Trip Anticipation

I leave for my trip to Ethiopia with Water 1st in about 36 hours.  I've packed super-duper bug repellant, supplies for the schools we will visit, and crisp $20 bills.  I've tried some Ethiopian Sidamo coffee from Starbucks (a little chalky and bitter for my taste).  I even have a new hair style that doesn't require a flat iron.  

Sometime the anticipation of a trip is as much fun as the trip itself.  I've enjoyed learning about Ethiopian history, politics and society.  But really don't know what to expect.  We went to Botswana in 2002.  I came back thinking, the experience was unlike anything I'd ever done.  And, that was a posh, touristy trip where everyone spoke English and catered to tourists.

Several people have told me, This trip will change your life.  I'm not quite sure what that means.  Will I come home cured of my Lego Batman and Gossip Girl addictions?  Will I come home knowing what I should be when I grow up?  With a passion for international development?

People told me law school would completely change the way I thought and approached problems.  It didn't.  Maybe in the era of Oprah and reality television, it's too easy to say an experience is life changing.  I'll happily settle for a deeper understanding of Ethiopia and a chance to help people in need.