Skating, Running and Riding: A Busy Week!

Last Friday the kids had a day off school due to the Thai Holiday Parinirvana. As best I can tell, (and any of my Buddhist or local friends: please correct me if I am wrong!) this is the day in which Buddhists observe the death of the Buddha and his entrance into Nirvana, "a state of bliss or peace that may be experienced in life or it may be entered into at death". (About.com)

We decided to do something a little different to entertain ourselves for the day: we went ice skating! 3 brand new shopping malls have opened in Chiang Mai in the last year and one of them has an ice rink. We had the opportunity to skate a few times in Shanghai so the kids were not completely unfamiliar with what it takes, and Conrad is actually getting pretty good!

 Vivienne gets some help from a "friend".

I was afraid it would be very crowded, as all the schools were closed, but apparently skating is still not a big draw in Thailand, so it wasn't too bad.
"Can we go have some lunch now?", Vivienne wants to know.

The next day, Saturday, we participated in the Run for Relief, a worldwide event to raise awareness of the plight of the millions of families forced out of their homes by the Burmese Army, and funds to provide life-saving relief to the refugees. Our CrossFit Box is a major supporter of the local event so many of us members turned out to show our solidarity. The slogan for the organization is "For a million villagers in Burma, running is not a choice". The event included a 5k, including a "flip-flop" division and, new this year, a "Rucksack" division. To participate in the rucksack division, runners needed to bring their own rucksack and the race organizers would provide 15kg of weight for the run, the idea being to simulate what it might feel like to be on the run for real, with crappy shoes and everything you own on your back. Or perhaps your child, or a sibling. It's quite eye-opening. I hadn't necessarily intended to do the 5k as I had no one to watch the kids for me, but had planned to have Conrad and Vivi do the 100m Kids' Dash. When we arrived, however, Conrad paired up with his buddy Noah and decided he wanted to try to run it.
The boys discuss their pre-race strategy.

Unfortunately the strategy was not successful: against the Mommies' advice the boys pushed to the front for the start. At the gun, Conrad got knocked and fell down, getting a bad case of road rash on his arm and leg, and was a bit overwhelmed by the crush of the crowd. He ended up sitting it out with the father of a friend, at their sponsor booth.
Meanwhile, I did not expect Viv to be able to walk it but figured we could do it as a team. So I loaded her up and off we went. We were unofficially part of the walking rucksack division, we joked. Five kilometers later, we crossed the finish line together, with Conrad joining us for the last few hundred meters.

I had piggybacked Vivienne for the distance simply for the challenge of it, just to see if I could. I was free to put her down whenever I wanted to. But it was quite sobering to think of all the refugees who have their children on their backs, running through the jungle, without the option to stop, or probably even slow down. A little perspective always goes a long way.

Our last awesome activity this week is something the kids have been wanting to do for awhile. The school offers riding lessons at a nearby stable as part of an afterschool activity program, but only for students in second year and above. Conrad was so disappointed to be left out so we contacted the stable and arranged our own lessons. Their first one was today.
Starting off right, learning to groom.

Conrad got to go first.

Cowgirl up!

Taking Mario back to the barn after a great ride.

 The kids had so much fun, and they are so excited about it. Which makes me so happy. It's also really great that their lessons are completely in German! They can't wait until their next one. Neither could I, so I made an appointment for one for myself for next week! Rider up! (Did I mention that Mario's Daddy is a champion jumper on the Thai circuit?)
Happy trails, my friends! Hope to see you along the way~