My heels had been hurting for about a week, I suspect from running on hard ground without proper running shoes. Wednesday during the afternoon run it was really bad and I ran about 5 meters before concluding that this was a Bad Idea. I walked the rest of the way while conversing with a fellow student who was walking due to an injury. I told him about the pain in my heels and he told me about forefoot running. I did a little research online and discussed it with some runners here and decided to give it a try. One student warned me that my calves and ankles will be very sore for about two weeks while my body gets accustomed to it. He wasn't kidding. After two days of trying to retrain myself to run differently my calves definitely felt it.
I had mentioned in my last post that the food here is not adequately nutritious. Thinking further on this, the food is reasonably nutritious and features a variety of cooked vegetables as well some meat (usually chicken) or tofu for protein, but I would prefer more protein and there is a notable lack of calcium in the Chinese diet. I guess the food here is probably just as nutritious as what most Americans eat, maybe even moreso, it's just deficient in specific areas and most of it is cooked in liberal quantities of oil. I was accustomed to fresh veggies at home, so maybe I'm spoiled. I supplement my daily intake with a multivitamin, calcium tablet, and on power training days a protein bar.
Friday I asked Oleg the Big Ukranian if he wanted to spar with me at Sanda the next week. He accepted, and he and I then proceeded to talk smack to each other throughout the week leading up to our match. One day I stared menacingly at him through the dining room window for a bit while he ate. Another time at night I heard, "I'm coming for you, Korric" and saw Oleg outside in the dark staring at me through a hallway window. 'Twas all in good fun, of course. At least, I hoped so ;)
The following Friday, when I told Master Qu I was going to spar with Oleg, he asked, "Are you sure?". Great confidence boost there from my own Sifu. Oleg did better than I did but I held my own reasonably enough. I followed a punch with a spinning backfist which is not the most practical maneuver but it sure looks cool. He ducked the backfist and grabbed my waist to take me down, as Sanda does allow for takedowns. He didn't get the takedown as I grabbed his head to prevent it, but it was an impressive move on his part to have been able to time it so well. Even though Oleg got the better of me, Master Qu appeared pleasantly surprised by my performance.
I was talking to another long-term student who stressed to me the importance of taking vacations to avoid burning out if I'm staying here for a year. I want to take a vacation in December for about a week, and I've been doing a lot of research into some fun-looking activities. So far I've narrowed it down to three possibilities:
1. Scuba diving in Koh Toh, Thailand.
2. Visiting Chiang Mai and Karen Village, Thailand.
3. Looking for wildlife and zip-lining in Bokeo Nature Reserve, Laos.
Option two would be the least expensive and the most easy to arrange, but it's also a tourist trap. I'm also open to suggestions for other activities that meet the following requirements:
1. Relatively inexpensive. I prefer to pay no more than 1000 USD including airfare, although an exception could be made if it's particularly appealing to me.
2. In Southeast Asia so it will be warm and flying there from China would be relatively cheap. Think of the area covering Thailand and the Philippines.
3. I also prefer something with a director or guide to show me around as I'll only have a week, although this isn't strictly necessary.
I may end up doing none of the above, but they all sound interesting. Again, I'm open to other suggestions, as well as suggestions of why I should particularly consider one of the above.
