Wednesday, April 20th, 2016

Smog Level: 0/3 Mountains

I see another guy at the gym today with a curved back. He's doing heavy weights and it pains me to watch. Again, he’s one of the more fit guys. What’s the deal!? I point this out to a friend back home, who asks if there are lots of old men with hunchbacks. Well… yeah, but their generation here didn’t work out.

2000 Gyms

Actually, the advent of gyms are fairly new. Even now, they aren’t really a thing in small towns. They started sprouting up somewhere in the early 2000’s, so I’ve gathered from asking around. Even the nomenclature around it changed: first it was duàn liàn (exercise). Since gyms started popping up, it’s more recently been called jiàn shēn, while gyms are simply jiàn shēn fáng. fáng means place/house… so, “work out place.” A lot of the translations are literal like that.

Tuesday, April 19th, 2016

Smog Level: 1/3 Mountains

A good night's rest and yet I’m still kind of tired. Another night of early rest and maybe it’ll fix it, though I’m pretty sure the studies on sleep debt contradict the whole "sleep debt" thing. I forget how it works.

On my way to class, I pass some students lined up for other classes. They act as most people do here and say “Tall! So Tall! My God, Tall!” It’s English this time, though they're still tearing out their hair and slamming their fists on the floor. As I enter my classroom, I hear one of them say “Maybe he is Yao Ming!” Yeah, maybe. Why else would I be teaching at this school?*

Monday, April 18th, 2016

Smog Level: 3/3 Mountains

Monday, Oh Monday

I want to catch up on sleep, but I also want to go to the gym. What a predicament. Shimou has work starting tomorrow at an office as an assistant. It’s temporary, only 3 months, but that works perfectly for when I have time off and vacation. Best case scenario it's that they ask her to stay on, and let her start after the trip. Fingers crossed. Currently thinking of Japan.

I forget how quickly I walk, dragging Shimou along, half asleep, to the gym. It’s a 1km walk, which takes me about 12 min. I didn’t time this time, but she valiantly tried to keep up, half jogging. I see walking there as the warm up, and walking back as the cool down. Why limit the workout to only when you’re in the gym?

Sunday, April 17th, 2016

Smog Level: 2/3 Mountains

I saw an old man sleeping on a park bench when returning from the gym. I might not have noticed him if he hadn’t been loudly snoring. Part of me wanted to put my water bottle down next to him in case he was sleeping there, hung over… but the other part didn’t want to deal with the ensuing confusion if he’d woken up.* It’s strange, though, because this is an apartment community with a swipe card gate to gain entry. 

It’s a relaxing day, given that it’s sunday, I don’t have to tutor (so nice), and it’s Shimou’s birthday. While waiting for her to get ready, I do my drawing assignment that Aurora and I have agreed to do. One drawing a week on a theme that we alternately pick. This week, I chose “Potions and Miracle cures.” It’s been a while, so my drawing is lackluster, especially since it was somewhat rushed.

Saturday, April 16th, 2016

Smog Level: 2/3 Mountains

I’ve noticed two trends of Western music here: Christmas music, and The Beatles. “Yesterday,” “In my life,” and a few french ditties waft out of the speakers in the mostly empty gym. My workout will be dictated by how busy it is. Fitting the atmosphere, I perform deadlifts for myself in the mirror while old guys gab.

Shimou’s Birthday is tomorrow; celebrate today! I have stopped asking where we are or the names of places since I seem to forget them almost immediately. Seriously, I usually have to bother Shimou whenever I write about the day.