Although having lived in the United States for the last thirty years as a legal alien, I have never become an American passport holder. As such I consider myself a global citizen, calling Holland, Israel and the United States all home, and am proud as a Dutch American Jew, or is it Jewish American Dutchman, to represent the Netherlands for the blue planet run. I have traveled extensively through Europe, the Middle East and North and Central America and in the early seventies spent time in Israel on kibbutz Sdot Yam working the land and studying Hebrew. It was there that I met Anne and together we traveled the country several times over, from Ras Muhammad in the Sinai dessert to Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. We went to seminars and Kallahs in Ramallah in the West Bank, where under the watchful eyes of the military we listened to lectures on Jewish religion, history, Israeli politics and the Arab conflict. We walked the land where biblical- and Jewish history was made, from Mount Sinai, Massada and the caves of Bar Kochba.
After almost a year, it was time to go "home", and three years later Anne and I married and settled in the US where we spent the last thirty years between Seattle, Atlanta and West Bloomfield, Michigan. I am a Reform Jew and believe in a pluralistic approach to life and a respect for all human beings, regardless of persuasion or background. During my professional career I have held and enjoyed positions in the life sciences field (NOAA) and sales and services management (Akzo Nobel). For fun I seek the outdoors and enjoy camping, hiking and kayaking. I am a runner and a bike rider (road and trail), enjoy marathons and century rides and look to expand and enrich my fitness activities to include triathlons with the ultimate goal to one day do an Iron man.
So running and traveling the world has been good to me, but when I lace up my running shoes now it conjures up a feeling far greater than before. The blue planet run is so much more than a foot race around the world. It is an initiative to instill an attitude towards reaching out to those in need of safe drinking water and by doing so repair the world and making it a better place to live for everyone. This is what inspires me daily and it feels good to be alive and able to contribute to a better tomorrow.
After almost a year, it was time to go "home", and three years later Anne and I married and settled in the US where we spent the last thirty years between Seattle, Atlanta and West Bloomfield, Michigan. I am a Reform Jew and believe in a pluralistic approach to life and a respect for all human beings, regardless of persuasion or background. During my professional career I have held and enjoyed positions in the life sciences field (NOAA) and sales and services management (Akzo Nobel). For fun I seek the outdoors and enjoy camping, hiking and kayaking. I am a runner and a bike rider (road and trail), enjoy marathons and century rides and look to expand and enrich my fitness activities to include triathlons with the ultimate goal to one day do an Iron man.
So running and traveling the world has been good to me, but when I lace up my running shoes now it conjures up a feeling far greater than before. The blue planet run is so much more than a foot race around the world. It is an initiative to instill an attitude towards reaching out to those in need of safe drinking water and by doing so repair the world and making it a better place to live for everyone. This is what inspires me daily and it feels good to be alive and able to contribute to a better tomorrow.
1 comment:
Rudy,
I enjoyed reading about your past and present. You truly are a global citizen. You are so right about the Blue Planet Run - it is so much more than a run... it is about the humanity in us all, reaching out, sharing ourselves...
I'm now in midsts of packing. 5 more days!
-David
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