An Embarrassment of Riches

Slightly more then a year ago I was sitting in the Mann Center in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia sweating under a black polyester gown, trying to manage my stole, honors sash and medallion and Latin honors cords with MCAT flashcards tucked not-so-discreetly up my sleeve and studying while advice was given and names were called.

In that moment I was getting ready to accept a job as a chemical technician at a local consumer quality testing company and settle in for a generic gap year…and my oh my just look where I ended up!

In this intervening year that has passed I have, quite frankly, been so blessed I am wondering (and praying that this isn’t the case) if I have used up all my karmic juju.

I am not working in Horsham, PA , instead I am working in an even more unheard of city called Cao Lãnh, Dong Thap, Vietnam – but that’s beside the point.

I have been on and am in the closing stretch of one of the most incredible and rare opportunities and adventures that could have been afforded to me. I never would have thought I would apply for a Fulbright, let alone be a finalist, and positive that I wouldn’t win a grant thus becoming the second student in my university's history to win one – but nature had different plans.

In the 9.5 months since I stepped on that plane headed for Chicago, then Tokyo and then Hanoi I have:

• ·     Gained admission into my top-choice DO/MPH program and in August 2013 will be off on my new adventure of medical school.
• ·     Recently found out that my manuscript textbook chapter has been accepted for publication. My second first author-peer-reviewed scientific publication, not even a year out of undergrad.
• ·     Learned to love Vietnam, my students and empowered them to reach new heights in their learning.
• ·     Made some awesome connections that would make any ambassador proud.

What has sparked this nostalgic glance back you might ask. My last trip with my Fulbright Family and the realization that I have 14 full days left in Cao Lãnh before I will most likely say goodbye forever.

The Fulbright Family has been planning this Phu Quoc trip for a while as we (foolishly) planned to enter in a local 10K/half marathon and run as Team M.A.P. (Make America Proud) – a small inside joke started by the Public Affairs Officer at the US Embassy in Hanoi. This trip was the last hurrah before the final hurrah and impending sadness of our closing meeting in Hanoi.

Phu Quoc is Vietnam’s largest island and is off the coast of Cambodia. It is known for its beaches which remain mostly undeveloped (but that is changing) and its heat.

The beach in front of our hotel in Phu Quoc Island. You get to the various restaurants and cafes by just walking along the beach - you never need shoes. It's great!

Our beachfront hotel

A pet monkey

Team M.A.P lounging the day before the race.

I knew about this 10K for a while and I have been religiously training.  Since I landed in July I have run 516.62 miles. When I started I was choking through 3 miles and dying under the heat and pollution of Hanoi. But I kept at it and in March I ran 83.7 miles and in April pounded out 90.4 miles. In fact by the time April rolled around I was running 2 to 4 10Ks a week and I would run them consecutively day after day until I just couldn’t turn one out. Also I have avoided rice during my time here, focused on eating veggies and fruits and high amounts of eggs, cheese and yogurt with few carbs. Plus there is no junk food or western food in Cao Lãnh so I have been shedding the college weight and inches with startling quickness. The only flaw in this plan was that the race was at 3:30 pm – I teach at 3:30 so I would run at 5:30 after work, but the sun is setting by then and the heat is mostly ebbing. Not realistic race day conditions.

Race day arrived on Saturday, May 11, 2013. It was 93°F, but the humidity of 78% made it feel like 107°F according to weather.com, and I am about to do a 10K. Don’t worry the thought crossed my mind that I had not only paid to run on a public road, but I had paid to run in May at 3:30pm on Vietnam’s southern-most island. A place that most people vacation at and lounge on was for me a deathtrap to be battled. Perhaps I'm crazy.

My only goal was to get in under 50 minutes – a time I had never been able to break in my training runs but often came irritatingly close to.

Team M.A.P assembled and under the unforgiving sun we were off. I started out way too fast – almost 1min:30sec faster then the first mile I usually ran, but I was passing people and it felt good. By mile 3 I realized that there was no wind, and no shade – and now the heat was setting in and my only thought was “You spent 735,000 VND ($35 USD) – 3 months worth of veggie money - on this stupid race, you are going to run this f**kin’ thing even if it kills you”.

The racecourse was on a paved highway and a clay road – now this being Nam the traffic was flowing so huge trucks, buses, bikes and motorbikes are all whizzing by this largely western group of 200ish runners. Since it rained the night before we also dodged huge lakes in the middle of the mud road. On top of that the water-stations were off the course with large jugs you had to dispense into a cup yourself, none of that volunteer holding out a cup of water for you – no siree! I realize now that this is so the way Vietnam would hold a footrace, but those tourists who had flown in were – well surprised to say the least.

As I rounded the halfway mark I was ready to just give up – but the figure skater inside of me said “hell to the no” and off I went. At this point I knew that there were only 3 people in front of me and if I passed one I was guaranteed to place. So I foolishly picked up my already overzealous pace and chased one down, but back on the paved road heading to the finish I couldn’t maintain it and had to stop in the broiling sun to try and not throw-up, and the guy I chased down passed me. I picked myself back up and ran – now out of anger and embarrassment. I came up the hill to the finish and headed down and shady path and said a few hallelujahs to God that I had found shade. I saw a 200 meter-marker – which I had at first read as 20 meters and when that second 0 was visible I swore in an unambassador like manner. Down the hill I flew and saw the 100 meter-marker and my spirit was soaring and then saw a man – who I thought in my dehydrated daze was the finish line. I neared him and he motioned to the right, and then I hit sand.

Yep a beach – the last 50 meters were on a FRIKEN BEACH!!! WHO DOES THAT? After running 9.95K in no shade, no wind, 107°F heat who does that? Seriously?!

I was so weak and caught-off guard I nearly fell face-first into the sand. This isn’t sand pounded by the surf I am talkin’ the sand that is deep and sucks your foot in. I just let out a nice loud F-U-C-K. Again so sorry. I flailed my way to the finish line and the supporters of Team M.A.P. (two Fulbrighters who were wise enough not to run) were screaming to cheer me on. I crossed the finish line, stumbling past a lady trying to give me a participant finishers medal and just mimed water and somebody took pity and gave me a bottle.

I was the first of Team M.A.P. to cross the finish line and I did it in 49min:50sec – 10 seconds under my GOAL! If you're wondering that’s an average split of 8min:01sec a min/mile. What was shocking was that two of men ahead of me weren’t in my age group which meant I was second! Yep I won second place! It's the first time in seven years, since the end of skating that I have won a medal/trophy for an athletic (and not intellectural or academic) achievement. And damn did it feel good - just like the good ol' days. I'm seriously considering making 10Ks part of my new fitness routine, something to take back stateside.

Another gift in the already absurdly rich year since graduation! Minus the swearing I did Team M.A.P. proud and was the only American man or woman to place in the entire event! USA represented!

I then proceded to pull my phone out of my shorts, ditch my iPod and shirt (which was stripped off long ago) and dove into the ocean. It felt great! Then I cheered on the rest of Team M.A.P. I am proud to report we all made it!

Team M.A.P. From L to R (back row): Andrew, Trevor, Jefferson, Me, Quan (front row): Anna, Andanda and Lindsay

Lindsay finding some Zen before the race

Warming up before the race

Lots of warming up - a bit of hyperbole given the ambient temperature that day.

Lindsay with the classic Vietnamese "V". They do that in almost every picture...I still don't quite get it.

Amanda striking a pose

All smiles - clearly we haven't started yet.

And the fools are off in an attempt not to collapse from heat strok or dehydration.

Across the Finish line!

Jefferson coming down the aforementioned beach from Hell.

Next up was Amanda

Followed by Lindsay

Back on an awards podium - God how I have forgotten what that felt like!

Medals, trophies and envelopes - totally made the fee, heat, sweat and cursing worth it!

My new glass torphy to commemorate all the sweat and pride!

As I left Phu Quoc on legs still wobbly (3 days later) I realized that I need to live these last 2 weeks in Cao Lãnh and 5 days in Hanoi soaking in every single hard-earned moment. I have walked that tightrope and even when the wind was strong I clung on because I knew that what was awaiting me was so worth it.

This week I am watching my students’ final presentations and some of them are blowing me away. The journey of Fulbright is more then enough, but to have medical school, a second publication, and a second place finish in the 10K is really too rich and gluttonous and nearing the point of absurdity.

My mother mentioned to me, that I have tendency to forget punctuation. She’s not talking about my grammar, but the fact that I am such a planner that I don’t live in the moment and relish the end of things because I am too busy planning my next move. See example 1: MCAT flashcards at graduation. But I am more determined then ever to end this the right way. You don’t write 40 blog posts (440 pages and counting) to let it fizzle out.

Someday I hope my future (well behaved, responsible, diligent, academically motivated) children will read these posts and be able to take away how much the process, the daily ins and outs, the weekly frustrations, the joys and triumphs and those low moments are worth experiencing and moving through so that you can reach a point of joy and love and reap the rewards of such challenging interpersonal growth and humanitarian scholarly service.

In fact Dong Thap Community College just welcomed two volunteers who will live here for 6 months teaching a variety of things, one from Italy and one from Spain. I have been showing them around town and hooking them up with various people in the college trying to give them the keys I didn’t have as I was the only foreigner in Cao Lãnh for the past 8.5 months and struggled to adjust and deal with the loneliness.

Their presence here at this time is doing 2 things:

1. I am watching them go through what I went through. The amazing sights, smells and food coupled with the shock of adjusting and frustrations with getting the gears churning on their time here. I'm realizing through them that the mundane is pretty special and as I get ready to leave I should take a more honest stock of what Cao Lãnh and DTCC has given me and recapture some of that wonder and awe.
2. It is giving me a chance to take my Fulbright to even more nations that I could have ever imagined. I knew I would interact with Vietnamese and Americans would read this blog. But now my cultural-fluidity (which is still low, but appears high to newcomers) is now helping and Italian and Spanish volunteers. Talk about ambassadorship – done and done! Also it’s nice to leave them with the veggie lady and fruit lady who don’t rip off expats. Show them the bakery with the creampuffs and where the real chocolate is hidden in the VINAMART – all things I stumbled upon as I adjusted month after month. 

It’s time for me to stop writing and get to bed as I have another round of final presentations in the morning. And I am super excited.

Have a good week readers.

Our massive post-race dinner. 19 people (Team M.A.P + so called "Friends of Fulbright" i.e. our various travel companions and co-teachers) and we kept the staff busy