After being stuck in hotel conference rooms and restaurants for most of yesterday and today, I think I will make it out for a run early tomorrow morning. I haven’t found the guts to run outside for a number of reasons: the traffic is chaotic, the air isn’t great, and I’ll really stick out like a sore thumb. But I’m feeling pretty restless and very out of sorts now, and I think will give this a try while there will be fewer people out.

A number of interesting tidbits from these past few days:

• It is interesting that with all these provincial CDC people we are working with, how many of the men smoke! Not only that, a few have no qualms about smoking indoors, subjecting others to their secondhand smoke.
  
• After having nothing but Chinese food 6 days in a row, I’ve realize that I do actually crave cereal and bagels for breakfast – and that these breakfast items are actually far healthier than Chinese breakfast items. I was initially happy to have Chinese food for a change, but it’s starting to get a little monotonous (mostly because ALL of our meals are in the hotel). Things really do tend to be rather greasy here, and the only real fruit we’ve had so far has been watermelon… I will need a break from it soon and do some de-toxing when I get home!


• I must have had my blood pressure taken 10 times yesterday, as a test subject for some of the interviewers practicing how to do so. Happy to report that my BP is good (low). I didn’t do so well on the skinfold calipers.


• I’ve been learning lots about some of these measurement methods that I know are used, but had no clear idea how they are actually done… it was fun for me and others to get some hands-on practice. (here are pictures of folks practicing how to take blood pressure and GPS readings)


• Hotels here (at least the non-Western, non-super fancy ones) do not have gyms, which has contributed to my lack of being able to get any real physical activity in… I’m really going nuts!
  

Tomorrow, the group (all 70 of us!) will be going to Longmen (Dragon gate) to check out the Buddhist temples and carvings (much of which have been destroyed or damaged). It’ll be good to do something else then attend lectures all day!

I will return to Beijing on the 12^th and will be there until the 16^th (head to Hubei that day for the second training session there). Huiling and I will go explore a few places that she herself has yet to visit, which will be good… and maybe we will be true “bananas” and get a western meal somewhere…. I am really craving a good spinach salad and good strong coffee!

~ Shuwen