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I've been training for my half marathon and I just hit the 12k mark yesterday. I feel pretty good but my knee is straining a little bit. I don't know if I need to strengthen it or to let it rest. A good combination of both will do just fine I think. I ran 12k in a little under and hour which isn't too bad. I went food shopping today and stocked the house with a little bit of food. It's always good to have some snacks to munch on, fruit and soups and such. It's rained here for like the last week straight. Nasty weather. Good weather to take naps to and be inside. I'm glad my gym is around the corner or it would really be a struggle to get over there. I went on an interview last week for an international school here. I don't think I'm going to get the job. I have the feeling they are interviewing a lot of people and are going to hire someone with a little more experience than I have. I will hear back soon I hope. If I get it then great, if not, oh well, life goes on.
I've been studying my Chinese almost daily and am making a little progress. I know a few words but not enough to really say anything to anyone. It's cool nonetheless. I know there aren't too many new pictures on the blog but my routine here has been pretty set the last month or so. Haven't seen too much new scenery to put up on the site. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some new pictures up if I can get out and take some good ones of the city. Whenever I leave in the morning on friday to go to work there is a guy selling live chickens on the street outside my apt. It would make for a good photo and I'll try to get it next time I leave. I'm pretty tired in the mornings though haha and don't feel much like stopping to take photos. I've been away from home 5 months now. It really went by fast, I can't lie. Sometimes it feels like I've only been away a few days. Other times it feels like I've been here a LOOOOOONNG time. March is here. Winter is on the way out! Crazy, feels like it was summer just yesterday.

Harbin Tiger park photos

also..

Rafael Casal was a def poetry jam artist and his stuff is dope. You Tube him if you get the chance. He is also featured on Shira Tarrant's blog : girlwpen.com.  Check it out if you get a chance. There is some great writing on the site, really insightful and cool stuff.

Update

            What's up guys? I completed my first week of Chinese lessons on Thursday and feel good about it. It gets me up early during the week and I feel constructive. I know my numbers and days of the week and the months and can tell time with a little hesitation. I also learned a few (two haha) verbs; come and go. I can put them in a couple questions and everything. It's cool. I never thought I'd be learning Chinese. If you had tapped me on the shoulder in 11th grade and told me that I was going to Shanghai upon college graduation I'd probably give you a screw face and ask you to not stand so close to my new jordans.

           So I have class Tuesday and Thursday for two hours each lesson. It is through a company that supplies tutors and it's a cool setup. (Accentmandarin.com) The woman who runs the company is actually the woman I worked for when I was tutoring a few people who were going to the United States to work. She gave me a nice discount on the lessons and I like my tutor. Since most of the people my age who I meet out here are strictly out here studying Chinese I find myself in a good atmosphere to learn the language. They're always going off to study and I can do that now too. Although I don't have too much material to study yet, I have been going over my stuff and it's been sticking so far. It's exciting. Even little things like buying strawberries and understanding how much money I have to pay when the clerk talks to me is refreshing. I don't have to hand them my largest bill and hope for the best (HA! I'm a suckkkkka!) Speaking of strawberries, They are coming into season here and everyone and their mother is selling them (literally). They're delicious too. You can get a nice bag full of them for about a buck fifty. I wash them real good before I eat them though. 

       Training for the half marathon on the great wall has been going well too. I ran 10K the other day and am going to push up to 11K on monday, or Xing qi yi (what do you know about that!?)It might sound crazy but the hardest part of the training is actually my off days. I really have to be careful not to overtrain because when you run long distances you need to let your body heal or else you will crumble. In the States I was lifting everyday so taking that time off is a little tough for me, but it really helps my running. I just bought slumdog millionaire and Che so I'm going to go put one one. Order some Virginia ham and swiss on wheat for me next time you're in the deli. Light mustard, lettuce and tomato. "Yea, lemme get a bag of doritos with that too."

Renee

Jewish Museum in Harbin

Here are some photos of the Jewish Museum in Harbin that I never posted. Check em outttt

It's official

The Great Wall MarathonHead Office of The Great Wall Marathon 200936-5 Fuchengmenwai Street,Xicheng District, BeijingAtn.: Ms.Grace Li, Mr. Kent Wang

Tel. +(86)-10-68512395, 68589496, 68391018/19/20Fax +(86)-10-68589497Mobile Phone +(86)-13241927096,13552481754E-mail add.: gwm_booking@263.net.cn grace.li@great-wall-marathon.com.cn
Web: www.great-wall-marathon.com.cn

Date:2009.02.05To:Mr. Nathan EinschlagINVOICE NO:##From:Ms.Grace Li – Culturestone Travel - ChinaRef. :GWM 2009/Mr. Nathan Einschlag/Entry No. 1267

DearMr. Nathan EinschlagWe are pleased to forward this invoice according to your booking.

Email from Moms that made me reflect

Hi Nate,I've been meaning to send you a small chatty newsy email..so this is it..
I don't think I mentioned that we met ___________at Armondo's when we were there for that Obama party.. He was there with his parents and his fiance.. They are planning to get married next summer (2010). He is teaching math , in a middle school, in the Bronx. The fianace is a special ed teacher, in Chinatown.
Two days ago, ________ walked into Romeo's while I was having lunch. That story is really too hard to go into.. but it seems he lives on long island..doing rescue work (?!) whatever that means. His older brother lives further out on the island.. I don't know what he does.. his other brother lives in Fla and has a one year old..not sure about a wife. ______wants to go into the fire dept.. or maybe be a school aide.. He has only a 5th grade education he told me.. but he does have a GED.. I think. It was not easy understanding him.. but he was sweet and friendly and asked how you were doing, right away. (I am not sure he knows where China is). He says he does not speak with his mother much.. She's mad at him. I can only imagine. I think she has been mad at him since he was born.. Anyway.. He was in the "hood" to go to the doctor. I felt bad, like I always did, when I saw and spoke to him, since he was little. He really got the raw end of the stick, growing up in his family, dealing with whatever learning disabilities he has.. Because, deep down, I think he wants to do well and to please. His head is completely shaved and he looks a little scary.. It was cold and he was all bundled up, so I don't know if he had any weird tatoos.. I told him I remembered what a good athlete he was and was sure that would help in his fireman's test.. He took that to heart, I think.
Okay.. I guess that is all for the neighborhood news.. Sunday night we will be going to see Celeste's movie.. lovely lily. That should be a fun jackson heights event.
What's up with you?love you,maxoxox

Think about your fam and be happy you've got that love..i know i am! big up to all my jackson heights homies past and present- forever in a new york state of mindd...

the kid talked about above was my homie foreal foreal when I was in elementary school. I was always so mad that people said he was a better ball player than me. I always thought it was just cause he had two older brothers that were thugs around the way so people just gave him run on the court because of it. Not saying he wasn't nasty, cause I remember him to be a true ball player when we were little. He was like my big homie for a little while. We played baseball together and he always liked me cause I was younger but I could hoop and I could hit and I had a little queens swagger even at 9 years old (believe it!) I remember when he had bought the first Penny's that came out in the black and royal blue color way . We were over at St. joan of arcs and he was a year older and in a higher division, and he had come right from the store to the game he was about to play. He didn't wear those sneakers in warm ups..kept them in the box until right before tip off..he was THAT kid. Everyone knew "J" ..I vividly remember (finally) playing on the same team as him and feeling so baller..same in baseball.. I have more stories comin..i have to run...

Things just ain't the same for gangstersss

First draft of the first writing I've done in Shanghai. It's been a minute.. (FICTION)

          Yes, I did go away for the New Year. It was fabulous. I said, "I think it's going to be Hong Kong this year" and I just went! I know! It really was great, but I was only there three days. Yea, I just thought three would be enough and it really was. Well, I didn't limit myself to one place this year so why kill myself in Hong Kong? I was in Vietnam and Cambodia too. Vietnam was amazing. Great weather. I was laying on the beach and I'm thinking to myself, ugh, I should really go for a run, but then I realized I was in Vietnam and said fuck it, I can relax for a day. I'm about to close my eyes and what do I see, but a jogger running across the beach. Right, so now I really feel like a fat piece of shit you know? But this guy is like a big guy you know? Like shoulders, you know what I'm saying; fucking BIG. Find out the guy used to be a body builder. I'm serious! Not only that but since he's stopped competing he's started running marathons. Yea, and if that's not enough, now the motherfucker is training for a triathlon. I know, I started feeling better thinking I was crazy for running seven miles every morning, and this fucker is out burning more calories than palm springs on a daily basis. He's out in Vietnam with his wife and son just to vacation, yea, really nice guy. 

     So we all get to talking one night and he's telling me his training schedule. Guy swims in the ocean for an hour every other day. Just goes. He's telling me yesterday how he's out swimming, and his mind starts to wander. He's like, I was thinking about you telling me about playing soccer in France, yea you know I had to slip that in if this motherfucker is all total fitness-world domination, I had to let him know I did my thing for a little while. Anyway, so he's like and I'm in mid-stroke and just as I'm about to come through with my right arm, WHAP my head smashes into something. "I fucking swam into a boat" he says. "Don't worry, the boat was okay" he follows with. Right, because I thought the boat got hurt I was thinking. This guys nuts. He swims back to shore and gets back to his room and blacks out. Dehydration mixed with a minor concussion. Yea he was fine the next day.