Well not exactly. In fact for most of my life I've hated running. There was something about panting and sweating and being bored that really didn't appeal to me. At all. Then this year, I decided to try something different, and KAUST provided me with that something. They announced they would be having a Family 5K Run/Walk extravaganza. I figured this was my chance to finally fulfill a New Years Resolution. I would train to run a 5K, in three weeks.
So I made a plan, following the infinite wisdom I found on the internet, and proceeded to convince other would be runners to join me. I first asked my squash buddy. Yes, even after my accident I still took up squash and play with the same person. He took a little convincing so that he'd play with me again, but that is another story. Either way, we were walking out of the gym and I saw the sign up sheet for the 5K, turned to him and said "We should totally do this!" He said "ok."
As it turns out, he is a runner. He just didn't tell me this. So we start our training. The first day, we run for about 20 min. He looked like he was exhausted, I was ok. Wow, I thought, maybe this running thing isn't going to be that hard after all. Little did I know that the first run is the easiest.
The plan was to run every other night, so two nights after our first attempt, we went on a second run. My lungs burned, my legs ached and my stomach was not very happy, I wasn't even able to go as far as I had two nights ago. Uh oh, maybe training for a 5K in three weeks is not such a good idea, I thought. But there I was two nights later trying it again. This time I had two more runners with me. I must admit that there was a moment when I thought we all must look pretty funny because here was this one girl running with three guys. I felt like one of the ridiculous pop stars with her entourage/body guards running at her side. Run #3 was a success! I ran almost 4K.
The following runs were more advances and finally being able to run 5K in about 40 min. Now I should probably tell you that all this running was happening in the evening once it was much cooler out. Yes, incredibly it can get a cool 70 degrees here in Saudi, so we were taking advantage of the weather, paying little to no mind that the actual race would be at 10am.
The day of the race came much faster than we expected and by then we had basically split our little team into two. The ones who can run, and the ones you will jog (I was a part of the latter team). Those of us in the slower group set a goal to run/jog the 5K in less than 30 min. Amazingly, we did!
While I am not entirely sure I have bought into this whole running thing, I will attempt to continue doing it while the weather allows. Who knows, maybe by the time I leave Saudi I'll actually be one of those annoying people who wake up before work and go for a jog...
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hace un año
Today marks one year since I started working at KAUST. It's hard to believe that it has been a year (only a year!) since I first arrived in Saudi. It's been a year since I arrived alone in my Penn sweatshirt and was "rescued" by a good Samaritan expat. One year since the abaya shopping creepiness. One year since meeting the people who have become my family in Saudi.
A year ago today I arrived to this campus for the first time. I was full of hopeful expectation and was completely taken aback by what I saw. A campus that was not quite finished but still stunning. People from all over the world who had come to work on this experiment. I arrived to a cubicle and started by opening mail. How far I've come?
There have been ups and downs this year. Moments of complete chaos and moments of sheer joy. I've traveled more than ever before and have faced myself in ways I'd never done before. I've learned that I am stronger than I give myself credit for and that I have amazing friends. I've also discovered that there is more to life than a job that pays well and am now looking for more balance in my life.
While this may not have been the experience I thought it would be it has still been an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and will probably influence everything I do from here on out. At a time when we think about New Years resolutions and what we want to do for next year I also think about what 2011 will bring and how to make the most of what is left of my time here. I will embrace what I can and learn to let go of what I can't.
I sit here in my office and listen to salsa and remember why I started this blog to begin with. I wanted to share this with those that I love. I wanted to feel connected to the people I left behind. I hope in some small way I have been able to do some of what I set out to do just one year ago and I hope you will continue to ride this crazy roller-coaster with me for as long (or short) as it turns out to be.
A year ago today I arrived to this campus for the first time. I was full of hopeful expectation and was completely taken aback by what I saw. A campus that was not quite finished but still stunning. People from all over the world who had come to work on this experiment. I arrived to a cubicle and started by opening mail. How far I've come?
There have been ups and downs this year. Moments of complete chaos and moments of sheer joy. I've traveled more than ever before and have faced myself in ways I'd never done before. I've learned that I am stronger than I give myself credit for and that I have amazing friends. I've also discovered that there is more to life than a job that pays well and am now looking for more balance in my life.
While this may not have been the experience I thought it would be it has still been an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life and will probably influence everything I do from here on out. At a time when we think about New Years resolutions and what we want to do for next year I also think about what 2011 will bring and how to make the most of what is left of my time here. I will embrace what I can and learn to let go of what I can't.
I sit here in my office and listen to salsa and remember why I started this blog to begin with. I wanted to share this with those that I love. I wanted to feel connected to the people I left behind. I hope in some small way I have been able to do some of what I set out to do just one year ago and I hope you will continue to ride this crazy roller-coaster with me for as long (or short) as it turns out to be.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
No More Melting into Oblivion
At what point "inner peace" and "total apathy" are actually the same thing? For weeks I had been desperately trying to stay afloat. I was so angry, sad, and frustrated at my inability to change anything meaningful in my life. Nothing was good, everything was bad and I was alone. I didn't have the life I had envisioned. I was in a job that made me unhappy, and unfortunately for me, couldn't really distance myself from it because I live where I work most of the people I know are just as unhappy. And let's be honest, discontent breeds more discontent. We had all become a sick, sad vicious cycle of perpetual venting and bad mouthing. Soon, discontent turns into sadness, and sadness turns into apathy which breeds... nothing.
In this new year I have decided to make a change. I have decided to face the tunnel and look for the light at the end of it with a smile. 2011 will bring good things, but in order for this to happen it has to start with me. No more feeling sorry about the life I don't have. Or the opportunities I didn't take. Or the job I don't particularly like. This year, I choose to focus on the positive aspects of my life. My wonderful friends. My amazing family. The strength I have developed in what can only be considered a "difficult" year. No more will I melt into oblivion. If this is what my life has handed me then I say, bring it on.
As many of you know, I'm pretty sure that these will be my last six months in KSA. As a result I think that the best use of my time is to take advantage of living here as much as I can. I mean it has been less than a year since I arrived and I have already paid off my two government loans! So, check that off the list. Coming here did that.
This year will be a year of great changes for a lot of people in my life. Some of my dearest friends are getting married, others are having babies, and other like me, are still trying to sort themselves out. In the end however, I think the big thing about the new year is the hope that it brings with it. We all look at the year that has just passed and the countless things that happened in it, the people we met and the decisions we made. We contemplate both the good and the bad and resolve to do better, or more, or different. I look forward to being a part of those big moments and having some of my own.
This year, I resolve to be a better version of me and to smile more often. I will look at everyday as a new adventure to be had and perhaps a new hill to climb. It's time to look at the positive and focus on what you do have control over. Surround yourself with people who are good for you and be brave enough to let go of those that are not.
Oblivion is a state of mind and I want out.
In this new year I have decided to make a change. I have decided to face the tunnel and look for the light at the end of it with a smile. 2011 will bring good things, but in order for this to happen it has to start with me. No more feeling sorry about the life I don't have. Or the opportunities I didn't take. Or the job I don't particularly like. This year, I choose to focus on the positive aspects of my life. My wonderful friends. My amazing family. The strength I have developed in what can only be considered a "difficult" year. No more will I melt into oblivion. If this is what my life has handed me then I say, bring it on.
As many of you know, I'm pretty sure that these will be my last six months in KSA. As a result I think that the best use of my time is to take advantage of living here as much as I can. I mean it has been less than a year since I arrived and I have already paid off my two government loans! So, check that off the list. Coming here did that.
This year will be a year of great changes for a lot of people in my life. Some of my dearest friends are getting married, others are having babies, and other like me, are still trying to sort themselves out. In the end however, I think the big thing about the new year is the hope that it brings with it. We all look at the year that has just passed and the countless things that happened in it, the people we met and the decisions we made. We contemplate both the good and the bad and resolve to do better, or more, or different. I look forward to being a part of those big moments and having some of my own.
This year, I resolve to be a better version of me and to smile more often. I will look at everyday as a new adventure to be had and perhaps a new hill to climb. It's time to look at the positive and focus on what you do have control over. Surround yourself with people who are good for you and be brave enough to let go of those that are not.
Oblivion is a state of mind and I want out.
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