I'm Going to South Africa

I'll be there for two months, leaving May 1. (Good gracious, that's tomorrow!) Shortly after returning I'll be going away to camps for the bulk of July and August. I'm not sure how much Internet access I'll have during this time. In the blogging-est case scenario I'll publish weekly-ish updates packed with exciting stories and pearls of wisdom. (Which would actually be pretty good for me. The astute reader will notice I haven't posted in over two weeks (I blame exams) and my wisdom is a bit hit-and-miss.) It's also quite possible that I'll be pretty scarce for the next four months. I recommend signing up with Feedblitz or Bloglines (in the sidebar) to be notified if and when new content appears.

It's a little bit scary to be going away to a strange and somewhat dangerous country for two months with a couple other guys not renowned for their good sense. Normally a don't do things like this, which is probably part of the reason I decided to go. I figure it's time I stepped outside my comfort zone and did something scary and awesome.

At this point the hardest thing about the trip for me is that it means missing the remainder of the playoffs, in which my beloved Oilers may actually win a series (or more!) for the first time in nine years. It doesn't help that our second round opponents, should we advance, would probably be the Calgary Flames. If you don't immediately understand the significance of a second round playoff series between the Oilers and the Flames, there's nothing I could say that would fully communicate the sense of loss I'm feeling right now. And while I'm sure this will be a wicked trip, if the Oilers win the Cup and I miss it I will probably never recover.

To summarize, I'm gambling two months, thousands of dollars, and more than three rounds of hockey playoffs that this will be a good and meaningful and challenging trip. I would appreciate your prayers, if you're the praying sort.

But someone once told me God is in Africa, so maybe I'll get to talk with him myself.