bye bye China, li ho Taipei

Li ho (ni hao)! Day 1 of 23 in Taipei. Just when I thought I could finally get a chance to relax and rejuvenate, I was bombarded with two adorable but frenzied nephews of 2 and 4 years.

Upon arriving the 4 yr old attempted to teach me Chinese via his fav book, Encyclopedia of dogs. After 15 some dogs, " Aunt, which ones do you remember?" "None of them...." little guy is testing me! We are def related. Is this what its like to be tested Chinese? Sorry TCM peeps.

Haha, but  the next day we went to zoo and he's like " Aunt, climb the stairs with me!" "Yes!" Only a few people ever climb stairs with me when there's an adjacent escalator

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48 hrs later the two rascals still have yin xu and ample yang and my qi xu cannot compete...so I escape on a walk while they nap. I lived here for 3 months 3 years prior so I jogged my spacial memory of the local neighborhood.  I remember experiencing culture shock 3 yrs ago, but after being in all or nothing China, this place seems almost peaceful. Someone said "excuse me" as opposed to physically moving and pushing me, (some) cars yield on left turns to peds, no split pants babies (yet), and more to come I am sure.

Plans:  study with Shang Han Lun doc starting tomorrow, tea tastings, celebrate Grandpa's 94, eat less oily Taiwanese xiao chi (small eats), and...practice Chinese of course :)

Pics to come

Nong ho! Shanghai in one post

Two weeks in Shanghai full of jammed packed school (minus a couple skipped days...). On top of 6hrs of clinic/class, we attempted to explore the city, see, shop, eat, and do. Just when I thought I had time to reawaken my "spleen" and reenergize, I was given yet another TCM learning opportunity, to experience full on spleen qi xu and damp. Yay.

From Shanghai Museum of TCM

Zhong qiu jie Mid-Autumn moon festival

Shanghai - nothing like Chengdu or Yunnan and probably no where near my top picks of cities to return to or visit in China. Yes, it is much cleaner, less spitting, less split-pants babies, more english speakers...but getting anywhere was a task and required time and energy we simply were deficient of. And of course, it is a major financial center and city. The pushing continued. People were in a hurry.

Much of our free time was spent shopping - for example at the pearl or fabric market. Maybe I was just too depleted, but I would not return to the fabric market - way too overwhelming - both the fabric variety and the sellers. Don't want to be negative, so lets just say if you plan to go there, if possible, buy off the rack or ask around to know which stall to shop at.

Circus! another clear example of how China is all or nothing. Man juggling a giant ceramic pot, men flipping and turning on ceiling-high stilts, 4 or 5 motorcycles circling in a tight enclosed glass ball at 50mph or faster.

Learned only two Shanghainese phrases. xie xie ni - xia xia nong and ni hao = nong ho!

Last day in Shanghai was the last day together...and last time I'll see these crazy peeps for a few months to years?! shei zhi dao (who knows)!

Saying goodbye is never easy. We've had "graduation" and last day at BCNH clinic, but this goodbye was different. It definitively shook my Lungs and Heart (even after PMSing hardcore).

Da jia safe travels!

Ethnic Village

We arrived a bit late in the day (6pm), so we missed the performances and other activities. It seemed to be mostly touristy with many similar shops selling all the same trinkets and clothes. Just as we were fed up with disappointment, we entered a tea shop and asked to try a few pu-erh varieties.


Weather or not the tea was really tasty, or if because the host was just really attractive, the tasting carried on for about 2 hours. (Sorry, I guess both Kristina and I were too tranced to remember to take a picture). He just kept refilling our little teacup. He was also much more smooth and suave with his pouring than the last place we went to. No, he didn't speak english, but kept us entertained with his jokes, or to Kristina, what I translated...or didn't translate. "Just run a few laps later." "It's okay, there is a bathroom close by." Alright, last pot. We'll just finish this one up...times 3." Anyway....we left with a few cakes each, a little drunk and stoned off of pu-reh, and hungry because pu-erh is fermented and good for digestion! Dr. Li Dong Yuan would approve. :D

Pure beauty, we almost cried.

After the horseback riding excursion, we had "talked" to the hotel manager about things to do the next day. "Kristina, you wanna see scenery...?"

9am we got a knock on the door. "We're ready for you when you are." Again, not sure what we were getting ourselves into, but beyond satisfied with the journey. Pictures do not do justice. This place was a bit of a preserved sanctuary, so beautiful, we almost cried. For the first time, I saw no smoking signs. For the first time, I saw water so clean and clear, the locals were drinking it straight up! and For the first time, I felt I could walk at my own pace, not be rushed, I could "man man zhou." 

 

 

 

Lijiang and horseback riding?!

I feel the pushing culture started to agitate me at the train station from Kunming to Lijiang. I couln't understand why everyone was so eager to get on the train when we all have assigned seats. Kristina told me I needed to channel my inner Chinese and push more. She is always waiting for me, 5-10 people in front of me. Wood.

Train situation was a bit shocking, growing up where privacy is a right and expectation. I knew there would be bunks, just thought we would at least get little curtains for a little privacy.

Arrived around 6am. It was raining, dark.....and we had no idea where to go. oops. Scratched the Tiger Leaping Gorge plans due to rain. So we asked the taxi coordinator to take us to a hotel in the city. All worked out and we found a place to stay for a night. Later in the day, after wandering around the local area, we asked the front desk "what fun things can we do around here?" Again this is all in Chinese. They spoke NO english. After filtering out a lot of untranslatable surplus vernacular, I turned to Kristina, "umm you wanna ride horse and boats, and see things?" So that is what we did and beyond satisfied with our decision.

 

Hello Yunnan

Goodbye zai jian Chengdu. Though only in Chengdu for only 2 weeks, twas a bittersweet goodbye to the city and hotel we called home and to some friends (Kristan, Heather, and Ping) who flew back to Seattle. 

Hello Yunnan! Leaving our little Bastyr China safety bubble, Kristina and I headed to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan (and soon after, Lijiang). My first feeling was that it felt like Seattle, like home, with the cleaner and cooler air, the mountains, and greenery.

Why Yunnan? My maternal grandmother is from Yunnan. Not much more is known than that, but was a strong enough reason to go in and of itself. To top if off with many many cherries, It's suppose to be the most culturally and biologically diverse province in China. With that, hundreds of its plant species are used in Chinese medicine - like yunnan bai yao!! Last but not least, pu-reh tea!!
 

I'm so thankful Kristina decided to come with me last minute. Exploring a (relatively) foreign country can be stressful. My focus was Chinese communication, and her's was navigation. Together, we made a pretty good team :)

Qingcheng Shan/Mountain

The University took us to QingCheng Shan, a mountain though full of vendors and people, offered a unique form of beauty with all the temples and pure energy that comes with that.

Little short stairs led us the whole way up. The whole way. Many were slanted upwards too so not only were our quads burning , but we had to waddle duck-toed. Ooh China, sometimes I just don't understand. 

Insert qingcheng, long lived, bagua, qingchengtop

Pedestrian Mayhem

Crossing the street

You know the stereotype – that Asians are bad at driving. Well,  it turns out in China, they are so bad that they are exceptional. It is synonymous to a  live-video game. Anything goes as long as you don't cause damage (esp the mopeds). You can drive in the opposite lane, along the sidewalk, you can turn when there are other cars or pedestrians in the way. All you need to do is honk and let them know. No biggie. Heather made a video of her surviving yet another street crossing. You should see it, highly recommended. 

Oh, and because I am always the Chinese speaker in the group, I always have to sit in the front passenger seat of taxis. I don't recommend it. Your gall bladder will not be happy.

LeShan/Big Buddha

Left at 930am for the Big buddha which was a nice change, allowed to sleep in a bit. Chanel, Marley, Hanna, and I decided to taxi/bus it there to make it cheaper. It turned out to be very do-able – the bus station even had some english signage. 

Dr. Ma is too cute. She was worried about us taking the bus, but once she found out I was going, she calmed down a bit. She also strongly suggested I put on real shoes to climb in. I assured her there wouldn't be much of a climb, but I put on real shoes anyway. Ultimately, I was very thankful as it started raining later on. 

Since it was raining, there were relatively less people, no lines for anything. The highlight of that trip, was not so much the big Buddha himself, but more so the kind-of-secret deserted pathways, caves, and “little” buddhas to meditate with. The temple was great too, peaceful with monks drumming and chanting away. It reminded me to continue with my mantras –something I've failed to do since this trip ---and possibly  the reason I've been floating through life lately –that and the dampdamp (If you think Seattle  is damp, come to Chengdu. No wonder everyone has vertigo. How can yang possibly rise through this)!!

Fall is coming

Fall is coming!

Autumn is just around the corner, and thus a time of letting go...letting go of all that stagnant (no offense) Bastyr energy. Several people have gotten their hair chopped off and it looks so free and easy to clean. I was reluctant to do so as I haven't had short hair since I was 5...but on a whim, I decided to do so one day after class. Another foreign experience. Not only did I have to communicate in Chinese, but I was accompanied by a whole entourage of my crazy American (and one Canadian) friends. We may have made a scene, but I think we fully entertained the staff. 

Still not short enough though...I may go back. The initial hair wash, scalp, and neck massage is worth the $10USD

Food stagnation

Food in Chengdu is generally very greasy and spicy – a perfect recipe for dampheat. 
I don't usually have a strong affinity for very spicy sichuan peppers, but craved them those first few days. Needed to sweat out that accumulated dampness. Our little group went bananas over these spicy spicy noodles. Tasted so good, and felt so good to sweat. 

If only the food wasn't so greasy. A plate of lightly sauteed broccoli and garlic never tasted so satisfying. Now, I understand “For breakfast, eat like a king, for lunch, eat like a prince, and for dinner, eat like a peasant.” Following this advice is key in Chengdu. 

Pic herbaldin

Lost in translation

Lost in translation – well so I believe. I am not impressing myself with my Chinese, but am apparently fooling the others. The people in Chengdu do not speak much English, so it is definitely a great opportunity to practice and improve. The dialect is pretty different too, so honing in on my listening skills as well.

Parks in China

Parks in China may make it difficult to fully appreciate Greenlake when I return.


Hanna, Marley, and I have been visiting the nearby park every morning before class. 95% of the people there are seniors, but are all doing something active, something yang within yin I'd say– patting themselves, swinging their arms, taichi, taichi saber, qigong, running, pull ups on tree branches, or badminton.


We found a nice group to join that follow an audio of a long series of exercises. The other participants seems apprehensive about us at first, but very quickly decided they like us :) One of the grandpas was even constantly checkin in on us, making sure we were doing the exercise correctly.

School

Many times, we forget why we are in China - right, to learn!! Every morning we meet by the large Zhang Zhong Jing statue as a reminder of just that. 

Every clinic shift is a bit different, but in general, it is chaos per usual (or maybe our Seattle BCNH shifts are lacking chaos). For the herb shifts, there is one doctor, several students observing, including us and our translator, and the primary patient, and patient(s) "on deck." Doctor is talking, our translator is translating with no means of trying to whisper, patients are coming in and out, interrupting the doctor with their personal questions, phones are ringing, phones are being answered (including the doctor's with her Rihanna ringtone). It is a overwhelming scene, but a scene to witness. 

As for the acupuncture shifts, that is another ballpark. I've had two so far and the first was, again chaos in my mind. There was one doctor, several interns and observers for three rooms. Yes, at BCNH this sounds familiar, but each room had about 3 beds and 4 chairs all occupied with patients. Everyone was talking, faces were wincing, needles were flying (sometimes literally), soap and water was underutilized, "clean field" was nonexistent. 

Trips to the doc seem like all day excursions. Our shifts are about 3hrs long, and many of the patients were there for that whole duration - and that is just for acupuncture.

Just keep learning, just keep learning....

Chengdu, first thoughts

From Seattle, all we talk about is weather so that is a sensible place to start. The dog days of summer concluded just as we arrived, and as perfectly predicted. We endured a couple days of unbearable heat and humidity - constantly sweating and no amount of water was quenchable. On the contrary, I was astounded to see blue skies, a distinct moon, a blazing sun and a fair share of greenery after bracing for phlegm producing pollution. 

About 1.5 weeks in now, the dog days of summer are definitely over and we definitely brought the infamous Seattle weather to Chengdu. Morning are chilly, and overcast and rain are here. I may finally decide to invest in a $1 umbrella - one that I can use for not only rain, but sun...not suppose to get too tan in Asia. 

Wenjun Mansion is the name of our hotel. We lucked out, after hearing horror stories from previous classes. We have the luxury of clean sheets, a toilet and shower (with the privacy of solid walls and doors), AC, slippers, and breakfast (thanks to Dr. Liu). The ambiance of not only Wenjun, but the whole Qintai road is a rewarding withdrawal from the sometimes-chaos of China after a long day of school, crossing intersections, speaking Chinese, walking, and damp. We've come to refer to it as home. Qintai road may be a bit touristy, but it is clean and quieter, with less vendors, and with less crazy Chinese drivers...but that is another story.