Fitness, Can Tho style.
In East Lansing, I work out at the MAC (Michigan Athletic Club), an “haute bourgeois” health club that is surprisingly down to earth (hey, it’s East Lansing…), yet deliciously appointed (multiple whirlpools, steam rooms, a water slide, and all the clean towels you could possibly need). In Can Tho, I walk down the street to the grounds of a vocational school, which serves as the local athletic meeting point in the early mornings. I take 4-5 laps around the complex, and here are some comparisons between the MAC and the “CTAC.”
1. Apparel at the MAC = the latest multi-absorbent fibers, Big Ten college t-shirts (preponderance of MSU and UM), and $100 running shoes.
Apparel at CTAC = loose cotton pants and shirts, white (only white) baseball hats, tennis shoes resembling Keds.
2. People at the MAC = kids, adults, older adults.
People at the CTAC = kids, adults, older adults.
3. Activities at the MAC = track walkers/joggers, tennis, racquetball, yoga classes, machines (treadmills, etc.), weights, pools, etc.
Activities at the CTAC = walking/jogging around the perimeter, kids playing badminton without a net, groups doing synchronized movement (looks like tai chi to my eyes), stretching.
4. Socializing at the MAC = ladies sitting in the lounge area of the locker room, drinking coffee, and gossiping, while their husbands are at home thinking the ladies are working out.
Socializing at the CTAC = ladies sitting on the benches, watching me walk in circles, and gossiping, while their husbands are at home thinking the ladies are working out.
5. Kris’s interactions with others at the MAC = minimal, abiding by the “nod and wave and move along” code of colleagues who run into one another on the track or in the locker room.
Kris’s interactions with others at the CTAC = a little more than at the MAC: smiling and waving at the ladies on the benches, fending off curious looks, trying not to get run over by motorbikes on my way to the school.
All kidding aside, today I had the most fun interaction. It was sprinkling a bit, and five kids (ages about 7-11) were sitting on a bench on a patio at the school. On my first pass by, they smiled and waved and said, “Hello!” I smiled back, waved back, said “Hello!” On my second pass, they were more forthcoming, “Hello! What is your name?” (giggling) “Kris. What is your name?” (more giggling from kids, Kris points to self then to biggest child) “Kris. Your name?” Then each said her/his name and I repeated it. As I turned the corner, I could hear them laughing and repeating my versions of their names. There’s a good chance that it was the Vietnamese equivalent of hearing someone say “George” and replying back “Fred,” which may be why they were laughing so much – and to be clear, it sounded like glee more than mocking. Still, my ego couldn’t bear one more pass by them, so on the next lap of the building, I headed for the street. But I turned and waved and yelled, “Goodbye!” Giggling and waving, they yelled “Bye, bye!” back at me. This, I assure you, does not happen to me at the MAC.
1. Apparel at the MAC = the latest multi-absorbent fibers, Big Ten college t-shirts (preponderance of MSU and UM), and $100 running shoes.
Apparel at CTAC = loose cotton pants and shirts, white (only white) baseball hats, tennis shoes resembling Keds.
2. People at the MAC = kids, adults, older adults.
People at the CTAC = kids, adults, older adults.
3. Activities at the MAC = track walkers/joggers, tennis, racquetball, yoga classes, machines (treadmills, etc.), weights, pools, etc.
Activities at the CTAC = walking/jogging around the perimeter, kids playing badminton without a net, groups doing synchronized movement (looks like tai chi to my eyes), stretching.
4. Socializing at the MAC = ladies sitting in the lounge area of the locker room, drinking coffee, and gossiping, while their husbands are at home thinking the ladies are working out.
Socializing at the CTAC = ladies sitting on the benches, watching me walk in circles, and gossiping, while their husbands are at home thinking the ladies are working out.
5. Kris’s interactions with others at the MAC = minimal, abiding by the “nod and wave and move along” code of colleagues who run into one another on the track or in the locker room.
Kris’s interactions with others at the CTAC = a little more than at the MAC: smiling and waving at the ladies on the benches, fending off curious looks, trying not to get run over by motorbikes on my way to the school.
All kidding aside, today I had the most fun interaction. It was sprinkling a bit, and five kids (ages about 7-11) were sitting on a bench on a patio at the school. On my first pass by, they smiled and waved and said, “Hello!” I smiled back, waved back, said “Hello!” On my second pass, they were more forthcoming, “Hello! What is your name?” (giggling) “Kris. What is your name?” (more giggling from kids, Kris points to self then to biggest child) “Kris. Your name?” Then each said her/his name and I repeated it. As I turned the corner, I could hear them laughing and repeating my versions of their names. There’s a good chance that it was the Vietnamese equivalent of hearing someone say “George” and replying back “Fred,” which may be why they were laughing so much – and to be clear, it sounded like glee more than mocking. Still, my ego couldn’t bear one more pass by them, so on the next lap of the building, I headed for the street. But I turned and waved and yelled, “Goodbye!” Giggling and waving, they yelled “Bye, bye!” back at me. This, I assure you, does not happen to me at the MAC.
posted by Kris at 1:42 AM
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