robyn’s big purchase on the trip? Green Dice at Harrods – everything in that store was super expensive for a couple of kids. We never did find out what they wear under their kilts in Scotland. And, of course, we found out what Haggis is really made of…but I liked it anyway.
Our blogger and Dr Hakanson in NJ at WMCHS, 1986
Memories have been blooming in my head as I start to think about packing and planning for WOGO’s upcoming Nepal trip and a new trip with Robyn. With less than two months until our trip it’s time to start thinking about the details. Boy does time fly! Visas are applied for, copies of passports are sent and airline tickets are purchased. Things are happening!
So the planning for what to bring has begun. The travel guides are oh so helpful on this point…”Temperatures are cool but comfortably warm.” WHAT?! Add to this non-helpful comment the fact that I packed for that first trip with the damp and cold UK temperatures in mind and it was in the 80’s everyday. How to pack? So layers seem to be in order.
A big change from that first trip and the one I am super thankful for…Wheels on my suitcase. I’ve traveled all over the world with a carry-on sized bag these days so that’s the plan this time. And no matter how heavy that sucker is those wheels make all the difference.
I’m looking forward to this new adventure. What will this mission bring us? Meeting new people, helping make a difference in the world, and make a difference for individuals. Making a difference in my own heart and mind – That will really be the best part of this trip.
Now, which sweatshirt will I pack? And shorts? Or Jeans? hmmm
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