-^-for posterity-^-

when i was in highschool i was able to attend two badminton classes. they weren’t different, i just fell through the cracks. the second time through i was some sort of south-eastern-pennsylvanian-badminton-diety. not the case here.

i play badminton three times a week. it’s the only real exercise i get. you can’t go running, well, you can but there are too many people around and you’d have to wake up at four in the morning. i like to go running in open spaces. i like the trees being my only witness.

i play with the faculty of the economics department. we play in an ancient building hidden in the middle of town. it is manila in color and the five olympic rings stand proudly and worn from its peak. i don’t remember anything about the long xuyen olympics. maybe it was before my time.

inside there are six courts set up. they face all sorts of directions and are always full. the air is thick and it’s noisy. the economics department’s court is in the back. you end up winding your way over and through intense games trying your best to avoid the flying shuttlecock.

we have twelve people that play on our court. some are competitive, some are incompetent and some are just there to violently swing a racket. it’s a good time. we also have a trainer. he’s plump and short and wears a hat indoors. he is militant in his training. when i’m not playing a game he has me stand in the back corner and he goes over the footwork with me. if it’s a drop-shot to my left, i have to slide with my left foot first, smash it with my wrist to the back corner and then quickly slide back to the middle. if it’s a drop-shot to my right i have to move with my right first, turn my racket and do the same. if it’s behind me i have to move with my right foot, swivel on it, shift my weight, jump, hit the shuttlecock and land as i began. never can you use your arm. it’s only your wrist. he constantly corrects me and spends most of his time standing beside me with his wrist above his head flapping it violently and saying, “see! see! see!”

we play a few games and i’m exhausted. driving home on my bicycle is a joy. the warm night air cools you off wonderfully. your body feels used and is ready to sleep. at night i dream about drop-shots and smashes.