Orange Skies, Black Lungs

So the sun finally decided to peak its head out of the smoggy clouds and blessed us with a day of fun outdoor activities. It has been cloudy, gloomy and cold for the last two weeks. On Monday Ben & I decided to go for a run at the track nearby....I only lasted 10 minutes. At first I thought I was supremely out of shape because my lungs felt like they were going to explode. Looking back now, it was definitely the pollution because I kicked the treadmill's butt yesterday and ran 7.5mi at the gym on campus.

A friend mentioned to me that I am actually inhaling 3 cigarettes worth of pollution a day living in Shanghai. Apparently in Nanjing it's worse - about a pack a day. It's not hard to believe....only once was I able to see the Pearl Tower from a distance, and that's when I was right on the Bund river. It doesn't help that Shanghai is concrete central - my view consists of blocks and blocks of tall buildings. I rarely ever see the sun even though on good days it will be bright outside. At night however, the sky never turns completely black - it just remains an orange-ish hue.

I thought LA was bad! Here are a few pictures I took: