Monday, January 17, 2005

Jakarta Baby

My wife was scolded the other day at the gym by a very concerned, spandex bedecked, Indonesian matron. I was running on the tread mill and Alicia went to grab some weights when the concerned matron asked Alicia with alarm in her voice, what exactly she thought she was doing working out in her condition(eight months pregnant). Alicia commented that it was good, grabbed her weights and made her way over to the exercise balls that she likes to roll around on. Supposedly in Indonesia, women in their later months of pregnancy are not expected to do much and certainly not hit the weight room. The lady communicated her concern to several other patrons, who did not seem to share the same level of distress. Un-phased by this lack of concern by her compatriots, she kept up a diligent watch while continuing her workout, perhaps expecting Alicia to give birth while rolling about on the giant ball. The scene certainly made the tedious time on the treadmill pass quickly and for that I was thankful for the paranoid patron’s vigilance.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I know how your wife feels then. I am an Indonesian but currently living in Australia. When I told my mum that I was still exercising when I was 37 weeks pregnant she was so concerned. She asked me "nicely" to stop... but I had to assure her that it's ok. Many of my other Indonesians friends were surprised too... But then after my baby's born and it didnt take long for me to get back to my normal weight, they then realized the outcome of my exercise during pregnancy (giggle).