Drenthe Trail Marathon
One more marathon on the books! It was my fifth full marathon (42 km/ 26 miles) overall, my third marathon of 2025, and my very first trail marathon. Dirt roads, forest trails and a few little hills in cold and slightly rainy Drenthe, which is in the northern part of The Netherlands. It's only a 30-minute drive further north to get to Groningen, the city I'm from. The event was relatively small, which is typical for off-road running races. There's nothing commercial or hyped
1 hour ago4 min read
Gambian politics? Jawara, Jammeh, Barrow
I’m probably never going to be an expert in Gambian history or politics. Right now I’m far too busy living in the moment, enjoying my time here with family and new friends, and by just being outside a lot. My current job isn’t related to The Gambia at all, so that doesn’t help with finding out who is who in politics or what’s going on with the upcoming elections. On a very basic level, this is what I figured out so far: The Gambia is a young democracy. Its first leader after
4 days ago2 min read
Thoughts on being a picky eater
I'm in one of those periods where nothing tastes right. This happens several times a year and it usually lasts for a few weeks. It’s often related to stress, having a cold, or not being able to eat home cooked food for a while. Or: having to eat on a strict schedule. For example, during the 10-day Vipassana meditation course I did earlier this year I was forced to eat at exactly the same time every day, which bothered me. Strangely, I could tell that my body actually loved it
Dec 17, 20258 min read
