The “Paraguay” Diet
Now that life is starting to settle down here in Virginia, I’ve focused more on getting in shape. Once upon a time, I thought rather foolishly that I could go on the “Korean” diet and miraculously lose weight. What’s the “Korean”diet? Well, I’m not quite sure–I never figured it out. It’s essentially the contention that most Koreans are in decent shape, despite the fact that Korean food–at least what you buy in the restaurant–is rather fattening, and not a few Koreans smoke, drink, and work too much (read: sit most of the day at a desk). I assumed that if I acted Korean, at least in terms of consumption and activity, I too would lose weight. Au contraire (that’s French, not Korean). I gained weight. Someone let me know that Korean physiology lends itself to thinness, and I am of stout Anglo-Scandinavian stock that gravitates towards rotundity and portliness.
So the “Korean” diet didn’t work. Now that we are headed to Paraguay, I decided to go on the “Paraguay” diet. So, what’s that? Well, it doesn’t have anything to do with the cuisine. As I understand it, Paraguayan cuisine is rife with red meat (read: beef) and starch (something called “sopa,” a potato-ish vegetable). The “Paraguay” diet has more to do with having a significantly heightened level of physical activity. The January edition of the Foreign Service Journal rated Asunción, Paraguay one of the worst Foreign Service posts because it is so “boring.” (That is obviously an unscientific observation by someone who either doesn’t get out enough or needs to find some new hobbies.) Frankly, boring is fine with me. Boredom is preferable to bullets, blackouts, blizzards, and excessive beasties found at some posts worldwide. It lets me focus on the “Paraguay” diet; that is, fill the down time with physical activity that necessitates the slendering of my body.
Whereas the “Korean” diet focused on what I eat, the “Paraguay” diet focuses on what I do. I’ve never found that dieting helps me lose weight, unless I completely cut out eating sugary foods. My body responds much better to physical activity and beating it into submission by working out until I am sore (like today, when I rode my repaired bicycle back and forth from home to work.
I’ve already started the “Paraguay” diet by doing sit ups, cycling, and walking as much as possible. I bought a pedometer to measure my caloric burn rate, but so far, it’s been disappointing. It’s disheartening killing yourself to burn 300 calories. I’m hoping that by the time I arrive in Paraguay I will be so far along on my regimen that it will be easy to continue; bad streets, cobblestones, tropical weather, and petty theft be damned!
A rave for Netflix
My wife and I sat down to watch a video for the first time since I can remember. We watched "The Devil Wears Prada," a cute movie about the cutthroat fashion industry. While the movie was fun, I was more impressed by Netflix.com. I signed us up for Netflix, the online video rental site, because we don’t have a motor vehicle here in Virginia and don’t have easy pedestrian access to a video store. Plus, I suspect that we won’t have access in Paraguay to a good, convenient video store stocked with English-language Hollywood videos, so I thought that Netflix would fit the bill. If you already use Netflix, you know the drill. You make a list of videos you want to see, rank them, and Netflix will ship them to you based on the subscription plan you choose. After you watch one, you mail it back in the free mailer Netflix provides, and Netflix will send you your next video. While the price comes to about $3.00 per DVD, not exactly a bargain, it’s worthwhile to subscribe to Netflix when you are living overseas or don’t have easy access to a video store. Plus, with 75,000 titles, it’s fairly easy to find movies you want to watch. Most video stores carry far fewer titles. Of course, a search for the movie "The Honorary Consul" turned up empty, but I was able to find "Moon over Parador" on Netflix (both movies prominently feature Paraguay).
I remember times when I would walk around the New Release section of a video store and scratch my head looking for something to watch. Friday nights were especially trying. I could always find copies of "Vampire Girls from Mars" and its ilk, but who wants to waste money on leftover videos? I would much rather go online, make a list of videos I want to watch, pick them up in the mail, send them back by mail when they’re done, and pay by credit card. So, I’m sold. Netflix should work out just fine.
Happy St. Paddy’s Day
Has it already been five days since my last post? Wow, time flies. Lately the time seems to pass exponentially faster.
Lately, I suppose that’s a good thing! On Tuesday I attempted to ride my bicycle to work, and just before I arrived, the bike’s back tire blew out when I hit a pothole. Things went downhill from there. I fell ill yesterday after overdoing it with inoculations. I need to be vaccinated for a variety of viral baddies, including typhoid, yellow fever, and rabies. Shots are quite common in this line of work, but these ones hit me particularly hard. I asked the nurse whether I would be adversely affected by taking multiple vaccinations simultaneously, and she said it shouldn’t be a problem. Um, maybe not! Then, when she injected me with the first in a series of rabies shots, I overheard her say, "That didn’t go in quite right." Um, yeah, that’s probably an understatement! I think the needle hit a nerve as it entered my arm, and my arm has been both numb and sore since then. The internal trauma affected the rest of my body, because I felt so badly that I went home early today after moping around the training center for a couple of hours. My good friend Matt, bless his heart, was there to give me a ride home. I didn’t expect a few shots to do such bodily damage, but then again, injecting weak viruses and other medicinal concoctions in one’s body can’t be good in the short term. Except for a couple dinners with friends, we’re spending a quiet weekend at home. That’s good. I can recuperate and study some Spanish and spend time with my family.
The weather is also atrocious. It poured rain this morning, and tonight it is snowing. Weather tends to affect people’s moods, and I’m no exception. Snow may be good on the ski slopes, but it ain’t fun when you’re stuck at home or commuting. Now that my bicycle is fixed and has two new bulbous tires better equipped for urban street obstacles, I am equipped to ride again. I can’t though until the weather and my health improves.
On a happy note, I spent an hour with my Spanish teacher conversing in Spanish and was happy with the results. My Spanish is improving quickly. My experience studying Spanish has been much better than when I studied Korean three years ago.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. A friend of mine sent me this Irish greeting. I’m passing it on to you. Here’s to wishing you a happier tomorrow!
May your glass be ever full.
May the roof over your head be always strong.
And may you be in heaven
half an hour before the devil knows you’re dead.May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of His hand.