Running also had the added benefit of allowing me to introduce myself to people living around me. I will never forget one of the first times I went running in Warin Chamrabh, as I ran through the various neighborhoods around me shopkeepers, people sitting outside and even children would wave to me as I ran by and shouted “farang!” ”farang!” People would try to give me food, water, and even alcohol as I ran by, it was truly as though the people around me were welcoming me into their community. After that run I stood on the bank of the Moon River and for one of the first times since I had left the U.S. I really felt as though I had found my home. Now, when I go running people know me as the “farang runner” I have shops that I stop at to buy water and speak the limited amount of Thai that I can speak and have the shop owners speak the limited amount of English they can speak. Some of the kids have even started running with me when I run by their houses. Running allowed me to familiarize myself with my community and help me feel “home” in Ubon.