Constantino Diaz-Duran is a fellow at the Center for Social Cohesion at Arizona State University. He is chronicling his walk from New York to Los Angeles to celebrate his eligibility for American citizenship. Follow Constantino’s progress.

Ever heard of your hip flexors? Well, I heard from them during my first two days of walking, and they were mad. When you carry a heavy backpack for a long stretch of time, you’re supposed to rest it on your hip, rather than your shoulders. Your lower body is stronger, you see, and you don’t want to overburden your back.

It turns out I was a little too cocky about my relationship with my hip flexors. I thought that I had talked them into letting me rest my 50-plus-pound backpack on them. They disagreed. Why is it that it is always the small muscles you never think of that hurt the most when they decide to act up? Here I was worrying about my feet (which have been doing great, thank you), when I should have spent a lot more time training my hips!

Luckily, Tuesday night I found a video teaching some hip flexor stretches. I’m doing these two or three times a day, and that has made all the difference. The pain is all but gone. So if you’re keeping score, it’s hip flexors 1, Constantino 2.

I spent Tuesday night with my friends Vishal and Vasanth in Clifton. Vishal was born and raised in the U.S. and has lived in the New York area his whole life. Vasanth, who grew up in India, came here for grad school. Before that he lived in Europe for several years. He has lived in Austin, where he went to school, New York City, and now suburban New Jersey.

Vasanth calls Vishal an “ABCD,” or an “American-Born Confused Desi.” But Vishal shrugs it off. This topic came up the first time I met them, a few months ago at a mutual friend’s party. “I’m not confused about anything,” Vishal said then. “Growing up we had turkey vindaloo for Thanksgiving. It was great!”

Vasanth says he hates “the idea of American suburbs,” and when Vishal was trying to get him to move out to Clifton, he told him that “the only thing Jersey has going for it is the view.” Vishal, who lived in Queens until he was in middle school, disagrees. He likes having a spacious house and thinks the suburbs provide a healthier environment for children. It’s a debate many young couples – whether American-born or immigrants – are familiar with. I’d be interested to hear thoughts from others. Is city life really that bad for kids?

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*Photo by Constantino Diaz-Duran.