Rarely does a conversation begin without the phrase "Peace be upon you". And the response is "upon you peace". This is how a day of work, a cup of coffee, a workout on the track begins here in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). Admittedly, I was unaccustomed to the measures that people to take to acknowledge one another before beginning any task or adventure. Growing up in northern New England I was accustomed to the clipped quips about stormy weather and the need to get going. Here it is, December in the desert. a week of steady rain brought a blush of bloom to the camel colored sands of Saudi. More importantly it signified an end to summer and the official start of cooler days and nights. Part of me wishes we were staying through our holiday break but a stronger part of me yearns for the snow that we see falling in the Vermont webcam. The three of us in our family are packing our two checked bags each filled with kilos of date and other desert treats. Teaching and living overseas has taught us to travel lighter and to want less. And being reflective, I'm already acknowledging that the reasons for going home to Vermont are really about filling our own checked self with the love of famiy, friends and wellness. The wellness is what I bring back here to Saudi so that I can do what I love to do, coach and run.
When we move from country to country, there is an allowance for furniture, household items, and stuff. We are here because of employment and as educators we have had to lighten our loads of books to digital files, years of experience and connections to reliable educators all over the globe who can share resources. My identity has so long been wrapped up in coaching young athletes that I feared our move to Dhahran would mean a loss of that important part of myself. I lucked out when the club needed volunteers to keep their beginner program going. I offered to help and suddenly found myself managing the whole program. But when you are tucking up your whole life into a small set of luggage, and you make choices of what to bring and what to leave behind, this is what I bring instead of furniture heavy items. I bring experience. One thing I had to learn was patience. Nothing needs to happen in a hurry. Despite a random week of rain or shamal (sand fog) everything stays the same. greetings of peace are given and then the conversations can flow, the workouts can start. I also had to learn that the families living here from all over the world that made the commitment to learn to run, really never ran before. So, I was teaching right from the beginning. The previous season had pleased people enough that on registration day, I suddenly had 135 names registered. Me and 135 new runners on a track in 108- 110 degree heat after sunset.
I broke down my 9 week session into segments. I decided to teach one new thing about the form or the functions of running and training. I modeled one new stretch or strength training each week to keep it simple. Other DRRC members ralleyed to help with weekly emails, sound systems for music, calling out times and laps on the track. so I was never really alone, the force of an entire club was behind me. Twice a week, approximately 80 runners showed up, reluctanct or nervous, somewhat excited. I learned that routine warm up gains people's trust and confidence. I remind them of their original goals. They run. I give them one focus, straight back, use of arms, ankle flex, I call out times as they lap, I learn names, I give encouragement. at the end othe day people just want to feel good about themselves. They want someone to say, I believe you can do it. And they want a rational answer to why they feel bad or why they have pain. We had beginners show up in loafers, in khaki pants and there are the beginners who sign up for the program year after year. they know what they want and that is that. Best part, knowing that one man needs me to personally yell his splits or that another runner needs a high five. Or that the high school girl needs me to remind her of how far she ran before walking. knowing someone's needs is an extra. This is a polite, conservative culture and I'm out there giving little whoops and singing or dancing to keep everyone happy and light. Simple improvements
after track, Coach Whitney, what do you think about this or that...best part of the evening are the conversations. Husband walks over to walk me home and a group of us gather to learn a new word or phrase. Arabic words seem to have stories or maybe its the way people try to connect. The word and the sounds of the word, its how you say it. In English, I rush to say more, to give more tips but I seldom stand still and listen