Delirium, etc.

Sore feet and a lot of sleep deprivation: every once in a while I catch someone staring with unfocused eyes and a goofy smile on their face (that is if they're not passed out across a bench here at the airport). Frequently someone says "Guys, we're in Germany. We're about to leave for South Africa. GUYS!" We're in a collective, and pretty constant, state of excitement and disbelief. We spent an absolutely incredible (and absolutely cold) day wandering through Frankfurt; three wonderful tour guides and forty-five blatantly obvious american tourists. That's forty-five iPhones and iPods and digital cameras taking pictures of every beautiful old church and every old man playing an accordion in the square (alright, there was only one old man, but you get my point: we were everywhere and we weren't quiet about it). We're having a total blast. Today was so memorable, from the solemn visits to the Holocaust memorial and churches that are hundreds of years old to our group's laughable incompetency at following street signs (don't worry, we're being safe, parents. just think some of us assumed in germany red means cross…). Seriously, just crossing the street with this group takes a long time-but that's what I love. How many people, kids and "grown-ups" are so excited about going to Johannesburg, about bringing everything we've loved about the Swamp for years to a group of kids we don't even know yet, but know we'll be crazy about in just a few days. That's what makes this so much fun. I am so grateful that we got to have a wonderful adventure together, enjoying the city of Frankfurt. The Rorabaugh's are the best, don't you guys agree? Okay, here's the deal. I know you're really jealous right now after reading these posts. I would be too. You're struggling with having a bad attitude because you wish you were here: it's cool, I did the very same thing while my friends were doing the camps in Jamaica and Barbados this past summer. This is what you do: take a break, don't think about how much fun we're having without you for a while, eat some chocolate or whatever makes you happy. When you're ready to just be happy for us, we'll be here, having a blast. (I'll get honest one more time: we won't be here. You'll probably get a great nights sleep in your own bed and we'll be sitting upright on a plane, waiting for the seatbelt sign to turn off so we can finally stretch our legs and use the bathroom. But at the end of the day we'll be in Johannesburg, South Africa. And every day we're there we'll be thinking about how it was you guys that did so much to make it possible.)
If my parents are reading this, I love you both!

-Skylar