BLOG #20 Running

I mentioned in my last email that I've finally started running! I never realized how much I would miss running and how much I could actually enjoy it. After so many years of forced running, it's been really nice to run for fun. My favorite story from my runs so far is:

I was up around 5:15am, which is very normal here since the family's music starts up around that time every morning. Since the weather is really nice outside before 6am and you can watch the sun rise, I went for a run. Well, it's really more of a jog and it's only for about 15 minutes, but I still count it!

I got my IPod out (Thanks Dad!) and went to the dirt road that runs in front of our house. I start doing my thing and see a group of children up ahead – they are around 10 years old, barefoot, carrying notebooks and hoes, laughing and talking on their way to school in the next village over. I start getting close to them and they see me – their eyes got really big because they are always amazed to see a white person and they were confused why I was running (people don't do that here). After a second or two to take in the tall (around Zambians and Congolese I'm pretty tall) white girl running down the road, they all decide to run with me for the next 10 minutes or so of my run.

If you saw us go by, here's what you'd see – a group of about 10 children running barefoot in their dresses and pretty tattered clothes carrying their stuff for school laughing and giggling. Then right in stride with them, you'd see a white girl with an IPod, real running shoes, red faced and working her butt off to keep up with these kids. Haha, I'll never forget that.

Happy Holidays everyone! I miss you all a ton. I'm constantly thinking of you and sending you love.

xoxo