Kirsten Captures

Hello again! Another blog post in the same day! Why? Peter set up the router and my VPN! Hooray! Now I can access WordPress from my own laptop while he plays video games. Why do boys like video games so much? It’s so weird.

Boys also like badminton. But so do I. Here is last Saturday’s photo of the day:

Look at that action. But before I get to last weekend, I just need to complain about a few things here for a second.

1. Pollution sucks. Shanghai has been blanketed in dense smog for 3 days now. Your eyes, face, and throat burns. It leaves me exhausted. My eyes have been red and irritated. Will I every breathe easy here?

2. Reading my favorite healthy living blogs kind of depresses me now. I am so jealous of their easy access to amazing and delicious clean foods. Their biggest complaint is how to avoid another pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. In China I am lucky to recognize 10% of any food labels in the grocery store. I just want some canned pumpkin, kale, quinoa, and an oven. So spare me the details of your recent trip to Trader Joe’s. I don’t want to hear it!

3. I need to lift weights. Get me in a gym and let me pump iron. I miss it. I need it. PLEASE.

Whew. I feel much better. Moving to China is like landing on Mars. We have it so easy in America! I will never take it for granted again.

Despite these 3 gripes, I feel very comfortable in Shanghai. I feel like I belong here in this moment. It helps that Peter is so wonderfully supportive and keeps me busy with socializing! I know right? Me? Socializing?

It all started last Saturday with a morning of badminton at his friend’s apartment complex. Let’s just say it was an intense 2 hour competition that left me sweaty and sore.

Badminton can definitely be easy and slow. However when you play with three very competitive people, one of whom was a college varsity tennis player, things get intense. 

Based on Peter’s crazy jumps you’d think he kinda sucked. Well Mr. Tennis Pro was spiking birdies left and right. I on the other hand struggled with moving my feet and letting my arm swing without too much thought. Too much thinking equaled missing the birdie. Again and again. I blamed jet lag. At least there’s room for improvement.

Badminton was so much fun!! I loved it. Even though I was exhausted I loved playing with other people and getting in some fun exercise. Who says exercise has to suck? It’s all about movement. And I definitely moved.

After badminton we lounged around the apartment before meeting another couple for dinner. Check out the sunset from our place!

 

Wow.

For dinner we met up at Cantina Agave in the French Concession. We enjoyed some margaritas and delicious Mexican food. The French Concession area is very white which means that there are tons of foreigners there. It felt like America. Weird.

So we embraced our whiteness.

It was a fun Saturday night that left me completely exhausted.

Speaking of exhausted, I am tired! Time for a shower and bed. My nose is already dripping like mad, probably my body trying to rid itself of pollution. Yuck.

This is China!