Run a Half-Marathon: CHECK!

Personal goal of completing a half-marathon before my Masters graduation: DONE!

I'm writing this a week after the actual race day and I'm still feeling the runner's high from finishing my first half-marathon. :) I've been looking up races, checking out prices and thinking about my 2015 running goals. This is completely different from my approach to running this past year, where races were only semi-planned/something that I stumbled upon. But before I run off on a tangent (!!), I'll do a mini recap of my feelings on this race (my first "big city" race experience).

Race day outfit!

They call me "Crazy"

The other morning, I was getting ready to lace up for a morning run when I had a short and unpleasant interaction that ended with my dad calling me "Crazy". I felt stung because beyond the disbelief and lack of understanding behind the comment, there was also a hint of ridicule in the word. It only occurred to me then, that doing what I like to do can seem "crazy" to other people.

My immediate reaction was to think of all the reasons why I like to run so next time this happened, I would have a rebuttal.That morning run was fueled by this anger/feeling of not having my passion for running understood and after some reflection, I realized that I didn't need to explain myself.

Maybe I'm "crazy" for:

• Paying money to run for 2 hours.

• Wanting more kilometers rather than more shuteye.

• Spending time to plan out my running routes.

• Looking for music at specific bpm (beats per minute) for my running playlist.

• Pushing my limits, both physically and mentally (especially the latter).

• Venturing into the unknown to find a path for myself (literally, since I run to places I've never been by car).

• Chasing the "runner's high".

• Running around town when most people are just rolling out of bed.

My mom once told me that when someone doesn't like something, they will have no problem naming a zillion reasons why. On the contrary, when you really like something, you probably don't have a zillion reasons. This may be hard to believe, but think about it: if you genuinely like something, you Won't Need a zillion reasons to justify yourself to anyone. You do it for yourself and just because. (Aren't moms just so wise?)

So go ahead, call me "Crazy". I probably am. But I don't care.

No amount of reasons will justify why I run because the reason is simple. I Love To Run.

I'm Running My First Half-Marathon as a Charity Run!

2 month placement abroad, followed by a month long family vacation and I can truthfully say that I need to get back to the "world of the living". The amount of relaxing this summer was much appreciated, and I am now ready to find a new sense of direction. Those who know me well will know that I always like to be working towards a goal of some form. I can't stand to be unoccupied! Without classes (bye bye student life!) and still on the hunt for a job means that I'm in a limbo. My brain has needed the past month to recuperate and readjust to this new state of affairs, since it's something I've never experienced. Now I'm slowly regaining the motivation to move onto starting the next chapter of my life, starting with tackling some personal goals.

Before flying off on vacation, I buckled down and registered to run my first half-marathon. I did this so that I would not give myself any excuses to not do it and because I like signing up for things early so that I get to feel all the anticipation that comes with racing (oh, and because of early bird fees!). In fact, this half-marathon was on my mind for much of my vacation. As my running shoes walked around the other side of the world/country with me, my mind was gearing up for this new long distance that I've challenged myself with.

1 Thing I Learned from My International Placement Experience

My placement has long been over but I've been away for much of the summer so I have yet to wrap up my international placement experience. While I've been away, I've been reminded of how writing is an outlet for expressing my thoughts and feelings, but motivation can be so hard to find. Now that I'm settling back into being at home, I've got no real excuses about why I'm not writing. This piece is so long over due and probably one of the hardest (and longest!) posts I've written so far because it's taken a lot of self-reflection and hard thinking. It's kind of a mix between what I wanted to write in a "Who Am I Out of Context? Part 2" post and as a summary reflection. I hope that you can understand the thoughts that I'm about to share with you. 

I consider my international placement experience a valuable mix between education/work and self-discovery. I initially started by naming this post "5 Things I Learned..." because I thought that it would be nice to be able to get a list of things down that I've learned in those 2 months. (Also because I love lists!) Between travelling alone, living in a new country and working/having an educational experience in a culturally different setting --5 things should be easy, right? I had some ideas for sure (which I've incorporated into this post), but I just couldn't get it down to 5 distinct things.

What OTs really are...

"We're activity analysts."

This is a phrase a fellow OT at the rehab clinic always said. Behind all the fancy words that describe us as "therapeutic" and "holistic" etc. Whether you graduated with a BSc or an MSc in OT, at the very heart of our profession, we are Activity Analysts!

Much of my placements have been about breaking things down into the smaller steps which has led me to really appreciate our skills in activity analysis. I am a pretty detailed oriented person in my own everyday life, so applying a more critical mind to looking at other's occupations comes naturally to me. But beyond looking at the details, we need to know where to focus our activity analysis on before looking deeper to discover the how's and then seek to understand the why's behind an activity... And this takes a lot more brain power than it does visual acuity. We've got to use that OT lens of ours! Which leads me to this quote:

Thus, the task is not so much to see what no one has yet seen, but to think what nobody has yet thought about what which everybody sees --Arthur Schopenhauer

I couldn't agree more!

Farewell to Fearless Dragon, my running family

"When you want to find some motivation...
... for running,
             ... for doing stretches,
                             ... for achieving your goals,
Or at times when you feel as though you are losing yourself, you can think of us."

The Fearless Dragon (猛龍隊): 看不見，聽不到，跑得好，做得到!

Last group photo with The Fearless Dragon (猛龍隊) running group at Hammer Hill sports ground in our running gear! 

Kid, get down on my level!

It was my first time helping out with this small sensory integration group for children ages 6-8. They had moved onto a table top activity where they were given a worksheet that was entirely in Cantonese. While I can converse in Cantonese just fine, my reading and writing are only at an elementary school level. I was watching a pair of boys going over their worksheet when one of them turned to me, asking me what to do:

Boy: What do we do now?
G (me): Keep reading the worksheet to see what it says.
B: (Continues to read and stumbles on a word) Do you know this?
G: Nope. Keep reading, what do you think it is?
B: (Shocked) You don't know this word?!
G: Nope.
B: (Still shocked) Have you gone to university?!
G: Yup. I have gone to university...
B: Then how come you don't know these words?!?! (Stares at me like O_O)
G: (Smiles and urges him to continue to discuss the activity at hand with his partner)

(Dialogue translated from Cantonese of course)

Children are so simple. They presume that anyone older than them would know more than them. Little do they know that I learn from them each and every day! =D Of course, he is still young and probably can't imagine studying entirely in any language other than Chinese.

That boy is a funny kid. I was so amused at how frank he was with me, but he probably didn't understand why I was smiling. I wasn't offended by any means, rather I found our conversation quite interesting. Working with kids makes me laugh so much, both with them and at myself. I think the ability to laugh at oneself and not be so serious all the time can be hard to develop as we're working towards adulthood and being working professionals. I'm happy that I've found a way to do that: working with children. =)

Who is Your Family? And Who Are You?

I met a local OT student who was volunteering at the Duchess of Kent Children's Hospital during my placement time there. We got to know each other throughout the span of the 2 weeks before I left and making this friend has been such a blessing. I truly feel blessed to have met her during the struggles I had with my placement experience there. Having studied abroad for several years, she understood how it felt to be away from home and trying to learn and adapt to a new cultural setting. She's been such a great listener and of course, it's great to be able to talk about our hopes and dreams as soon-to-be new grad OTs.

Since I left the placement and she has started her own placement term, it's been hard to find time to meet up so I have been joining her at her fellowship group. Since I've been to my friends' Catholic and Christian fellowships, I don't feel too strange joining in on my new friend's group. It's a nice way to spend my evenings after placement, and I've come to think that if religion is such a big part of my friends' lives, getting to know a little bit about what that entails is a way of getting to know my friends better.

The other night, the discussion consisted of a two part question: Who is your family? And who are you?

My first 10K as a Guide Runner

The weather was beautiful, the course was scenic and our smiles were bright! 

I ran my first 10K as a guide runner this past Sunday with 猛龍隊 (The Fearless Dragon) running team at the Town Health 25th anniversary 10K charity run. This experience of training with visually impaired runners and local volunteers in Hong Kong has been heartwarming, and they've made me feel like part of their family.

Left to right: Me and my partner running our last K at Hong Kong Science Park (香港科學園) with a fellow Fearless Dragon runner cheering us on.

As a person who has always run alone, running with a visually impaired partner has been given a twist to the idea of running as a "team". I have to be alert about our surroundings and describe possible obstacles, uneven ground, or nearby spectacles or activities that my vision has allowed me to take for granted. While at the same time, I am part of a team, pulling my own weight in the race and encouraging my teammate as the race progresses.

I had only ran with my partner once at a practice before this race. We just never came to the same practices after that. But not a problem! We ran together, we walked together and took water breaks together. Left, right, left, right. Almost there! Last K! And we finished the 10K together. =)

Funny, Familiar, Forgotten Feelings

Hong Kong is a long way from home. A 16 hour direct flight away and 12 hours ahead from what's familiar to me. Even so, I've been able to find some familiar and forgotten feelings despite my rough start to my Hong Kong placement experience. So no, maybe it hasn't been so "funny", but I hope someone gets the song reference.

You are Here. (Almost to the Big Buddha!)

Volunteering as a Guide Runner

"Running is Being. Running is Trying. Running is Falling. Running is Flying. Running is Dreaming." -E.T.

Felt like quoting a fellow colleague, classmate, past-housemate, friend and "bro". I agree with his words. Especially the "Falling" part. I see running as a constant series of falling and picking yourself back up --again and again. Once you learn to do it, there's no "try" in running, only Do. And with that, you can fly and dream...

I had decided before even starting my placement, that I would find time to volunteer as a guide runner. I literally typed in "guide runner in Hong Kong" and after a series of emails, got in touch with someone from the Fearless Dragon (猛龍隊) running group. I love to run, so why not learn to be a guide runner?

Did you say "Communication Breakdown"?

I've had my share of these moments over my placement.
If a picture is worth 1000 words, then this video can be worth all the words between my preceptor Past-preceptor and I over the last 3 weeks. I applaud Dory for her perseverance!

Goodness of Fit

As I'm reading up on Sensory Integration (SI) theory and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), I come across the term "Goodness of Fit" which is a concept that I can really relate to.

But wait.
Hold up!
Why am I reading about SI and SPD, when I'm at a placement focused on orthopedics?? Ok. Let's back up a bit.

Same Material means Less Friction

A lesson in physics and cultural competency.

A middle aged female patient comes in with carpal tunnel syndrome, and the OT decides to treat here with a static wrist splint. I'm watching from the side, because at the time, I was practicing how to mold my own paddle splint (which was and is still going terribly...). When it came time to start making her cast, the patient says that she won't be able to take off her jade bangle. She had put it on in her younger days and after two pregnancies, her wrist had grown and now the bangle no longer comes off. She tells the OT that she's fine with going home to have her husband brake the bracelet off with a hammer, but the concern was that it would be done in an unsafe manner, potentially causing further harm to the patient's wrist. My preceptor is called in to help take it off.

Who am I out of context? Part 1

Inspired by 5 second rule's post "Who are you out of context?", where she asks the thoughtful question:

When you travel, do you think you become more or less who you truly are? 

Congee vs. Soup vs. Water

A lesson in burns and cultural competency.

As my preceptor was teaching me about burns management, he asks me the question of whether having hot water splashed on you or hot soup would hurt more. And I responded...

Going international for Level III placement

Why an international placement? I've been asked this question many times, both in Canada and Hong Kong (HK), by family, friends and colleagues. This moment right now is a good chance to remind myself of why I chose to be on the other side of the world for my final placement. Especially since I will be writing my placement goals soon!

Why go international?

• To be fully immersed in the Chinese culture, as more than just a tourist.
• As a CBC (Chinese born Canadian), I've only identify with my Chinese culture through my parents. This is a chance for me to really experience Chinese culture and better develop a sense of what "Being Chinese" means to me.
• To see and learn about how OTs work on the other side of the world.
• To learn about the healthcare system and Hong Kong.
• To continue to gain self-awareness about what kind of OT I want to be.
• To develop my skills in cultural competency.