Baby Holding... September 2010

I guess tradition is defined after two times?  Well, "where is the love" was our first day of 'baby holding', and the last Saturday of September was our last 'baby holding'.  This is when my girlfriend, Christine, brings Claude and Bao over with many of the kids and moms from their shelters for a break.

Irene (Singaporean), Me, Nancy (Taiwanese) with our babies....

Susie (Singaporean - in front with baby in white), Sung (Korean), Irene, Nancy, me, Lisa, Gary

Me and Nancy....

Last time, Son was my little buddy.  When I got there this Saturday, he was taken.  :-(  So, I got this little guy instead.  I dont' even know his name.  I do know that he really needs to be held, so that was my job for the hour and a half...

HOLD THE BABY!

I love my job!

Rain...Rain... Go AWAY

YUCK! 
Every Friday night, I prepare for what I hope to be a 100km + ride on Saturday.  Typically some combination of the bridge followed by meeting up with the local boys + Alex and then maybe meeting up with the local foreingers for a few more loops. 

I should have known when I left the house at 5:00am and there were puddles of water on the street.

Crossing the bridge, I am already muddy.  This is very rare!  I go ahead and finish the bridge loop and go to the bridge to meet the boys.  None of the Saigon Velo team is there.  Just Alex and a few of the D7 guys are there.  The sky looks good and doesn't appear there will be rain. 

By this time, I am already covered in  mud.  You see... when the roads are wet in Saigon, the streets are very muddy.  It isn't just simple rain... but since there is so much construction, the roads are always covered with lots of fine dirt, actually, cement consistancey stuff.... 

I take off form the bridge.  Alex and I are visiting... we soon learn, the others turned around and went home... Alex and I ride going no faster then 30kph.  At this point, I am thourghly annoyed and just want to go home.  But, haven't talked w/ Alex for several weeks and good to catch up. 

He did the full Olympic Triathlon in I-Lan last week in Taiwan and got 6th in his age group!  Very cool!

No, these are not stockings, or socks, but the mud, the very fine dirt on my lets...

shoes...

It is only 6:45am....

My bike...

cleaned up, ready to go, and only 8am.  Home in time to take eirik to soccer

Auuggh, my 'special ed' child....

where I should have ridden... the roller.... by the time Gj was ready to ride, it was pouring!  you can see in the picture.

looking down on the street.

Empty Nest? Getting older?

This week has been filled with painful reminders that the term, "Empty Nest" will apply to us one day.... 

Some parents really enjoy their lives evolving to this phase, but I hate it!  My daugther has entered high school, my son middle school.  They no longer need mommy around, as a matter of fact, they really don't WANT mommy around in public. 

Though my relationship with  my kids is still VERY strong... just not as 'public' as it used to be, I see that they are really pulling away from me.  It really sucks. 

My kids are happy!  My kids are really doing well, so its a good thing... its just that a part of my life is now over... and its really sad....

Gj tells me to enjoy my freedom.  I can't help but be a bit angry that I don't have a 3rd child to fill these empty afternoons... someone to hold my hand saying "mommy, come look at this..." 

that's life.

Three Bikermoms

I must be dreaming...  For the first time since living in Taiwan, I rode with two other women. 

Look... I am smiling....  why?  Well, its the 2nd ride for the day.  I went out at 5:30 and met the boys... rode w/ them for 1/2 the ride before I finally got dropped... Attacked on the way up the red bridge with the European guy yelling, "Go TINA!"  so I did.... climbing our bridge of 5m gain at over 40kph, I flew...

and blew...

oh well... it was fun!

Got home at 6:40 as usual, then met up with Rachel and Shannon at Fivimart.

Freakishly strong Shannon....  new to the bike... good GOD, what happenes when she's NOT NEW to the bike?

Of course, Rachel, my Jamican friend... 

and there we are.... on the Nguyen Van Linh in the 'truck' lane...  dodging cops and truck drivers yelling at us... and lots of thumbs up and cat calls from the motorcycles...

Quite a sight....three bikermoms on a bike! 

total for the day:  80km. 

I think I am starting to feel better....thyroid levels are under control and starting to recover normally....

Tour de Bintan Training

or lack thereof....

I kind of feel like that Katie Perry song.... "hot and cold", "in and your out", "up and your down"... pretty much how I feel with my training.  Just can't seem to pull it together. 

After week 1 of training, it was week 1 because I paid for the race:  155UDS!  Training was OKAY.... definitely on my way. 

I have raced for 4 years now.  I know my body, I know my condition, I know what to do and with WHAT I do, I know how I will feel.  Only the race itself can determine my placing.  If I come unprepared, I will suffer.

Then comes Week #2, off to a good start.  Interval training, riding w/ the boys, etc.  But...  I am the PTA President.  That Saturday, we had Family Day.  Last year, we had about 250 people.  Tuesday, after picking up the RSVP's in the office, I realized we would have over 700.  We had to rethink... EVERYTHING!

The PTA Board worked nonstop for the next three days.  This left absolutely no time for riding, working, etc.  Even taking care of my family was put at a halt.  Saturday WAS Family Day, and by Sunday.... I was trashed! 

During that week, I realized that the duration of training time up to the race would be the same:  off and on...

But, with my thyroid still off, I believe my iron levels a bit off, recovering from simple rides wasn't going well.  For a simple 50km ride, it felt like a HARD 100km.  The throbbing of my legs, etc.  How would I ever finish 155km ride, let alone race it.  Not to mention I was on my ??? week of my period.  With less then 10 days 'off' of it since June, I was emotionally just exhausted.  I didn't feel up to par.

So, Tuesday, I went to bed and cried... I told Gjermund I had to let the race go.  I simply can't do it.  I can't train for it and I am not going to Bintan unprepared.  I couldn't find a roommate, so my accomodations cost would be high, not to mention I still have to fly there.  All is perfectly acceptable if I knew I could race to the best of my abilities...  but I didn't see that happening.

I cried and cried... he knew how hard it was for me to say, "no" to the race.  I talked about Bintan for nearly 10 months.  Ever since coming back from Cambodia and learning about the trial race, I desperately wanted to go!!!  After riding w/ Siw and Christina in Thailand and being part of a 14 woman team....  wow...  I don't know 14 women who ride bicycles in Vietnam...

And so that's how it goes....

I emailed the ladies tonight.  Because most don't know me they probably don't have much of an emotion about it.

To not go and race my guts out....  the thing is, given the right circumstances, I could have been good....maybe.... or at least I would die trying.

SSIS Charity Bazaar - Volume 1

Last year I was asked to be the PTA President.  I thought about it.... Yes, No, Yes, No, Yes, No... then I saw the big picture...  What good is a mom that rides a bike up and down the Nguyen Van Linh highway when I could be a mom that rides a bike, and does something GOOD!  I never had this kind of opportunity to be so involved in my kids' school.  My kids are too old for me to volunteer in the classroom.  As a matter of fact, not even sure they like to acknowledge me in the hall way. 

 So, this year.... I am the chairperson for the Charity Bazaar.  Last year, the Bazaar raised over 10,000USD in one day.  When combined with individual and group efforts, we gave over 12,000USD to Operation Smile, Anh Linh Love School, and Heartbeat Vietnam.

This is the big picture....

This year, our bazaar will benefit five charities:

Operation Smile
Anh Linh Love School
Saigon Children's Charities
Sunshine Group

and

Heart Says Move Free.

Its the last charity that really moves me.  Well, they all do.  Heart Says Move Free was established by two SSIS students and one BIS student.  It gives wheelchairs to men with spinal cord injuries.  One of the founders had an accident and now is in a wheelchair.  My understanding is that this accident was within the year or bit.  Their charity is new.  If you put a disabled man back to work, his family is saved from the dires of poverty.  Imagine, one income can do for one family!  Children can go to school, they can eat, a man's esteem is restored....

because of this kid

who had a vision....

Please watch the video!

Anh Linh Love School

Family Day silent auction donations when to the Anh Linh Love School in District 7.  SSIS has a long standing relationship with the school.  They have been a recipient of both SSIS finacial and volunteer capital.

Today, Quoc and I got to present Sister Thuy and the school with the proceeds of our silent auction held on September 11th. 

1,235USD were donated today!

The children line up according to grade.  Many are much smaller then you would expect for their age.  When we first arrived, many just wanted to speak English and say, "HI!"... 

The school is 20 years old.

The children sang us a "Thank You" song...

English class..

This sign shows the teachers name on the left and teh grade level on the right.  Mot = 1, Hai = 2, etc... the number of children (hs) is next to it.  Imagine 44 first graders...

and they are very well behaved.

The middle schoolers are working on craft items today.  They sell these to make money for the school as well as sell at our Charity Bazaar.  They are very cute little bead ornaments, jewelry, etc.  Sister Thuy is so proud of their work, as are teh students.

Many students attend during the morning hours and have a school provided lunch.  Then either back home to work, or they have training at the school.  Sister Thuy teaches the boarding students (16 girls) everything from simple household organization, cooking, cleaning, and caring for themselves.

Middle schoolers sewing the school uniforms.  They are learning this trade while earning money. 

Some of the graduating students have gone on to University we were told today!  without Anh Linh Love School, none of these kids would have had a chance.....

Raising their hands

Remind me why I thought I wouldn't like Vietnam... Okay.. the jury is still out about some things...

That said, I am so grateful to be here!