One Rising Star

#nextchaptervietnam Anyone really close to me knows how much I just absolutely LOVE a good hair wash. Well, today, I experienced the most unique hair wash ever! After an exhausting week (I'm truly a crazy workaholic and an abnormal exercise obsessed person) and then a terrible nights rest, I decided that today was the day that I would finally treat myself to my first hair wash in HCMC. I had heard that a hair wash here was quite good and that it usually included a very long head massage, so I was really looking forward to it. At the salon, after waiting my turn, I was asked to remove my shoes and to go upstairs. When I arrived at the top, I noticed that there were a few ladies laying down on "tables" being massaged. I was asked to lay down on one of them too, which had a sink at the head. Already, I had so many thoughts and questions running through my mind. In the beginning, the young lady started washing my hair and massaging my head. Everything seemed fairly...

#nextchaptervietnam Upon my arrival in Vietnam, I truly thought I could get by walking, running and taking taxi cars everywhere around town. I really didn't think I had it in me to get on a motorbike and to ride through the chaotic streets of Ho Chi Minh City.  It didn't take me long though before I learned about the advantages of motorbikes - much cheaper and much much quicker! Motor biking debut Last Saturday, I had my first REAL ride ( I say 'real' because on day 3 in Vietnam I got a ride across the street from my hotel ) on a Motorbike - Vietnamese style! I went to play soccer in another district of the city and it took me nearly an hour to get there in a taxi car. This was the second weekend in a row that I had experienced a very long taxi ride to get to soccer and I knew I just couldn't keep that up. So, after our extended 5-aside game, I asked my new teammates if anyone could give me a ride anywhere close to my home. Luckily, one of my Vietnamese teamm...

    #nextchaptervietnam BACK TO REALITY! It was an incredibly busy week inside  and outside of the classroom, as I tried to get into somewhat  of a regular balanced routine during the first week of classes. This weeks highlights were getting to know my temporary  Grade 5 students and trying to get back on track with my  healthy lifestyle here in Vietnam. GETTING TO KNOW THE STUDENTS I've really only had 3 days with the students, but I must admit, they've really exceeded my expectations so far. For the most part, their English was much better than I expected. We got to do so many fun things in order to learn about each other; we played workout your name (each letter of the alphabet is associated with a certain exercise),  we made name art (each letter of their name contained words or pictures to represent them), we made an all about me 'rainbow' (each strand had a descriptive sentence starting with "I am..."), we did speed i...

#nextchaptervietnam I have now been in Vietnam for 1 whole week and let me tell you that it’s been nothing short of…C-R-A-Z-Y!  Lots and lots has happened, but m y major highlights this week have definitely been finding a new home and being assigned a “new” temporary role at my new school, which you can read more about below. FINDING A NEW HOME Upon my arrival in Vietnam, one of the very first things I needed to do was to find a place to live. Since I had no plans to drive while living here (*look up driving bikes in Vietnam on YouTube and you’ll understand why), I really had my heart set on finding a modern and reasonably priced apartment close to the school, but also to restaurants and shops. I quickly found out that my expectations were a little too high however. Unlike many other newcomers who were snatching apartments left and right, it took me 3 days to find my new home. Too old, too high, too far, too small, too pricey…I had an excuse for everything I was shown....

Well, well, well...it's been one heck of a ride, but my 5-year stint in Dubai is finally coming to an end. These last few weeks have been filled with many exciting events, yet accompanied by some very sad farewells.  From a surprise trip to the 7 star Burj Al Arab with some of my closest friends, to dinner at the bottom of the tallest building Burj Khalifa with one of my oldest friends, to yummy food at the well-renown Cheesecake factory with my footie crew and late-night Iftars during the Holy month of Ramadan with my amazing colleagues; I've been treated to some of the best experiences around town. I couldn't think of a better way to finish up my time here in Dubai. I've had the opportunity to spend some quality time with some very special people who have come into my life, just at the right time, and have left footprints on my heart, changing me forever.  I really could not be more grateful! I've been overwhelmed with the love that thes...

The last two months have been nothing less than CRAZY. I almost don't even know where to begin. Breathe in... Several weeks, particularly weekends, during the months of January and February, I was dedicating most of my time to running. I participated in 3 major races within a month's time - 1 marathon, 1 half marathon and 1 team event. As I approached the middle of February, I was beginning to look forward to my mid-term break, however, lots still had to be done at school with 2 major 'inspections' fast approaching. Luckily, I survived everything and made it out alive to the mid-term break. Marathon Team Event Half-marathon Breathe out... This year, for the break, my friends and I decided to head off to Africa - Tanzania (and Zanzibar) to be exact. I was incredibly excited to finally experience a little of what the African continent has to offer - safaris, small villages, beaches, good food... Overall, the trip was great! I got to spend time with ...

Khalas. It's done. I've just completed my 3rd Marathon. It wasn't pretty, but I made it. Just over 18 weeks ago, I decided I wanted to give the Dubai Standard Chartered Marathon (Yes, the full 42kms!!!) another shot. I was motivated throughout the summer as I occasionally joined a run club back home and attended a few running workshops provided by expert runners. I thought to myself : "If I was able to complete the marathon twice before without a proper training program, surely if I trained more regularly, I could improve my performance." So, I came up with the idea of starting a run club. I wanted to turn running into a social experience, while helping people work towards their running goals, but also while assuring I kept on track with my 18-week program. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as I had planned. Participation wasn't too abundant, I faced an ankle injury and I became ill in the weeks leading up to the big day. In addition, as ...