Kaya, the runner!

For the better part of the last ten years I have organized community 5k races. The first one was way back in 2001 while I was in Peace Corps. There has been the Griga Challenge, the Henry Challenge, the People United 5k. Until last year, the Griga Challenge was the largest race I had organized with approximately 600 runners/walkers. Last year, our first year in Bangladesh, I organized the People United 5k. We had about 700 participants and raised approximately $3,000. This year, we managed to surpass both marks with about 750 participants and raising over $4,000! (see a video from last year's race)

At our school, like most places, we are finding the children to be out of shape and overweight. One of the ideas a few teachers had come up with to combat this while promoting the race was a 25km club. The idea is that children come to school at 7:00am and run for about a half an hour or whatever they can do. Ultimately their goal is to reach 25km. This year, we had two students reach the 25km mark.

I wanted to be involved in the preparation for the race, but didn't want to run the club so I told Kaya about it. He was excited! Each morning, he would wake up and ask if it was a running club day. On Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kaya would take off at rather quick speed. Pacing is a concept that he hasn't quite grasped just yet. Each time he would run between 1.5 and 2km. Along the way he would get distracted by birds, cracks in the cement, displays or just about anything interesting. I was having so much fun with him because running is something I enjoy doing and I guess you are especially excited when your children follow in your footsteps. In this case, it is quite literally.

Over the course of three weeks Kaya ran 10km, that is 6.2 miles. He finished well ahead of some of the older kids, in fact, he was the youngest kid participating! He loved it and on the last day he had a meltdown because it was the last day for the club. As a parent, I was so proud to see Kaya active and having such a great time.




Kaya and I run to school each day. It gives us some great father - son times. He sees so many interesting things and hopefully it will spark an interest in an activity that will keep him healthy for a lifetime!

Look at that smile!

Bangkok Dreamin' :: by mama

Inspired by my brother, I thought I'd make a list of my favorite things and moments from our time in Bangkok. Yes, I am still thinking about (and missing) Bangkok. Here are some reasons why:

1. Favorite sight: Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. This guy was amazing. I had heard that he was huge, but this went beyond all expectations. The carvings and paintings surrounding him were unbelievably detailed and gorgeous. Even Kaya kept saying, "Mama, it's so beeeeeautiful!" He was right.

(Note: Supposedly the Grand Palace is pretty impressive as well. I wouldn't really know, since I was too busy having contractions to look around much.)

2. Favorite food: Just about everything we had been missing is available in Bangkok. The best, though, was Villa Market's multigrain bread, transformed by Chris in our apartment's kitchen into the world's best french toast. Yes, I know I should say something about some fantastic Thai street food or something, but (a) I don't like Thai food, and (b) Chris's french toast is amazing. Really. Yum.

3. Favorite entertainment activity: We went to see the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra play outdoors at Lumpini Park, and it was so nice to sit outdoors (on real grass! without fear of deadly diseases!) and listen to music. However, this was a short-lived experience due to the fact that we chose to reproduce and now have two small children. Oh well.

4. REAL favorite entertainment activity: For Chris, I'm pretty sure this would be seeing Avatar in 3-D on an IMAX screen. For me, it's watching So You Think You Can Dance, Season 5. Yes, I am admitting this on the Internet. I watched every episode, beginning with the auditions, but I only made it to the final four contestants before we had to leave the country. I still don't know who won. In my defense, there were only 4 English-language stations on TV: BBC, Australia Network, Fox News (!) and Sony Entertainment Television. My choices were limited. And, I was pregnant. So there.

5. Favorite moment: The birth of Kiran, of course... but there were so many sweet moments with the boys, watching our new family. Also, the initial weekend when Chris "dropped me off" in Bangkok and Kaya stayed in Dhaka, when we were alone and actually managed to go to a movie and dinner, was wonderful as well. I love all three of my boys.

I really do think I could live in Bangkok. The Buddhist history and culture are fascinating to me. The language intrigues me: there are something like 80 letters, and it is tonal. (I swore after taking intensive Bangla classes for nine months that my next language would be an easier one, but what can I say? I like languages.) The city is easy to get around in, despite the traffic, because there are so many transportation options. We took taxis, the SkyTrain, riverboats, and tuk-tuks. There are also motorcycle taxis and a subway system, along with some slightly scary-looking public buses. Finally, I love that Bangkok is so cosmopolitan. The women have style, the men are polite, and everything is available somewhere. A couple more years in Asia? I wouldn't mind...