This morning we began our adventures at the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. We met with a doctor who explained to us a little bit about the hospital. An acupuncturist had a patient come into the room and we received a demonstration of her acupuncture treatment. We walked through the hall and saw into each of the rooms where there were atleast 3 beds per room. In one room we saw that physical therapy was being done, and the doctor said that it was most likely being done by a family member.
We were then shown to their AMAZING pharmacy. So many things were going on at once and everyone was busy. There were hundreds, if not thousands of drawers with labels of herbal names (of course in Chinese so we have no idea what they actually were) that were flying open for prescriptions to be filled. They were weighed and placed in bags divided into doses and then the bags were all stapled together for the patient. This process and the speed at which these individuals were completing their tasks was truly amazing to see in action.
From there we then had a surprise visit to the Pearl Factory. We were introduced to the different kinds of pearls by a bubbly girl named Flower. Her English was so good that she could even joke with us--a nice change! :) After our introduction, we browsed around the many, many varieties of pearl jewelry and cosmetics. What a sight to see!
-Emily Nesheim
Blog
January 27th, 2010
Hello Family and Friends!!!
Today was our last day in Beijing! Everyone had a freeday where they could go out and sightsee, shop, and meet new people! A group of us went to a large shopping center to walk around and get those last minute gifts! It was beatiful and filled with the nicest people and a ton of different kinds of restaurants and foods to try! Near to the shopping center and Tienamen Square was also a free art show that displayed some students work.
Another group decided to go to the Beijing Zoo! They ended up mastering the hectic subway system and walked around for nearly 4 hours, not even seeing all the animals it was so big! They saw giraffes, tigers, baby elephants and some more exotic animals as well.
One group walked down the alleys next to our hotel. They were filled with shops, restaurants and cafes. We found a western style cafe that had the best hot chocolate in China. They would melt the chocolate bar right in front of you. Yummmmmm. Bartering with the store owners was an interesting challenge. Their prices start high, and the owners expect the customers to offer a lower price. For the most part, both parties ended up with the price they wanted!
It was amazing coming back and hearing everyones stories, sounded like everyone had a great last day!!!
See you all very soon!
Alyssa and Liana
Fwd: Jan 26th - Part 2
After our lunch today everyone headed to the Summer Palace. This is the place where the Emperor went to spend every summer. It was a huge place surrounding a very large (and frozen) man-made lake with an island in the center of it. One thing that was interesting was all of the gardens. There were many different ones throughout the area and many were replicas of famous gardens in other palaces throughout China. At one location there was also a very large boat made entirely out of marble.
After touring the Summer Palace we all went to an old hutong (alley) somewhere in Beijing. We took a rickshaw ride through it which was really fun. A rickshaw is pretty much a bicycle with two wheels on the back and a cool little carriage above the wheels. Two people sit in the back and someone pedals you around. The structure we were taken to was an old complex with several rooms and a central courtyard. This building was over 240 years old and had a lot of interesting history to it.The woman telling us about her house said it has been in her family since the 1930's and was actually taken away during the revolution and then given back to them at a later date. It was an interesting experience and the rickshaw ride was really fun.
From there we went to dinner and had some authentic Beijing duck. They sliced two ducks in front of us and served it on a duck platter. We wrapped it in rice tortillas with some onion and some sort of sauce. I think everyone enjoyed it because by the end of the meal it was all gone!
--
Nicole Aaron, SN
Senior I
Pacific Lutheran University
After touring the Summer Palace we all went to an old hutong (alley) somewhere in Beijing. We took a rickshaw ride through it which was really fun. A rickshaw is pretty much a bicycle with two wheels on the back and a cool little carriage above the wheels. Two people sit in the back and someone pedals you around. The structure we were taken to was an old complex with several rooms and a central courtyard. This building was over 240 years old and had a lot of interesting history to it.The woman telling us about her house said it has been in her family since the 1930's and was actually taken away during the revolution and then given back to them at a later date. It was an interesting experience and the rickshaw ride was really fun.
From there we went to dinner and had some authentic Beijing duck. They sliced two ducks in front of us and served it on a duck platter. We wrapped it in rice tortillas with some onion and some sort of sauce. I think everyone enjoyed it because by the end of the meal it was all gone!
--
Nicole Aaron, SN
Senior I
Pacific Lutheran University
January 26th-Tianamen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Beijing Opera
Today's day started with a trip to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. It's amazing to see both in a culture so firmly rooted in its history. The square was much bigger than we imagined and we liked seeing the beautifully decorated front gate at the entrance. When we went to the Forbidden City we saw many different areas and rooms that in the past, were reserved only for emperors and officials. AN interesting room was one with two thrones-the first one was for the young emperor and then behind it was the emperor's mother who basically made all the decisions because she told the emperor what to say. The only thing between them was a curtain so that the people wouldn't know she was there making the decisions.
After we finished looking and walking through the city, our tour guide, Raymond, took us to lunch at a Chinese dumpling restaurant. They were delicious but we were all stuffed afterwards because the waitresses kept bringing plate after plate of different types of dumplings.
With a full stomach our class then traveled to visit the final temple here in China- the Temple of Heaven. Here we saw the Echo Hall, which was another temple within the entire complex. The tile in front of the temple if you clapped once it would echo once, if you go to the second tile and clapped it would echo twice, and if you went to the third tile it would echo three times. It was very cool, however some people didn't go to see it. Behind the Echo Hall was a marble that in the center was also an echo area. It was raised so we could also the temple the sceneries behind it as well. It was all painted so intricately and in the traditional ancient Chinese way.
Dinner was at a Muslim style restaurant where we weren't too sure what we were eating... Some dishes were good and others were interesting- it depended on each person's degree of adventurous eating! This was the first place with dessert served, which was new and very much filled with sugar.
To finish the day, we went to the Beijing Opera where we all sat in the front row sipping tea, and snacking on snacks while watching the performance. This opera was about a drunken man and Taoist priests who set out to sail the sea. There were some pretty intense fight scenes and skilled actors with batons. Overall, the day was a bittersweet day because it was not only our last touring day, but also many of us are ready to head back home. See you all on Friday!
--Zelynne & Megan--
January 24th, 2011
Today started on a high note we didn't have to get up until 9. Both of us guys were excited for we were told we were going to a Bird's Nest. However, to our dismay it didn't consist of birds at all, it was in fact the Olympic Arena. After a short bus ride we approached the Olympic BirdNest with the girl's shivering from the cold. We men were not cold (man grunt here). Rather than a million Chinese banging on drums the Beijing Arena consisted of a Winter Wonderland for kids that we could not participate in :(
We sat in envy of their youth and tickets to enter the majestic Winter Wonderland. Then we left. Next was lunch. It was here that we met Frederick the Fish. He was delicious. The rest of the food was surprisingly American compared to the spicy food of Chengdu. In other words, it was all deep fried.
Our next stop after lunch was the art district. This consisted of pipe shops, coffee shops (with nice restrooms for once), and many stores of family crafted art. Each store was extremely interesting and we spent a lot of time browsing, three hours to be exact. On our exploration we came across a talking bird that says "Ni Hao", a life sized Transformer made of real truck parts, and familiar music such as Beatles and Bob Dyan. The music was ruined by Taylor Swift. Pretty much everyone found some sort of rememberable trinket from this market.
We left straight from the market and excitedly went to the Chinese Acrobat Show. To describe the show to you the only things that come to mind were "epic" and none of us could ever do it. some of the attractions were bendable girls, spinning wheels with jumping dare devils, and fourteen girls one peacock bike. After this display of extreme athletism we went and feasted. We ate at a underground restaurant that had a huge buffet and even a gingerbread house. Everyone was excited for the spaghetti and desserts for it brought some variety to the diet. We ate so much that returning to the bus was a chore. Now we lay in our hotel room and are close to the food coma. The End.
Devon and Phil (The ChengDUDES)
January 18th, 2011
Today started with clinical at the TCM hospital bright and early. We divided up into our groups. Everyone was exhausted today and a lot of people feeling sick with the sniffles. During clinical a lot of people got to study Tui Na manipulation. Our afternoon lecture was Professor Jin Song's last one. During class we practiced accupuncture and various types of manipulations that we have learned so far. Professor Jin gave us a hand wood carved wooden plack to congradulate us. After lecture was tai ji (chi) time. Cloud (our master) gave us a demonstration with a quarter staff and then rushed us through the rest of our tai ji moves. Mindy also decided to surprise us today with our second test. Most people used the little evening time they had to work on the test.
Phil (Li Fu)
January 23rd - Jade, GREAT WALL, McDinner and Statues
January 23, 2011 - Part 1
It was our first morning in the new hotel at Beijing. We started off a great day with the best breakfast we've had yet. There were still steamed vegetables, grilled meat, and odd buns... but we had the friendly new additions of fried eggs, toast, coffee, bacon, sausage... even cereal!!! With warm milk... but you gotta work with what you get in China.
We took off in our tour bus with Raymond our tour guide to a Jade Factory North of Beijing. The enthusiastic guide in the jade factory invited us to watch some of the craft workers as they etched some of the jade stones into beautiful figurines. Some of the existing pieces were worth up to $100,000!! The tour was beautiful and ended with some good deals on beautiful jade jewelry.
After some happy purchases, we headed for the Great Wall with much anticipation. We could start to see the wall lining the tops of the mountains as we approached. I have to tell you, this is one tourist attraction that lived up to... even exceded my expectations. And my expectations were sky high. Sky High is where we seemed to be headed as we climbed up hundreds of stairs, some that were 15 inches tall! The air was freezing, but the sights were gorgeous. My group took tons of pictures and enjoyed racing up sets of stairs, dancing at the top, and just spending time being amazed at the beautiful landscape all around us.
After a great afternoon climbing and smiling, we trudged back the bus and rode away from one of the greatest ancient wonders of the world. I was in a daze of disbelief for the whole bus ride. I couldn't believe we had just been on something that is so huge it can be seen from the moon!
We visited the Ming tombs (see Sara Swetz entry)
We stopped by a row of statues and walked for 30 minutes. We got our only group jumping picture here. It was a peaceful walk in the setting sun. I was just grateful to see the sun after the smoggy Chengdu.
Because of Beijing's wild traffic, we were running a bit late for the Kungfu show. We considered missing dinner, but grumbling tummies vetoed that idea right away. It was decided to go with the classic fast and easy food: McDonalds.
This wasn't McDonalds from home though. This was China McDonalds. Some unique treats included: Taro Root pie, Pineapple pies, Black Currant and oreo McFlurry. There were some gold standards though. Mcnuggets and Bigmacs. We scarfed down our delicious semi-American food on our way. With smiling tummies (and later some not so happy tummies) we headed to the show.
See Sara Swetz for the Show
Mary Wuest
Mary Wuest
First Day in Beijing: Part 2!!! (By Sarah Swetz)
So after the Great Wall we took off to the Ming Tombs! About 50km north of Beijing, it once housed the bodies of the 13 emperors from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The Ming Dynasty was the second to the last dynasty, before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Anyways, it was pretty neat to see. It was very serene and fengshui. The tombs were underground with many different chambers. One of the most unbelievable things was that the emperors were buried with their concubines...who were still ALIVE! Ah! That must have been horrible. And the sheer amount of wealth that each emperor had was crazy too! chests and chests full of jewelry! It was just amazing how massive the tombs' architecture was. Then, we rode a short distance to an old thoroughfare with an expanse of magnificently carved animals. There were elephants, camels, lions, and other exotic animals. I was surprised that the Chinese knew of such animals that long ago, but I guess with the silk trade these animals were probably more common. Another idea I had was that maybe animal populations were more spread out hundreds of years ago because of the climate and that there were less people that could interfere with their natural habitat. In any case, the statues were really beautiful and very well preserved. Although it was really cold outside, it was cool to see such a historical Chinese landmark.
Later that night we went to go see the most EPIC Kungfu show I have ever seen! It was known as the "Legend of Kung Fu." The story chronicled the life of the great gong fu master known as Chun Yi. Words can't really describe the show. If you ever come to Beijing, this show is definitely worth seeing! We saw kung fu artists do back flips and land on their heads instead of their hands. They broke metal bars in half using their heads. We even saw a guy emerge from a bed of knives unharmed with heavy stones and ma board of nails placed on top of him. We saw one kung fu master place all his body weight onto a single tip of a spear by focusing all of his inner Qi on that point. It was crazy. Overall, it was a pretty epic day! I definitely slept well! :D
Today's word of the day is: Subway- 地铁 di tie (dee tee-uh)
Until next time!
~Sarah Swetz
Later that night we went to go see the most EPIC Kungfu show I have ever seen! It was known as the "Legend of Kung Fu." The story chronicled the life of the great gong fu master known as Chun Yi. Words can't really describe the show. If you ever come to Beijing, this show is definitely worth seeing! We saw kung fu artists do back flips and land on their heads instead of their hands. They broke metal bars in half using their heads. We even saw a guy emerge from a bed of knives unharmed with heavy stones and ma board of nails placed on top of him. We saw one kung fu master place all his body weight onto a single tip of a spear by focusing all of his inner Qi on that point. It was crazy. Overall, it was a pretty epic day! I definitely slept well! :D
Today's word of the day is: Subway- 地铁 di tie (dee tee-uh)
Until next time!
~Sarah Swetz
Jan 22nd!
Zaijian Chendu…Nihao Beijing!
Today we got up bright and early to catch our flight to Beijing. Although we were sad to leave our new friends in Chengdu, we were excited for what was to come.
After about a two hour flight we arrived in Beijing. We got our luggage and met up with our new tour guide, Raymond. Who greeted us with a Pacific Lutheran University banner!
We then headed to the Feng Ze Yuan Hotel, which is very close to Tiananmen Square. After we got settled in we went to dinner and a delicious fist meal in Beijing.
Our last stop for the evening was to the Laoshe Teahouse Show. While sipping on tea and eating snacks we were able to enjoy everything from folk music to oral mimicry to Chinese Kungfu!
It was a nice a relaxing first day in Beijing and allowed the class to rest from traveling and prepare for the busy days ahead.
Zaijian,
Danielle Williams
January 21st - Last Day in Chengdu
Today was the last day in Chengdu. We had one lecture left which was more Tui Na techniques. Fortunately, Mindy pushed back the start time to 9 a.m. Although it was only 30 minutes later it made a big difference. Closing Ceremony began at 3 p.m. so we had an extended lunch break as well. It was all very formal just like the opening ceremony, except the President of the school came this time. Each person gave a warm heartfelt speech about what we have learned through this experience, and appreciating every minute of it. Towards the end Mindy and Barb gave out gifts to each individual that had helped us make this trip as smooth, welcoming, and easy as possible. After the gift giving they played a slideshow of our trip with pictures they compiled together, while they called out our names for our diplomas, which looked very official I should add. After that everyone got pictures with the professors and anyone they wanted to, as well as exchange some gifts. Then it was off to the Hot Springs which was really nice, all the professors, translators, assistants, doctors, etc that helped us in the trip came as well. The hot springs were amazing, I myself did not go in, it was a nude hot springs. A few people went in and they said it was very nice with soothing oils in and relaxing atmosphere. I can't even begin to explain how elaborate and nice this hot springs was. Everyone wore these pajama type clothes and there was free fresh fruit, ice cream, coffee, drinks, and snacks. There were couches everyone that people just lounged on and some huge flat screens around. The hot springs was broken up into 3 floors the 2nd floor was a pool table, ping pong table, and a movie playing. That's where most people spent their time because it was entertaining to watch people play. Some of the faculty members loosened up and played ping pong with the students. Then after we went to the Shamrock near the hot springs where there was a D.J. that played old school american songs, like Baby Got Back, Ice Ice Baby, Footloose, and many others. They also played new music like Baby I Like It. At the Shamrock we saw the most white people there that we have seen this entire trip. After the Shamrock it was about 12 a.m. and we had to be in the lobby the at 8 a.m. the next day. Most of us weren't even packed after the Shamrock, so we stayed up even later than midnight. All in all, it was a great last day in Chengdu, and we will never forget our experince in this great city.
--Zelynne Tang--
Last Days in Chengdu
January 20, 2011
Today was super fun! Our class got to meet the Masters nursing students. I always enjoy making new Chinese friends. I met three girls named Jin Jin, Xiao Yan, and Qun. They were really nice. I went exploring after during lunch and found a huge park (that was totally fengshui by the way) with lots of tea house and even an amusement park in it! I wish I could remember the name of it. I could spend every day there if I wanted. It was a really relaxing place. I took lots of pictures of it. There were also some really funny English signs.
But the best part about today was getting to go out to dinner with my host father from two years ago, Duan Yiqiang. Although it has been a while, it feels like we picked up right where we left off—almost like no time has passed at all. We went to the hot pot restaurant across the street from our hotel. Liana was with me, and his long-time friend Dan Gan met us there too. I think that Yiqiang might be one of the only Chinese people that I've met whose English is about as good as my Chinese. We're a good combination (although I am sure quite hilarious to outside observers) because I think that we both learn a lot of new words from each other. I remember last time I was in Chengdu, whenever I would spend a whole day with his family I would come back to my dorm feeling like I had learned a lot of Chinese. I was pretty proud! It is because of him that I have decided that I really want a host family in Beijing. But anyways, it was really a good time catching up! I didn't have much of an opportunity to chat with him last week during the concert. It turned out that yesterday was his younger sister's birthday, but everyone was too busy to celebrate it. So, today we were invited to celebrate with the family! We all went to a coffee house and sat around drinking coffee and Tibetan tea. Their family is from Kang Ding which is a prefecture near Tibet, so they like a lot of Tibetan food and drinks.
One funny thing that happened was that Liana and I taught the Duan family how to say "bottoms up!" as a way to say cheers. For some reason they just got the biggest kick out of it. I'm not sure if they thought it was "bottles up" or just how their way of saying cheers: "gan bei" (literally: dry your cup) is so similar to the motion of turning a bottle upside down. But in any case, it was a very entertaining cultural exchange. It was also funny how he couldn't remember Liana's name so he kept calling her by her Chinese name, He Xi 合熙. In total, there were about 8 people: Yiqiang and his wife, his sister and brother, his mom, and a niece (3) and nephew (7). His nephew was quite rambunctious. It is always nice though to be reminded how seven-year-olds all over the world are exactly the same. Overall, it was just a great night reminiscing and catching up. I know that I always have a family in Chengdu! J Yiqiang is really a genuine caring man. I am really glad that he was my host father two years ago and that we were fortunate enough this time around to meet up again. I hope that we can stay in contact a little bit better this time.
~Sarah Swetz
Emiy's blog post
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Hello Everyone!
This morning we traveled by bus to the San Xing Dui museum. The basic story is that there was farming land outside of the city limits. When the city decided to expand for economic reasons, they found some artifacts of a lost community. There were many bronze masks that were found and most were thought to have some human qualities, as well as animal qualities. There were masks of all sizes. We went to lunch right outside the museum. There were some foods that we had seen before, as well as some pig ear-- it looked very cartilidgey! After lunch we traveled to a minority village and went down a shopping street. There were many handmade things to look at and/or purchase. It was very chilly!
-Emily Nesheim
Jan 17
Today started out with an amazing lecture from two physicians and a nurse on the Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment for diabetes. This is especially important to us because diabetes in a all age groups is becoming a huge problem in the United States. Traditional Chinese Medicine is very focused on the holistic treatment of the patient and using noninvasive techniques to manage diabetes.
After class we took a bus ride to the TCM herbal market, Unfortunately there was a power outage so most of the indoor market was closed. We were able to tour one store that had many different worms and animal horns that are used for everything from beauty products to reproductive treatments.
After we left the market we went to the Traditional Chinese Medicine museum. It was closed when we got there an we were all really disappointed but our wonderful interpreter/guide Jeff called the main office and the curator agreed to open the museum just for us! We were very excited to see the museum and the curator gave us an amazing tour. One room had many different types of animals used in TCM treatments sitting in jars of preservative on the walls, There were snakes, squids, frogs, and even a small lamb! We saw many supplies used by TCM doctors hundreds of years ago. It is amazing to hear how TCM developed over time.
--Diane Paulson
Chengdu Winter Wonderland 2011-1-19
2011-1-19
Ni hao everyone! It was snowing this morning and afternoon in Chengdu. The snow is a drier consistency here, but still manages to melt the second it touches the ground or surface of choice. The locals are VERY excited about the recent snowfall during the past week. There's no actual evidence of snow, but the winter wonderland magic is in the air. One of our instructors informed us that a bunch of people from her apartment complex went outside to "play in the snow" as soon as it began snowing last night. We told her that this is a normal reaction to snow back home as well and she laughed. A professor of Traditional Chinese Medicine here at the university also told a group of us that she has been teaching here for 30 years and this is the first time she has seen it snow here! She wore a smile, carried an umbrella and had definitely been touched by the magic of snow.
Today was our last clinical day in the hospital for this course and consequently the last time we will be "suiting up" in our giant, white lab coats while in China (unless people decide to wear them recreationally or use them as an additional layer in Beijing, which isn't a bad idea). Luckily, these coats were a "li wu" or a gift from the university, so they will be returning home with most of us for your viewing pleasure. Some students had the opportunity to observe and experiment with acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping, while others learned about Tui Na (a form of Chinese massage treatment). Zelynne received a back treatment from a doctor, which involved him walking and jumping on her back (this was captured on video). A few other students, including myself, got to spend the morning in the pediatric Tui Na clinic. We had a blast watching, playing with and holding the adorable Chinese babies that came in for treatment. The pediatric Tui Na massage techniques differed in location and pressure application from adult massage. Babies and children under six years of age received hand, neck, back and abdominal Tui Na treatment based on their presenting symptoms. Some of the babies cried throughout the entire treatment and others looked like they thoroughly enjoyed the massage they received. The common problems they were treated for included digestive issues, weak immune systems and two of the babies had hematomas from birth on their necks. The doctor told us that many of these patients had been receiving treatments three times each week for the past two months. Needless to say, the parents had the routine down.
The focus of our afternoon class was on Tui Na massage techniques. These classes have become favorites for myself and many of my classmates as they are interactive and involve receiving and giving massages using our newly learned Tui Na techniques. Finding a seat in the front near the aisle has proven to be a good strategy for getting to be a model for the doctor demonstrating the techniques. Many of us look forward to practicing our new massage treatment skills on friends, family and significant others. We also plan to teach others these techniques to ensure Tui Na healing reciprocation.
The day concluded with Tai Chi for half of the class and the rest of us had the evening off, so we decided to buy some cupping and moxibustion supplies to show everyone upon our return. Tai Chi members that purchased traditional silk outfits got to practice in them and looked professionally peaceful for their last evening of Tai Chi. The other half of the group has their last practice tomorrow and then we head to Beijing in two days! The high for Beijing today was -10 degrees Celcius...many of us will be wearing all of the layers we brought and purchased in China during the next week (including silk Tai Chi outfits and lab coats) in an attempt to survive the climate change. Please send warm thoughts our way!
Zai Jian,
Kajsa
Acupuncture, Jin Song, and "Muffin"
January 11, 2011
We began our day at 8:30AM and headed to clinical. Divided into our groups, we went into various acupuncture and massage out-patient clinics. Many of our doctors spoke English and no translator was needed. Some groups were able to practice acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping on each other. Other groups (such as mine) spent their clinical time watching the doctor and medical students working with the patients. For most of us, this was our first experience witnessing any of these treatments and everyone seemed to enjoy today's clinical quite a lot.
Lunch was spent in various shops and restaurants inthe city and afternoon lecture was taught by our newest professor, Jin Song. We're all pretty fond of him and his interactive style makes the three hour lecture go by quickly. Today, we discussed moxibustion and cupping and were able to practice these methods on one another. There was a little pressure, because we each performed in front of the whole class, but we got a lot of good laughs out of it and it was helpful to actually be able to attempt the treatments on our own. The rest of lecture was spent locating various acupoints on a partner.
After lecture, we had a short break before tai chi began. This is always a great way to end our long days and it seems that most of us are improving, though I'm pretty sure that our masters think we are hopeless despite their patient teaching style. Most of us spent the rest of the night catching up on homework and journaling at the local pizza place, Muffin. We have found a sense of comfort in this place as it provides a more American atmosphere with its English menu, somewhat familiar set-up as far as tables go, and free wireless. Many spend their evenings there talking to people back home, working on homework, or just hanging out while enjoying their delicious pizzas.
January 14th
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Megan Landers <megan.landers@plu.edu>
Date: Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 9:54 PM
Subject: blog - didn't know the other email, sorry!
To: Mary Wuest <wuestmk@plu.edu>
From: Megan Landers <megan.landers@plu.edu>
Date: Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 9:54 PM
Subject: blog - didn't know the other email, sorry!
To: Mary Wuest <wuestmk@plu.edu>
Friday January 14th
Today was a busy day for us. We started out the morning with three hours of clinical. All of the group got to see and do some pretty cool stuff. Some groups got to observe acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping on different patients (and sometimes all on the same patient!) and one group got the exciting opportunity to try out some cupping and acupuncture on each other. Courtney Hills was the guinea pig for the cupping and has some pretty impressive marks to show for it.
After our morning clinical we had time to grab some lunch and then we hopped on a bus for a busy afternoon. We first went to a Taoist Monastery. It was really beautiful and we were given a large chunk of time to explore the area. When we went inside Jeff (one of our Chinese professors) told us all to take some of the incense, light it and make a wish. So most of us took a handful of incense and went to light it from the fire. Then there is a huge stone basin full of ashes where everyone places their burning incense and makes a wish or a prayer. That was a neat experience to participate in instead of only watching as we had done previously at other temples. Once we left the monastery there were a lot of street shops that we had some time to wander through. A group of us found a shop where the owner had a cat who had just had kittens! We played with them and held them and they were very adorable. Then we promptly sanitized our hands. After the Taoist Monastery we got back on the bus and went to an area of Chengdu where a lot of art and artisan-type pieces are sold. Jeff took us to a store where we were able to have a stamp made of our Chinese names. Some of the group received Chinese names from a friend they met at the university but Jeff gave most of us our names. He wrote out the Chinese characters for the woman in the store and we should be getting the stamps back on Monday. These stamps, by the way, aren't the normal rubber and ink stamps. These are the kinds of stamps that one commonly sees in red on tapestries of Chinese calligraphy and the like. The stamp is the artist's signature and the characters are carved into the bottom of a stone. We all had the opportunity to choose what kind of stone we wanted and which characters for our name we wanted on it. It will definitely be a very authentic and personal souvenir to bring home.
After this final planned activity for the day we headed to a nice dinner out as a group. After the dinner some people went to the movie theater and saw Tron in 3D. We all had a really good time and enjoyed seeing the movie which none of us had seen previously. Later in the evening a large portion of the group went out to go dancing and experience the night life in Chengdu. From the sounds of it they all had a great time and, for the parents, they were all very safe and got back to the hotel just fine.
Overall it was a great day and we were all very tired and ready for a good nights sleep at the end of it.
-Megan Landers
Blog
January, 8 2011
Ni Hao Family and Friends!
Today was a very busy day for us! We were up and ready to go at 8:30 am to take our bus to the Leshan Grand Buddha, it was a few hour drive but along the way we made a pit stop at the Tea Museum, where we were able to sample some different teas and foods, make some purchases and tour this museum.
Once we were back on the bus and on our way to the Grand Buddha, our tour guide Nancy told us its story. 3 rivers meet at the feet of the Buddha, but before it was built the waters were very rough and many fishermen lost their lives. It was then decided to erect this Grand Buddha, sitting at 71 meters in height...the waters have been calm ever since.
I have to say that the sight of the Leshan Buddha is even more beautiful than the story. We started about half way up to the head then made our way down a narrow path on the right of the buddha to the feet and hiked back up to the head.
It was then time to drive another hour or so to our hotel for the night where we would rest up for our big day climing Mt. Emei on Sunday. After checking in we were thrilled with our rooms. More space, a bigger shower and bed! There was also an amazing spa that most of us got to enjoy after dinner. Most of us recieved full body massages for 68 Yuan! Only $10.50 US!! I think we all agreed it was money well spent. It was the perfect way to get ready for bed. Big day on Sunday so we all tried our best to get some rest!
Today was a very busy day for us! We were up and ready to go at 8:30 am to take our bus to the Leshan Grand Buddha, it was a few hour drive but along the way we made a pit stop at the Tea Museum, where we were able to sample some different teas and foods, make some purchases and tour this museum.
Once we were back on the bus and on our way to the Grand Buddha, our tour guide Nancy told us its story. 3 rivers meet at the feet of the Buddha, but before it was built the waters were very rough and many fishermen lost their lives. It was then decided to erect this Grand Buddha, sitting at 71 meters in height...the waters have been calm ever since.
I have to say that the sight of the Leshan Buddha is even more beautiful than the story. We started about half way up to the head then made our way down a narrow path on the right of the buddha to the feet and hiked back up to the head.
It was then time to drive another hour or so to our hotel for the night where we would rest up for our big day climing Mt. Emei on Sunday. After checking in we were thrilled with our rooms. More space, a bigger shower and bed! There was also an amazing spa that most of us got to enjoy after dinner. Most of us recieved full body massages for 68 Yuan! Only $10.50 US!! I think we all agreed it was money well spent. It was the perfect way to get ready for bed. Big day on Sunday so we all tried our best to get some rest!
Alyssa
January 15, 2011
I can't believe it is our last weekend in Chengdu already! Today we hiked Mt. QingCheng, saw the Taoist temples, ate lunch at a restaurant in the country, toured and shopped at the silk factory, and then had the evening free to explore.
The morning started with a bus ride to Mt. QingCheng. We took a scenic hike up many sets of stairs to see the natural landscape and the Taoist temple worship places. Some of the hike proved difficult with the ice-covered stairs but luckily none of us slipped and fell! I especially liked the golden statues and colorful displays around the gods, and of course, we have lots of pictures to bring back to the US.
After the long hike/stair climb, our tour guide took us out to lunch at a restaurant in the countryside. We all had built up an appetite and were eager to dig in. Some Chinese dishes are starting to become familiar, like the sauteed greens, but we are still surprised with new ones all the time. It wasn't until after most of us had eaten that we realized, thanks to our tour guide's explanation, that pork liver, heart, and kidney was on the table!
Next, we took a trip about an hour and a half away to a silk factory. Students took advantage of the ride to catch up with a quick nap. At the factory, we took a tour where we learned how silk was made; starting with the silk worm's cacoon to seeing thousands of them be pulled into a blanket was amazing. The tour ended in the silk gift shop where everything from silk king-size comforters to silk coin purses were for sale. I got a silk pillow case that is so soft...it might make up for the hard beds we sleep on.
Our day ended gathering our bags off the tour bus and going back to the hotel. From there we split into smaller groups to explore the city and get dinner on our last Saturday night in Chengdu. The noodle place next to the hotel, hot-pot, Pete's Tex Mex, Dico's, or somewhere adventerous seem to be popular. With only six days left in this city, we have to make every moment count!
~Megan McCaffrey