5k Kate

Wow, very hot 5k today! Even though I waited until the heat broke, it was a tough run. I found a trail around the back of the hotel that had a long steep hill (about 5 floors), that I ran up and over, then back over, 5 times. The sunset on the top made all the climbs worth it and I was much less center of attention, only saw a few other ex-pats walking the trail and a few kids.  Today was a really great day. Grace and I had a buffet breakfast and morning chat. The food here incredibly expensive so we were being sneaky, with me paying for the buffet and bringing out a nice big plate for us to share. We weren't sneaky enough though because one of the waiters came up to me and said "It's okay if your daughter eats your food too." I, of course, laughed and the guy got very embarrassed and said he was sorry. He brought us heaps of food to the table and Grace messed with him by calling me Mom in front of him. We suspect it's the height difference and the matching shoes....

First run in Papua New Guinea today! And wow, what a day. I feel like my run was a good metaphor for the past day: difficult, overwhelming, attention-grabbing, and led me to somewhere beautiful. Lauren, Grace, and I are at the Gateway Hotel right near the Port Moresby airport. We all flew in this morning from Brisbane (we flew out of Cairns at 6:30) and while it wasn't perfect (we had quite a few issues with bags, including one lost solar panel, and a scare at customs when they nearly didn't let me through), it was a good journey.  I'm just so grateful for Penny for driving us in so early, for Lauren who is fitting in to the team so easily, and for Grace who is amazing as always. She's brought up plans to help the village really excel at chicken farming - so exciting! Running around the hotel wasn't great and I stopped early. Lots of people commenting at me, but nicely. Just too much attention. Plus it is really hot here, about 90 degrees! Cooled off by swimming aro...

Japingka Aboriginal Art Alma Nungarrayi Granites - Seven Sisters Although I woke up at 3am again, this mornings run was a bit later, but much faster, then yesterday's. I was really surprised not to be too sore because of the busy day yesterday! After having a delicious breakfast with N&P, we spent an hour or two in the garden, which was so much fun. I restacked some firewood and raked the fall leaves! How lovely to do spring cleaning twice this year! After gardening, I went to go finally meet Lauren. What a wonderful person! We connected instantly and I feel like I've known her a long time. We've got so much solar that we are bringing in that I think this will finally be the year when I can use my laptop to work! I bought Moana just in case we have a film showing. After meeting Lauren, Nick and I went to an exhibit at the National Museum of Australia called Songlines: The Seven Sisters. It was really well done. Through out the entire exhibit multiple technologies guides...

Just got back from a beautiful sunrise 5k in Canberra. I took off from N&Ps house again today and found a beautiful bike path surrounded on both sides by trees, flowers, and beautiful houses. I saw so many rabbits, some magpies, and even two red and blue parrots! As I was running, I was mostly reminding myself to keep left and to look right before looking left when crossing the streets. I feel like this is a pretty good example of how mentally exhausting it can be to be in a different culture, especially one that's so similar to your own. So much energy spent paying attention to things that others don't even think about. I was also thinking about how grateful I am to N&P for letting me stay in their beautiful house. I am so happy here and they are so kind. I also spent some time being grateful to Grace, who saved me but packing me a mosquito net last minute as I forgot mine in the closet! This year I'm bringing a special pop-up style mosquito "tent", c...

Today’s run took me through the Canberra Nature Reserve behind Nick and Penny’s home. After 14 hours on the plane to Sydney and a 4 hour bus ride (including break down on the highway) to Canberra, I was feeling pretty beat at 1 pm when Nick and Penny picked me up from the bus station. But I got a slow but steady 5k in after catching up with them over a delicious omelet and tea. There’s a great trail behind their house that goes through the reserve. Reminded me a lot of some of the paths in southern New Guinea, heard lots of birds and saw very few humans. I climbed a very large hill for a beautiful view and explored some side trails. The trail cut across two big roadways and on the second I forgot to look right first and was rightfully honked at angrily. Have to train myself to look the proper way! I spent my run mostly enjoying the scenery, trying to process the long day, and prepare for tonight. I arrived in Australia with all my baggage in one piece and easily found the bus to Can...

I took a break from packing to go on a run with Reese this afternoon. I felt a little dizzy and out of shape, but I felt good getting outside in the sun and feeling my heart race. I was overwhelmed from trying to pack everything I might possibly need in a year into two backpacks. Am I packing too much? Too little? Time will tell. So I went outside to clear my head. Running makes me feel good because it instantly gives me the feeling that I’ve just made a positive decision in my life. It gives me a chance to process my thoughts, whether it’s stress, a language problem, a mental problem, or my next best idea. I have great ideas when I run sometimes. My first qualifying paper was “solved” on the Stanford track during a moonlit interval session. Being on the Stanford Tri team these past two years has given me an energy outlet and a place to feel happy when work made me feel so inadequate. There’s also a connection with A since I know how much he loves running and how much he loves when I ...