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.