Running for VE

In the past few months, I've somehow suddenly become quite interested in running. After so many years of tights and leotards, I sometimes laugh at the sight of myself in running shorts and sneakers, but so it goes, things change. I've dabbled in running for years, but for some reason I've been able to run longer distances and even enjoy the experience lately, which never happened before.

And, as it turns out, running is more fun with friends and concrete goals! In October I accompanied Josh, VE's Executive Director, and a few other VE-ers to run in Concepción, the city in Chile most affected by the February 2010 earthquake. Josh and a friend of his were raising money for VE and the American Red Cross and pledged that if they made a certain amount of money, they'd run the half-marathon. And run it they did! I ran the 10 k, but even as we picked up our numbers the day before the race, I had an itch to run a half. A few months later I ran another 10 k in Santiago, again with a group of other VE volunteers.

And now I'm training for my own half-marathon! I'll be running on April 3rd in my dear Santiago. I'm looking to raise $500 for VE with this run, so if you have an extra $5 floating around someone, I have a great place for you to put it! With the help of Matt Suggett, a computer wiz and former VE director who's training for the Madrid marathon to raise money for VE, I have this sweet donation page that makes donating to VE a cinch. Check it out! There's even a cool little feature on there that makes it possible to track my training through dailymile. Any support would be greatly appreciated! I've already been blown away by the support I've recieved, but I still have a little over $200 to go!

I'll leave off with a couple of visuals of the camaraderie I've so loved:

In Concepción with Meg, Josh, Marco and Meghan

In Santiago with Marco, Lindsey, Nico, Meg, Josh, Annie, Faith, and Stephen

Blog much?

Soooo July 25th was my last blog. Yimes. I think, though, that this lapse in time is a sign of a significant and positive shift in my experience here in Chile. (Yes, I'm still in Chile!). Back in June and July I stopped feeling as though I were having an abroad experience and started feeling as though I were living my life, Santiago style. Moving out of the VE bubble and buying a bicycle really sealed the deal. One day as I was biking to my then-new apartment, I realized the amount of control I have over my own experience and decision-making process. I could bike on the wrong side of the river if I wanted, not caring if it took me longer to get home. I could stay in Chile longer, embracing the fact that life here is indeed reality and a happier reality than I've had anywhere else.

So that's what I've decided to do! I got a little promotion at VE to Director of Operations and in December signed on for another year. It was an easy decision. Student loans be damned, I'll figure something out.

As Director of Operations, my job includes a lot of what I did as Director of Volunteer Relations in terms of running our volunteer orientation program but also includes institutional relations, aka maintaining VE's relationships with the community centers, homes, and schools we work with. The new aspects of my job are quite scary to me but that's why I like them. Each call to the ever-intimidating Señora Ana, director of one of our girls' homes, feels like a small victory, for example. Plus I still get to work closely with all of our amazing volunteers, which is what keeps us inspired.

Last week I went with Josh, VE's Executive Director since June of last year, to visit Centro Comunitario Los Navíos to be interviewed by the three children participating in a journalism workshop with two of our volunteers. The kids each sat up straight at the table, nervously fiddling with their notebooks as they asked us questions from their thoroughly prepared lists. These kids live in one of the most at-risk areas of Santiago but had put on their best sweaters and flat-out dumbfounded me with their thought-provoking questions and insights about our answers. They were the definition of politeness and graciousness. I left feeling more convinced about the importance of our work than ever.

No life, however glorious, is without its ups and downs, but despite those downs, I feel grateful that this one is mine. Getting to help keep VE sustainable is most definitely a mutually beneficial relationship. I've even found a bakery that makes amazing gluten-free bread. It's neither cheap nor close to my house, but hey, it's progress.