Second Annual Tri For Kopila
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Ravi and I have arrived back in the U.S.A. for the 2nd annual #TriForKopila this weekend!!! Our last couple months in Nepal have been busy, busy, busy and poor Ravi has been battling back-to-back ear infections and pink eye so we’re laying low, recovering from our jet lag, eating lots of grapefruit, and doing last minute preparations for the big race. Both of my sisters are flying in from the west coast this year to run the race and my mom is racing too. Even my 83 year old grandma is doing the TRI. Just kidding, she’ll be at the finish line cheering and holding Ravi though.
It’s been a year since the last #TriForKopila and I can’t believe all that’s happened. For one, I had a baby. And by “had a baby” I mean I really feel like I’ve spent this entire year postpartum and often have to remind myself that Ravi didn’t come out of my stomach. He feels like another one of my appendages and it’s hard for me to remember a time before him. When he first came to us, literally just days after the triathlon last year, I remember being so thrown off and thinking to myself over and over again, “but I was just training for a triathlon!! How did this happen?” My friends all said they felt like the triathlon in some way got me physically ready for all that was about to come my way and indeed so much has. What a year!
So why are we doing it again this year? Because our team leader Olivia, who is just a SENIOR in high school, is AMAZING. Since starting the #TriForKopila, she went on to compete in nationals and has grown our team to 40 awesome people all racing this weekend!!! For me personally, I want to celebrate coming out on the other side of a mega storm. This year had its hardships, disasters, and really challenging times for me but especially for the country of Nepal. Getting out and biking, running and swimming this weekend is going to be a celebration of resilience.
Our team is raising funds to launch our new program, BlinkNow Futures, in support of our graduating 10th grade class and our kids as they emerge out of our program, continue their education, and begin the transition out of Kopila and into their own lives as independent adults. In Nepal 10th grade marks a major transition in life, kids take their big SLC exams and prepare for their next steps. We don’t feel like our time is over with our students. We want to support our students through 11th, 12th grade and beyond. Through BlinkNow Futures we’re hoping to provide our students with scholarships for higher education and vocational placement, life skills training, job readiness, career counseling and the support they’ll need to keep moving forward and become future leaders of Nepal. Talk about resilience! Each of them has overcome so much and we want to continue to support them as this crucial time where they’re thinking about their futures and what they want to be. We have nurses, doctors, scientists, social workers, musicians, and teachers in the making, but they will need our help. Our goal is to raise $20,000 and we’re almost there!!! Please support our team and BlinkNow Futures if you can or if you’re in the Jersey area, please come and watch the race this weekend at Mercer Country State Park near Princeton! Details here.
Thanks to all of you who have supported us so far and to my kids who ran and trained with me in Nepal and to all of YOU for being a part of our journey.