“The toilet paper is the consistency of bat droppings,” my sister-in-law laughed as she shared a story about her volunteer trip to Zanzibar a few years ago. Great! Just as I’m getting used to the creature comforts of the first world, I’m setting off again – back into the land of scratchy toilet paper…

As I sit at Heathrow airport, sipping what will probably be my last cappuccino until I arrive back in the UK on April 13th, I’m bracing myself for cold water showers, chaotic rides on public buses, and a whole lot of dust and grime.

Although I can’t wait for my 2 week placement with Global Volunteer Network at an orphanage 157km outside of the capital city of Kigali in Rwanda, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this next, perhaps more adventurous, leg of my journey.  In this moment, I don’t feel even remotely brave. I feel like hopping the first flight back to Vancouver and settling into the routine of normal life (you know you’ve been homeless for 6 months when you look with envy at commuters riding the tube to work or people juggling bags of groceries on a Sunday afternoon).

But, all potential breakdown-in-the-middle-of-the-Heathrow-airport panic attacks aside, I know the next month will have me crashing into love with some beautiful children in Rwanda and building lasting connections with cancer patients and doctors at the only oncology hospital in Tanzania.

By the time I return to the land of accessible wi-fi, hot showers, and widely spoken english, I will be officially one year older (and hopefully a little wiser). If you have been thinking about contributing a little something to the Adventure of Hope, why don’t you check out the wonderful giveaway contest on the Cinco Vidas site? Britta Aragon and I met in NYC last fall and between promoting her book, When Cancer Hits, and preparing to release a brand new (CV Skinlabs) skin care line on March 15th, she has found the time to support my dream to build the Fresh Chapter Foundation and help other survivors volunteer internationally as a way of overcoming cancer. Anyone who contributes $25 or more to the Adventure of Hope will be entered into a draw to win a prize pack including the ENTIRE, so new it hasn’t even hit stores yet, CV Skinlabs line. You’ll also win a signed copy of Britta’s book as well as a couple of additional prizes, generously donated by Michelle Witherby of O&N Collective. (The entire package is valued at $190.)

The O&N Collective and CV Skinlabs contest will help me generate funds to cover some of the costs for the African leg of my trip and the winner will be drawn on my birthday, March 22nd. I figured – what better way to spend my 33rd birthday than by volunteering with children at an orphanage in Rwanda? I’m sure it will be a birthday I will NEVER forget.