Okay so I know I didn't bike to Gambier and back...but whatever, I'm still proud and very happy that I made it through my first Pelotonia ride!
That was definitely among the highlights of my summer. But confession time: at the start of June, I didn't think that I would have any highlights to share, simply because I thought my summer wasn't nearly going to measure up to those of my friends, who were either travelling abroad or getting ready for grad school and such. But turns out I was pleasantly surprised!
In addition to Pelotonia, I stayed in Columbus to work in my lab, experienced the crazy weather that only Ohio could have, got permission to go home and spend the last month with family for Ramadan, and visited the South for the first time in my life as part of a surprise Eid trip to Atlanta, GA!
The first part of my summer involved beginning my Fellowship program. As a Pelotonia Fellow I get funded to conduct my own cancer research project (how traumatic stress continues to affect cancer survivors' physical health after diagnosis and treatment). I worked 40 hrs/week in my Stress & Health Lab, essentially becoming a full-time employee along with my other lab colleagues. I also volunteered 4-6 hrs in a second lab (Clinical Neuroscience Lab). On top of that I was pet and house-sitting for a friend in Dublin, OH while she and her family were out of the country. Although this meant that I was busy beyond belief, I realized that this gave me a taste of what it would be like to live the life of a clinical researcher--I wasn't just a college student anymore. I had responsibility, people counting on me, and a completely different perspective than I have had so far in my college career. The verdict? I like it. I like it a lot...ONWARDS TO 5-7 MORE YEARS OF GRAD SCHOOL!
But, I also managed to have some fun while in Columbus, especially after the huge storm that hit us. My friends and I were planning on going to Cedar Point that same weekend, but we had to cancel. Instead, we explored the aftermath of the big storm on campus, went to the movies (twice), and then they stayed over with me while their power was out. It was a weird, surreal, and twilight zone-like experience with half the city out of power...but it was really awesome and fun to just chill out with my friends.
I then got permission to go home mid-July for a month for Ramadan when we Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to go for so long because my P.I. (Principal Investigator)/faculty research advisor is kind of strict and would have liked my help in the lab, but surprisingly she was very okay with it (and actually knew what Ramadan was!). Yay!
So I went home. I started fasting. I bought a bike and also started training for Pelotonia (which was 2 weeks away at this point). It wasn't the most fun thing to train while not eating or drinking for 16 hours a day, but my family was really supportive of me and I couldn't have done it without them (especially when I kept making up excuses not to train haha). Anyways, much too quickly the weekend of Pelotonia came and I rode 25 miles from Columbus, OH to Pickerington, OH.
Now time to get serious: Pelotonia was a great experience and I truly am glad that I participated.
I think participating in Pelotonia has made me even more proud of the research I am doing. During the opening ceremonies when I was wearing "My research is funded by Pelotonia" t-shirt, I was actually approached by someone who wanted to know what that was. Her interest in my research was so nice and it made me even more proud of the work I'm doing, even though it's not a traditional cancer research project.
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| The start of Pelotonia 2012! |
During the actual ride I went my own casual pace and it went by very quickly and easily. I finished in about 3 hours. I loved that we went through the city/country roads (I think that's the closest I've ever physically been to corn fields!) because it was very peaceful and it was nice to see the central Ohio area with leisure. I also rode with another Pelotonia fellow who I was meeting for the first time, but with whom I had a lot of mutual friends, so I'm glad to say that I made a new friend through Pelotonia too. The best parts of the ride was the sense of camaraderie and encouragement we had from those around us and the sidelines. I thought it was great how people lined up on the streets with their families, or sat on their porches to cheer us on, telling us to keep going and that we can do it. It was really, really heartwarming to hear them say thank you for riding. I wanted to say back, "Thank you for supporting and encouraging us." Even with the fundraising, I was thinking that it would be a daunting task to raise all that money. But, our friends and family were very encouraging and proud of what I was doing and I ended up raising $1,000--$350 more than my goal.
Now that Pelotonia is over, I think I'm going to keep with biking as a new hobby. So in a way, I'm also grateful that I did Pelotonia because it made me experience and participate in a new activity that I otherwise wouldn't have been exposed to. I'm looking forward to sticking to and growing this new hobby, getting in healthier shape, and wearing my Pelotonia jersey with pride in the process.
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| The Islamic Society of Joplin Mosque, August 2012 |
On another serious note: Ramadan was also a very sad and disappointing time this year. First was the Sikh Temple shooting where a white supremacist shot and killed 6 civilians. This attack was followed by a string of attacks on Mosques, including one that was burned to the ground, and vandalism on tombstones at a Muslim cemetery. Many people aren't aware of these things, and if you're not, that's okay. But PLEASE, start to educate yourself as to what's going on around you and to your neighbors. Whether they're American Sikhs, American Muslims, or American Aliens there's one thing that unifies us all--we are ALL Americans. Let's keep this country a place to be proud of, and one where hate has no place. Thank you.
Anyways, a week later was Eid, or the celebration that marks the end of Ramadan. It's sort of like our version of Christmas, except that we have 2 Eids during the year (double the gifts and money!). My sister and parents went to visit our cousin in Atlanta, GA because he just moved there with his family and our aunts from India were also visiting. My younger brother and I couldn't go because we had to move into our apartments before college started again. Needless to say, they were a little sad because we weren't going to spend Eid with them (especially Mom). But, they felt a little bit better that our older brother would be coming home from Sweden where he's currently working/studying to spend it with us...fortunately for them we had other plans. We secretly booked our own tickets to Atlanta and surprised them for the weekend. It was a wonderful time seeing our baby cousins, aunts, and having my whole family together since it's such a rare occurrence.
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| Younger brother, me, older brother, older sister, Mom, and Dad Eid-al-Fitr 2012 |
...SO. Now that I've written a book about my summer, what are my final thoughts? Although I didn't travel the world, make an amazing research discovery, or finish all 180 miles of Pelotonia I realize that my summer was actually pretty awesome. It just supports a philosophy of mine that I try to live by everyday: Take every opportunity that life gives you, make the best of what you have, and you will no doubt be surprised as to where you end up.
That's all for now. Peace!
Mariam
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