Written by Natalie Hernandez-Pachon
2nd Day in Cheng Du - May 21

Today, I woke up at 6:00 AM so I could be ready in time for breakfast that started at 7:15 AM.  I haven’t woken up this early in a very long time, so one can imagine how much I wanted to stay in bed.  We made it to breakfast and the dishes of course included rice, dumplings, veggies, and fruit.  However, we were also offered a couple things that were more familiar – fried eggs and fries.  I cannot get past how delicious the food tastes here and I am doing my best to try new things because it is important to do so when emerging yourself in a different culture.  I would say that their fried eggs tastes much better than the ones back home, so I am guessing their cooking oil adds to the yummy goodness.  The fries were interesting – not the typical fries you find in the US – these were more potato-y flavor. 

After breakfast, we went to our first class at CSU (Cheng Du Sport University) called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).  Our professor, Gao Hong, began the class by explaining the meridians (meaningful pathways that run longitudinally and interiorly exteriorly within the body that allows for circulation of chi within and near the body surface).  She mentioned the twelve meridians (lung, large intestine, stomach, spleen, heart, small intestine, bladder, kidney, pericardium, sanjiao, gallbladder and liver).  We did not know what sanjiao was but since we had had an introductory course while at Ithaca College, we were able to conclude that the sanjiao meridian is a synonym for the triple heater meridian.  I also met Neco, who is a CSU student, who came to the class so she could help us with the information.  Neco was learning as was I and it was very helpful to learn extra details about different acupoints (information was found in the class textbook).  We also learned that there are 150 acupoints (sites through which the chi of the viscera and meridians is transported to the body surface) that can cure all “diseases”.  After sitting through this initial class, I realized that I was extremely interested in the lesson and was making a correct decision in wanting to pursue a doctorate in alternative medicine.  Class had ended and I was already looking forward to the afternoon session.

Our introductory course to Kung fu and Tai chi commenced.   We started with arm coordination, kicks, and stretches.  When our professor, Yang Xiaoyuan, realized that we were not that flexible he asked us to please run a lap around the track.  I have not run in a long time but instead of worrying about not having the endurance, I tried to think positively and run at a comfortable pace.  After doing so, I surprising felt great and not out of breath.  The Kung fu was invigorating and it was definitely a workout.  Some of the positions were hard to learn, however, practice makes perfect which is most likely why our professor made us do the steps more than once.  Then we proceeded to Tai chi closer to the end of the lesson.  Most of the girls were extremely tired and were yawning – including myself.  Tai chi is very relaxing and thus could make one very sleepy while one exercises.  Many of us were yawning and the slow rhythmic movement/breathing of Tai chi did not help the situation at all.  However, all in all, I loved double-parted session because it introduced me to a new way to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally fit.  I hope to continue these practices throughout my lifetime.

After the workout, we were all very hungry and were happy that lunch was the next scheduled activity of the day.  For lunch I had rice, dumplings, fruit, and various veggies – I must say that my favorite food so far is the broccoli (it has great flavoring and it being healthy for you is an added bonus).  During mealtimes, we are provided with the opportunity to debrief and talk with one another about the day’s events and compare student experience at Ithaca College and student experience at CSU.  The four student guides that we have – Cassy, Christopher, Starry and Vanja – are the sweetest people I have ever met.  I can tell that they want our experience to be special and that we feel comfortable at all times.  It is great to compare our different lifestyles because in this way we could all learn more about the different cultures and change the common stereotypes. 

Rest – can you imagine?  We had a rest time scheduled.  I went back to my room and instead of resting, Kerry and I talked about all the experiences, what we learned throughout the day, the food, and how much fun we were having and before we knew it, it was time to walk to the afternoon session of TCM. 

During this lesson we learned about the acupuncture points in the upper extremeties.  Professor Hong demonstrated acupuncture on a few students, including myself.  I wanted her to provide acupuncture so I could in turn tell you all about my experience.  I asked to receive acupuncture in point “Hegu” or better known as “LI 4” – this point is on the skin between the thumb and index finger and relieves headaches, pain/swelling of the eyes, injuries and pain of the hand, and toothache to just name a few.  It was also noted that this spot is not recommended for women who are pregnant because it would lead to abortion.  I was very worried at first because I was not sure how much it would hurt.  The next thing I knew the needle was in my acupoint (painless) and she lifted, thrusted, and rotated the needle in my skin.  I did not feel any pain whatsoever, so I let her lift and thrust multiple times. 

However, the saying “with beauty comes great pain”, this is true.  After class, I realized that my hand started to hurt more, which was a slight problem because we had our afternoon session of Kung fu and Tai chi next.  I could barely clench my right hand into a wrist, so therefore the punching became harder for me.  I had to be careful not to hurt myself because I did not want to cause an injury.  We made the decision to leave class early and add swimming in the schedule.

I have not been swimming for over a year and a half and was extremely excited to have the opportunity here in China.  We had a race and were joined by some members of the CSU swim team and I am proud to say that the team I was on, won both times (though we did have the advantage of having more of the swim team members to compensate for the lack of racing swimming abilities Alise, Kerry, and I had).  After the races we swam to the deep part of the swimming pool and participated in a water polo game.  It was lots of fun!  I had such a great time with the swimmers and a great workout. 

I was very tired and hungry, so I was glad that dinner was next on the schedule.  I quickly ate and then we all went back to the hotel so we could go to Jianli Street.  This area reminded me of the Ithaca commons and the streets in Morocco.  They were selling different items (ranging from food, to paintings, silk Chinese clothes, and other souvenirs) at very good prices.  I bought a wood flute, which I am extremely excited to learn how to play (hopefully playing flute for twelve years will make it easier to learn).  We learned that some of the little stores had scrolls that told Chinese family history, which was really interesting because it made me realize how much the country is tied to its culture and tradition.

Words can only say so much and pictures are worth a thousand words, so please look through them and enjoy!