Greetings Friends!!!
Surprise! I’m writing much sooner than I intended as I had some
time this weekend before starting my Image Medicine studies with Grandmaster
Mingtang. 🙂
time this weekend before starting my Image Medicine studies with Grandmaster
Mingtang. 🙂
First, remember in my last update how I mentioned my amazing ride I
had on a tiny scooter with that little man and my huge luggage? Well a few days
ago when in Kunming, I called that “little man” with his “little
scooter” to see if he could do that tremendous feat again and take me and
my enormous bags to my bus to go to the airport. 🙂 Well, he was delighted to
hear from me, came right over on his scooter and we had a wonderful chat while
he took me to the bus. And, then to top it off, he said he wanted to give me a
free ride, as he was so pleased to have a new American friend. Oh my! I
insisted on paying but he said then he felt I was turning down the friendship
and to please accept his gift! Gosh, such generosity! 🙂 (see pic of us
below…you can’t even see his scooter, it’s so tiny and is behind us…but you can
see my big bags :))
had on a tiny scooter with that little man and my huge luggage? Well a few days
ago when in Kunming, I called that “little man” with his “little
scooter” to see if he could do that tremendous feat again and take me and
my enormous bags to my bus to go to the airport. 🙂 Well, he was delighted to
hear from me, came right over on his scooter and we had a wonderful chat while
he took me to the bus. And, then to top it off, he said he wanted to give me a
free ride, as he was so pleased to have a new American friend. Oh my! I
insisted on paying but he said then he felt I was turning down the friendship
and to please accept his gift! Gosh, such generosity! 🙂 (see pic of us
below…you can’t even see his scooter, it’s so tiny and is behind us…but you can
see my big bags :))
An Angel from
Barcelona
Barcelona
And then when I arrived in Beijing and was still on my way to my
hostel, I had another wonderful surprise :). I had made it quite far with my
HUGE bag and was feeling quite proud of myself, as I had hauled it from the
airport to the first subway train and on the stairs to the next subway. 🙂 Yet,
then when I was on my way out the subway station, I happened to look up my last
flight of stairs. Well, when I looked, my jaw must have dropped to my chest.
The stairs kept going up as far as I could see and beyond and the escalator
happened to be broken :(!! Oh no! And there’s no elevator. Well, just as I was
about to start the slow and tiring process of lifting my bag one stair at a
time, I heard a sweet voice behind me say in English, “Would you like some
help with that?” Well I turned around and it was a beautiful woman from
Barcelona :). She said she saw the expression on my face when I looked up the
staircase and then asked to help me! Oh so sweet!! With the 2 of us, we only
needed one rest break and made it pretty easily :).
hostel, I had another wonderful surprise :). I had made it quite far with my
HUGE bag and was feeling quite proud of myself, as I had hauled it from the
airport to the first subway train and on the stairs to the next subway. 🙂 Yet,
then when I was on my way out the subway station, I happened to look up my last
flight of stairs. Well, when I looked, my jaw must have dropped to my chest.
The stairs kept going up as far as I could see and beyond and the escalator
happened to be broken :(!! Oh no! And there’s no elevator. Well, just as I was
about to start the slow and tiring process of lifting my bag one stair at a
time, I heard a sweet voice behind me say in English, “Would you like some
help with that?” Well I turned around and it was a beautiful woman from
Barcelona :). She said she saw the expression on my face when I looked up the
staircase and then asked to help me! Oh so sweet!! With the 2 of us, we only
needed one rest break and made it pretty easily :).
Orange Curtains, Wavy
Stripes & the Sound of Music!
Stripes & the Sound of Music!
And then…when I got to my hostel (as I shared on Facebook and
I’ve included a couple pics below), I was so delighted to find the room they
gave me! It’s really cute, has 3 windows, is in the back of the building so
away from the busy street, is on the “quiet” floor and has orange
painted walls with red curtains and purple, blue, yellow and orange wavy
stripes! –oh this is perfect for me! 🙂 And…when I walked in the lobby the
night I arrived, guess which movie they were playing? The Sound of Music!!! My
all time favorite, and Maria was singing my favorite song, “I Have
Confidence..” 🙂
I’ve included a couple pics below), I was so delighted to find the room they
gave me! It’s really cute, has 3 windows, is in the back of the building so
away from the busy street, is on the “quiet” floor and has orange
painted walls with red curtains and purple, blue, yellow and orange wavy
stripes! –oh this is perfect for me! 🙂 And…when I walked in the lobby the
night I arrived, guess which movie they were playing? The Sound of Music!!! My
all time favorite, and Maria was singing my favorite song, “I Have
Confidence..” 🙂
Okay, so now I’m going to share with you all about when I flew to
Beijing in Oct to meet my parents and some of our adventures in Beijing as well
as with beloved Dr. Zhao and his family…and conclude with a hilarious story
from our Yunnan trekking trip 🙂 So…when my parents came. I was soooo excited!!
It was their first time in China!! Oh my goodness – this means so much to me.
As you know by now from reading my updates, that China (this includes the
language, culture, medicine, qigong, food –yummy!!, people, mountains, rivers,
etc) is a big part of me, my life and my life journey and evolution. While I’ve
shared countless pictures and stories with my parents about China, Taiwan and
my many adventures here, for them to actually be here and have their own
embodied experience, is truly precious….and in their own words, has been a
journey of a lifetime! 🙂 They also joined me on my 2nd Qigong & Wilderness
Trek with Szu-ting in Yunnan Province.
Beijing in Oct to meet my parents and some of our adventures in Beijing as well
as with beloved Dr. Zhao and his family…and conclude with a hilarious story
from our Yunnan trekking trip 🙂 So…when my parents came. I was soooo excited!!
It was their first time in China!! Oh my goodness – this means so much to me.
As you know by now from reading my updates, that China (this includes the
language, culture, medicine, qigong, food –yummy!!, people, mountains, rivers,
etc) is a big part of me, my life and my life journey and evolution. While I’ve
shared countless pictures and stories with my parents about China, Taiwan and
my many adventures here, for them to actually be here and have their own
embodied experience, is truly precious….and in their own words, has been a
journey of a lifetime! 🙂 They also joined me on my 2nd Qigong & Wilderness
Trek with Szu-ting in Yunnan Province.
My Parents Come to
Beijing, CHINA!
Beijing, CHINA!
Gosh it was soooo FUN to go pick my parents up at the airport (see
pic – they look soooooo happy, huh? :)) I woke up so super duper excited that
day that I started dancing around in my hotel room the morning before they arrived…and
thought…”What fun it would be to dance with all my friends!” So I made this
short dancing video to invite you all to dance with me :). (I posted it on
Facebook last month so some of you may have seen it). Here it is: Dancing
Joy in Beijing.
pic – they look soooooo happy, huh? :)) I woke up so super duper excited that
day that I started dancing around in my hotel room the morning before they arrived…and
thought…”What fun it would be to dance with all my friends!” So I made this
short dancing video to invite you all to dance with me :). (I posted it on
Facebook last month so some of you may have seen it). Here it is: Dancing
Joy in Beijing.
Our time in Beijing was super rich. I found us a cute hotel in the
heart of old Beijing, just north of Gugong (the Forbidden City and Tiananmen
Square) and right next to one of Beijing’s beautiful lakes, Houhai. As the
traffic in Beijing is horrible (and even that is an understatement!), we got
around in the delightful way of biking through the old alleyways. Oh it’s so
fun to bike around here (once you get used to “wu wei” “no way” (or really it
could be called “any way goes”) principles of traffic here and just make sure
to be super aware of your surroundings at all times (no day dreaming allowed
when driving or biking in China! :)) Mom was intrigued with the parks and
groups of dancing elder women we peddled passed in the morning, and Rick and I
soon found yummy “old Beijing” yogurt to sip on. This is yogurt that’s sold in
little clay bottles at most little alley way shops that you happily sip and
then when done, return to any little shop to be washed and reused.
heart of old Beijing, just north of Gugong (the Forbidden City and Tiananmen
Square) and right next to one of Beijing’s beautiful lakes, Houhai. As the
traffic in Beijing is horrible (and even that is an understatement!), we got
around in the delightful way of biking through the old alleyways. Oh it’s so
fun to bike around here (once you get used to “wu wei” “no way” (or really it
could be called “any way goes”) principles of traffic here and just make sure
to be super aware of your surroundings at all times (no day dreaming allowed
when driving or biking in China! :)) Mom was intrigued with the parks and
groups of dancing elder women we peddled passed in the morning, and Rick and I
soon found yummy “old Beijing” yogurt to sip on. This is yogurt that’s sold in
little clay bottles at most little alley way shops that you happily sip and
then when done, return to any little shop to be washed and reused.
Earth Wisdom Expressed in
the Forbidden City
the Forbidden City
So we continued peddling on our journey that day to the Forbidden
City, a massively impressive city with over 600 years of history and home to 4
dynasties (I may not be remembering all my facts correctly from our tour so
please forgive any slight inaccuracies…). I am amazed with the immense
intention and precision with which this city was built. It is built honoring
the 4 directions with huge gates in all directions, South
City, a massively impressive city with over 600 years of history and home to 4
dynasties (I may not be remembering all my facts correctly from our tour so
please forgive any slight inaccuracies…). I am amazed with the immense
intention and precision with which this city was built. It is built honoring
the 4 directions with huge gates in all directions, South
– which opens to the vast Tiananmen Square and picture of Mao
ZeDong – a portrait that we learned is completely replaced each year and hung
on October 1, the country’s national day where 63 years ago, Mao announced the
beginning of the People’s Republic of China. It has a gate in the North, opening
to the beautiful Jing Shan Park, and gates to the East and West. Opening into
the first courtyard/square are 5 archways – the middle and biggest, only for
the Emperor to pass through…and his wife the Empress on their wedding day.
There are 5 bridges over the “jin shui” river “golden river,” so named as it
flows from the West, carrying the golden rays of the sunshine. And the 5
bridges are symbolic in honoring the 5 elements, wood, metal, water, fire…and
the 5th element that is always underneath and grounds us, the Earth.
ZeDong – a portrait that we learned is completely replaced each year and hung
on October 1, the country’s national day where 63 years ago, Mao announced the
beginning of the People’s Republic of China. It has a gate in the North, opening
to the beautiful Jing Shan Park, and gates to the East and West. Opening into
the first courtyard/square are 5 archways – the middle and biggest, only for
the Emperor to pass through…and his wife the Empress on their wedding day.
There are 5 bridges over the “jin shui” river “golden river,” so named as it
flows from the West, carrying the golden rays of the sunshine. And the 5
bridges are symbolic in honoring the 5 elements, wood, metal, water, fire…and
the 5th element that is always underneath and grounds us, the Earth.
Symbols of dragons and the phoenix abound. The dragon is a symbol
of the Emperor and the phoenix, the Empress. The two together bring harmony.
And harmony is emphasized all throughout the city, with numerous inner gateways
and buildings carrying names such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of
Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Each hall has a specific
purpose – such as one of the halls (I don’t remember which one now :)) is where
the emperor would go to make his most important choices. Even though history is
other than a display of harmony, to see it emphasized so deeply within this
Emperors’ city and to see so much symbolism of the wisdom of looking to Earth,
to Nature for guidance on how to live the wise way, how to find the way of Life
and Harmony for the country and its people, was quite moving.
of the Emperor and the phoenix, the Empress. The two together bring harmony.
And harmony is emphasized all throughout the city, with numerous inner gateways
and buildings carrying names such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of
Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Each hall has a specific
purpose – such as one of the halls (I don’t remember which one now :)) is where
the emperor would go to make his most important choices. Even though history is
other than a display of harmony, to see it emphasized so deeply within this
Emperors’ city and to see so much symbolism of the wisdom of looking to Earth,
to Nature for guidance on how to live the wise way, how to find the way of Life
and Harmony for the country and its people, was quite moving.
Earth…our Reference, our
Grounding as Reflected in the Chinese Language
Grounding as Reflected in the Chinese Language
Also, in a conversation I had with one of my friends in Yunnan and
then again with our guide on our day in the Forbidden City, we started ‘waking’
up to the meaning of the names of many of China’s cities and provinces. Many,
many of China’s place names are in reference to either direction and/or
physical features of the Earth or Sky in that area. For example, Yunnan is the
land of the Southern Clouds. Sichuan is the land of the Four Rivers (there are
4 major rivers running through that province). Qinghai is land of the
Blue/green Ocean waters, home to one of the world’s largest lakes and the largest
salt-water lake in China. Henan (home of beloved Dr. Zhao :)) translates as the
land of the Southern River. Hebei is the land of the Northern River. Hunan is
the land of the Southern Lake. Jiangxi is the land of the Western River.
Shandong is the land of the Eastern Mountains. Shanxi is the land of the
Western Mountains….and I could go on and on. Most of these lands are named in
reference to direction and the geography of the Earth, recognizing our inherent
connection to the land, habitat and waters we come from.
then again with our guide on our day in the Forbidden City, we started ‘waking’
up to the meaning of the names of many of China’s cities and provinces. Many,
many of China’s place names are in reference to either direction and/or
physical features of the Earth or Sky in that area. For example, Yunnan is the
land of the Southern Clouds. Sichuan is the land of the Four Rivers (there are
4 major rivers running through that province). Qinghai is land of the
Blue/green Ocean waters, home to one of the world’s largest lakes and the largest
salt-water lake in China. Henan (home of beloved Dr. Zhao :)) translates as the
land of the Southern River. Hebei is the land of the Northern River. Hunan is
the land of the Southern Lake. Jiangxi is the land of the Western River.
Shandong is the land of the Eastern Mountains. Shanxi is the land of the
Western Mountains….and I could go on and on. Most of these lands are named in
reference to direction and the geography of the Earth, recognizing our inherent
connection to the land, habitat and waters we come from.
Come Meet Me in “Black
Sesame Alley” 🙂
Sesame Alley” 🙂
So I could say so much more about our adventures in Beijing, our
time hiking on the Great Wall, our visit with Grandmaster Mingtang at
Kundawell, and our dinners with my dear friend Yajun (she also came with us to
Kundawell and we were both surprised that Grandmaster Mingtang remembered her
from 7 years ago when she dropped me off to meet him to go to Shaolin :)!) When
Yajun came to meet up with my Mom, Rick and me, we were all on bikes and she
had come via bus…so I had her hop on and ride on the back of my bike while we
went to Kundawell. Yajun giggled the whole way as our ride reminded her of how
she used to do this all the time with her childhood friends. She also laughed
thinking that it must look quite hilarious to have a foreigner taking a Chinese
around on the back of her bike! 🙂 Oh and I also found one of “my alleys!” It’s
an alley (hutong) that I found off of the famous Nanluoguxiang Alley…in Beijing
called “Heizhima Hutong” “black sesame alley way.” Yay! Black sesame is one of
my Favorite foods!! :).
time hiking on the Great Wall, our visit with Grandmaster Mingtang at
Kundawell, and our dinners with my dear friend Yajun (she also came with us to
Kundawell and we were both surprised that Grandmaster Mingtang remembered her
from 7 years ago when she dropped me off to meet him to go to Shaolin :)!) When
Yajun came to meet up with my Mom, Rick and me, we were all on bikes and she
had come via bus…so I had her hop on and ride on the back of my bike while we
went to Kundawell. Yajun giggled the whole way as our ride reminded her of how
she used to do this all the time with her childhood friends. She also laughed
thinking that it must look quite hilarious to have a foreigner taking a Chinese
around on the back of her bike! 🙂 Oh and I also found one of “my alleys!” It’s
an alley (hutong) that I found off of the famous Nanluoguxiang Alley…in Beijing
called “Heizhima Hutong” “black sesame alley way.” Yay! Black sesame is one of
my Favorite foods!! :).
Kailun is Back!
So after a few days in Beijing, my parents and I took the train
from Beijing to Zhengzhou…and what a joyous reunion to be back with Dr. Zhao
and his family!! YAY!!! We were all so happy to be together again!! Both Dr.
Zhao and his lovely wife were eagerly awaiting and waving to us as we came up
to the South Gate of the Zhengzhou train station. Dr. Zhao dropped Ayi off to
start making a most delicious dinner for us while he took us to our hotel to
get checked in. I think I explained this in my blog from my last trip to
Zhengzhou in the Spring of 2010, that my last time staying at this hotel, I was
basically treated as a Queen. They gave me such a beautiful room for much less
than the regular price, fed me the most delicious breakfast each day, AND also
made an exception for me to eat dinner at night with the staff after I came
back from my days in the clinic with Dr. Zhao. And, if I was as much as 5-7
mins late for my dinner with them, they were afraid I wouldn’t have enough to
eat and would go back into the kitchen and make additional yummy plates of
fresh stir-fried greens, tofu, etc!! AND….they would also sometimes surprise me
with the most beautiful plates of freshly and beautifully cut fruits!! I had
also become friends with many of the staff people, as I was probably the
longest guest they had ever had, as I lived there for 2 months! 🙂 Well, on a
side note, when I had called to make reservations for me and my parents to stay
there for this visit, when they asked for my name, I gave my Chinese name, Fu
Kailun. Well, the fellow on the phone said, “Oh! Ni shi Kailun! Ni yao hui
lai!” “Oh, you’re Kailun! You’re coming back!” 🙂
from Beijing to Zhengzhou…and what a joyous reunion to be back with Dr. Zhao
and his family!! YAY!!! We were all so happy to be together again!! Both Dr.
Zhao and his lovely wife were eagerly awaiting and waving to us as we came up
to the South Gate of the Zhengzhou train station. Dr. Zhao dropped Ayi off to
start making a most delicious dinner for us while he took us to our hotel to
get checked in. I think I explained this in my blog from my last trip to
Zhengzhou in the Spring of 2010, that my last time staying at this hotel, I was
basically treated as a Queen. They gave me such a beautiful room for much less
than the regular price, fed me the most delicious breakfast each day, AND also
made an exception for me to eat dinner at night with the staff after I came
back from my days in the clinic with Dr. Zhao. And, if I was as much as 5-7
mins late for my dinner with them, they were afraid I wouldn’t have enough to
eat and would go back into the kitchen and make additional yummy plates of
fresh stir-fried greens, tofu, etc!! AND….they would also sometimes surprise me
with the most beautiful plates of freshly and beautifully cut fruits!! I had
also become friends with many of the staff people, as I was probably the
longest guest they had ever had, as I lived there for 2 months! 🙂 Well, on a
side note, when I had called to make reservations for me and my parents to stay
there for this visit, when they asked for my name, I gave my Chinese name, Fu
Kailun. Well, the fellow on the phone said, “Oh! Ni shi Kailun! Ni yao hui
lai!” “Oh, you’re Kailun! You’re coming back!” 🙂
So in coming back this time, although most of the staff I had known
before have left, we were still treated so wonderfully!! Dr. Zhao again
reminded me that this good fortune was due to his good relations with many
people. In China, getting things done often comes down to the power of “guanxi”
– basically your relations, your networks, who you know and how you’re known.
Dr. Zhao has a wide circle of many friends, and many, many people who deeply
respect him, his mastery, his profession, and who he is as a human being. Well
in this case of our “hotel good fortune,” Dr. Zhao is friends with a policeman
who happens to be good friends with the owner of this hotel. Two years ago Dr.
Zhao called on his policeman friend to help find me a place to stay, who then
in turn turned to this hotel owner, “Wang laoban” – literally meaning “Boss
Wang” (I’ll refer to him as Mr. Wang). I
never met Mr. Wang last time I was in China, but this time, Dr. Zhao said I was
to meet him and helped guide me on preparing some appropriate gifts. So that
day, after checking into our rooms, Dr. Zhao said we were to go to the 5th
floor to meet Mr. Wang…and I was to bring my gifts.
before have left, we were still treated so wonderfully!! Dr. Zhao again
reminded me that this good fortune was due to his good relations with many
people. In China, getting things done often comes down to the power of “guanxi”
– basically your relations, your networks, who you know and how you’re known.
Dr. Zhao has a wide circle of many friends, and many, many people who deeply
respect him, his mastery, his profession, and who he is as a human being. Well
in this case of our “hotel good fortune,” Dr. Zhao is friends with a policeman
who happens to be good friends with the owner of this hotel. Two years ago Dr.
Zhao called on his policeman friend to help find me a place to stay, who then
in turn turned to this hotel owner, “Wang laoban” – literally meaning “Boss
Wang” (I’ll refer to him as Mr. Wang). I
never met Mr. Wang last time I was in China, but this time, Dr. Zhao said I was
to meet him and helped guide me on preparing some appropriate gifts. So that
day, after checking into our rooms, Dr. Zhao said we were to go to the 5th
floor to meet Mr. Wang…and I was to bring my gifts.
Meet Mr. Wang ~ a Man of
Amazing Generosity
Amazing Generosity
I felt a bit nervous but was also excited to be able to thank him
in person. We went upstairs and entered a big rooftop room that was empty
except for a table, chair, computer…and Mr. Wang! He immediately stood up with
a huge smile, and warmly and sincerely greeted me and Dr. Zhao. While I was the
one who felt I should be bending over backwards to thank him for all he did for
me 2 years ago…and again for the wonderful rooms they’re providing for me and
my parents this time at an amazing rate, he immediately went into saying how
happy they were to have me back and to have my parents here. If we needed
ANYTHING, to let him know; that he was going to arrange the kitchen staff to
wake up and come to work 1/2 hour early the next morning to make sure we could
eat breakfast before we left for a day’s outing with Dr. Zhao to Shaolin,
and…that rest assured, when we were to leave, he would make sure our ride to
the airport was taken care of! WOW!! I was barely able to squeak out an
enthusiastic hello and greeting before he told me all this, let alone give him
the gifts I had brought! I felt like I was a movie star or something! I am
again so deeply moved by the sincere warmth and generosity of these amazing
people around me!!!
in person. We went upstairs and entered a big rooftop room that was empty
except for a table, chair, computer…and Mr. Wang! He immediately stood up with
a huge smile, and warmly and sincerely greeted me and Dr. Zhao. While I was the
one who felt I should be bending over backwards to thank him for all he did for
me 2 years ago…and again for the wonderful rooms they’re providing for me and
my parents this time at an amazing rate, he immediately went into saying how
happy they were to have me back and to have my parents here. If we needed
ANYTHING, to let him know; that he was going to arrange the kitchen staff to
wake up and come to work 1/2 hour early the next morning to make sure we could
eat breakfast before we left for a day’s outing with Dr. Zhao to Shaolin,
and…that rest assured, when we were to leave, he would make sure our ride to
the airport was taken care of! WOW!! I was barely able to squeak out an
enthusiastic hello and greeting before he told me all this, let alone give him
the gifts I had brought! I felt like I was a movie star or something! I am
again so deeply moved by the sincere warmth and generosity of these amazing
people around me!!!
Love as Family…Until We
Become Family
Become Family
And this generosity just continued through our whole visit. Our
first night, after my brief yet wonderful meeting with Mr. Wang, Dr. Zhao took
us back to have a most delicious home-cooked meal with Ayi. Really, Chinese
food is AMAZINGLY delicious, and when you have the honor to eat a home-cooked
meal (and Ayi made it all with vegetables she and Dr. Zhao grew themselves), it
is a most wonderful treat. While eating (and several times during our visit),
Dr. Zhao exclaimed how wonderful it is to be family. No matter that we have
different governments, different cultures, different languages, and live on
different sides of the planet, what a most amazing gift it is to love each
other as family…and we have now become family. One of my dear guides, friends
and mentors, Mick, also known as Barefoot Sensei often reminds me when training
with him in the mountains, to “Run as the Mountain, until you become the
Mountain”. Here we began loving each other as family, until we became family.
first night, after my brief yet wonderful meeting with Mr. Wang, Dr. Zhao took
us back to have a most delicious home-cooked meal with Ayi. Really, Chinese
food is AMAZINGLY delicious, and when you have the honor to eat a home-cooked
meal (and Ayi made it all with vegetables she and Dr. Zhao grew themselves), it
is a most wonderful treat. While eating (and several times during our visit),
Dr. Zhao exclaimed how wonderful it is to be family. No matter that we have
different governments, different cultures, different languages, and live on
different sides of the planet, what a most amazing gift it is to love each
other as family…and we have now become family. One of my dear guides, friends
and mentors, Mick, also known as Barefoot Sensei often reminds me when training
with him in the mountains, to “Run as the Mountain, until you become the
Mountain”. Here we began loving each other as family, until we became family.
The Gift of Being Called
a “Foolish Cow”
a “Foolish Cow”
We were also laughing at how Dr. Zhao and Ayi, since my last visit
with him in 2010, like to call me “sha niu”. I think I also mentioned this in
my last blog, yet at the time I didn’t really understand the depth and heart of
this term. I actually didn’t get it at all until this past summer when they
were visiting in Seattle and then we all had a real good belly laugh! Basically,
“sha niu” is a term of endearment and is one that is often only used lovingly
with one’s daughter or granddaughter (similar to some of our terms of
endearment, such as “sweetie,” “sugar pie,” “sweet pea,” “honey buns”, etc).
The fact that they were calling me “sha niu” really pointed to and was a way
they were expressing their love for me and their view of me a another daughter
in their family. Well…the literal translation of these two words is “foolish
cow” …or what in English we would say “silly girl” as ‘niu’ can sometimes refer
to a girl. So each time Dr. Zhao or Ayi used this term when referring to me in
the past, I would actually get a bit upset. I would almost always adamantly and
immediately respond with “Bu sha!” (basically, “not foolish!!”) And while I
often smiled when saying it, inside I was frankly upset! Why were they calling
me stupid?! 🙁 It wasn’t until this past summer when Dr Zhao and Ayi were
visiting that they realized I was upset when they said this, and they then
thoroughly explained the sweetness of this term and that they love me as a
daughter. Wow! So now when they still continue to call me “sha niu”, I get to
both receive the sweetness of their meaning and…we still often enjoy a good
laugh too! 🙂
with him in 2010, like to call me “sha niu”. I think I also mentioned this in
my last blog, yet at the time I didn’t really understand the depth and heart of
this term. I actually didn’t get it at all until this past summer when they
were visiting in Seattle and then we all had a real good belly laugh! Basically,
“sha niu” is a term of endearment and is one that is often only used lovingly
with one’s daughter or granddaughter (similar to some of our terms of
endearment, such as “sweetie,” “sugar pie,” “sweet pea,” “honey buns”, etc).
The fact that they were calling me “sha niu” really pointed to and was a way
they were expressing their love for me and their view of me a another daughter
in their family. Well…the literal translation of these two words is “foolish
cow” …or what in English we would say “silly girl” as ‘niu’ can sometimes refer
to a girl. So each time Dr. Zhao or Ayi used this term when referring to me in
the past, I would actually get a bit upset. I would almost always adamantly and
immediately respond with “Bu sha!” (basically, “not foolish!!”) And while I
often smiled when saying it, inside I was frankly upset! Why were they calling
me stupid?! 🙁 It wasn’t until this past summer when Dr Zhao and Ayi were
visiting that they realized I was upset when they said this, and they then
thoroughly explained the sweetness of this term and that they love me as a
daughter. Wow! So now when they still continue to call me “sha niu”, I get to
both receive the sweetness of their meaning and…we still often enjoy a good
laugh too! 🙂
Hiking Song Mt. by
Shaolin Monastery ~ a 2 Billion Year Old Natural Geological Museum
Shaolin Monastery ~ a 2 Billion Year Old Natural Geological Museum
After our delicious dinner, Dr. Zhao took us back to the hotel for
an early rest before our next day of adventuring in the Shaolin Mountains. He
arrived bright and early with one of those “mian bao che” “loaf-of-bread cars”
with Junling’s father-in-law driving (I call him Gugu) and Ayi and Junling’s
mother-in-law all smiling and awaiting us with warm greetings when we hopped
in. This day was amazing, and Rick, my step father who is a talented photographer,
said this was one of the, if not the most beautiful hike he’s ever been on.
While I had been on part of this hike while studying with Grandmaster Mingtang
in Shaolin (as the trail starts by the Shaolin Monastery), I had never hiked
all the way through to the other side of the mountain. This day, Dr. Zhao took
us to the other side of the mountain to start our hike, a hike with 7,398 steps
through ancient stone over 2 billion years old, a natural geological museum.
(See pics below of this amazing place!)
an early rest before our next day of adventuring in the Shaolin Mountains. He
arrived bright and early with one of those “mian bao che” “loaf-of-bread cars”
with Junling’s father-in-law driving (I call him Gugu) and Ayi and Junling’s
mother-in-law all smiling and awaiting us with warm greetings when we hopped
in. This day was amazing, and Rick, my step father who is a talented photographer,
said this was one of the, if not the most beautiful hike he’s ever been on.
While I had been on part of this hike while studying with Grandmaster Mingtang
in Shaolin (as the trail starts by the Shaolin Monastery), I had never hiked
all the way through to the other side of the mountain. This day, Dr. Zhao took
us to the other side of the mountain to start our hike, a hike with 7,398 steps
through ancient stone over 2 billion years old, a natural geological museum.
(See pics below of this amazing place!)
In the middle of our hike, we stopped for a brief lunch and were
shown yet another act of wonderful generosity and kindness. Once we sat down,
Gugu, Junling’s father-in-law pulled out a rather large and heavy plastic bag
from his backpack – something he had been secretly carrying up all these 1,000s
of steps on this mountain. He smiled while handing the bag to me saying in
Chinese, “Kailun, this is from Junling.” It was a bag with many different types
of my favorite Chinese candy! – Shanzha – Hawthorn berry! 🙂 Oh my gosh! Still
after 2.5 years, she remembered that I love these candies and even thought to
have her Dad haul enough candy to last me 2 months up this mountain for a
surprise! 🙂 She also, even though she works with Dr. Zhao in his herbal clinic
6-days a week and is away from her home from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, somehow
also found time to make a wonderful snack I can eat (as Henan is known for it’s
breads, noodles, steamed buns, dumplings….anything and everything
gluten-filled, which sadly means I cannot eat many of these snacks as I’m
allergic to gluten 🙁 …). She also made it with my step dad’s health in mind as
he was starting to come down with a cold. It was pancake-like fried bread made
with fresh corn flour (no wheat) and sautéed dandelion leaves! And it was
sooooo delicious! I always see people eating all these amazing fried bread
treats which I can only enjoy vicariously…and now, my dear friend, Junling,
made me something I could eat, and something to help Rick clear the “heat” in
his body and help his cold flu go away. 🙂
shown yet another act of wonderful generosity and kindness. Once we sat down,
Gugu, Junling’s father-in-law pulled out a rather large and heavy plastic bag
from his backpack – something he had been secretly carrying up all these 1,000s
of steps on this mountain. He smiled while handing the bag to me saying in
Chinese, “Kailun, this is from Junling.” It was a bag with many different types
of my favorite Chinese candy! – Shanzha – Hawthorn berry! 🙂 Oh my gosh! Still
after 2.5 years, she remembered that I love these candies and even thought to
have her Dad haul enough candy to last me 2 months up this mountain for a
surprise! 🙂 She also, even though she works with Dr. Zhao in his herbal clinic
6-days a week and is away from her home from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. each day, somehow
also found time to make a wonderful snack I can eat (as Henan is known for it’s
breads, noodles, steamed buns, dumplings….anything and everything
gluten-filled, which sadly means I cannot eat many of these snacks as I’m
allergic to gluten 🙁 …). She also made it with my step dad’s health in mind as
he was starting to come down with a cold. It was pancake-like fried bread made
with fresh corn flour (no wheat) and sautéed dandelion leaves! And it was
sooooo delicious! I always see people eating all these amazing fried bread
treats which I can only enjoy vicariously…and now, my dear friend, Junling,
made me something I could eat, and something to help Rick clear the “heat” in
his body and help his cold flu go away. 🙂
Back to the Clinic!
One of our days in Zhengzhou, I went to the clinic with my Mom to
show her where Dr. Zhao does his “magic”, works his Mastery with so many, many
patients who come from around the country to see him. His clinic is small and
humble, yet the love, harmony, and what some consider healing miracles that
happen for many are profound. My Mom was thrilled to finally see the clinic
she’s heard much about and seen pics of, and also exclaimed, “How does anyone
find him here?” China is so big, and the clinic is small. There is only a small
wooden sign outside Dr. Zhao’s clinic door; no sign from the street or arrows
pointing to his clinic in the alleyways. Yet, even so, people have a way of
doing whatever it takes to find a good doctor. 🙂
show her where Dr. Zhao does his “magic”, works his Mastery with so many, many
patients who come from around the country to see him. His clinic is small and
humble, yet the love, harmony, and what some consider healing miracles that
happen for many are profound. My Mom was thrilled to finally see the clinic
she’s heard much about and seen pics of, and also exclaimed, “How does anyone
find him here?” China is so big, and the clinic is small. There is only a small
wooden sign outside Dr. Zhao’s clinic door; no sign from the street or arrows
pointing to his clinic in the alleyways. Yet, even so, people have a way of
doing whatever it takes to find a good doctor. 🙂
Junling needed to work during our days of touring, as there is
always a steady stream of people coming for herbs. Therefore, this day was also
a time for me to see one of my “sisters!” 🙂 My other “sister,” Lijun was away
taking care of her mother who was in the hospital at the time of our visit (she
is all better now, though and has reclaimed her good health :)). Well I only
had time to give her a brief hug, present her with a few small
gifts…and…clients started coming and she was swiftly back to work filling
herbal prescriptions. Oh dear! I really wanted to help, yet I was also
terrified of looking like a fool as it had been 2.5 years since I had measured
herbs with that little, yet precise Chinese scale, let alone try to find the herbs
from those tiny labeled wooden drawers holding over 400 herbs! Plus, my Mom was
there….AND, if I were to help out and then look like I had no idea what I was
doing, that would be too embarrassing! But as more herbal prescriptions needed
to be filled, I stepped behind the counter and asked if I could help, if
Junling and Ayi would kindly remind me how to use the scale. I was again amazed
at their patience with me, and there was no such judgment like, “Geez! Don’t
you remember?!” Junling just got the scale that I had used 2.5 years ago and
reminded me how to use it. “Oh yes,” I thought, “I remember. This will be
easy.”
always a steady stream of people coming for herbs. Therefore, this day was also
a time for me to see one of my “sisters!” 🙂 My other “sister,” Lijun was away
taking care of her mother who was in the hospital at the time of our visit (she
is all better now, though and has reclaimed her good health :)). Well I only
had time to give her a brief hug, present her with a few small
gifts…and…clients started coming and she was swiftly back to work filling
herbal prescriptions. Oh dear! I really wanted to help, yet I was also
terrified of looking like a fool as it had been 2.5 years since I had measured
herbs with that little, yet precise Chinese scale, let alone try to find the herbs
from those tiny labeled wooden drawers holding over 400 herbs! Plus, my Mom was
there….AND, if I were to help out and then look like I had no idea what I was
doing, that would be too embarrassing! But as more herbal prescriptions needed
to be filled, I stepped behind the counter and asked if I could help, if
Junling and Ayi would kindly remind me how to use the scale. I was again amazed
at their patience with me, and there was no such judgment like, “Geez! Don’t
you remember?!” Junling just got the scale that I had used 2.5 years ago and
reminded me how to use it. “Oh yes,” I thought, “I remember. This will be
easy.”
Uhummm….Re-learning the
Art of Measuring Chinese Herbs
Art of Measuring Chinese Herbs
Well then Junling gave me my first task for this prescription to be
filled…20 grams of pugongying , dandelion greens for 5 bags of herbs. Easy enough. So I proceeded to measure out 60
grams for filling the first 3 bags. I turned around to face the counter and the
square sheets of paper onto which we put the measured the herbs. I began taking
off some of the dandelion greens onto the first square piece of paper. So, if I
have 60 grams of greens and 20 go in each bag, that means that once my scale
shows 40 grams of dandelion greens remaining, I have successfully put 20 grams
in the first bag. At that point, I can move on to measuring another 20 grams,
for the 2nd bag, etc. It’s really quite simple, except I kept taking
off more and more dandelion greens and the measurement wasn’t getting close to
40 grams! Oh dear! At this point, my face is starting to turn red as I realize
I have less then ½ of the 60 grams of herbs left on my scale and yet I’m still
putting herbs in the first bag. 🙁 The woman whose prescription I was helping
to fill, and her family were all there too, as well as my Mom, all watching me
closely. So I realize I can either pretend I know what I’m doing and
everything’s fine and risk this woman having the wrong amount of herbs (which
is NOT an option), or I say something and admit I’m not succeeding with this
apparently very simple task. So I lean over to Junling and say something isn’t
right here and that basically “wo you fan cuowu” “I’ve once again made another
mistake.” (Note from my last blogs of my time with Dr. Zhao, I became notorious
for my many mistakes….fortunately ones we could all laugh about afterwards! :))
filled…20 grams of pugongying , dandelion greens for 5 bags of herbs. Easy enough. So I proceeded to measure out 60
grams for filling the first 3 bags. I turned around to face the counter and the
square sheets of paper onto which we put the measured the herbs. I began taking
off some of the dandelion greens onto the first square piece of paper. So, if I
have 60 grams of greens and 20 go in each bag, that means that once my scale
shows 40 grams of dandelion greens remaining, I have successfully put 20 grams
in the first bag. At that point, I can move on to measuring another 20 grams,
for the 2nd bag, etc. It’s really quite simple, except I kept taking
off more and more dandelion greens and the measurement wasn’t getting close to
40 grams! Oh dear! At this point, my face is starting to turn red as I realize
I have less then ½ of the 60 grams of herbs left on my scale and yet I’m still
putting herbs in the first bag. 🙁 The woman whose prescription I was helping
to fill, and her family were all there too, as well as my Mom, all watching me
closely. So I realize I can either pretend I know what I’m doing and
everything’s fine and risk this woman having the wrong amount of herbs (which
is NOT an option), or I say something and admit I’m not succeeding with this
apparently very simple task. So I lean over to Junling and say something isn’t
right here and that basically “wo you fan cuowu” “I’ve once again made another
mistake.” (Note from my last blogs of my time with Dr. Zhao, I became notorious
for my many mistakes….fortunately ones we could all laugh about afterwards! :))
Well, Junling, bless her heart, came over to me to assess the
scene. She calmly picked out all the dandelion leaves from the bag of herbs and
then looked at my scale. I was quite embarrassed at this point….feeling I had
thoroughly failed on such a simple task! BUT…then in looking at my scale,
Junling said, “Oh! Zhege buxing. Wo yao huan gei ni biede.” “Oh! This scale
isn’t working. I’ll get you another one to use.” I can’t tell you how relieved
I felt to hear her say this! I think my face went from beet red back to normal
in a mere matter of seconds. 🙂
scene. She calmly picked out all the dandelion leaves from the bag of herbs and
then looked at my scale. I was quite embarrassed at this point….feeling I had
thoroughly failed on such a simple task! BUT…then in looking at my scale,
Junling said, “Oh! Zhege buxing. Wo yao huan gei ni biede.” “Oh! This scale
isn’t working. I’ll get you another one to use.” I can’t tell you how relieved
I felt to hear her say this! I think my face went from beet red back to normal
in a mere matter of seconds. 🙂
A Thanksgiving Lunch
Later on that same day, I had planned a meal with Dr. Zhao’s help.
I really wanted to do something to express my sincere gratitude, thanks and
love for Dr. Zhao, his amazing family, Mr. Wang and Dr. Zhao’s policeman
friend. So he helped me arrange a lunch for everyone to come to….Ayi, Dr. Zhao,
Junling, her whole family, Mr. Wang and his policeman friend (gosh, I should
really remember his name! :(..) Well, but in China, I think especially being a
foreigner, sometimes it’s quite challenging to do something like this – even
taking one’s Chinese friends/family out to a meal…as they often still find a
way to turn it around and take you out instead! For example for this meal, Mr.
Wang ended up asking Dr. Zhao if he could get all the dishes ordered himself to
make sure they were done well (we were to have the lunch at his hotel
restaurant). “Okay,” I thought…but I told Dr. Zhao to make sure Mr. Wang knew
this was MY treat. I was taking them out to lunch. Dr. Zhao smiled and called
Mr. Wang. Dr. Zhao said basically Mr. Wang would only allow me to pay the basic
cost of some of the veggies and dishes, not the retail cost….nor to mention the
French wine he ended up bringing too! OMGoodness! So what was to be my treat,
ended up being yet another amazing act of generosity on the part of Mr. Wang!
🙂 He did let me contribute some…maybe only enough to cover our appetizers!
I really wanted to do something to express my sincere gratitude, thanks and
love for Dr. Zhao, his amazing family, Mr. Wang and Dr. Zhao’s policeman
friend. So he helped me arrange a lunch for everyone to come to….Ayi, Dr. Zhao,
Junling, her whole family, Mr. Wang and his policeman friend (gosh, I should
really remember his name! :(..) Well, but in China, I think especially being a
foreigner, sometimes it’s quite challenging to do something like this – even
taking one’s Chinese friends/family out to a meal…as they often still find a
way to turn it around and take you out instead! For example for this meal, Mr.
Wang ended up asking Dr. Zhao if he could get all the dishes ordered himself to
make sure they were done well (we were to have the lunch at his hotel
restaurant). “Okay,” I thought…but I told Dr. Zhao to make sure Mr. Wang knew
this was MY treat. I was taking them out to lunch. Dr. Zhao smiled and called
Mr. Wang. Dr. Zhao said basically Mr. Wang would only allow me to pay the basic
cost of some of the veggies and dishes, not the retail cost….nor to mention the
French wine he ended up bringing too! OMGoodness! So what was to be my treat,
ended up being yet another amazing act of generosity on the part of Mr. Wang!
🙂 He did let me contribute some…maybe only enough to cover our appetizers!
Opening Doors and Warming
Hearts
Hearts
Well this lunch that we had was so very special. I was doing a lot
of translating as my parents were there too. Mr. Wang was telling us more about
the many things he does. He has been extremely successful in many different
ventures and has does business with many foreign countries. He is also an
excellent chief and used to have his own restaurant. One of the dishes was an
excellent egg dish (and I’m not remembering the details of it now except it was
DELICIOUS) that he said he created himself. He said I wouldn’t find it anywhere
else in China :). And one of his business ventures is selling a certain type of
automatic door for big hotels, or other businesses main entry ways. When my Mom
heard this, her face lit up and she said how fitting of him to be in this business
because on the spiritual side he is doing the same thing. With his big generous
heart, he “opens doors” for people in a way where they feel so welcomed, loved
and graciously taken care of. Gosh, when I translated this for Mr. Wang, he
paused a moment, let this new information sink in, and a deep-seated smile came
over him and his being. So beautiful.
of translating as my parents were there too. Mr. Wang was telling us more about
the many things he does. He has been extremely successful in many different
ventures and has does business with many foreign countries. He is also an
excellent chief and used to have his own restaurant. One of the dishes was an
excellent egg dish (and I’m not remembering the details of it now except it was
DELICIOUS) that he said he created himself. He said I wouldn’t find it anywhere
else in China :). And one of his business ventures is selling a certain type of
automatic door for big hotels, or other businesses main entry ways. When my Mom
heard this, her face lit up and she said how fitting of him to be in this business
because on the spiritual side he is doing the same thing. With his big generous
heart, he “opens doors” for people in a way where they feel so welcomed, loved
and graciously taken care of. Gosh, when I translated this for Mr. Wang, he
paused a moment, let this new information sink in, and a deep-seated smile came
over him and his being. So beautiful.
Treasure of Friendship
&… a Possible New Destiny for America & China
&… a Possible New Destiny for America & China
It was also delightful to hear and witness once again how much
beloved Dr. Zhao is admired and respected among his peers and community. Both
Mr. Wang and his policeman friend again expounded on how much they sincerely
love, admire and respect Dr. Zhao, his profession, and his commitment to
mastery. And the 3 of them also spoke to the treasure of friendship. That
friendships, true dear friendships are one of life’s greatest, most precious
gifts. The 3 of them certainly treasure their relationship and I so treasure
getting to know all of them too, and seeing them together :). In our conversation
of friendship, Mr. Wang also spoke to his hope and vision of America and China
developing long-lasting good relations. Just as many Americans and Chinese,
such as represented by all of us at this lunch table, have developed such
special and lasting friendships, perhaps China and America as countries are
destined to do the same. He said with both countries being such “big powers” in
the world, if good, honest, friendly, respectful and peaceful relations
flourished between the 2 countries, that could have a big influence on
encouraging/creating peace on Earth.
beloved Dr. Zhao is admired and respected among his peers and community. Both
Mr. Wang and his policeman friend again expounded on how much they sincerely
love, admire and respect Dr. Zhao, his profession, and his commitment to
mastery. And the 3 of them also spoke to the treasure of friendship. That
friendships, true dear friendships are one of life’s greatest, most precious
gifts. The 3 of them certainly treasure their relationship and I so treasure
getting to know all of them too, and seeing them together :). In our conversation
of friendship, Mr. Wang also spoke to his hope and vision of America and China
developing long-lasting good relations. Just as many Americans and Chinese,
such as represented by all of us at this lunch table, have developed such
special and lasting friendships, perhaps China and America as countries are
destined to do the same. He said with both countries being such “big powers” in
the world, if good, honest, friendly, respectful and peaceful relations
flourished between the 2 countries, that could have a big influence on
encouraging/creating peace on Earth.
Sister Time!
We finished our wonderful lunch around 1:30pm…meaning Junling still
had another ½ hour before returning to work. Rick, my step-dad also needed some
cold medicine so we both saw this as a perfect opportunity to get in some
precious “sister” time. I said I’d go get Rick’s medicine and Junling chimed in
that she’d escort me to make sure I got the right kind. Perfect! 🙂 So off we
went the two of us down the busy street with our arms linked, walking side by
side. Oh how we have missed each other!!! It was so wonderful to be with
Junling again! I knew our time wasn’t long so I jumped right in and asked her
how she is. She told me of some of her challenges and joys; and of the news
that she’s now taught herself how to use the computer and can buy things online
:). She also shared that she had to move
as her old place was torn down (the whole neighborhood actually where I was
with Dr. Zhao last time has been completely demolished. It’s part of the
government’s plan to modernize the city and make all new, high skyrise
buildings and wide streets). She and her family are living with some relatives
and will be able to move closer to Dr. Zhao’s clinic when their new home is
built and finished in ~3-5 years. We made the most of our short time together,
as after buying the medicines, I then walked with her back to the clinic…and as
there was no one there yet, we went back into the herbs storage room where
Junling and I chatted and giggled some more. I asked her if she’s been
practicing her dancing. She laughed and said no,… “But, have you heard this
great song,” she asked excitedly in Chinese? She had it on her cell phone and
played it for me – I had heard it a bunch in Shuhe, Yunnan and it’s a great dance
tune :). She then also showed me this thing that’s like a hacky sack (in that
you play with it by kicking it in the air with your feet) but it looks a bit
different in that it has several colorful feathers dangling from it. Junling’s
quite good at it! I managed to kick it once or twice before it dropped with a
dud followed by our giggles :).
had another ½ hour before returning to work. Rick, my step-dad also needed some
cold medicine so we both saw this as a perfect opportunity to get in some
precious “sister” time. I said I’d go get Rick’s medicine and Junling chimed in
that she’d escort me to make sure I got the right kind. Perfect! 🙂 So off we
went the two of us down the busy street with our arms linked, walking side by
side. Oh how we have missed each other!!! It was so wonderful to be with
Junling again! I knew our time wasn’t long so I jumped right in and asked her
how she is. She told me of some of her challenges and joys; and of the news
that she’s now taught herself how to use the computer and can buy things online
:). She also shared that she had to move
as her old place was torn down (the whole neighborhood actually where I was
with Dr. Zhao last time has been completely demolished. It’s part of the
government’s plan to modernize the city and make all new, high skyrise
buildings and wide streets). She and her family are living with some relatives
and will be able to move closer to Dr. Zhao’s clinic when their new home is
built and finished in ~3-5 years. We made the most of our short time together,
as after buying the medicines, I then walked with her back to the clinic…and as
there was no one there yet, we went back into the herbs storage room where
Junling and I chatted and giggled some more. I asked her if she’s been
practicing her dancing. She laughed and said no,… “But, have you heard this
great song,” she asked excitedly in Chinese? She had it on her cell phone and
played it for me – I had heard it a bunch in Shuhe, Yunnan and it’s a great dance
tune :). She then also showed me this thing that’s like a hacky sack (in that
you play with it by kicking it in the air with your feet) but it looks a bit
different in that it has several colorful feathers dangling from it. Junling’s
quite good at it! I managed to kick it once or twice before it dropped with a
dud followed by our giggles :).
So as there was still no one at the clinic by 2:30pm, Junling then
walked me back partway to my hotel, and we were all the while still linked arm
and arm. Neither of us wanted to let go as we both love each other so, and this
visit was much too short. But I told her I’ll be back there after the Chinese
New Year and we’d have much more time then. Oh, “women dou shebude likai” “we
both cant’ stand the thought of leaving…” We share such a wonderful warmth,
closeness and wonderful friendship!
walked me back partway to my hotel, and we were all the while still linked arm
and arm. Neither of us wanted to let go as we both love each other so, and this
visit was much too short. But I told her I’ll be back there after the Chinese
New Year and we’d have much more time then. Oh, “women dou shebude likai” “we
both cant’ stand the thought of leaving…” We share such a wonderful warmth,
closeness and wonderful friendship!
The Dangers of Biking
with Foreigners Around
with Foreigners Around
Oh and I just remembered one other funny story to share from our
time in Henan Province. On our 2nd full day, Dr. Zhao arranged some
of his relatives to take me and my parents to see Henan University. That day I
wore a bright colored skirt I bought in Yunnan. As Dr. Zhao’s younger sister
was taking us on a tour around campus, I was walking next to my Mom (who, by
the way also draws a lot of attention for her beautiful, shiny white wavy hair!
🙂 A rare site and to have that hair on the head of a foreigner is even more
rare :)). Well as we were walking, there was this young fellow riding his bike
past us. He saw my Mom and I and then kept looking….uhummm…even though his feet
kept peddling and his bike kept moving forward…until…he…well, ran into a bush
and fell off is bike!!! OMGoodness! It was so funny!! A friend of his saw the
whole thing, went running over to him laughing (he was alright by the way) and
the two of them got up, and kept looking our way while stumbling back onto the
path. Ha! I guess we must have been a sight to see! It was so funny. 🙂
time in Henan Province. On our 2nd full day, Dr. Zhao arranged some
of his relatives to take me and my parents to see Henan University. That day I
wore a bright colored skirt I bought in Yunnan. As Dr. Zhao’s younger sister
was taking us on a tour around campus, I was walking next to my Mom (who, by
the way also draws a lot of attention for her beautiful, shiny white wavy hair!
🙂 A rare site and to have that hair on the head of a foreigner is even more
rare :)). Well as we were walking, there was this young fellow riding his bike
past us. He saw my Mom and I and then kept looking….uhummm…even though his feet
kept peddling and his bike kept moving forward…until…he…well, ran into a bush
and fell off is bike!!! OMGoodness! It was so funny!! A friend of his saw the
whole thing, went running over to him laughing (he was alright by the way) and
the two of them got up, and kept looking our way while stumbling back onto the
path. Ha! I guess we must have been a sight to see! It was so funny. 🙂
Oh dear! I haven’t even said anything
about our Yunnan trek yet and this update is also amazingly long :)….BUT! I
have a really funny story to share with you from our time in Yunnan before I
end this update…
about our Yunnan trek yet and this update is also amazingly long :)….BUT! I
have a really funny story to share with you from our time in Yunnan before I
end this update…
A
Most Unsuccessful Yet Enormously Hilarious Dinner in Yunnan
Most Unsuccessful Yet Enormously Hilarious Dinner in Yunnan
So, I often speak of the amazing Chinese
food I get to eat here and the variety of dishes, snacks, etc I’m discovering
or being introduced to via friends. Well it’s one thing to successfully venture
out and find a meal or snack that delights oneself,….and it’s quite another
ball game or skill to do this for a whole group of people. While on our 2-week
Yunnan trip, Szu-ting was quite busy with making sure all our logistics were in
place, so she took a few evenings of rest while I took our group out for
dinner. I had had some good success with this already; and it seems like a simple
enough task, right? Well, in the Chinese art of cooking, each dish is balanced
in terms of the colors and tastes. For example, a dish of stir-fried tofu also
usually has some green and/or red peppers or tomato not only for flavor but
also to add to the beauty, color of the presentation. Similarly, in ordering a
meal, one must consider the colors, flavors (salty, savory, sour, spicy,
sweet), etc and order something that is balanced and pleasing both to the
palate and to the eyes and nose. 🙂 And on this particular evening I’ll
describe below…add to the mix of considerations that I’m taking a group of
Americans out, so I know their palate is a bit different than many Chinese,
and….that two of these Americans happen to be my parents (so I have the additional
desire of wanting to be a good daughter and make sure they eat the best food I
can find for them :)).
food I get to eat here and the variety of dishes, snacks, etc I’m discovering
or being introduced to via friends. Well it’s one thing to successfully venture
out and find a meal or snack that delights oneself,….and it’s quite another
ball game or skill to do this for a whole group of people. While on our 2-week
Yunnan trip, Szu-ting was quite busy with making sure all our logistics were in
place, so she took a few evenings of rest while I took our group out for
dinner. I had had some good success with this already; and it seems like a simple
enough task, right? Well, in the Chinese art of cooking, each dish is balanced
in terms of the colors and tastes. For example, a dish of stir-fried tofu also
usually has some green and/or red peppers or tomato not only for flavor but
also to add to the beauty, color of the presentation. Similarly, in ordering a
meal, one must consider the colors, flavors (salty, savory, sour, spicy,
sweet), etc and order something that is balanced and pleasing both to the
palate and to the eyes and nose. 🙂 And on this particular evening I’ll
describe below…add to the mix of considerations that I’m taking a group of
Americans out, so I know their palate is a bit different than many Chinese,
and….that two of these Americans happen to be my parents (so I have the additional
desire of wanting to be a good daughter and make sure they eat the best food I
can find for them :)).
Ok, so with this background, on this
particular evening I’m taking our group out to eat. Well, I could have gone the
easy, safe route of going to a restaurant recommended by Yanzi’s friend (she
helps manage Yanzi’s inn we were staying at), BUT…instead I got enticed by the
site of a hotpot place right next to the flowing stream with outdoor seating,
live music nearby, and blurted out, “Oh how about hotpot? Would you like to eat
here?” I had already had a successful experience with taking them out to hotpot
once before, so I thought this would be good too. Well, it ended up being a
most unsuccessful choice!
particular evening I’m taking our group out to eat. Well, I could have gone the
easy, safe route of going to a restaurant recommended by Yanzi’s friend (she
helps manage Yanzi’s inn we were staying at), BUT…instead I got enticed by the
site of a hotpot place right next to the flowing stream with outdoor seating,
live music nearby, and blurted out, “Oh how about hotpot? Would you like to eat
here?” I had already had a successful experience with taking them out to hotpot
once before, so I thought this would be good too. Well, it ended up being a
most unsuccessful choice!
We had a waitress that pouted and
ignored us much of the time. And to start, I looked at the menu and saw they
had a hotpot with chicken and wild mushrooms in the soup base and then you
could order and add other veggies, tofu, sweet potato, etc. Well, this looked
good, I thought. Chicken is a mild tasting meat that most people eat in the
States. It seemed like a safe choice that everyone would enjoy. And the wild
mushrooms…they are a local specialty in this area of Yunnan. I had ordered such
mushrooms several times at another restaurant and they were a favorite dish of
mine. So the chicken and mushrooms…I thought this would be a good combination
of “safe meat” with a local specialty.
ignored us much of the time. And to start, I looked at the menu and saw they
had a hotpot with chicken and wild mushrooms in the soup base and then you
could order and add other veggies, tofu, sweet potato, etc. Well, this looked
good, I thought. Chicken is a mild tasting meat that most people eat in the
States. It seemed like a safe choice that everyone would enjoy. And the wild
mushrooms…they are a local specialty in this area of Yunnan. I had ordered such
mushrooms several times at another restaurant and they were a favorite dish of
mine. So the chicken and mushrooms…I thought this would be a good combination
of “safe meat” with a local specialty.
Well it took forever for this hotpot to
come out and in the meantime we had some not so pleasant exchanges with our pouty
waitress. When it finally did come out, the pot was almost overflowing with
strange meaty-looking fleshy things. And then I realized, “Hmmm…these are the
wild mushrooms.” And they tasted super wild too! 🙁 Which I quickly thought was not the best for
my Mom who was just getting over the stomach flu. “Well, the chicken meat and
broth would be good for her, right” I thought to myself? Right then, Martha let
out a squeal. She had just fished out a piece of what she thought was benign,
unassuming good ol’ chicken meat with her chop sticks and was bringing it to
her mouth when she opened her eyes to see a chicken head staring back at her!
Oh dear!!! I quickly fished around in the pot in front of me (it was a big
boiling pot of soup in the middle of the table) and promptly pulled out a
chicken foot! Oh no! 🙁 I had forgotten to ask if the chicken soup would just
have chicken meat in it, or…..the whole entire chicken! While this is normal in
China to cook up an entire chicken or fish, etc (and frankly quite great I
think that they use every part of an animal they take for food…even if I don’t
personally eat some of these parts), it is not in the States. And…my dear Mom
who hadn’t really eaten anything in 2 days as she was recovering from the
stomach flu, and this was to be her 1st real dinner, took one
startled look at the chicken head, pulled away from the table and put her
chopsticks down. Rick also quickly lost his appetite too. Oh no! 🙁 Martha, had
a good sense of humor though and quickly got out her camera to take this pic of
the chicken head! Ha! She ate a bit that night but I think I’m the only one
that left our dinner table with a full belly! Ah well. It makes for a funny
story and lots of laughs, though, right?! 🙂
come out and in the meantime we had some not so pleasant exchanges with our pouty
waitress. When it finally did come out, the pot was almost overflowing with
strange meaty-looking fleshy things. And then I realized, “Hmmm…these are the
wild mushrooms.” And they tasted super wild too! 🙁 Which I quickly thought was not the best for
my Mom who was just getting over the stomach flu. “Well, the chicken meat and
broth would be good for her, right” I thought to myself? Right then, Martha let
out a squeal. She had just fished out a piece of what she thought was benign,
unassuming good ol’ chicken meat with her chop sticks and was bringing it to
her mouth when she opened her eyes to see a chicken head staring back at her!
Oh dear!!! I quickly fished around in the pot in front of me (it was a big
boiling pot of soup in the middle of the table) and promptly pulled out a
chicken foot! Oh no! 🙁 I had forgotten to ask if the chicken soup would just
have chicken meat in it, or…..the whole entire chicken! While this is normal in
China to cook up an entire chicken or fish, etc (and frankly quite great I
think that they use every part of an animal they take for food…even if I don’t
personally eat some of these parts), it is not in the States. And…my dear Mom
who hadn’t really eaten anything in 2 days as she was recovering from the
stomach flu, and this was to be her 1st real dinner, took one
startled look at the chicken head, pulled away from the table and put her
chopsticks down. Rick also quickly lost his appetite too. Oh no! 🙁 Martha, had
a good sense of humor though and quickly got out her camera to take this pic of
the chicken head! Ha! She ate a bit that night but I think I’m the only one
that left our dinner table with a full belly! Ah well. It makes for a funny
story and lots of laughs, though, right?! 🙂
Okay!
I did it, another update before my Image Medicine studies start tomorrow
:).
I did it, another update before my Image Medicine studies start tomorrow
:).
Again, I mentioned I probably won’t
write too much the next few weeks as I’ll be both working and in class, BUT…I
may send some shorter notes 🙂
write too much the next few weeks as I’ll be both working and in class, BUT…I
may send some shorter notes 🙂
So much Love to you All and I wish you
all a most Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Joy and Love-filled
Holi-Jolly-days :)!
all a most Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Joy and Love-filled
Holi-Jolly-days :)!
Mucho-LOVE-O,
KarenJOY
~Kailun ~ 凯伦
p.s. Here’s a few more pics of a Monastery we visited in Shangri-la…
