Adult Sports Day

The Dart Judge

I just woke up from an hour and a half our nap -- talk about a relaxing Saturday. This morning wasn’t quite as restful, though, because we had to wake up at seven so we could be at Jean-Jacques’ school by nine for a special sports day event. (The alarm went off at seven and we got our sleepy carcasses out of the warm bed at around seven thirty.)


We picked up breakfast before we took at taxi to No. 2 Middle School. I purchased a Taiwanese “pancake” (it’s made from a round, bread-like substance, has a fried egg put on top, and is slathered with two special sauces that are delicious) and Jean-Jacques bought some flat bread that we’ve both been interested in eating for quite some time. We were both pleased with our choices and throughly enjoyed the meal.


The special sports day event turned out to be an event for teachers at the No. 2 Middle School. It could have been a team-building exercise, or simply a fun activity planned for a Saturday. I’m still not certain which category it fell under; perhaps it was both.


Many events were set up around the school’s track and field.

The left hurdle "bit" me

We could choose to participate in darts, ball hurling, frisbee throwing, an obstacle course, and three legged race. Jean-Jacques did all of them, and I ran the obstacle and in a three legged race. I had a difficult time fitting under the hurdle, so I feel down and skinned my knee a bit. I’m fine now and it was only a slightly unpleasant experience; it certainly wasn’t life-threatening.

Jean-Jacques throwing a shot-put Chinese-style

The organizers handed out bottles of oil for participating in the activity day. We were certainly thankful for the gift, but are a little unsure how we’re going to use the new oil. If necessary, we can always regift it to someone else.


After we finished making an appearance at the sports activity, we walked home through food street and down some fascinating side streets. It wasn’t the time for me to haul out my gigantic camera, but  I’m going to return soon to snap some photos because the areas are fascinating. We saw old men playing cards in makeshift rooms crafted from tarps and polls, people heating dumplings in bamboo baskets over rusting barrels, and numerous scraggly dogs scrounging for food. There was the definite feel of hustle and bustle common in many cities; however, the difference was that it felt distinctly “Chinese”, which is something that you don’t often experience since much of the Middle Kingdom is becoming westernized. 


This evening, we’re going to watch a Christmas movie and cook dinner. We’re planning to make broccoli, rice, and heat up some breaded chicken we discovered in the supermarket. I’m sure it won’t be quite as delicious as some of the food we buy from our local haunts, but it will nourish us and enable us to stay in the apartment for the rest of the day.