When you can't go to the RB or the DAC...

Thanks to his daily 3-hour workout routine, this man is able to pull rickshaws around Nanjing's Confucian temple at blazing speeds. He is machine.

Today has been a really cool day. I made a few friends down at the local track. One of the coolest things about China is that a lot of people work out.  And they're all so old.  Well not all of them. There are people of all ages, but it's the elderly that amaze me the most. When you go to a track, you always see a bunch of people in their 60 years and older running or walking.  Today I saw a Chinese man in a wheelchair, pushing himself around the track!  They also have ping-pong tables, badminton nets, monkey bars,parallel bars, pullup bars, pushup bars, situp benches, and these other funky workout contraptions.  I saw one man, who could not have been younger than 70,  kick his feet up in the air on the parallel bars with his shoulders and hands supporting his weight. The man was completely vertical with his fee pointed straight up and his head staring down the ground!  After 2-3 minutes (no exaggeration), he did some crazy backflip and landed perfectly.  Then, he got in pullup position and was tossing himself back and forth in between the two bars. It was surreal. I was doing pushups and situps and then during a break, I started talking with this man in his 60s about the workout routine he does with his buddies. There was this group of five or so men that are there at this track for three hours, every day!  I guess that's what retired life is like when you're in China.  I told them that I had class during the week but that next Friday or Saturday I wanted to come workout with them. They told me that they would be too slow because my legs are too long! But they were really excited to have me join them.  So yeah, I'll try to snap some pictures of us together next week and throw them on this page

A few photos

Here are a few pictures that I've taken over the last couple of weeks. In other good news, BYU and Oregon won this weekend. I got three hours of sleep last night because I stayed up listening to the BYU game on the internet and following the Oregon game on ESPN.com.  You just have to make sacrifices when you're thousands of miles away from the U.S.

A look from the base of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum.

An old man schnoozing on the streets

I'm not sure how this is comfortable but everyone sits like this.

Outside of Fuzi Miao (Confucian Temple)

Looking over Nanjing

I'm alive and kickin

Wow. Over two weeks now in China. Am I used to it? Nope.  I'm liking it, to be sure, but this certainly is not America.  I eat noodles or rice for just about every meal (please don't ask how my stomach has handled it), I'm white and just about everyone else is...not, and my Saturdays are spent doing things other than watching college football. On top of that, my only contact with Bethany and family is through Skype and e-mail. Needless to say, without Skype, I would be miserable.

Having said that, I have really enjoyed being here in China. I love the classes that I am taking. I'm currently enrolled in conversation, reading, writing, and Chinese history/culture classes. On top of that, I learn the art of tai chi every Monday and Wednesday.  I have learned so much and I really know that these couple of months will be incredibly beneficial.

I'm in Nanjing, a city that is a two-hour train ride inland from Shanghai.  Nanjing has been the capital of China during various eras and is loaded with history.  I feel so fortunate to be here.  I'm so excited to learn more and see more of Nanjing and other great cities throughout southern and northern China.  And perhaps, what has been the most rewarding so far and what I imagine will always be the most valuable, I am going to be with the people. Day in, day out-- on the streets, in the restaurants, and on the playing fields with the Chinese people.   I hope that this blog thing will in some small way show what life is like here for a very white guy in a vey different country.