I have been living in China for almost two months now and day to day life has become much easier. I am settled and have developed a pretty nice routine for myself. I love traveling but Tongliao feels like home now, I have a life here (that is so weird!!!) Like I have explained in previous updates, I work in the afternoon, so my entire morning is basically free. During the months of September and most of October, my mornings consisted of a wonderful run around this gated campus, some lesson planning and Chinese studying. But that has changed very quickly!
Hello November..HELLO FRIGID WIND. I’m not sure if it’s winter yet but it sure feels like it. I thought the wind tunnels between McVinney and Meagher Halls at PC were bad, but they’ve got nothing on China! Yesterday I actually thought I was being pushed over by the wind. I’m sure it's just a matter of time before I fall flat on my face,I'm pretty good at doing that. Instead, I held my ground, tucked my face into my chest and walked blindly into the bitter Mongolian wind.
This of course creates a problem with my daily routine. My morning run, the one thing where I can be completely alone for 45 minutes, has been swept away by the wind. (Don't get me wrong, I love everyone here and all my students but sometimes I need my own time!!) Thus began the treasure hunt around the city of Tongliao…and what were we hunting? what would be the treasure? A gym! Cait and A.J. win the prize for this game because their discovery of a brand new gym in the heart of the city was the solution to this grave problem.
Lijian Jianshen Julebu was opened six months ago. It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, a dance studio and a spinning room. (This is a big deal because this is such a large space for an establishment in China). The membership fee is a mere fraction of the cost at home and this includes a personal trainer! I’d like you all to meet Zhang Xu (Jong-Shoe), one of my favorite people in China. I am greeted each morning with a huge hug and “Hello Shee-La, I miss you.” While we work out, Zhang Xu teaches me Chinese and screams “COME ON” at me. When I stretch on the ground, she sits across from me, and comes within inches of my face. She then touches my eyelashes and stares in awe at my green eyes. "Wow, they are very beautiful," she exclaims each time. She has never seen green eyes before. I love her! Additionally, the gym has a shower room and lockers. I would like to take a moment to describe the showers because for all of us, this is the greatest part of the gym and is our motivation on really cold days when we’d rather stay in our heated apartments being bums.
Our apartments are the only ones on campus that have showers. I feel very lucky and thankful for this because it does make our lives easier. We aren’t required, like the other teachers, to travel into the city to public bathhouses for showers. However, taking a shower in our apartments is like jumping into a pool of water and ice. The hot water, if we’re lucky to get it, comes from a solar heated tank on the roof. We fill the tank each night for fifteen minutes until the tank is full. We then need a full day’s worth of sunny weather to have a hot shower. Sounds great right? Al Gore would be proud…at least one building in China has gone green. Let me tell you, shivering so wildly, looking like you’re doing some embarrassing 80’s dance is not fun.
So what does this have to do with the gym? We thought the discovery of the gym was like the discovery of the internet….well it just got even better. The gym has hot water! (not just warm, but HOT!!!) It’s fantastic. But of course there’s a side story to this, remember I’m in China! We are not talking about private shower rooms with a changing area like at the Southport Racquet Club at home. This is a room of shower heads on the wall; yet another new experience for me. My first shower in this room was a day I will probably never forget. Julianne and I were each in the middle of washing our hair when we heard the door open. We both turned our heads to see a Chinese woman standing in the doorway of the shower room. My first instinct was to hide myself, like that was even possible?!? Her eyes remained on me and I nervously said, “Shi ba?” (Yes?) She said nothing, she just continued to stare. Julianne and I became a bit uneasy at this situation and chose to ignore this creepy admirer. After wiping the soap from my face I turned to find my new friend, head tilted, examining my rear-end. Julianne and I began laughing, and I was no longer embarrassed. American women are built MUCH different than the stick thin Chinese. Oh I wish I could read minds, her curiosity was written all over her face. This is just another adventure in a day in the life of an American living in China!
Lesson learned…being self-conscious in China is a lost cause and a waste of time when you’re white and have an ass!
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