Yao Ming checks in with another installment of his online journal, giving you insights into the Rockets rookie's first season in the NBA. Throughout the season Yao Ming is discussing his progress both on and off the court, including the adjustment to his new teammates, the city of Houston and a whole new culture.

(Translation by David Wen)

Yao Ming checks out the Lincoln Memorial as he tours Washington D.C. prior to the Rockets-Wizards game. Getty Images

March 17, 2003 - Hello again everyone. I know it's been a long time since I last write. Many things happened.

I got my driver’s license. On that day, they asked me to test for the practice license or formal license. I did not want to take another trip so I asked for the formal one. I was not really nervous. I now drive myself.

In the game vs. the Clippers the other night, we did not defend well for the most part. Their percentage was very high. Our offense was not very good, but was not very bad either. They defended poorly too. In the overtime, we defended well. I did not get any points in the first half because of the foul trouble; I got three fouls in eight minutes. When I’m not on the court all the time it is hard get into a rhythm. But getting into foul trouble is just like when you break your bowl when you eat, it does not often occur. So in the second half everything became normal.

I thought Wang Zhizhi played really well. He showed all the qualities of a power forward. He can shoot from outside, and can also attack from inside. I feel relaxed more when playing with big Zhi and Bateer. At least I can be not speaking English for whole 48 minutes. Now I have played many other centers in the NBA, it is like an eye-opener to see different kinds of players. There are players like Shaq O’Neal and Vlade Divac, and players like David Robinson and Tim Duncan too.

Yao puts up the jumper over Wizards center Brendan Haywood. Mitchell Layton/NBAE/Getty Images

We played a lot of road games. I got to see some cities. In Boston, I did not get a chance to go out, but I know that the war of independence started there because of the tea incident. Many Americans went onboard an English boat and threw the tea into the sea. In Washington I got to see some famous buildings such as the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the White House. I did not go out in New York because I could not.

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In the game with Boston, we fell behind a lot. Then we fought back, like we escaped from death, and won in the overtime. At the end, it felt like we had been forced under the water for a long time and suddenly we were able to get up and breathe. We had some up and down games; we were not able to play consistently. The fans may like to watch these kinds of games, but we really could not stand it.

I had different defenses played against me. Some stood between me and the ball to prevent me from getting the ball, and some like New York just would not want me getting the ball no matter what. I felt somehow comfortable with the Wizards, more like center against center.

There is a lot of difference between the East Coast and West Coast, mainly in the style of buildings. In the east there are a lot of buildings in European style, and also a lot of high buildings, which I am very familiar with. In the west, the cities are more like Houston - spread out.

We are all longing for the playoffs, everyone does. We want to be in the playoffs for the first time in several years. That is our team goal right now. We just have to keep working harder than the other teams.

I think I’ll stop since this seems to be long. We’ll talk again soon.

Yao Ming