If I ever hope to stay healthy, meet a girlfriend, or attempt to hike the Colorado Trail again, then I'll definitely have to work out and exersize. I was here for about two weeks before a co-teacher of mine showed me a health club I could join.
So, almost every day after school, I make my way to the sixth floor of a building in a commercial development nearby to work on the treadmill, lift weights, pump iron. You know how it goes. Health clubs in each country tell you different things about that country. Peare, my old gym in Japan for example, was disproportionately filled with older people, reflecting Japan's demographic makeup. Both healthclubs I joined in Kuwait were men only, reflecting the modest character and sensibilities of the predominately Arab culture. The YMCA in Denver was as informal and American as apple pie with random guys picking up games of basketball.
This particular gym has its own uniform anyone can wear! When I enter the gym I can borrow a pair of shorts and t-shirt to work out in. When I'm finished, I simply put it in a big bin and the gym washes them so they'll be ready for the next customer! It's great because I now have a little less laundry to worry about. I know many of my American readers might be scratching their heads over this, but I think the uniform is a great way to foster comraderie and group spirit.
The gym itself is a bit of a dive compared to the facilities I was at in Kuwait, but the people there are very active. There's a really big bodybuilding scene at the gym and some of the trainers are obviously VERY competitive. Despite being cramped at times, the atmosphere is kind of intense. There's always a suddle kind of peer pressure to stay a little longer, lift a litte more, do one more set, etc. I think it'll be a great place to work out and I'll hopefully make a ton of progress there.
Unfortunately, protein powder is a little hard to come by in Changon, so I have to buy it in bulk from the trainers. I'm now sitting on 4 kilograms of chocolate protein powder, which should last 6-9 months! Seriously this thing is bigger than my bag of rice! I'll use it though. Now I just need to find a source for my OTHER supplements.
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