Daily Life (part 2) by Eric

In my former life (in SATX) I tried to sneak in a short walk every day just to be a little active…to little avail. I remember last year Deryk and I both getting on a kick at the office of trying to stand up at our desk to do our work.  No need here. We take a lot of steps in China and spend a lot of time on our feet.   Our apartment is on the 5^th floor and the Pritchard’s is on the 4^th.   Each time we leave we traverse down nearly 80 steps in our stairwell.  Each time we return….climb the 80 we must. Our calves feel the burn. 

The walk to the teaching building is about 12 minutes; it’s possible to make in eight if you’re really moving.  Most of our classes are on the 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, or 7^th floor and of course, no elevator.  We’re also on our feet for the duration of our 90 minute classes.

To get around the city we primarily walk or take a city bus.  Occasionally we’ll splurge on a taxi if our hands are full.  The bus stop is a good 15 minute walk from our apartment.

So as you can see our lives are quite active in Shiyan.