Feel it. It is here. (cheesy, but true)

how AMAZING is this ball? im obsessed. it's sparkly and bouncy and superfun! Aaand it's one of my cool toys for the mission. Ialso got these cute teacher stickers..

some of my other favourites are a cool blue skipping rope, Ben10 playing cards, colourful chalk and looong balloons (hope chloe knows how to make actual balloon animals, else we're gonna have hundreds of balloon snales crawlin round haha) oh and i got the cutest notepads from ali ali ali. they have cute lil phrases on them like

"relax and enjoy life. know that whatever you need to know is revealed to you in the perfect time and space"

"the work you are doing within yourself is not a goal, it's a process. -a lifetime process. enjoy the process"

"when good comes into our lives and we deny it by saying 'i dont believe it' we literally push our good away"

i mean, seriously, can u get cuter? -and so profound. thanks ali!!!!

this is one of my favourite photos from the recent DRC mission. (there are hundreds! shouldve posted more.. oh well, madagascar ones will come soon. TOMORROW! aaaah!) it's crazy! aaah im getting butterflies just thinking about it. i CANNOT believe it HERE. aaaah. those of you that know me will know that 'aah' is literally happening. im screaming. and smiling. and jumping up and down like crazy!! aaaaah i cant stop i cant stop. okay *breathe*

what else? im sorta packed. oh wait let me take a photo of my bag quick...

okay seriously. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY. how EPIC is it that i just took this photo, im staring at my bag on the floor infront of me, and now its.. aaah haha maybe im just being a lil dramatic, but we live in such a cool time, guys!

okay yes. that is a LV bag. DONT JUDGE. *i know Scarlett will when she sees me at the airport --and I will ALWAYS be the girl who came on a mission with her LV bag gooosssshhh* BUT you see, being clumsy me, i may or may not have broken the rolly thing of my first bag. and then the alternative just failed on me. so hello, lifesaving-and-coincidentally-stylish bag. the world must just accept you bc youre filled with everything i need. as we learnt at Mission Training in Virginia last year (can't believe it was a year ago.. feels like yesterday..) everything is in my carryon. (incase my checkin luggage doesnt arrive) yes indeed. it's a miracle, everything. the weight fluctuates from 7-9kgs (haha math lit) but either way, it's all good. yes even those extra four pairs of cargo shorts i DEFINITELY dont need but i figure if i gonna rock the cargo short look i might as well do it in a variety of colours and styles (omg i sound like sucha barbie.- im not, i swear) are in there. oh i still have my case though...

ive got a bunch of stuff thatd be nice to have but arent like NEEDS. extra coloured paper... jeans.. a skirt... coloured markers.. an aliceband (ya i literally found that rightnow, i think i wore it last in like.. ninth grade, but hey you never know, i could need it haha.) .. a couple of tanktops and a lightweight warmtop... yeah.. oh other toliteries...ziploc bags..and much space for stuff ill be buying :) YAY BUYING STUFF! that book. SO GREAT. Jack Reacher is amazing, i want to be him. But he's busy investigating some stuff that just... I dont need in my head while I'm on the journey haha.

(got a lil carried away with the photo taking..) this is my 'im wearing you tomorrow so i wont pack you' pile. with a yummyyummy almond and cranberry bar, all on my camprock blanket. which i may bring with, we'll see.

OHMYGOSH i havent told u guys where we're staying. have i? i dno? but wow. it's amazing! not just for a mission, in general, wow.

okay it's already tomorrow aka THE DAY. I have been stalking Lisa Adachi's missionblog and advice and aaah (so sad i didnt get to skype with you before i left...) I am bursting with anticipation! I just realised that, as much as I am like.. I dno, I've been waiting for this day for two years. I feel emotionally prepared, I mean ofcourse there'll be tears and I can't even begin to imagine what's gonna hit me.  But I feel ready. And I've realised, it's so much bigger than me. My family and friends have been so great about it all. I kinda... sometimes forget they're in this equation, too. I guess, I take it for granted how much they care. How much I mean to them. SO thank you, all of you. You really do mean the world to me, and I hope I make you feel that way. Please know you're always in my heart. Someone wise once said that "you've made such an impression on people that when they cross the borders of distant countries they take you with them" -And in a couple of hours you'll be in Tana :) I'm going on this trip and I will make you proud, grow in ways beyond expectation, and make a difference that will last a lifetime. Bc that's what I'm called to do. This is where my heart lies. I am completely certain. And completely EXCITED!

two sleeps two sleeps!

it's two sleeps today. AAAH. and im FREAKINGOUT. i have lastminute shopping to do, and posters to complete so i can have them laminated, friends to see before i leave (i wont see most of them for a month from saturday. sigh) and SAT registration to complete. and and and . i think me stressing in my head is making it worse. i just went to the dentist, he was mean. the dentists on the mission will be supernice :) im really really excited to meet everyone. it's a lovely sunny day outside, im going to go listen to chilled music and enjoy it :) -while finishing my posters. ORT therapy here i come!! and hey, don't forget, if you have burns -do not put ice or butter on them! OH i also learnt that in Madagascar it is illegal to buy tortoises and lemurs and orchids. but i can buy upto 2kgs of vanilla. #interestingfacts

okay now im just stalking vanilla. (i LOVE google) and craving vanilla icecream.. mmm. stop procrastinating, andrea. STOP. 

one week to go.

wow i haven't blogged here in ages. im mildly obsessed with my other blog, to the point where one day without reading or posting on it, feels like eternity. i guess it also felt like the mission was so far away.. and suddenly it's SEVEN DAYS AWAY. seven days. WOW. (haha i cant hear the phrase 'seven days' without thinking of scarymovie3 "can you hear me now? can you hear me now..? seven days.." yeah, i watched that movie waaay too many times. 

Anyway. Today. I went to buy shorts of appropriate length. Ended up buying some nice tshirts and gladiators as well, buuut let's not dwell on that point...I also spent this afternoon reviewing all the notes I took during mission training in Virginia and Cape Town... And brushing up on my education info.. I'm specifically focussing on Burn Care and ORT (Oral Rehydration Therapy).. Chloe is doing Nutrition and Dental Health.. I'm SUPER excited to be doing this mission with my cousin. But before I go on about her, let me announce.. *drumroll please* that Andries is no longer our sponsor. The date for his thesis to be handed in was pushed up by a month, so it was gonna be too hectic for him. Our new sponsor is.. NADIA!

(facebook profile picture stalking..)
She called me today and she seems really sweet. She's a lil nervous about getting everything right, but we came to the conclusion that we will make sure we are as ready as we can be, but live in the knowledge that it will only become real when we're there, and that we will be there for eachother completely. (She's sure she'll be spending much time crying) 

Right now, I'm waiting for my amaaazing friend, Lisa Adachi, to come online so we can have a Skypedate about my final preparations. Her incredible mission blog and experiences with her mission to Amman earlier this year have been such an inspiration to me. 

Wellll it's weekend, if you have some time, check out Fran's blog. She's currently blogging while on her mission in Fortaleza, Brazil. Really exciting stuff! Okay I have to go, Skype awaits!!

Happy weekend everyone :) As chessy as it sounds, (because im too excited about skype to find an inspirational qute) BE THE CHANGE you wish to see in the world, in everything you do this weekend. 

Love Always Xoxo

Mission Meeting.

This evening we had a meeting about our mission at the opsmile headoffice. I met our student sponsor, Andries, for the first time. He went to Madagascar last year, so it's really helpful that he knows the area we'll be working in well. In response to my 'what do we really need, specifically in Madagascar, question, he said: "Toothbrushes. Lots of toothbrushes. And bubbles! Bubbles are the answer to world peace." (*hint hint nudge nudge* donations always welcome. We need 1000 toothbrushes. And we'll be seeing around 300 kids, who will all love bubbles -because theyre awesum!- so we'll be needing lots of stuff.) Scarlett's mom, Jo, told us she is bringing these cool bubbles which last for an hour without popping! How cool is that?! And she was telling us alll about the cool new activities we'll be running during the mission. (She's an Occupational Therapist, and the Child Life Therapist on the mission) They're all these really cool games to develop hand-eye coordination and teach the children about colours and shapes.. and we'll be getting their parents involved with activity books and story-telling. Oh, we played with this supercool playparachute (which Meagan and I now both want!) I'm SO excited!!! We're going mission shopping soon, at this huuuuge warehouse. Haha everyone at the office is already warning me to calm down.. They know me so well :) It was good to be back in the office. It's only been two days since my internship ended but it's still strange not going in every morning, not seeing them all every day. They've become family, so it's natural that I'd miss them.. But it's not long til Madagascar where I'll see them allll day and night for ten days! Haha we'll really know each other well after everything on the mission. Can't wait!