Chen Xiaochun 654789759@qq.com ROCK climbing, yoga, bowling, hiking, dance, archery, Muay Thai, Zumba, Capoeira, golf, badminton, ping pong, trampoline, Tai Chi, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) ... you name it. Every week 29-year-old Kris Scully from Jamaica organizes five to six different sports activities in Shenzhen for expats as well as for locals. If you check Scully’s WeChat Moments, you will find a phrase in his recent post: “Life is too short to be lazy,” which corresponds with his events’ name Lazy Laowai. “Lazy Laowai does all the things related to sports, health and fitness, so staying fit and active is our priority,” said Scully. Born on the island of Jamaica, Scully lived most of his life in the U.S. He came to Shenzhen around two and a half years ago and launched sports activities, which became quite popular several months before the coronavirus outbreak. “Lazy Laowai started as a group on WeChat for people to meet up and play sports or have activities together. I wanted to create a simple outlet that allowed foreigners and locals who shared the same interests to be able to find each other. We all know that it’s difficult already to find time for activities outside of work, not to mention finding someone who would be interested in joining,” Scully told the Shenzhen Daily. A sports lover himself, Scully organizes most of the activities he enjoys, but he also takes suggestions from the group. Apart from sweating out, the added bonus that most people like is actually meeting new people and being a part of an interesting community. Rebecca Leers, 26, from the U.K., is an English teacher in Shenzhen. She has joined the events organized by Scully several times. “I enjoy them a lot. It’s a great way to socialize. I’ve always loved sports, so for me this is the ideal way to meet people.” Typically the events are planned a week in advance, so Leers can join them when she knows she is free. “There are some popular ones that happen every week, like climbing on Friday, then the rest vary, and you can try something you’ve never done before, like archery.” For Leers, it’s hard for expats to join local clubs unless their Chinese is really good, which is one of the reasons why she likes the Lazy Laowai events. Besides, normally it’s not easy to find enough people interested in the same activity. Alina Galimova, a 26-year-old from Russia, joined the first Lazy Laowai activity last September. “It was HIIT and from that moment I joined them every week. My favorite events were bouldering and archery. I also attended badminton and virtual golf.” “For me it was always a good time as I was too lazy to do sports myself. In a group of people who have the same goal it’s much more motivational to keep fit. So I think Kris with his Lazy Laowai events unite a lot of people with good purposes — be healthy and have fun at the same time,” Galimova told the Shenzhen Daily. Additionally, as an expat, for her it was very nice that after activities the group usually went for lunch or dinner together so they not only attend the activity but also make friends. Without doubt, the pandemic affected Lazy Laowai events. “During that time, large groups were not allowed in public places. Fortunately, the situation in China was handled relatively fast and we were able to slowly regain our momentum,” said Scully. Currently, around 10 people join every event, while before the outbreak the number was a bit higher and could reach 15 people. | 