By Jason Chen

 

At Peace With Herself

Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina is an elite gymnast from Uzbekistan who has competed in eight consecutive Olympics from 1992 to 2020. At her current age of 48, she is the oldest, active competitor in a sport where most athletes retire at the age of mid-20s before becoming a mother. Chusovitina represented five different political states and countries in her long career: the former USSR, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Unified Team following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan, and Germany. She truly personifies an athlete without national border and competes with her truly identity as a gymnast. She won a team's gymnastic gold in 1992 representing the Unified Team. Oksana was bestowed the title of "Honored Athlete of the Republic of Uzbekistan" by the Uzbekistan Ministry of Cultural and Sports Affairs.

Despite her many honors and medals, she is most proud to be a mother who still competes in the elite circles. During one of the interviews, Oksana was asked about why she still competed at such a "senior" age when her teammates and competitors were in their teens and early 20s, she simply replied that she needed money to pay for the medical expenses of her son Alisher who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). She explicitly mentioned that each medal could earn up to € 3,000. Oksana is at peace with herself even though some critics whisper in the undertone that she should have retired like most of the elite gymnasts.

In her long career as an elite gymnast, five gymnastic moves are named after her: one in floor exercise, two in uneven bars, and two in vault. Some have asked her when she will seriously consider retirement, she never gives a direct answer. Instead, she simply shows up to practice and competitions. For Chusovitina, nothing is more important than being at peace with herself at any age by providing the support her family needs. May we all strive to be a peacemaker in our own environment and capacity. 

Travel Vlog 3: Petra, Jordan

In between the conferences in Espoo, Finland and Cambridge, UK, I visited the famous Treasury in Petra, Jordan where it was made famous by the first Indiana Jones movie "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." In order to save money, I stayed up all night to catch a 2 a.m. bus tour for a six-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv to enter Jordan. As with most Americans, I had been bombarded in the news media about how "unsafe and unstable" Middle East was. Even the U.S. Department of State listed Jordan as a country to "exercise increase caution" when visiting. I found that most the so-called news reports to be exaggerating. The border-crossing at Jordan was just like any borders I had experienced in Europe: the customs officials asked a few questions and then I was told to enter.

The walk from the Petra park entrance to the famous Treasury took about 40 minutes. The path was amazing in itself. The blushing pink sandstone made the valley city like blooming roses, thus the nickname of the Hidden Rose City. The view was absolutely breathtaking as I entered the last narrow path underneath the tall cliffs.






A word of caution to visit Petra park: never take anything free that is offered to you by the local Bedouins merchants. Always firmly mention that whatever price agreed upon includes tips and all materials. I was fortunate to find out the family who controlled the access to "balcony" across the Treasury. The view was stunning when I climbed up to sit on the carpets in the balcony. The picture was as unbelievable as the fairy tales of the 1,001 Arabian Nights where I looked like I was on a magic carpet ride.




As a part of the Petra tour, I visited the famous sand dunes where the movies "The Martian" and "Dune" were filmed. I even tried on the kuffiyeh for my desert tour. After the long sand dune experience, my tour group and I a local dinner where the meats were cooked for hours underground.











The next travel vlog will feature Stockholm, Sweden. For those who wold like to follow my blog/vlog, you are welcome to do so by clicking on the green/blue follow button by my profile name. I hope you have a peacemaking day!

Jason Chen, PhD.

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