"Be curious"

Was flipping through some of my e-mails from the last month as I clean out my inbox, and came across this, from insidethegames.biz:


"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet,"

"Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist."

"Be curious."

Stephen Hawking during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics at the Olympic Stadium.


:) 

Singapore!

If you don't know yet, I took another placement with Commonwealth Games Canada's Capacity Support Program - this time in Singapore for three months. I got here EARLY on Saturday and have had a packed schedule since!

I had a great weekend of exploring and just getting the little things I needed to make life comfy here - some food, toiletries, my own mug, etc. The apartment is soooo luxurious. TV, garbage chute right in the apartment, plus it's serviced. Crazy to me, but pretty standard here, it seems!  Met up with a friend from Vancouver who was here to watch the F1 race (I sadly could not get a ticket to the race, nor could I afford it). I took local transport which is really well marked. The bonus is that it's so clean and it's air-conditioned. Ate some local food which I know I will enjoy immensely while I am here.

My first day at the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) was on Monday. They currently have a temporary office in the building of the Singapore Sports Council (SSC). I'm a short, sweaty 10 minute walk from the office. There are murals of national athletes all over the interior walls. I was so inspired when I walked in. The SSC has 150+ staff from marketing to sports medicine; all working together to manage sports in the country. The SNOC has 6 staff who so far have been super helpful and definitely keen to get started on Zeus. The staff go out for lunch everyday - generally at the local hawker centres close by where a lunch can be had for about 3 - 4 CAD and choices range from BBQ pork on rice to curry or laksa!

I was fortunate to have an invite extended to me to attend their London 2012 Athlete Appreciation Dinner last night. What an amazing event. In addition to the team being present, the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the President of the SNOC was the guest of honour, the super personable female Chef de Mission, and past Olympians including their first ever Olympic medallist from the 1960 Games in Rome. Probably better summed up here: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/olympians-feted-ceremony-medallists-get-cash-20120926.

Culturally, I'm a little nervous - only because it seems so familiar at times that I'm afraid I'm overlooking something. I get the humour, many of the traditions, the work ethic, and bits and pieces of the language (aside from English, Mandarin is commonly used). I already feel so much more at ease here than my entire last year which makes me a little cautious. I guess we'll just wait and see! One of the things I do hope to accomplish is that by the end of the three months, when someone asks me what I need in Mandarin, I'll be able to understand them even if I still have to respond on English.

So I hope to get one or two more posts up this week about Hawaii, but if I don't, it's because we're preparing for a week-long Zeus workshop that's happening next week AND it's Mid-Autumn festival this weekend. I'm really excited about both things, but will write about it afterwards!

Zai jian!

Around the Big Island on Two Tanks of Gas – Day 1: Mauna Kea

To my pleasant surprise, my awesome Hotwire deal got me a Ford Escape for $240/week. Even more surprising, I actually had a lot of fun driving this vehicle – maybe the first time I’ve enjoyed driving a domestic car! I managed just over 600mi in hitting all my sites and sights! Let's start with Day 1. 

I flew into Hilo from Honolulu on a Sunday morning arriving around 9:30am. My first order of business after picking up the car was stocking up at the local Wal-Mart with some basic dry goods and some camping fuel before setting off for my first adventure of the week: Mauna Kea. After stocking up and checking into the lovely Hilo Tropical Gardens where I had a cute little campsite and set up my tent in the rain, I booked it up to Mauna Kea OnizukaVisitor’s Center to make their 1pm escorted summit tour. It’s free, but you do need a 4WD or AWD to drive up to the summit. I make it there in the nick of time where we have a 1 hour film to watch about Mauna Kea, the observatories, and its flora and fauna. It’s also where our bodies start to acclimatize to the high altitude.

After the film, we all quickly do our washroom pit stop and then we all get in line with our vehicles to drive up as a convoy. Unfortunately, I caught a really foggy and rainy day so I felt like I was driving on Mars, surrounded by red rock and gravel, while being enveloped by clouds. As we get to the top, I hop out of the car and quickly notice I was a little unsteady on my feet! The altitude had definitely kicked in; I would compare it to being drunk. Being on the escorted tour meant we got to tour one of the telescopes. They took us into one of the Keck Observatory telesopes where we got to see the telescope rotate and move around. It was so massive and so cool to see the technology. This massive telescope weighing many tonnes had hydraulics that would allow just one person pretty much move it with just their arm. Okay, instead of getting into details, watch and listen to this video:

After that, we were free to explore the summit on our own. I was pretty set on seeing if the clouds would clear for the sunset so I was one of the people who decided to stay on the summit despite the single digit (Celsius) temperatures. I made the quick hike up to the summit as marked by a United States Geological Survey Marker and then huddled in the car for the remainder of the hour and a half until the sunset where I wished with all my might I would see it. No such luck. The whole time I was up there was rain, mist, and fog. By the time I started my descent, the summit temperature had dropped to 2 degrees Celsius. So close to snow!

The official summit of Mauna Kea. Okay, I lied. I got a glimpse of blue sky.

So back to the Visitor’s Center I go as they have a stargazing program every night (also free!). They sell bowl and cup noodles and I think the bowl I had was the best bowl I ever had being so cold after being on the summit. So remember how I said the stars were amazing when I was in Martinborough last year? Well, this blows that out of the water. Being at altitude with minimal light pollution, I have NEVER EVER seen so many stars or seen the Milky Way so clearly! I felt like I could just lie there and stare at the skies all night (except that it was cold). I was truly thankful for the volunteers and staff who run that program every night so that they can share such amazing sights. I wish that were my TV every night. At 10pm, the program ended so back down to Hilo I went for the night. I would have had a great night's sleep if it wasn't for the Coqui frogs!

End of summer camps... and another adventure!

So I've spent the last 2.5 months working part-time within Volunteer Services at the City of Coquitlam. I've seen some amazing work completed by our volunteers and some incredible dedication and commitment. I've been looking throughout this time for full-time work which leads me to my next adventure - Singapore! It will again be with Commonwealth Games Canada in their Capacity Support Program.

However, we had planned that I would run a resume/professional writing type workshop for the volunteers in the fall. Now that I'm leaving, I won't get a chance to do that, but I did want to share some pointers that may help young people turn their volunteer experience into a job:

1. Make sure to include your personal information and note the position you are applying for in the body of your e-mail when you attach your resume and cover letter to an e-mail. It's unlikely we will open an e-mail that only has an attachment without a subject and/or text in the body as it looks too suspicious. 
2. Use proper grammar, words, and punctuation in your communication. Using (cellphone) texting shorthand isn't going to cut it. Yup, LOL, thx, u, r, gr8 - is unprofessional! 
3. Especially when volunteering, remember your conduct and actions reflect on what your supervisors will say when you use them as a reference or if you want to apply for a job with the organization you are volunteering for. 
4. Volunteering for an organization does not mean you will get a job with them. Sometimes the personalities just don't fit or you're not what they are looking for. Instead of being offended, ask them for feedback on what you can improve upon or a different assignment that fits you more. Better yet, if your goal is to be employed by the organization in the future, ask them when you begin to volunteer what they are looking for in their staff. 
5. Network with the staff! Attend meetings even if they are optional. 
6. Be actively engaged from the interview, orientation, subsequent meetings, and further training sessions.
7. Make every effort to go above and beyond!  
8. Lastly - parents, please please have your child do their own communication with the organization from the start. If your child is not capable of communicating individually with us, we can't expect that they will be able to take on the responsibilities of volunteering. 

If you have anything to add, or if you have anything you want to dispute, please leave a comment below! 

Cycling Safety for All!

Ok. I know. The title of this post implies a very boring post - it may be to some, but I need to raise some awareness about cycling on the road for both cyclists and drivers!

As a cyclist myself, one of my biggest pet peeves is seeing fellow cyclists breaking rules, making stupid decisions, and taking unnecessary risks on the road. For example, yesterday, I was in a left turn lane where a cyclist who was on the right of the lane, slowly drifted into the middle of the lane in front of me with no hand signals, then decided to turn left to follow the pedestrian crosswalk and onto the sidewalk. As he was very slowly riding in front of me, I gave him a little honk to signal that I was going to pass him on the right and that he was in the wrong place. As I turned left, and then stopped in yet another left turn lane, he yelled at me from the sidewalk, proceeded to swear at me and pointed to his nether region and said "suck this". I was appalled at such a rude gesture and proceeded to yell across the road that as a cyclist myself, I couldn't stand watching him ride in such a risky manner and risk killing himself. He continued to swear at me, I continued to tell him that he made the rest of us cyclists look bad and that if he kept riding that way, he will put himself in harms way. He probably didn't understand that I was a cyclist and thought I was just like every other driver who hates dealing with cyclists on the road. OH, and he wasn't wearing a helmet.

This I'm sure will be the first of a few rants this summer about cyclists riding with complete abandon for their own safety and oblivion to the traffic (street and sidewalk!) around them. So today, this is what I am going to ask of my fellow cyclists:

1. If you ride on the road, you are a vehicle. You MUST signal (remember those from your learner's handbook?) your turns and lane changes left or right at the very least. You're also supposed to signal when you're slowing down... but that's pretty unlikely.
2. If you choose to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing, (i.e. between the two white lines at a controlled intersection or a cross walk) please dismount and walk your bike across. Otherwise, you look like a vehicle who will go when the intersection is clear. Do not expect drivers to give you the right of way if you stay mounted on your bike at a pedestrian crossing. This also is courteous to pedestrians using the crossing.
3. If you are riding in a lane, whether it goes straight or turns, please stay to the right of the lane. Blocking traffic only irritates drivers more and makes them more aggressive.
4. Please use the bike routes! There's little that irks me more than a cyclist putting themselves in danger on a main road like Hastings St (from Burnaby to Downtown), when there are designated bike routes on quieter streets just two blocks away running parallel to the main road!
5. Wear a helmet. Please. 

And to my fellow drivers, it's summer time and please be patient with cyclists. Not only that, with the number of bike events increasing across the country, road cycling is becoming very popular (especially with the success of Ryder Hesjedal). Yes, I know some of them are idiots weaving in and out of traffic, hopping up onto then off sidewalks, and riding in the middle of your lane. However, there is no need for you to get aggressive and tailgate a cyclist, or see how close you can get to them as you pass them. Most importantly, if you park on the street, please please please shoulder check and make sure there are no oncoming cyclists (or cars) before you open your car door!

I would love if cyclists, once in awhile, remind themselves what it is like to be behind the wheel of car and in a rush as so many people are. I know they're supposed to share the road with us, but sometimes, it's just not worth it to fight with the powerful machines on the road.

And drivers of motor vehicles, I CHALLENGE you to get on a bike and ride on the road (of course, following the rules) at least one day this summer. If you've never done it, try exploring your neighbourhood to start. Then, try out some of the bike lanes in your area. Then, try riding from one municipality to another. See the road from our point of view and understand what it takes to make the roads safer for everyone involved. Not only that, you'll discover some amazing things you've never noticed in your city!

Looking for more? Check out http://www.bikesense.bc.ca/manual.htm. 

Chapter Closed

As I write this en-route to Toronto, leaving debrief and Ottawa behind, I'm in an especially reflective mood. I'm sad that this experience as a Capacity Support Officer is over. I am excited for what is to come and to see where my Capacity Support Program Team 3 colleagues will go. The group we were a year ago and the group that got together this weekend was completely different. We all learned that we are extremely capable in taking on anything that was thrown at us and making opportunities out of everything. We have all grown so much. So proud of everyone involved and so happy to have had all of you influence the change in me this past year.

So what did we all accomplish? I will list some of the legacies we have left behind in our host countries:

• Weekly women's fitness classes where they did not exist before
• Recreational basketball leagues across a host country
• New social media strategies to increase engagement with Commonwealth Games Associations and National Olympic Committees
• New national sport events/competitions ranging from triathlons to youth multi-sport games
• Proposals for funding, facilities development, team development, and long-term athlete development
• Educational programs promoting Olympism and Olympic Values, anti-doping, and fair play
• Sport programs
• Games team management processes
• Staff and volunteers trained in games team management software (Zeus)
• Newly developed or strengthened national sport councils and relationships between national sport bodies and CGAs/NOCs

And this is just the start ... 

I think I can safely say that a lot of us "found" parts of us that we didn't know existed. We definitely had our limits pushed and we all made the best of our situations. My biggest take away - learning how to communicate more effectively both with people in my host country and people back home. I've strengthened some important relationships and have become better at making new ones. 

Thank you Commonwealth Games Canada staff and volunteers for the amazing support you have offered to us to help us grow tremendously over the last year. That support also allowed us to achieve outcomes that I think none of us could have expected given the opportunities that we found and also were presented to us. 

Now I look forward to staying connected with this amazing group of change makers and connecting with others as well. Need a job done in community development, volunteer coordination, event planning, program management, fundraising, or strategizing, especially in the sport sector? I for sure will know someone, or a team, who can help you. ;) 

Home.

Today marks a week since I returned back home to Vancouver, and it's been quite a roller coaster ride to say the least! I'm happy to be back, but it hasn't been without it's lows. After a year away, in a culture and environment that is so different from home, I have been experiencing reverse culture shock.

The first day and a half were very odd - a bit of an out of body experience. I felt I had changed so much as a person through all the new experiences in the past year. Yet, when I returned, everything seemed exactly the same. The radio station still played the same songs and commercials. Stores still opened and closed at the same time. The bushes standing by the driveway looked the same. Everything was still going around like clockwork.

I guess the sense of oddity comes from the fact that even though I was gone, life for everyone else continued in what seems like the exact same way I left it a year ago. And once I got over that, a wave of fear washed over me. The excitement of the last year was hard to find in my surrounding environment. Crossing the street was no longer a game of Frogger, but a fairly organized event where drivers, 90% of the time will slow and stop when you set a foot on the road. Stimuli that kept me on my toes and my guard up the last year no longer existed. I feared falling into the routine I had left behind a year ago.

View from Steveston Fisherman's Wharf, Richmond, BC

While I wallowed for a day and a half at home somewhat depressed, I soon had to get out for a meeting with the Commonwealth Games Canada Game of Life Walk/Run - Vancouver committee meeting. The bus/skytrain ride out was less than inspiring - the mountains I looked forward to seeing so much were not calling my name (weird, I know!). Soon, I realized I was SO glad I got out and had that planned before I got home. Once our meeting started and we talked about where the event planning was and what needed to be done, I started to feel like myself again. I also was very glad that after the meeting I met up with some some friends and UBC Japan Association Alumni and enjoyed some very good conversation and a cheerful atmosphere. I started to feel revived again. That leads me to a piece of advice to anyone returning from an extended period of time abroad: Make plans to get out and meet people/friends before you leave to go home!

Sakura/Cherry Blossoms in full bloom beside the Burrard SkyTrain Station, Downtown Vancouver.

This past weekend I spent a lot of time outside getting reacquainted with what I love about this city. On Friday, I went out to Steveston (Richmond, BC) with CC because I had a hankering to see the ocean and have some chips (fries in Canadian speak) on this gorgeous day. We walked around the pier and the docks, looked at much of the fresh and frozen catch on the local fishing boats, had the most delicious fish and chips, and even bought some salmon roe from one of the fishermen, Tony, to make some homemade caviar with! I highly recommend Blue Comet Seafoods on the Steveston Wharf who is also found at the Vancouver Winter Market and will at various Vancouver Farmer's Markets this summer. Tony was a great to talk to and very knowledgeable about his "Ocean Wise" accreditation and sustainable salmon fishing. Following that, on Saturday, we went out to Stanley park to do a walk through of the CGC Game of Life Walk/Run on yet another gorgeous day with Cherry Blossoms (Sakura) in bloom downtown. Had a lovely family dinner once I got home and had the best steak I've had all year courtesy of mom and dad (thanks!). Sunday I got out to Westwood Plateau's Academy golf course for short round of golf with my dad on the third gorgeous day in a row with a clear view of Mt. Baker in the background. It was the first time I felt warm outside and unfortunately, my allergies to spring also attacked me. Sneezes and sniffles galore. Ugh!

View of the North Shore and Lions Gate Bridge from the Stanley Park Seawall.

So 7 days after getting back, I'm starting to feel "normal" again. I'm enjoying driving (also very weird), and grocery shopping! I also recognize that we live in such a consumerist culture here and it is VERY hard not to fall back into that habit. It helps that I'm broke and without a job so I can't buy anything!

Totem Poles, Stanley Park, Vancouver. 

So even though my adventure abroad is over, for now, I will continue to blog. I really enjoy reflecting on my thoughts and sharing many of the wondrous tidbits of information I come across in sport, recreation, life, travelling, and eating. To all the new friends I have made in the last year, I will no doubt be using this blog to try and entice you to come visit.

Ciao, for now.