Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Attempts to become more active

Yesterday, I decided that one self indulgent blog entry was enough. After work I went back to my apartment, got some gym clothes and jumped on a bus into downtown Anyang. It only took me 10 minutes to buy some running shoes with my Konglish (Korean/English mix). The shopkeeper actually spoke decent English which made it a lot easier. Not to mention she knew American sizing AND Korean sizing (which is good because I can't quite count that high without really thinking about it). Anyways, I have them cut off the tags, throw out the box and stashed them in my backpack. Then I pulled out my hand drawn map that a coteacher gave me with 3 gyms within walking distance were marked. It seemed foolproof. After 40 minutes of wandering around the city, I gave up and went to get some fried chicken. It was a good consolation prize but probably as far as I could get from spending a couple of hours at the gym rehabing my ankles and doing low impact cardio. Why didn't I call the friend who gave me the map in the first place? Because yesterday morning he was in a car accident when his crazy cab driver lost control and he dislocated his elbow (and oh my, does that sound painful) and threw out his back. Me, I would be at home today, doped up on the pain killers and trying not to move. Him? He was back at work today, moving stiffly and a bit quieter than normal but here none the less. I was baffled. His take was, he wasn't dying, someone else shouldn't have to cover his classes because he was in a bit of pain. Of course today had to be the day we went on a sledding field trip which was a lot of fun but not exactly what someone who has been in a car accident should be doing. The Korean work ethic is admirable, but really, go home! Get some rest!

Tomorrow I will attempt to find the gym again. Anytime it's below freezing my ankles give me problems. I need to strengthen them more before I can safely climb. Off to teach toddlers!

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