My First Blog

Hi, my name is Hong Trieu and I am the new Community Outreach Coordinator for the Family YMCA of Prince George. I am starting this blog in the hopes of promoting interest in health and fitness (and of course the YMCA) in Prince George. My plan over the next several weeks is to attend various programs and classes available at the YMCA and share my experiences in an informative and hopefully helpful way.

But before I explain the logistics of my blogging I would like to tell you a little about myself first…

My name is Hong, but don’t be misled by the spelling. It is actually pronounced ‘Hown’ (rhymes with town), and my Vietnamese heritage is responsible for the crazy pronunciation of my name. I grew up in Chilliwack, BC, but have lived in Vancouver for the past 6 years. I am 23 years old and I love trees.

I graduated from the University of British Columbia and am now residing in Prince George because of a lovely man. My fiancé, Graham, is a first year medical student in the Northern Medical Program or NMP for short. We moved here in January and are all settled in, but the city is still pretty new.

So how did I get here, blogging to you?

Back in January, after all of the unpacking, I started the job hunt. I have some experience in childcare and before I knew it I was working for the Family YMCA of Prince George in the After School Care program at Harwin Elementary. I love the kids and the feeling of community at the school and at the Y, and still continue to work in the After School Program.

Fast forward a month and a half later and my awesome neighbour (and now awesome boss) had some information about an internship opening up at the Y. Long story short, I got the job! I work in the office in the morning, the school in the afternoon, and my home desk in the evening. The days are long but it’s been working out great so far.

Okay, Enough about me. What exactly is this blog going to be about? Well as you may or may not know the YMCA has one of the best fitness facilities in Northern British Columbia and offers tonnes of different fitness classes and programs. My goal over the next several weeks is to attend a different class or program each week and share my first hand experiences with you. I am also going to be doing the ‘Learning to Run’ program, where I will be preparing for the 10km YMCA Annual Road Race on Sunday, June 3, 2012.

This should be fun.

I would be lying if I told you that I wasn’t a little scared. I wouldn’t describe myself as out-of-shape but I wouldn’t say I am the model of fitness either. Being motivated to work out is hard, but I am hoping through this experience I will be inspired to get back into a fitness regime. Because if you were paying attention earlier I have a fiancé, which means there is an impending wedding in the future. Who doesn’t want to look great and be healthy for their perfect day?