27. Volunteer in a Foreign Country

Completed: 07/30/2014

 

 

After harvesting rice
 

 As stated in my previous post of my Hong Kong travels, I was fortunate enough to align yet another bucket list item with one of my work's initiatives. This time, the volunteer experience abroad was to satisfy our college's goal to increase the global perspective and diversity of our students by having them travel to a foreign country and learn about their programs of study from a different point of view.

 

Camp schedule

  

 After getting the okay from my boss when I proposed my idea of sending students to a volunteer workcamp to Hong Kong, I contacted Volunteers for Peace to begin coordinating our customized experience. We worked with a partner organization in Hong Kong, Voltra, to build our itinerary. Both parties were very good with communication and designing a program that fit our objectives of learning about agriculture and food issues in Hong Kong as well as incorporating local culture. Here is what we did during our stay from 7/20-30/2014:

 

Monday, July 21, 2014

Arrived in Hong Kong, close to midnight. Traveled to Wing Lung ecological farm via taxi. Met our fellow Hong Kong workcampers, Shirley, Stephanie, Anson, and Bird (he was the main campleader). This work camp is more of an experimental farm, in which whatever is produced goes to the food bank or elsewhere. The land was originally a dumpsite that was bought up by a friend of the homestay host, Simon, who asked that he oversee the farm ventures. Some things they had growing while we visited include Saba snakegrass (which apparently has cancer-healing properties), figs, watermelons, and various herbs. Interestingly, the local volunteers who come work at this site have other full-time jobs, but come to this farm to do something more meaningful with their lives.

 

Wing Lung Ecological Farm

 

Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Went through an orientation to go over what we expect out of the experience and well as do some intercultural learning. We wrote down our fears and expectations, then did an exercise to measure how "Chinese" we were, by selecting which of two contrasting pictures for each topic better represented our beliefs/culture. The pictures were taken from a Beijing-born designer who lived in Germany. We were also divided into two teams for a food challenge that would happen later that week. I, along with Anson, Ty, and Kelli, made up the grassroots team. Stephanie, Miho, Felicia, and Shirley represented the LOHAS (lifestyle of health and sustainability) group.

 

Bird explaining the activity to us 

 

We then did a little yard work clearing a terrace lined by citrus trees that was overgrown with weeds. We managed to finish the work in one afternoon. The Hong Kong folks also had their cultural night, where they decided to teach our group a few useful Cantonese phrases, including counting from 1-10, please, thank you, and handsome guy/pretty girl, among other things. We also made some mochi balls, which we filled with peanut butter, spicy chili sauce, and apple Hi-chew. Our group is pretty creative.

 

Cantonese 101 with Anson and Stephanie

Shirley teaching us how to make mochi balls

Finished product

 

That evening, we had a welcome party with guests who were previous volunteers or affiliated with Voltra. We were seriously jetlagged, so the party was cut short at around 10pm.

 

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The next morning, we woke up around 7-8am and ate a small breakfast before doing more yardwork. Our first task was to till a few small plots within a greenhouse and clear out the weeds. There was also weed work to be done in a nearby lotus pond. 

 

Weeding the tall grasses blocking the nice bay view

  

We then had a simple stir fried udon noodle lunch, prepared by the grassroots team. After lunch, we went to the beach to collect rocks for a cement project the farm was planning to do later on.

 

 Quaint beach nearby 

 Beach selfie

 

Some folks continued to do more yard work as the grassroots team headed out to purchase their ingredients for their food challenge. We only had 10 Hong Kong dollars per head to spend (which turned out to a grand total of 90 Hong Kong dollars to feed 9 people). The criteria that we had to follow included price and portion. There were two other criteria, but I don't remember exactly. I think it was taste then health.

 

The wet market

Anson hard at work bargaining

 

Since we represented the lower class, we had to walk to the bus stop (half an hour uphill), then ride the bus for half an hour to reach the wet market destination that is supposedly pretty cheap. Anson bargained for our food items at the wet market before we headed back on the bus back home. We left at around 3:00, but didn't return until around 7:00, and dinner wasn't ready until past 8:00. This day was supposedly the hottest day in the lunar calendar. It certainly felt like it when we were in the poorly ventilated kitchen. I never sweated so much in my life (beads of sweat continuously forming, and sweat running down all parts of my body).

 

 Sweating in the kitchen

 

Our menu that night consisted of steamed sweet potato as our starch, boiled lettuce (we got a head for only 3 Hong Kong dollars!), wintermelon with pork, and tomatoes with scrambled egg. I think it wasn't enough food, but luckily we didn't starve.

 

Grassroots dinner that took like 5 hours total to prepare (shopping and cooking time)

 

Thursday, July 24, 2014

The next morning, we were divided to complete different tasks, from replacing pheromone sheets to attract pests, to more weeding and tilling of soil, and greenhouse work. We then had a simple American style lunch (sandwiches and salad).
 

 

 Working them arms. If you like the pants I'm wearing, read this post

 

In the afternoon, the LOHAS team went out shopping (since they represented the higher class, they were privileged enough to take a taxi and shop at the more expensive supermarket that was closer to our campsite). Our grassroots team stayed back at the campsite to work on the hard task of uprooting two trees that had intertwined. It took us three hours to work on it, but we eventually succeeded! I was quite proud of this accomplishment.

  

Determined to uproot the thing

Used a variety of tools, including shovels, pickaxes, regular axes, and a mallet

Tired but ecstatic that we finally succeeded!

 

The dinner that night prepared by the LOHAS team was a single stir fry dish of all kinds of organic foods like tofu, beans, leafy greens, and carrots that were all shipped from as close to Hong Kong as possible to decrease the carbon footprint from travel. We were also served organic brown rice and a dessert of yogurt with granola.

 

 LOHAS team with their dinner

Up close of LOHAS dinner 

 

Friday, July 25, 2014

(Free day - see post on exploring the city)

 

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Although we had gotten back to the farm past midnight from our adventure in the city, we had to wake up early to head out since we were going to sleep over somewhere else for our series of farm and countryside visits. We had breakfast at a nearby café, where I ate corn congee.

 

We first headed to the Buddhist-affiliated Sino organic farm in the New Territories. When we arrived though, heavy rains had hit so we had to wait it out for an hour or so. When the skies cleared up, we headed up to the farm, which was surprisingly meticulously organized. The main farmer had family experience and also went to school to train in farming. He carefully marked which crops were planted and how they were doing. His farm included lots of varieties of melons, eggplants, corn, raspberries (the farmer mentioned that he experimented with various crops to see if they can fare in Hong Kong weather, but showed us the raspberries as an example of a crop that wouldn't make it in Hong Kong), bittermelon, pumpkin, peanuts, and other things. We got to harvest some peanuts, knock on watermelon to see which were ripe for picking, and helped to cover up some bittermelon in black trashbag material to speed up their growth.

 

Corn

 

Raspberries not doing too well in the humid Hong Kong weather

 

I, along with another workcamper, were suffering from diarrhea from something we ate the day before (I'm thinking the milk tea from our free day was the culprit, but can't verify for sure). Luckily the bathroom was readily accessible and clean, so it wasn't too bad.

 

 Albino bittermelon

 Harvesting peanuts

 

After we finished the activities at this farm, we headed to Ping Che, the site of another volunteer workcamp that was in session. The rural community of Ping Che is threatened by development, and is therefore trying to promote arts in the area to hopefully build up enough of a cultural value to the place so that the government would deem worth saving when it comes time to demolish the area. They hold group tours and promote the arts through paintings from volunteer workcampers. Hope that their efforts are enough to save them. Anyway, when we arrived, we met workcampers from South Korea, Spain, Thailand, mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. It was tough to share one Western and one squat toilet with about 30 people total, but we managed.

 

Welcome dinner at Ping Che

 

Sunday, July 27, 2014

We stayed at Ping Che the next day. First, we had an agricultural workshop presented by Anson, on rural perceptions of our respective groups as well as the agricultural situation in Hong Kong, since he was studying this for his Master's thesis. Hong Kong only produces less than two percent of their food locally.

 

Anson presenting on the rurality of Hong Kong

 

There was a break for lunch before our group got to go on a tour of Ping Che. The highlight of the tour was stopping by the farmer's market, where we got to try dried fruits/dehydrated foods. There was a flower thing and yellow peel that was really good.

 

Food is usually the best part of any tour

 

After our tour, we prepared for our cultural night, to present Hawaii to the other workcampers, Voltra visitors, and local community members. We made musubi as our cultural food item, which was a hit. For our presentation, the students sang Hawaii Ponoi, shared about the islands, and taught everyone how to count in Hawaiian. The audience was then divided into two to race each other to put the Hawaiian phrases in numerical order. Everyone got kukui keychains or macadamia nuts for trying.

 

Teaching audience how to sing state song

 Talking about Hawaiian islands

How to count in Hawaiian

 

Monday, July 28, 2014

Our group woke up around 7:00am since we were leaving Ping Che. We headed to Long Valley to a rice field, We went to the home base first. The campers here are real troopers, since they do hot work in the sun, yet their facilities is not as comfortable as we had at Wing Lung or even Ping Che. They had no A/C, had to battle mosquitoes at night, and only had a squat toilet. Talk about very basic living conditions.

 

Sifting rice

 

Harvesting rice was perhaps the activity that our group enjoyed the most. Harvesting rice entailed using sickles to cut the rice stalks, creating an assembly line to transport the cut rice from the field to the milling machine (the mud is really sticky, so it is not so easy to walk around once you're in the field). We also had a chance to mill the rice to separate the grains from the stalks. After doing that, we sifted the rice to exclude the smaller grasses that get pulled with the grains before bagging the rice.

  

Milling rice

 

After a long day (I think this was considered the actual hottest day in Hong Kong), we got a surprise visit from the Ping Che workcamp leader, who bought Pocari sweat and egg tarts for us. We also ate tofu pudding before heading back to Wing Lung. Before we got back to the workcamp, we ate dinner at Tim Ho Wan, a Michelin star restaurant created by a five-star cook who wanted to create affordable dim sum for the masses to enjoy. We also split up so one group headed back to the workcamp while another did some shopping for food ingredients. This was the time we bought our birthday "cake" for Stephanie, since she spent most of her birthday serving as our tour guide during our free day, which you can read about in the Hong Kong post.

 

Tofu pudding

Cool jello dessert with some kind of flower inside

 

We were about pooped when we got home, but not enough to prevent Bird from wanting to play drinking games with us (I stuck to water though).

 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

We were rewarded with the morning to sleep in, so we didn't wake up and eat until about 11:00am. After lunch, we did Stephanie's short birthday celebration and then we completed evaluation forms for the experience. I then went with Stephanie and one of the students to a nearby clinic since she suffered an allergic reaction to an ant bite the day before, which caused her hand to swell up.

 

Happy belated birthday, Stephanie!

 

After an uneventful visit to the clinic (thankfully), we went shopping for additional goodies at the nearby markets. We also stopped by Stephanie's favorite dessert place to buy a durian dessert, as well as one with mango and lychee. I was very much looking forward to that.

 

Not swollen vs. swollen

 

We arrived back at the camp in time to help out a bit with transporting some aluminum siding that would be used to construct a future pavilion/gazebo area for workcampers to rest. Another group was preparing hot pot ingredients for our dinner that night. We had a bunch of guests over (not sure who they all were), but it was a pretty chill party. After they left, we opened the dessert. The fresh durian from lunch wasn't as ripe yet so the stench and taste were very mild. Once this dessert was opened, the stench was horrid. But after initial shock subsided, the dessert was the loveliest thing I tasted in my entire life. It was soooo good!

 

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

We woke up at 5:30 to finish up packing so we could head out at 6:30. Took a van to airport for our flight back home. Such an awesome experience. By the time we finished, we learned so much and the group became a family. Good bye Hong Kong!

 

Ty's excellent depiction of our group members, plus a whole bunch of pooping animals

Group with completion certificates

 

Read about our adventure through the eyes of the students at this blog.

 

Last evening group picture 1 - depicting animals of Hong Kong



Last evening group photo 2 - jumping
 

26. Travel to Hong Kong

Completed: 07/30/2014

Hong Kong has intrigued me since my family started watching Hong Kong dramas. The food, culture, and eclectic mix of old and new concentrated in one city made this a must-visit destination for me. I had the privilege to visit this popular tourist destination as a part of a summer study tour I organized for my work, which incorporated farm visits and volunteering in different areas around Hong Kong. In this post, I'll focus on our free day of exploration of the big city. Thanks to our personal guides (fellow Hong Kong workcampers Stephanie and Anson), we were able to squeeze in many tourist attractions as well as more authentic places that locals frequent on our free day.

 Elderly getting their Tai Chi on in a local park 

We woke up at 6:30am to conquer the city of Hong Kong. Our first stop was to get an Octopus card for all our transportation needs (these are also good at some shops like 7-11 or eateries too). We then headed out to the Victoria Peak tram. The tram ride was very enjoyable, especially as it climbed up the mountain at a steep incline. It was so steep, in fact, that I remember my body pressing hard against the back of my seat as we inched up the mountain.

Look how inclined we are on the tram to Victoria Peak!

 

At the top, we enjoyed breakfast at a chain breakfast place, Tsui Wah. After a cheap set meal of soupy noodles, eggs and toast, we walked the loop trail, where we got to see many bugs (thanks to Ty and Felicia for their knowledge of the unique creatures we encountered on this trail) as well as a 360 view of the city.
 

Condensed milk bun that Tsui Wah is known for

After our adventure at the top, we took a double decker bus ride down to the city. We were lucky enough to sit at the front seats on the top deck of the bus for an unobstructed view of the downhill action. This activity was certainly a winner for us all, as the fast ride down the windy mountain on narrow roads certainly made for the most exhilarating bus ride we've ever been on.

Concrete truck and double decker bus held up traffic at one point because of they were stuck by the tight curves

When we arrived in Central, back in the heart of the city, our first stop was to an authentic dim sum place that Stephanie's grandfather eats at every day (we ran into him when we were there). We had to share a table with another family, who were quite friendly. This is one of the traditional dim sum restaurants with the carts that go by for you to select dishes. I'm surprised the carts had room to move because it was so crowded in there.

 

  Business is booming for this restaurant

After eating, we went to the Soho region where we traveled on the world's longest escalator (it is also referred to as a travelator). So long, in fact, that we chose not to ride the full 20-minute length to the top and decided to travel down to our next destination, a milk tea spot. We then stopped for egg tarts before heading to the harbor for a ride across on the Star Ferry.

 

Heading back down the mountain after getting off the longest escalator

On the Star Ferry to cross islands (Hong Kong to Kowloon)

Once we got to the Kowloon side of the harbor, we went to look for local snacks that we could take home as souvenirs for our family and friends back home. After going through a shopping complex, a mooncake shop, a supermarket, and a tea place, we called it a day with the omiyage. 

 

 Mango drink from Hui Lau Shan, refreshing and exciting for the taste buds

One of the many outdoor shopping areas

 

Our timing was perfect; it was just about the time to head back to the harbor to Tsim Sha Tsui to catch the laser show that happens nightly at 8:00pm. Although the harbor looked nice at night, the well-promoted night show left much to be desired. There are supposedly twenty or so buildings that participate in this light show, but we only counted about two or three that actually lit up to the rhythm of the music. The rest are just lit the same the entire time. But it was nice to view the harbor at night anyway.

 

Nice night scenery

 

All in all, a very satisfying free day hit all the hotspots I wanted to, and then some, thanks to the suggestion of the local workcampers who graciously took us around. So gracious, in fact, that the day we went out was actually the birthday of one of our workcampers, Stephanie. I'm so glad that I got to experience not only the touristy side of Hong Kong, but travel around to different parts of the island to understand it more than just the bustling city that I knew it to be. To have done things like harvested rice, lived in basic sheltering, and shared ten days with local Hong Kongers as well as people from home, I really couldn't ask for a better Hong Kong experience.

25. Sew something I'd Use/Wear

Completed: 05/24/2014

Selection of pants sewed mainly by Jack's mom, with some of my efforts

 

Flashback to Home Economics class in intermediate: one of our projects in that class was to sew ourselves a pillow. I chose a cute snowman design. I wasn't have my own sewing machine, so I remember the hours tolled on stitching the entire thing by hand. Although I consider myself nowhere near a pro, I did enjoy being able to create something with my hands. I would then go on to create felt pillows as gifts for people, including perhaps the only gift that I've given to my mother that she's ever kept.

 

Mom even put my gift a Ziploc bag to preserve it

Translation: Parents, always in my heart (I know, kind of sappy)

 

As nice as these pillows were for decor, they were not very practical. When I was creating my bucket list, I decided that I would try my hand at sewing something more pragmatic. At one point, I bought a yard of some cute cloth thinking that I would fashion a nice pair of sleeping shorts for myself. But little did I know that my sewing needs would be required to fulfill another item on my bucket list. For my volunteer trip to Hong Kong, I decided to make myself some comfortable long pants since I would be working outdoors. With the cloth that Jack's sister provided and much assistance and patience from Jack's mom (the cute cloth I initially bought wasn't long enough for pants, but the selection of cloth at hand included some designs that matched my personality), I was able to sew a pair of pants. I ended up with 5 pairs (three for me to take with me on my trip and two for my mother, since she enjoyed the style of pants that I made). Only one is a true product of my efforts; the rest required much correction or doing by Jack's mom due to time constraints and the difficulty for my beginner status with a sewing machine.

 

Drawing outline of my pants to cut out

 

First, I took apart a pair of old pants that would be used as the template after some modification to fit my current body shape. After cutting out the cloths for the frontside and backside of the pants as well as two pockets, I did some sewing on the machine. I really need to thank Jack's mom for bearing with all my mistakes and slowness with the machine. It required so much patience and understanding from her to deal with teaching me how to sew. Even with lines penciled in to guide my sewing, I managed to veer off from those lines and had to redo much of the sewing.

 

First time at a sewing machine (look at that concentration!)

 

In the end, the one pair that I managed to sew with my own hands was for my mother (the rightmost pair). She commented on how I accidentally sewed on the elastic band at the waist so it was forever twisted. Whoops. It was not an easy process, but I managed to do it!

The only pair I can say I did entirely by my own hands
 

24. Make and Fly a Kite

Completed: 02/02/2014

 

 From first kite-flying experience

 

This is another one of my bucket list items that stems partially from having a deprived childhood. This activity just seems like a classic childhood activity, which I never got to experience in my younger years. Fast forward to high school trigonometry class. Our class project of the first semester was to build a bottle rocket and then advance to build a kite in the second semester. The bottle rocket experience left me with a lot of confidence (our group made a rocket flew the furthest). A kite seems deceptively simple, considering it's basically two sticks attached to a piece of paper and then attached to string. I was quite excited and thought there was nothing to it. But when it came to flight day, no one in my class was able to get their kite into the air. What a damper to our spirits.

The younger cousins showing kites with pride

 

In recent times, I did get to fly a kite for the first time. Jack had a fancy Beijing Olympics kite that connected a train of 50 miniature kites featuring each of the 5 mascots of those Olympics. On a windy day, we took the kite out to fly at a nearby elementary school in Kailua. Having the kites fly up in the air was quite fun, until we lost it. We were too ambitious and let the kite too high. Our string (which were pieces of shorter strings tied together) separated before we could reel the kite in, and so it flew away from us to the roof of a nearby shopping center. We were lucky to retrieve about half the kite, but the other half would forever rest atop the roof of that shopping area.

 

Successful kite-flying

 

For my Christmas gift, my good friend Tracyn, who helped me create a real bucket to keep track of my bucket list, gave me a kite-making kit. I was excited to put together the kite and let it fly. For the special occasion, Jack and I invited his cousins for lunch and kite-flying. After a delicious homemade nacho lunch, the kids got to decorate the kite that Tracyn bought for me. The kids had fun decorating with paints and permanent markers. After they came up with their masterpiece, I assembled it based on the simple instructions and we headed off to a nearby park to fly our creation. (Funny side story: one of the younger cousins got a superhero kite from Walmart. The mother waited until we reached our destination before assembling the kite. Unfortunately, as soon as the kids got out of the car, they somehow stepped right onto one of the joints and broke the kite. It did fly a little, but it was a sad kind of flying). After some time running around the park and flying the kites around, we headed home, mission accomplished.

 

Trail of kites flying high into the sky



23. Finish a Marathon

Completed: 12/08/2013

 

After the race

26.2 miles: the distance that a day-runner named Pheidippides ran from the Battle of Marathon back to Athens to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. After he uttered the news, this fellow died. Now, this historic run is commemorated in an organized race that happens numerous times throughout the year all over the world, which hopefully don't result in the same ending that happened to Pheidippides. Many gather to put their minds and bodies to the test in hopes of accomplishing what less than one percent of the world's population has achieved, and to live on to tell the tale of their momentous feat. 

When I completed the Great Aloha Run a while back in a better time than the goal I had set for myself, I thought that I would be done with running. Eight miles felt like a long distance to me. But those who heard of my accomplishment asked if I would ever do a marathon. My answer at that time was an adamant no, but I'll admit the idea lingered in my head.

I heard from another friend that there was a deep early bird kama'aina (local resident) discount of $1 per mile for a grand total of $26.20 to enter the marathon, which was hard to pass up. I also toyed with the idea during the time I was coming up with my bucket list, thinking that finishing a marathon would be a great addition to my bucket list repertoire. All this, along with encouragement from friends and peers, finally tipped me in favor of deciding to give it a go.

In January 2013, I registered for the 41st annual Honolulu Marathon, thinking that there was no better time than now to get it underway. I was still young and it would be around the time I would finish my master's program, so I saw it as a graduation present to myself. I began to research training tips since I knew that putting my body through all this stress would require as much preparation as possible to minimize injury.

February 2013 came along and I went to look for a pair of running shoes. At the Running Room, I was able to find a nice pair of New Balance shoes that incorporated the Vibram minimalist technology. They were not only lightweight, but contoured to the natural formation of my feet. Happy with my purchase, I decided to give my shoes a try for a short jog. Unfortunately, I think improper training for the Great Aloha Run left me with a bum left knee that started acting up when I picked up running again. I would only run for a very short distance and feel what I would later self-diagnose as IT band pain since it was located in the outer side of my knee. 

I decided to take time off to allow my knees some rest before starting up training, but time flew by and it was already July/August. I tried to take up running again, and my knees seemed to be doing all right, though once in a while I could feel the pain coming on. I also tried to research stretching techniques or ways to prevent this pain from flaring up, bought myself a pair of inserts to provide more cushioning for my knees, and began taking glucosamine pills to preserve the cartilage in my knees. Although I incorporated these various measures in my training program, my knee pain was always either almost onset or would be too much to bear in my training since. But because I had committed myself to the marathon, I decided to continue on track for it.

My training schedule was fashioned after this website. Some IT-specific stretches that I felt helped me were crossing one foot in front of the other and bending over to give the legs a nice stretch. Lifting one leg and bending the other up and down at the knee aimed to build the knee muscles since stabilization is important in running. There was also other ways to build the leg muscles near the groin and on the outer hips. I also read to start up some marathon habits and to stick with them so that the body becomes conditioned. This meant eating the same foods for breakfast, running with the same pair of shoes (of course keeping track of mileage run in the shoes so they wouldn't be too worn out), and using the same foods to nourish the body along the trail (gel packs are popular; I stuck with trusty Kirkland Signature trail mix and water to make sure that I replenished the salts and sugars in my body).

In my training, I will admit that I got lazy about October. I had a cousin from Canada visiting and traveled to Orlando for a week, so those took precedence and I neglected the running. This was not a smart idea since I don't think I was able to get my body back up to that conditioned state afterwards to continue with the training. Also, my longest run ended up being only 18 miles, with only one practice with the next highest mileage of 16 miles. If I had a do over, I would definitely focus on increasing the mileage gradually and giving my body more opportunities to become accustomed to greater mileage.

I did taper off and carb up in the weeks preceding the big day and made sure I had everything ready. I got a good night's rest two days prior, which I read is when it really counts, and was able to get in some more zzz's the night before. Day of, I woke up at 2:45am to get ready. I got to the start line where Queen meets Ala Moana Blvd at about 4:15am. I used the restroom twice and stretched before the race started. It was awesome seeing the sea of participants. There was definitely a mix of nerves and adrenaline going on that morning.

At the start line hours before the sun came up

Fireworks were shot off right before the 5:00 starting sound. Headed towards downtown, turning up by Murphy's Bar. There were employees who were cheering us on. Went back up to King Street, passing by the Honolulu City Lights and onto Kapiolani Blvd to Piikoi St. Veered back to Ala Moana Blvd towards Waikiki. Then to Kapiolani Park and up some hill. I actually felt pretty good since I wasn't exerting too much energy and I felt like the impact on my knees and feet weren't too bad since I was running quite laterally without much bounce and with short strides. But I could feel the knee pain coming on. Right as we got onto Kalanianaole Hwy, I think I gave in to my knee pain and I had to walk the rest of the way. I was quite bummed that I wasn't able to get farther than that, as my goal was to at least jog half of the marathon. Just have to accept that things panned out the way they did. I was able to keep up a pace of 20-minute miles until about mile 20, when I slowed down. Mile 23-24 was the most brutal when I was on the brink of a breaking point. I'm glad I was able to call Jack and have him talk to me to pull be through the next mile and then some. By then, I was recuperated enough to finish off the rest of the race. After 7:18:39, I crossed the finish line. I'm proud that I pushed myself through and completed the marathon, though I kind of wonder if I can achieve the 6-hour time goal that I set for myself if I were to attempt it again sometime in the future.

Throngs of people waiting for the gun

Noteworthy things about the marathon: 

-The experience that others have, which shows in their ability to pace themselves. Slow and steady wins the race, especially at a distance of 26.2 miles. The marathon is a very humbling experience not only by the diverse ages and sizes of participants who beat you, but the internal challenge of overcoming all the pain that takes every ounce of your mental being. Not that it surprised me, but I was beat out by an amputee and lots of old people. And although these participants were walking, I think it took them lots of courage to attempt the marathon: a young Japanese man with bowed legs, a very old, frail looking Japanese man with such determination to truck along, military wearing their packs. I also saw an old man wearing a shirt listing all the years since the 70s he has participated in the marathon as well as corresponding quit times. His latest was back in 2011, when he exited at over 10 hours. I really hope this turned out to be his year.

-There was even a contestant from Extreme Weight Loss. The 4 ft 5 in gal from Kentucky ran alongside coach Chris Powell. I distinctly remember her getting past me. Later would I realize that she was an almost celebrity. And to think that I was that close to Chris Powell...

-Running a marathon in the proper footwear and attire is important to prevent pain and nuisances that come from forming blisters, chafing, and other running-related conditions. But that doesn't deter some people from having a good time. Case in point: man with a tuba decorated like Big Bird, another man in a traditional Japanese kimono and wooden clogs leading a small group of men with his chants, Japanese groups wearing clown afros, balloons, and birds on their heads. Also saw someone running barefoot. Wonder how he fared.

-The race would be a much more miserable experience without the band of volunteers and spectators along the route who motivated runners. Volunteers passing out water, vaseline, gel packs, sponges, giving high-fives all the while shouting words of encouragement certainly boosted my energy. Roadside support from residents and others who had signs, clapped, passed out candies, pretzels, snacks, gatorade, water, and other goodies; others shooting their water hoses to relieve runners for a bit from the unrelenting sun; a lady at one of the bus stops playing her accordian and jingling along with bells attached to her ankles by Christmas ribbon; a middle-aged band of men playing a concert; houses with sound systems hooked up outside to blast music for us...it was all so great to take in. 

-Although I was in much pain from about mile 20, the last kilometer felt like hell. Kapiolani Park as the end destination is deceiving when you see it in sight, but realize that the official finish is at the other end of the park. Where others get their burst of energy when the finish is in sight, my knee was dying and killing my spirit too. 

-Get a massage after the marathon. I didn't take advantage of the free massages at the finish line, but I did get personal massages from Jack's mom with Chinese medicine later that day as well as the next day from Jack. I attribute my not-so-terrible healing experience to their efforts. Thanks for the love!
-Feet got swollen, one toenail got detached. Physically spent, but glad to say I did it.

All in all, I would definitely say it is an experience that I'm glad I went through. I really should thank my family and Jack's for supporting my efforts, as well as friends for their encouragement. As for if I would do it again, probably not, but  it would be interesting to see if I can meet my personal goal of sub-six hours.

22. Complete my Master's Degree

Complete: 12/05/2013
 

Official diploma



Although the official conclusion to this semester is not until Commencement on December 21, 2013, I'm checking it off early because this date is when I turned in the last class paper I will ever write at the last class session of my grad school career.

College is a privilege that some may have the means to take advantage of or overlook as an opportunity worth undertaking. For me, pursuing college was to show my immigrant parents, who came and worked hard in blue collar work to give me a better life that their years of enduring long, hard hours so that they could provide a comfortable lifestyle for me, was not for naught.

I was lucky enough to find the means to fully fund my undergraduate degree through scholarships. It was during my years in college that I found my true passion and career path: within student affairs. I had joined an honor society called Golden Key in my sophomore year, and enjoyed my experience both as a general member and serving on the executive board. In fact, I chose to stay on after I graduated as an advisor to continue my involvement with this group.

This and other experiences I had that enhanced my undergraduate experience motivated me to remain at my University after graduation and start my career there. My current position is a perfect fit for me at the moment. My responsibilities include organizing college events, overseeing our college's ambassador program and scholarship recipients, and assisting students in whatever ways our office can to navigate college and/or enhance their undergraduate experience. 

Since I knew that I want to stay at my alma mater and establish my career in higher education, I decided to pursue a Master's degree in Educational Administration, with an emphasis in Higher Education. Tuition is free for employees, so why not? Again, I was fortunate to again not have to pay much out of my own pocket for my graduate degree. In three years' time, I have taken twelve classes that taught me about the history and finances of higher education, student development, leadership in higher education, the physical environment and how that can influence students' experiences in higher education, and even a course devoted to community colleges. 

I hope that my family is proud. I thank them, especially my sister, for providing me the guidance and helping me develop the character traits needed to persevere and excel in school. I am also fortunate for the mentors, advisors, professors, and peers who helped me figure out what it was that I wanted to do with my life. I am also grateful for all the wonderful students and colleagues that I work with, whom continue to inspire me and motivate me in my work in higher education.