Tag Archives: China

Day 323 and 324: My Last Day of Crossfit in Shanghai

Posted in 365 Project, Daily Workouts, Photography by

Time is a flying! Christmas is coming up quickly so I am running around like a crazy person. However I am trying to slow down and enjoy this time here at home with my family during the best time of the year. I am grateful!

Now let’s get back to these China posts. It seems so long ago…

Monday, November 19th

It was Peter’s birthday (Happy Birthday baby!) but I had committed to a lunch date with some new friends. I met two nice American girls my age and had a blast connecting with them on many different levels. It was so nice to meet other unmarried American girls who are focused on travel, new experiences, and a career in Shanghai. I felt… normal!

Afterwards I went to Crossfit for my last WOD in Shanghai! My one month membership ended the next day :-( .

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It was definitely a WOD to remember.

WOD

Run 500m

40 OH Squat- 20kg

40 Box Jump

40 Pull Up-jumping

40 Push Up-knees

40 Wall Ball- 6kg

40 Burpee

Run 500m

Holy crap this workout was tough. I finished in 28.59. Pushups were impossible for me so I stayed on my knees. However, I plowed through all 40 burpees on my toes. Weird. Overhead squats are still really movement for me which tells me that I need to improve my ankle flexibility (duh) and core strength!

I couldn’t believe it was my last day at Crossfit. I was so sad to leave. I love Iron Dragon Crossfit! I love the gym, the trainers, and the people who workout with me. They are all awesome, supportive, and like-minded fitness people who are seriously hard to find in Shanghai. Where else in China can you find people who actually enjoy pushing themselves to the limits?

As sad as it is to leave my Crossfit community behind, I am so grateful for everything that I learned. Crossfit has truly changed my life. It has changed the way I view exercise, my body, and people. We are capable of so much more than we think.

I will definitely take Crossfit with me wherever I go next in life.

Tuesday, November 20th

My Crossfit depression was slightly lifted the next day at netball practice. We have a fun group of girls and we are actually not too terrible! We have been working hard and have improved our game by leaps and bounds. I forgot how fun team sports can be. They are an OK substitution for Crossfit.

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Although I may not be able to join another Crossfit box, there are other ways I can incorporate a little competition and fun into my workouts.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Day 321 and 322: A Spectacular Birthday Weekend

Posted in 365 Project, Friends, Photography, Travel by

Wow, my ears are still slightly muffled from the Aerosmith concert last night. I will talk about that soon! But first I am looking forward to posting about Peter’s birthday weekend in Shanghai. We had a blast and have some great pictures to prove it! Enjoy.

Saturday, November 17th 

After celebrating Barri’s birthday on Thursday, we were excited to celebrate Peter’s birthday that weekend! Peter wouldn’t turn 25 until Monday the 19th so we had a jam-packed Saturday planned.

First up was Mr. Pancake House in Jing ‘An for brunch.

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At noon, the restaurant was completely packed so our group of 8 ended up waiting for more than an hour before being seated. But it was totally worth it. I mean check out these pancakes:

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Yum! We also ordered some nutella crepes that were ridiculously amazing. The portions were so large that the plates barely fit on the table. Of course we stuffed ourselves to the brim with as many pancakes as we could muster. Peter was in pancake heaven.

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After the rest of our group went home, Peter and I decided to walk around and explore the area (and digest). My Crossfit gym is in the same area and I planned on attending open gym in a couple of hours. Fall weather had finally arrived so the air was brisk and chilly. We bundled ourselves in the cold while weaving through the neighborhood and discovering unique shops and restaurants.

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We also found some kittens! They were playing rambunctiously, rolling around, jumping on each other, and chasing each other around a shop. It was the cutest thing ever. We stopped and watched them for a while, laughing at their adorable antics.

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We also stumbled upon a familiar place… the Jade Buddha Temple! Remember when we visited during my last trip to Shanghai in March? We were shocked to discover that it was located on the same block as my Crossfit gym! I had no idea! Sometimes this city feels so big but is really very small.

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Then it was open gym time. Peter headed home while I walked just a few blocks over. I was excited to workout and get warm! To start, I worked on my back squat. There were a couple guys in the weight room doing crazy powerlifting and their presence made me really nervous and timid. My squat form sucks and I knew they would be judging. Ugh. But I managed 5 sets of 5 with 50kg or 110 lbs. Take that boys!

Strength

Back Squat

5, 5, 5, 5, 5 - 50kg

Then I chose a WOD written on the mirror from another day and got to work.

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WOD

15 K2E

20 Box Jump

25 OH Walking Lunge – 10kg

3RFT

My time was 12.40 and I used a big box for all the jumps! Also, the knees to elbows were so much easier than the first time I did them. Core is getting stronger!  However my quads were still crazy sore and my foot started aching during the box jumps. Boo. I worked up a great sweat though and was warm for the entire trip home.

There was little time to waste though because we had tickets to Shanghai Circus World!!! We only recently heard about this acrobatic show that plays every day in the Zhabei District. We easily took the metro to the Shanghai Circus World stop and barely made it on time to meet our friends.

The show was incredible! Think Cirque Soleil with a Chinese twist and shaky safety precautions. There were girls flipping around on bicycles, men juggling porcelain jars, acrobats catapulting people from giant seesaws onto platforms, and men running on a stories high rotating wheel without any safety harness while occasionally blindfolded! The craziest stunt was when they fit 8 roaring motorcyclists in a metal cage ball. How they did not crash into each other is beyond me.

The show was just phenomenal and I highly recommend it if you are visiting Shanghai!

Afterwards we went to City Bull bar on Hong Mei Lu Pedestrian Street for a big joint birthday party. There were nachos plates, too many shots, and some karaoke with people ripping open Peter’s snap button shirt again and again. Happy Birthday?

It was a long but fun day and I know Peter enjoyed it! Happy Birthday baby!

Sunday, November 18th 

It was a rough morning to say the least. To spare you from my ragged appearance, here is my leaf face.

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Much prettier don’t you think? I LOVE FALL!

I don’t remember what we did but I am sure it consisted of chugging water, watching movies, and a dumpling dinner down the street. We are so predictable.

Best Birthday Weekend ever.

Day 319 and 320: Bus Stop

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It is really funny transitioning between China and Florida posts. They are so different! It’s hard to refocus and remember how it felt living in a foreign country. I will continue to do my best!

Thursday, November 15th 

My view at the bus stop is one of my favorites.

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The traffic from people, cars, bicycles, motorbikes, and buses is extraordinary on Tian lin Lu. If I am not running down the street, chasing down the 89 Bus, I am standing at the bus stop, watching the world go by. I can see into a restaurant directly across the street. The kitchen is open to the street and customers and I can see the ladies chopping, laughing, and greasing their woks as steam streams from the window. Everyday the waitress looks at me curiously, wondering why a white lady would take a bus in this part of town. I stare right back as she attends to the people hunched over their bowls, slurping noodles, and spearing dumplings with their chopsticks. It makes me hungry.

Eventually the bus comes barreling down the street, stopping for only the briefest moment to allow me to step on the platform. Before I know it the doors are shut behind me and I am being catapult down the aisle and heavily into a seat. Although public transportation in China is accessible, I never said it was ordinary.

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In the early afternoon I headed to the gym for my own Crossfit workout during open gym. We had a birthday dinner for our friend Barri and I wanted to get in a good session.

My quads were still extremely sore so I decided to focus on my back and glutes. So of course I chose my favorite lift for strength.

Strength 

Deadlift 

5,5,5,5,5 - 75kg

Yep. Still my favorite lift. Only managed 75kg or 165 pounds but felt good. Then I made up my own WOD which turned out to be a doozy.

WOD

10 Push Up

15 Pull Up (kipping)

20 Sit Up

25 KB Swings - 12 kg

4RFT

My time was 18.28 but I kept stopping! I know it was because I was alone in the gym and didn’t have the push of competing next to my fellow Crossfit peeps. Thankfully one of my friends from class was also at open gym and occasionally cheered me on. Thanks Michael! This time I used the big boy bar for kipping pull ups which was mentally challenging. I was pretty high up in the air and was forced to complete more pull ups at a time. It was tough but I liked the challenge. I love pull ups now!

That night we ate and drank like crazy at Barri’s birthday and I was so glad that I was able to fit in a workout. Putting that fuel to good use!

Friday, November 16th 

Despite being a tad *ahem* hungover… I felt pretty good the next day. It was raining pretty heavily all day so I was glad to take the bus to meet Peter for lunch.

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I made plans to go to the Pearl City market with Barri in the early evening and was annoyed that it was still raining heavily. We left her work around 4 and stopped by my apartment to drop off our bags. By the time we left it was 5pm, rush hour was in full swing and it was raining cats and dog. Since grabbing a cab would be impossible, we decided to take the bus to the market. I had only a raincoat on and was freezing in the chilly rain by the time we made it to the bus stop. Finally our bus arrived and it was packed to the brim with people. There was no way we were getting onboard!

We decided to try walking a bit more and actually ran into Peter on the street! I was so happy and relieved to see him that I almost started crying. The weather was doing me no favors and I wanted to just go home. We ended up scratching the market for the night so Peter and I went home and watched movies.

I felt much better.

Sometimes China is too difficult to manage. You need to just stay inside and hide.

Day 340: 10 Things I Love About America

Posted in 365 Project, Musings, Photography by

Thursday, December 6th 

When I used to come home from college for the holidays or summer vacation my mom always planned a day of pampering for me. This included facials (to heal my skin from the brutal Maine weather), haircuts and highlights (it’s tough to stay blonde in Maine!), pedicures (needed when going from boots to sandals), and massages (to fix that study induced shoulder shrug).

Well coming home from China has been no different. Yesterday my mom scheduled a haircut and facial and I feel like a new person! I’m still scrubbing away the last of that China pollution. Too bad the Florida weather has been a little less than sunny.

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But the air is clean and cool and everything is quiet. Now here’s a list of what I’m loving now in the United States.

10 Things I Love About America

1. I can hop in my car and drive whenever I want, wherever I want

2. No crowds!

3. Everybody is so polite!

4. No need to maneuver around spit on the streets

5. People actually wait in line. Say what?

6. It is easy to understand labels, ingredients, and signs in grocery stores

7. Nighttime is actually quiet and dark

8. I can breathe! Hello fresh air…

9. I can drink from the tap! (and it doesn’t taste like toilet water)

10. No censorship! I now have unlimited access to Youtube, Twitter, Hulu, Netflix, WordPress, and news articles from across the world!

I have to say that suddenly having all these luxuries in America makes me so incredibly grateful for what we have in this great country. Living in China makes me appreciate it so much more. But while it is nice and easy in America, I actually look forward to the challenge of living in South East Asia once again. It pushes me out of my comfort zone and makes me appreciate life!

“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world. You impoverish yourself if you forget this errand.” – Woodrow Wilson

Well said. When living abroad, you definitely go beyond simply “making a living”. Everyday you meet unique challenges that change your perspective, engage your mind, and enrich your inner self.

By enriching your self, you enrich the world you live in.

Day 317 and 318: Bench Press PR and Beautiful Pollution

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Tuesday, November 13th 

It was another strength day in Crossfit! I love those days.

We did 4 sets of 2 bench presses and honestly, I was nervous. My arms are definitely the weakest part of my body and I knew I had lost a lot of strength. However I wanted to keep up with Kitt, the strongest and fastest girl in our group.

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After several warm-up rounds with a light weight we started loading weight on the bar. Eventually Kitt and I worked our way up to 50kg! That is about 110 pounds! Definitely a PR for me. I needed help from a spotter to make it all the way up so next time I will stay at 45kg. It felt so good to lift so much weight. It is still strange to lift so heavy for so few reps because I can’t feel the burn in my muscles, even though I lift to failure. I guess I’m more of a lighter weight/higher reps girl.

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Then it was time for the WOD! Of course push ups were on the list. It always a good idea to do pushups after benching 110 pounds right??

WOD

15 BB Thrusters (25kg)

30 Push Ups (knees)

80m Farmers Walk (20kg kettlebells)

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I felt slow and sluggish and only managed a time of 15.44. The push ups were literally impossible for me to do on my toes so I did them on my knees. My quads were still sore from yesterday’s squats and were further killed with the barbell thrusters. Yeah, thrusters suck. They also made me realize I need to work on my clean form. It was a challenge to lift the 25kg barbell to my shoulders! But the Farmers Walk was fun because it’s all about grip strength. You know I love my grip strength.

Wednesday, November 14th

Wednesday it was nice to have a day off Crossfit so I could focus on getting some work done. It ended up being a beautiful day with a great sunset. Shanghai sunsets tend to glow because of all the haze.

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Sometimes pollution is beautiful.

Day 315 and 316: Back at Crossfit

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Omg I just drank water from the tap and didn’t die! Life in America is so… safe. Except when my mother takes me out for an unexpected 6 hour shopping marathon. Nobody is safe then. Especially my wallet.

Sunday, November 11th

Drinking an Americano at my favorite cafe in Shanghai. ET Cafe in Xuhui.

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Monday, November 12th 

After a week of rest for my foot injury, it felt so good to be back at Crossfit. We started with a shoulder endurance test by holding a kettlebell over our heads for as long as possible. Using a 12kg kettlebell, I ended up holding it for 3:45 minutes and was the last (wo)man standing!! Apparently I love these little endurance tests and can easily push myself to win every time. It all comes down to mental strength and good form.

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We then transitioned to the strength portion with 5 sets of 5 shoulder presses. I used a 30kg barbell which was tough, especially after holding a kettlebell over my head for almost 4 minutes. My deloids were wiped! I kind of liked it.

And then the WOD:

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WOD

Sandbag Run

9 Push Press (30kg)

12 Pull Up (kipping)

15 Sit Up

4RFT

The real WOD called for a sandbag run but instead I opted for 50 air squats to save my foot from extra aggravation. It was a good call except all those air squats killed my quads. I used 30kg (66 lbs.) for the push press which is a move to bring the barbell overhead with power from your hips. They are fun!

Best of all, I did all 48 pull ups as kipping pull ups! It took me much longer but I still completed the WOD in 19.19. Not too shabby for my first day back! I was so happy to be working out again and feeling that burn in my muscles.

It is the best feeling in the world.

Day 313 and 314: Chinese vs. American Parties

Posted in 365 Project, Food, Photography by

I am home!! It feels weird. The air is so humid, my bedroom is bigger than our apartment in China, and my ankles are swollen like no other. Weird.

I should probably get some sleep and get adjusted to the time change but I seem to be functioning well on 2 hours of sleep… so here are two photos of the day for you!

Friday, November 9th

Finally it is starting to look like fall with a few fallen leaves on the ground. It is still fairly warm outside so I take it as an anomaly. However, I welcome the crunching sound beneath my feet.

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Saturday November 10th

On Saturday Peter’s work friend invited us and some other colleagues over to his home for a party. But this was not your typical American party with beer, football on television, and more beer. This was a full out Chinese party with the emphasis being people and food.

Lots of food.

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Wade’s wife, mother, and sister were hard at work making a delicious homemade feast of only the very best Chinese dishes. There were mushrooms, beans, chicken feet, noodles, fish, shrimp, soup, and so much more.

In honor of Peter’s upcoming birthday they also made dumplings which are typically only made for the Chinese New Year. However, Peter loves dumplings so they made sure to make a lot just for him. We even helped them make them! You put a spoonful of homemade filling into a hand-rolled flour which you then pinch intricately to create a dumpling! It was fun to learn and they appreciated our effort.

We spent almost an hour eating which takes so long with chopsticks! The table was packed with people but everybody was chatting at full speed and enjoying every bite. I left the table stuffed to the brim.

After dinner we lounged in the the living room talking some more and munching on fresh fruit and Pocky. In the meantime, Wade served traditional Chinese tea. After a ritual of cleaning the cups and tea leaves with hot water, the tea is served in little cups. These tea cups are so small that you can finish the tea in one gulp. I am an American who loves giant mugs but watching the ritual of making the tea made me enjoy every last tiny sip.

We had such a fun time and I was really struck by the differences between American and Chinese customs. In China, every party is like Thanksgiving dinner. People gather to eat a lot and enjoy each other’s company in the presence of their family. I would really like to throw a Chinese style party in the United States and see what happens.

But do you think Americans can party without beer and football?

Good question.

Day 312: Going Home and I’m on a Bus

Posted in 365 Project, Photography, Travel by

Guess what?

I am going home today! I leave Shanghai around 5pm and arrive in Florida around midnight. A solid 24 hours of travel. Oh boy I’m psyched. I’m sad to leave China and my friends here but excited to go home and spend time with my family.

On a very sad note, my dog Holly died last Friday :-( . She was the best little puppy in the world and I’ll miss her so much. She is in a better place though which gives me comfort. She would have been 15 years old next month! That’s like 100 in dog years. She will be missed.

Well, I’ll see you in the States!

 

Thursday, November 8th

I rode the bus for the first time because my foot was in so much pain.

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I love the bus! And the cheesy Chinese television.

Shanghai really does have an amazing transportation system.

Now if only I could read the Chinese bus signs I’d be golden…

 

Day 311: Election Day

Posted in 365 Project, Musings, Photography by

Wednesday , November 7th

Election day in the United States.

But I live in China.

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This means that I was wonderfully exempt from the crazy political talk on the news, social media, television, everything. Thank goodness!

Mr. President, let’s get this country moving again!

In the meanwhile I’ll be living across the world watching, waiting, and hoping for things to improve over there. The United States is truly the best country in the world and I am proud to be an American. Sometimes it just takes living in another country to truly realize it.

I’ll be back. 

 

Day 310: Winning at Crossfit (and life)

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Tuesday, November 6th

After a pretty intense netball practice I was wiped out and my foot was aching. However, I wanted to go to Crossfit and get in some strength training. Well it turns out Crossfit was anything but strength training. This was both good and bad.

When I walked in I saw “Speed Work” on the board and my heart immediately dropped. How could I do speed work on a bum foot after running around all day? Then I saw a new guy in class wearing a Bowdoin shirt! I got so excited and asked if he went to Bowdoin and he said no, he went to Colby. OH….. Colby was our rival school. Mules are sterile… It was still cool to meet a fellow NESCAC guy.

Speed Work:

30 meter Sprint

Best of 3

After a quick jog to warm-up we started our sprints one at a time. Meanwhile coach Mark was at the end of the alley with a stopwatch in one hand and the other hand out for us to hit. My first sprint felt really good even though I almost hit the brick wall at the end! There was a also a big bright sign of a polar bear against the wall we were sprinting towards. I took it as a sign from the Bowdoin gods.

Mark said I was fast but then forgot to check his stopwatch for the time. Ugh. And I knew the next sprint would be my last because my foot was really hurting. So I let it loose. I was on fire. My time was 5.76 seconds. That’s pretty good for a dead start. Turns out I was the fastest girl! Whoohoo!

Then Mark surprised us with an endurance test for the Bar Hold. Basically you hang on to a pull-up bar to work on grip strength. First we started with a 30 second hold and then a 1 minute hold. Then we were challenged to hold on for as long as we could. Around 2 minutes people started dropping like flies. I still felt good.

At the end of 2 minutes only Colby guy and I remained. I was calm, focused, and mostly importantly, I wanted to win. I had to beat Colby. I had to represent Bowdoin.

Well I did. I waited just long enough for him to drop first. My time was 3:06. I beat Colby!!!

God that felt good. I felt like the athlete I used to be. I loved pushing myself and using all my physical and mental strength to beat the competition. I am not much of a team player but am huge with individual performance. Hey, I was a gymnast and diver. I am strong. I am able. And I love winning ;-) .

Now I was really wiped from the sprints so I took it easy on this WOD.

WOD

10 KB Thruster (12kg)

10 DiveBomber

10 V-Sit

10 Tuck Jump

AMRAP 20 minutes

I did thrusters for the first time and found them pretty terrible in a good way. The tuck jumps were the worst because we had complete a full squat between the actual tuck jump in the air. I suck at squats. I managed to complete only 6 rounds in 20 minutes. I’m okay with that.

Although I loved winning, the combination of netball practice with sprints at Crossfit really put my foot over the edge. The next few days I experienced unbearable pain in my left foot that left me immobile for almost a week. I pushed my body too hard too soon and payed the price.

But at least I beat Colby. 

I win.