Archives For Asia

I was nearly crushed by a car today…and 2 life principles observed

June 11, 2013 — 32 Comments
Typical Asian street, complete with pedestrians, cars, 3-wheelers, and workers in the man-hole in the middle of on-coming traffic.

Typical Asian street, complete with pedestrians, cars, 3-wheelers, and workers in the man-hole in the middle of on-coming traffic.

This morning, around 10am, I was helping my friend Rush Stuart with the TV he had just purchased.  We were in a very busy section of town, where there are many electronic stores.  Many people and cars and motorcycles and buses and three-wheel Asian contraptions were going every which way.  People were crossing streets talking on cell phones and carrying obscene amounts of “stuff” everywhere.  It was a typical Asian street scene.  In a word, chaotic.

After 11 years here, I have gotten used to scenes such as this.  Actually, I have become impervious to them.  They aren’t stressful or exciting or strange or colorful; they just are.  This morning was a scene such as this.  A scene I have lived in for much of my last 11 years.

Anyway. . . as Rush and I walked to cross this chaotic street, Rush in back and I in front, we were carrying his new TV to my car.  Nothing unusual.  Then. . . Continue Reading…

In Asia, Purpose
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The death of a picky eater…and the Hotpot Challenge (video included)

May 28, 2013 — 37 Comments
Some of the participants at the first meal of the HOTPOT CHALLENGE 2013!

Some of the participants at the first meal of the HOTPOT CHALLENGE 2013!

I grew up as a picky eater.  Then I moved to Asia.  My eating habits had to change or else I would literally wither away to nothing.  Then I met “hotpot”.  It is a meal that espouses a wide range of opinions.  To some, hotpot is a “meal of the gods”.  To others, it is a culinary disaster.  This is my story and the “competition” we have created around this unique local food. 

Random facts. . . I had never had an orange until I was a junior in college.  I had never tried sweet tea until I was 27 and living in Asia. On my first morning during a trip to Croatia when I was 26, the host family informed my group that “since you guys are southern, I cooked you a southern breakfast”.  I walked in the kitchen only to find a pot full of creamy slop (best I know how to explain it) next to a pan with biscuits on it.  I immediately turned to Trent McEntyre and said, “what in the heck is this?!?!?”  Bewildered, he responded, “You have never seen biscuits and gravy???”  I had not.

Bottom line, I grew up as a picky eater.

When I moved to Asia, one of the biggest stresses I had was thinking through the food.  I had eaten Chinese food only a handful of times in my life and I didn’t really like it.

My first 5 weeks here, I lost 25lbs.  Seriously. Continue Reading…

In Asia
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“Baseball Saturday” for the glory of God. . . (video included)

April 15, 2013 — 35 Comments
The men of Baseball Saturday; me, Rush Stuart, Scott Littlepage, Tyler Leuck, Andrew Ols, Ty Nash, Michael Gregory, Conner Norton, Sean Doody, and Manny Mann.

The men of Baseball Saturday; me, Rush Stuart, Scott Littlepage, Tyler Leuck, Andrew Ols, Ty Nash, Michael Gregory, Conner Norton, Sean Doody, and Manny Mann.

Saturday was special here in my neck of the woods. The American men in our city decided to get together and hang from noon on. In this city of many millions (literally), there are only a handful of Americans who live here permanently. My guess is 30-50 in total. This is probably a generous guess, as I personally only of know 22. Of that number, 11 are men.

Ten of the eleven men I know in this city decided to dub the 6th day of last week. . . “Baseball Saturday”. The content of the day was simple; American food and baseball all day. We were to both play baseball and watch baseball in the midst of gorging on red meat and other such American culinary delights.

We met for lunch at McDonald’s (the only “American restaurant” within an hour of where I live). After destroying our bodies, we headed over to a local university in search of a field to play baseball. Between all of us, we have seven baseball gloves, two baseball bats, and four actual baseballs, so “playing baseball” is a pretty generous description of what we were planning.

We found a soccer field, but were quickly dispersed by an official university function.

We ended up finding our way to a dimly lite, closed basketball gym on campus. We decided the place was perfect for our “Plan B”. Continue Reading…

In Asia
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My personal “Asian renaissance” (what I like about life over here)

March 11, 2013 — 12 Comments
(Left) The subway that is directly beside by apartment; (Right) One example of the big billboards. . . the building to the right is where I used to live.

(L) The subway that is directly beside by apartment; (R) One example of the big billboards (the building to the right is where I used to live)

As I type this post, I am sitting in a bustling coffee/teahouse.  There are people all around me consuming all types and varieties of colorful beverages.  Outside, window shoppers are meandering along the fairly crowded street, with bikes and mopeds jostling for real estate.  The weather is reasonably nice (we always have gray skies, but today is a brighter, clearer version of gray than usual). I love the hustle and bustle of Asia!

There are times when I struggle with living in Asia.  The cultural stresses, climate challenges, and culinary differences just kind of pile up and weigh me down.  Today is not one of those days.  As a matter of fact, this week has been a kind of personal “Asian renaissance” for me.  I have been all over the city for the past week with visitors from Atlanta.  It has been a time where I have been able to simple enjoy some of the quirky, fun, and different aspects of living in Asia.  Here are a few:

  • Big, goofy billboards (and bright, city lights) – Don’t know why, but I love gigantic, even obnoxious, billboards.  Throw in high-rise buildings lined with bright, gaudy lights everywhere, and you have a visual buffet around every corner.  This is the case with most sections of this city.  Definitely one of the distinctive characteristics of cities in Asia and it is a fun aspect which I like.
  • Lack of a fashion standard – We in America tend to care much about outward Continue Reading…
In Asia
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Four indicators I have lived in Asia a LONG, LONG time

March 8, 2013 — 28 Comments
My first program group I came to Asia with in 1999 (Drew Johnson, Summer Owens, Pat Ku, Meagan Vinson, and Melody Harris.

My first program group I came to Asia with in 1999 (Drew Johnson, Summer Owens, Pat Ku, Meagan Vinson, and Melody Harris.

Last night, I had dinner with a group that was visiting my city from Atlanta. Though I only passingly knew two of them prior to this week, I had a great time with the entire group. As always, it is fun to see Asia through the eyes of those who visit here for the first time.

We had a meal, I showed them around some of the city, helped communicate with their hotel regarding their check out plans this morning, bid them farewell, and then drove back to my apartment 45 minutes away.

On the drive back, things seemed to be in slow motion as I thought about and processed my life here. I live in a massive Asian mega-city. There are more than 2,000 buildings over 20 stories high. I can’t even imagine how many buildings over 5 stories high there are here.

As I drove, it hit me that I had been driving all day in this city (which dwarfs New York in many ways) and I had not looked at a map all day. Not once.

Bottom line. . . I have been here a long, long time. This morning, more thoughts along this line have flooded me. So here are four indicators I have lived in Asia a long, long time.

Continue Reading…

In Asia
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5 things I am thankful for on this eve of Christmas Eve here in Asia

December 23, 2012 — 12 Comments
From my apartment with Christmas love. . .

From my apartment with Christmas love. . .

Living overseas, it’s easy to focus on what you are missing during Christmas, particularly not being at home with family and friends.  However, here are a few things I am THANKFUL for here in Asia during this most significant of all holidays.

This is by no means comprehensive, but it is a good start!

I’m thankful that I miss family and friends during Christmas – Weird way to start out, I know, but this really is something for which I am thankful.  I love the fact that I have family and friends I sincerely miss.  Family and friends that mean too much to simply blow off and not think about during this time.  There are orphans out there.  Even more so, there are people with such miserable family lives that they don’t want to be “home for the holidays”.  Yes, I do miss my family during this season especially, but I am thankful beyond words for this reality!

I’m thankful for SOME Christmas cheer in the air – My first Christmas in Asia was 1999.  There was virtually nothing discernible with Christmas Day from any other day.  It was depressing.  Our study group of six actually went Christmas caroling in front of the dorms on campus and got some of the strangest looks I had ever received . . . and it was 1999 in Asia where they NEVER saw foreigners.  It was beyond comprehension.

Christmas 2012, while not exactly teeming with Christmas cheer, there are signs of the season in a few places.  My apartment actually has decorations up.  Though Michael Gregory says, “it looks like Christmas threw up in your place”, I am still proud of it. The coffee shop I am Continue Reading…

In Asia ,
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My injury, Herculean return to the court, and a press conference

November 26, 2012 — 2 Comments

(This is my third post regarding my career as an Asian college basketball player. You might want to read “How I became an Asian college basketball player at age 28. . . ” and “Funny nuances and differences from my Asian college basketball team“) if you have not already.

John Gunter, Patrick, and our friend on the team

Patrick Ku and I with our one of our best friends on the basketball team

It was my fourth week in Asia and my third week as a member of the top ranked college basketball team in this country.  I was in the midst of language study, but as you can imagine, I still knew and understood very little. Patrick Ku was back in the US for a few weeks on a recruiting trip. This already made basketball practice much more linguistically challenging. No one on the team spoke English and I spoke VERY LITTLE Chinese, so Patrick being gone was a big deal. I was constantly trying to figure out what was going on around me since I had no translation.

My Injury. . .

During this particular practice, we were doing full court defense drills. One player would dribble the length of the court, while two others would try to box him in. It came my turn to be on defense. I was around half court. The guy I was guarding suddenly turned around during the drill running full-speed and his head slammed into my forehead. The impact was just above my right eyebrow. One of the disadvantages of being short is that when 6’7 guys are bent over dribbling, they are at about my head level. Not cool in this case.

It was a strong initial blow, but it didn’t really hurt that much so I didn’t think much of it. The player frantically apologized, but I blew it off in an attempt to show that I am above this whole “pain” thing that others suffer from. As he looked at my eye, he seemed a bit terrified.  All the while, our coach came running over. The coach then took me off to the office area. On the way there, I touched my eye. Blood was now profusely running down the side of my face. Continue Reading…

In Asia
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Free lighters, Gangnam, and other sights in Asia…(videos included)

November 18, 2012 — 11 Comments

It is Sunday and the sun is shining.  THE SUN IS SHINING! I hate when people complain about living over here, I really do.  However, I am about to do just that for a bit.  The sun rarely shines here.  We often go 20-30 days between sightings of our big burning friend in the sky.  There are a lot of theories as to why this is the case. . . cloud cover from the mountains, pollution, even the outlandish one that the people running the country in from the capital controls the weather and doesn’t like this city.  As for me, I have no idea.  I just no know that we RARELY have days like this.

Lighter grab at the airport

The free lighter grab at the local airport. . .

In light of the unusual sighting of, um well, light, I thought I would tell of two other “different” things that I/we have noticed here the past few weeks.

The first one was at the airport a few weeks ago while picking up our friends, the Littlepages.  Ever wonder what the airport does with the lighters they confiscate from people whom futilely try to take them onto planes?  Well, here they simply place them in a container where arriving passengers exit the airport.  You can fill your pockets with free lighters if you like.  I guess if you MUST have a quick smoke from your air travel, this is great!

I don’t know why this struck me as so funny, but it did.  It is actually a fairly stand up thing to do.  However, in a world where smokers are increasingly ostracized and marginalized, here they are still encouraged in many, many ways, like free lighters at the airport.  As I type this, I am in one of the only “non-smoking” coffee houses in this area.  There are signs Continue Reading…

In Asia
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Funny nuances of my Asian college basketball team

November 15, 2012 — 13 Comments

(This is the second post about my college basketball experience in Asia.  If you have not read the first one, please click here.)

Here is my college basketball team, as well as some other Americans

Here is the team after Pat and I lined up a game with other Americans in the city (I am on the front row, third from the right)

As you might guess, basketball is essentially the same wherever you go.  The goal is still to outscore your opponent.  The basic rules are the same.  You dribble.  You shoot.  You play defense.  However, there were some funny differences in the basketball here that were superficial, but shocking none the less.  Definitely took some getting used to.

This first one wasn’t a difference, but rather a shock to my system.  I was absolutely dying every time we hit the court those first few weeks.  It had been 10 years since I had been involved in competitive athletics.  Since that time, I had studied much and worked out little.  I had broken a few bones and had my second shoulder surgery.  As I said in my first post, I had come to Asia to learn a language and, hopefully, make an impact for good.  In my wildest imagination, I had never dreamed I would be on a nationally recognized basketball team.

We were training like big time programs train.  Wind sprints, drills, suicides. . . we were doing it all.  I was in typical physical shape for a 28 year old professional from America.  I was doughy.  My thoughts were often, “I can’t believe I am 28 and still doing suicides!”  If the opportunity weren’t so great to meet friends, I would have quite the first day.

It ended up being the best thing imaginable for my health, as well as for my ability to engage in campus life in Asia, yet it was definitely a shock to my system to jump into training with a college basketball team!

The second thing that we immediately took note of was that the team NEVER drank water.  Never.  Patrick and I Continue Reading…

In Asia
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How I became an Asian college basketball star at 28

November 12, 2012 — 5 Comments

Since the college basketball season began this week, I thought it would be fun to write about one of my favorite things from my first  year in Asia.  This is HOW I BECAME AN ASIAN COLLEGE BASKETBALL STAR AT 28!

John Gunter and his Chinese basketball teammates

Pat Ku (next to me), Drew Johnson (second to the right), and me with two of our basketball teammates during a “night on the town”. . .

My entire life, I had dreamed of athletic glory.  I had hoped that, at a minimum, I would play college sports.  I assumed it would be baseball.  There was an outside shot at football; perhaps I had a chance at a strong school with a bad team.  I never dreamed I would play college basketball.  I didn’t even play at the high school level.  The thought of playing with the national champions in Asia was beyond my wildest imagination.  However, that is exactly what happened.  This is how I backed into playing college basketball in Asia at the best program in the country.

Upon arriving in Asia, the language program I was part of decided we would all participate in some kind of student activity.  This would make finding friends and being a part of campus life much easier.

On the first day of class, our language teacher found out that Patrick Ku (my roommate, friend, and fellow Georgia Tech alumni) and I enjoyed playing basketball.  She told us to be ready at 4:30pm the next day.  She would take us to play.  I thought that we would just play on the outdoor courts with random students.

We met our teacher at the main campus building.  She walked us past the main outdoor courts.  I was curious.  She took us into the campus gymnasium.  We quickly found out that she had set it up for us to try out for the varsity team of the university.

We had heard the buzz around campus of their recent national championship, but we knew nothing else about them.  We showed up and the court was filled with massive dudes running drills, dunking, etc., complete with their whistle blowing coach.  Our teacher, a tiny woman of about 65 years old, walked on the court, interrupted practice, and asked the coach to let us play.  I felt ridiculous. Continue Reading…

In Asia
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