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Another year gone bye, where did the time go?
New Year’s is a great time to reflect on the previous year, and to look ahead and think about the year to come. For me 2009 was a major turning point in my life. I completed one my biggest goals by graduating from OCOM, traveling over seas to experience TCM at it’s root in China, and now it’s time for me to get out there and put all that studying to use.
Here are my Acupuncture experiences from 2009:
I know 2010 will be just as fulfilling, and really my journey has just begun.
Menu’s with photo’s of the dishes have saved our lives here in Nanjing. While on the hunt for some laptop speakers and a fan we became hungry and decided to pop into a semi clean looking restaurant. Our group leader had put together a menu for us that has a list of tasty foods in Chinese and English. We rarely find a restaurant that doesn’t serve anything on that menu, but this day was our lucky day. We proceed to point at pictures, order, and try to guess what we’re eating.
Our first course was a yummy soup with veggies, some kind of pasta or tofu, and a mysterious meat…maybe seafood (tentacles?). The second dish, also very yummy came with a ground veggie and meet bowl and little bread buns that you fill with the ground meet and eat like a taco. Then our third dish was a slightly spicy pepper, and meet dish served over a hot flame and tasted like taco seasoning, again yummy.
We were so impressed with our dishes we asked the server to write down what we had ordered in Chinese, and we later took it to our translator. Oh I couldn’t wait to see the cleaver name of our pork and veggie dishes. Sure enough we ordered pork.
Are you seated? To my surprise we had Pork intestines, yay!
“Mom what’s for dinner tonight?” “Well honey I thought we’d have some delicious pork intestine soup.” Yum. I should have known something was up when the witress was hesitant and giggled after we placed our order.
Horns and squeaky breaks. New York ain’t got nothin’ on this place. I’m sure you’ve heard the streets are crazy in China, but I had no idea just how bad it really is!
There is a bike wreck or fender bender every couple blocks, but rarely do you see people getting injured (except my traveling cohorts). Surprisingly, it works. People get around in a timely manner, and traffic flows. People in traffic (bicycle, bus or car) communicate very clearly. The bigger you are the more powerful you are. So buses always win, and when riding your bicycle you aim for the rear end of the car.
You know in those action movies or TV shows where there’s a chase scene and always a close call but somehow the cars, buses, people, road workers, dogs, and bassinets always seem to make way for the chase a split second before they plow right through them? Well, that’s how it’s done. You just go, don’t hold back, and lay on your horn (or bell -ling-ling-). And if you don’t have a bell or horn just slam on your breaks and either yell something at them or your old rusty breaks will make plenty of noise to make everyone aware your are there.
A daily commute for adrenaline junkies.
 
Every meal is a struggle to communicate. By the time they get you your food, you don’t even care if they’ve gotten it correctly.
One night we decided to stay in and eat at the restaurant in our hotel. I know what you’re thinking, eww no never eat at a hotel restaurant, but we were tired and thought it might be easier, maybe they’ll speak English.
Well we were wrong, nobody spoke English but luckily there where pictures on the menu. My stomach turns when I realize they only serve sea food! Those of you who know me, know I don’t even like tuna, or fish sticks let alone something with the head still attached.
So with my handy dandy translator I spell out Salmon (the one fish I do eat) and the waitress points at some picture on the menu (not salmon by the way) and we give up and agree. A few moments later she comes to our table just to make sure, and shows me a live fish flapping around in a bucket.
Well at least I know its fresh! They cooked it up with some herbs and spices, and served the fish whole….heart and all. Turns out, I like fish.
As the sun starts to peak over the park silk Tai Chi suits begin to appear. Apparently, Chinese people wake up really early and go to the park to practice Tai Chi and exercise. But here in Nanjing people like to sleep in, working to Alan’s benefit.
After many attempts to draw the attention of a Tai Chi master (however, drawing the attention of many other gazers) an older gentleman holding a sleeping toddler came and sat near us as Alan was practicing his Tai Chi form. He mumbled some Chinese to me, but shortly realized I had no clue what he was saying! Then he said “Tai Chi Quan?” “Yes,” I said excitingly, realizing he actually knew what Alan was doing.
He began to correct a few of Alan’s movements, and attempting to reinact them while still holding his sleeping child.
Before I get to far I must explain this popular cultural difference in regards to Chinese babies. Most babies are taught to go potty on demand! That’s right, at the hoot of a whistle these babies go…anywhere. To save money and help the environment, these children do not wear diapers, they wear pants with a slit in the crotch aka. “split pants”. It is completely normal to see someone (adult or child) using a wall or shrub as their personal toilet, and to see little boy butts running all over town. Like the traditionalist this gentleman was, his baby had split pants on. He turns to me, aims his baby towards me and says, “you can hold my baby.” I was stoked but could’nt help but wonder what if somebody went walking bye and whistled? Or if this kid wanted to express to me he needed to go, how would I know?
It was only a second until the baby realized I was not someone he had ever seen. But it was cute he just looked at me funny and made a little sound like “huh?” I proceeded to chase this kid all over the park while Alan was getting pointers from this gentleman. It may have been exhausting, but Alan got his practice and I got to hold a cute Chinese baby with split pants.
 
Here is s simple flip book courtesy of Josh fitz art .
Click on the bottom right corner and drag to see the next picture.
Flip Book
October 2009 was a special month for China, celebrating 60 years of Communism and the Harvest moon. During this time we were hiking the peeks of Yellow Mountain. Hours of magnificent hikes up endless stairs; it was speechless, painful and one of the hardest thing we’ve ever done.
Well we made it after a long flight, one night in Shanghai and a 4 hour bus ride.
All is well and clinic has started but everyday seems to bring a new adventure.
The weather started out hot and muggy but now the tempature has lowered a bit and the humidity backed off. I would say it’s cloudy but im not sure that we can see they sky and I have a hunch it’s smog. Weather.com says 72 ferinhiet and 80% humididty, so maybe we are also adaping a bit. We are now seeing signs of our bodies starting to adjust to the food and 15 hour time difference.
We did have a small scare as someone in our group got very ill and the H1N1 epidemic became all too possible. One person was quarantined and another had a brief flu. As of now we are all cleared and the near dead are recovering just fine.
The food has been nothing short of amazing and we all have eaten outside of our comfort zone. The hardest part about eating the food here is trying to describe it. many of the taste lack a western equivalent to compare although we all try.
Learning Chinese etiquette has been very fun as we fumble around. I try to impress Chinese strangers at every turn but I think it’s more entertainment for them. At this point I still am not totally comfortable with some of the norms here that would otherwise be socially frowned on back home. Such things as: spitting, nose picking, urinating in public and cutting in line can be seen every 2 feet. Having said that the Chinese deal with their overwhelming mass of people and traffic almost to the perfection of a school of fish. I don’t think I have seen but maybe one display of road rage so far.
We have bought bikes so that we can easily access all of the city that we need. Although they are very basic and cheap they fill our needs perfectly and the majority of the time seem to be the most effecient form of transportation.
So we will be in Nanjing for 1 more week and then it’s off to yellow mountain for a much needed r&r because we have been working soo hard  .
I will upload pictures later but for now you can access them @ http://therunaroundlive.com/china_pics.zip
enjoy and until next time,
zai jian
Alan
~Greetings~
I am a student at Oregon College of Oriental Medicine;
Who will be graduating in the fall and
moving back to the treasure valley in December.
I look forward to joining the acupuncture community in the Boise area!
Hope to hear from you in the near future.
Sincerely,
Stacey Kelsey
(503) 421-4586
staceykelseylac@gmail.com
Follow my trip to China through my blog at www.2tpcw.com
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