Wo Keyi Pao Bu Ma?

One of my most frequently used sentences; “Wo Keyi Pao Bu Ma?” translates to “Can I go for a run?” Seemingly the second I left my native soil, running ceased to be the tiring and time consuming activity necessary only to keep in shape. It, in an instant, became an outlet to the frustrations of my everyday life in a completely foreign culture. John Adams was known to say, a good five or ten mile walk “roused the animal spirits” and “dispersed melancholy”. Figuring that running rather than walking could only increase the effect, just days into my journey, I grabbed my dictionary and did my best to gain permission to run.

While my host family understood my request, they did not understand why I was requesting it. Running is not a common activity like it is in the states. Those that do run, only run short distances at a slow pace. Additionally, my host family seemed skeptical of my ability to take care of myself and find my way back home. The language barrier made it very hard to explain. Perhaps they thought I was going to run away!

Then, one of the first nights I was there, we went to my host brother's grandfather's house, and I learned that my host mother and aunt planned on running back to the apartment and I was invited to join them. I am not sure that you could even classify their pace as a fast walk! A few seconds in, I picked up my speed and started a slow jog. They quickly stopped me and explained that Chinese people do not run that way. The next day, they made another effort to help me satiate my desire to run. My host father said that I could run – if he was watching me – so he stood outside and watched me run short laps.

I am pleased to tell you that we have made a lot of progress since those first days and now, when I say those five words, I find myself gaining some much needed independence, going out into the city on my own, listening to some of my favorite music and getting the workout I desperately need after what can only be described as a day of calories, calories and more calories.

I have begun to relish those 80 minutes at night, as I never thought I possibly could. I run mostly at night due to the fact that I return from school at around five, and have an early dinner at about six. I then return my emails, do my homework and prepare for the following school day. At about seven thirty, it is time to run! At this point, I put on my running shorts and my socks, and almost as an afterthought ask either my host mother or my host brother those five imperative words, which, in my opinion, are crucial to any exchange student. Without fail, they always respond “keyi” and I head out the door to embark on my favorite time of the day.

I often go for my newfound “long run”, as I have grown to call it, as it is not only a great workout but also a fantastically interesting show of the development of Jiamusi and China itself. Without running, I only would have seen Jiamusi on the surface- an industrial city with very little western influence. On my “long run”, however, I am able to see signs of China’s recent economic rise and have been able to further explore this strange City that I can only describe as one of the coldest, most closed off cities you will ever find, filled with some of the warmest, most open people you will ever meet.

I embark on my run at the river park, where search lights point up at the sky, music plays, large groups of people dance in unison, tremendous kites are flown with colorful lights attached to their frames (as to reveal their position in the dark sky), while children play and adults converse. Perhaps the greatest skeptical of all is the artificial geyser that shoots water hundreds of feet into the air, decorated by different colored lights at the base of the contraption. As I move along, the “party” calms down and is replaced by vendors selling cheap goods or adults who’ve had one drink too many, singing as if they were in the Beijing Opera. Further still, the beauty fades and some greater poverty is evident. While this is saddening, it is just as encouraging that, as I move along, I also see signs of enterprise, of construction and expansion that may bring a greater wealth to the city of just under a million people. Beyond this, signs of the real days of communism remain. Although no communist propaganda is posted on the buildings, and no party meetings are taking place, you can see a trashier and more impoverished Jiamusi than the one I have grown accustomed to. Next to the end of the path, there is a giant dumpster, filled with different scraps and trash. This is also one of the most polluted areas of the city. In fact, at this point I feel as though I am running through a thin layer of smog (although the degree varies drastically from night to night).

Once I had my “long run” down, I assumed that it was the end of my journey into the complexities of Jiamusi. It was not until my fourth or fifth time on this route, that I decided to be slightly more adventurous and climb up the dirt hill at the end of the river path. I was expecting to get a better view of the train that was fast approaching. Instead, I found something far more remarkable. I saw a large statue, that, as I made my way to the front, revealed itself to be a memorial of some kind, most likely to some explorers of the area. Four warmly dressed Chinese people, both male and female, were huddled behind another Chinaman who, unlike the others, had a radically braver demeanor than his fellow explorers (or at least it appeared that they were his fellow explorers). He was standing up straight, with his arms spread, as if to say he is ready to face anything that the Siberian tundra could throw at him. I turned around and saw a massive set of stairs, that, at least in the dark, to be quite nice (being the expert surveyor of stairs I am). Getting a picture of these locations has proved difficult, but I assure you, I will do all that is in my power to get photographic evidence of my discovery on the blog as soon as possible.

Running has not only helped me burn off frustrations and calories, have some alone time, and listen to some of my favorite music, but it has also helped me greater understand the complexities of this monolithic country of the Far East. I feel that I am only on the tip of the iceberg, and I will keep everyone at home up to date on my deeper investigations.

Before signing off, I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone for taking the time to read my blog. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it! It helps me feel connected to all of you back home. Although I cannot respond to your comments due to blocking, my Mother has sent them to me, and I thank each one of you for your very encouraging and warm-hearted comments. I hope you enjoy my further entries - New pictures will be posted as soon as possible!
Thanks again,
PK Isacs (Zhang Jian Long)