Life in China

Sorry I haven't been able to communicate as often as i would like. My access to the internet is much more limited than I thought it was going to be. I can only get on between 3 and 6pm each day and I have to pay each time, not much but it will certainly add up over my time here. It is startlingly different than I expected. The academy is not administered by monks, in fact it has no particular religious bent at all. It is completely secular and very small. Only 90 or so students in all. All of the foriegn students, about 35, are together in a single dormitory and we have almost no contact with our Chinese counterparts so the imersion I was hoping for is sorely lacking. the Chinese classes are helpful and despite the lack of constant practice my chinese is improving.

I am also getting some serious fitness training. We wake at 5am and start the day running and doing some grueling calisthenics (sp?). We run carrying our friends or do 3 sets of 20 reps squats with people on our backs for weight, frog jumps, wheel barrowing, etc. Then I do get to do qigong for a half hour before breakfast at 6:45. Then from 8:30 till 10 we train again: forms, running, drills. Then a short break and training again from 10:30-11:30, usually running at the beginning of each session. Then lunch and training again from 1:30-3. Chinese from 3:30-4:30, dinner at 5 and training again 6-7pm. We are doing some partner stretching and some acrobatic drills, which I excel at. I was placed in the "sanda" group, which is practical kickboxing. this is fine for me for the first few weeks as I get my body used to the rigors of this sort of schedule. But i will be half in sanda and half in the Wushu group, learning demonstration forms and weapons. There are five groups in all and students are expected to choose one. They are: Sanda, Tai ji, Ba ji(hard qigong like iron fist), and 2 wushu groups.

I eat alot. Each day, as my body gets into the training schedule, I am more and more hungry. It hasn't increased for a while but during the first week I put more and more food in my bowl each day. Now I eat and entirely full bowl of food at each meal. And drink four or five small cups of tea. I eat about half a bowl of the prepared dishes and half rice. The food so far has been great. I love it and I spend the time in the dining hall stuffing my face and talking very little. The less time spent eating, the more time spent lying in bed, recovering from training.

That's all for now. Don't get the wrong idea, this place is great. The scenery is beautiful, the Shifus (masters) are capable, the people are nice, and the atmosphere of the school and the weather have been mostly great. Love to all of you at home. Have some Fast Food for me!

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