WOW

I just found out today that I was accepted into the AMI Training of Trainers program! That means.... well, what does that mean? I guess you could say that it's the opportunity for me to take another step into refining my understanding of the beauty of Montessori.

Yoga philosophy also emphasizes that the number one reason we practice yoga (or insert practice Montessori) is so that we can have a Revelation/to see the Universal/and further Align ourselves with the Divine. And in the terms of Montessori theory, that Divine is seen in the child and is the miracle of the child. The second reason why we practice is so that we can be more skillful, artistic, and fruitful in our celebration of life. We are here to enjoy it, so why not hone our skills and make more beauty come alive within us and within others?

For when we cultivate more wisdom we deepen our experience leading to a more rich and delightful time. So yay! I am getting the opportunity to grow more beauty and have an even more meaningful experience with children (and maybe as a future trainer, with adults!).

Nope, Nothing to Report, Nada

You'll just have to wait longer. I know you're dying to see pics from Zach and Jackie's visit over here, but there's absolutely no way I can download the pics from the camera to my laptop.

So we wait. Until Chase gets back that is. He's the only one who can solve this mystery of where the pluggy thing went (the USB thing that you need to connect the camera to the laptop, yeah, that one). In fact, he still might even have it packed away and whisked away to Paris on his business trip.

Who knows.

At least the anticipation will build and you'll be even more amazed with my amateur photography skills when you do get to see the pictures.... of us drinking way too many glasses of champagne, at least that's all I felt we drank for almost two weeks....

Cheers!

Milo, the Sensorial Ambassador

Milo weighs approximately 12 pounds and most that is his poofy hair. Which by the way, he's got a new haircut and is looking more manly than his bad haircut of '10 which left him looking more like a princess than a rock star that Chase and I are grooming (pun intended, HA) to be.

But really, he's a little poodle with a big heart and loves everyone he's met. So it's baffling that when walking him on the streets and trails in Hangzhou, we get shrieks, halts in traffic, and people skidding across the pavement to avoid a confrontation with our more manly looking pooch. Girls are literally climbing over each other and act like you laid a dead rat on their open toed heels.

I love my dog. So being a good mother, I naturally give them dirty looks and tell them to relax in my mediocre Chinese. He's just a dog. He doesn't bite. And remember the 12 pounds? Almost 5 times smaller than the average Chinese girl!

The situation worsens when parents are with their children. They are naturally protective of their babies (sometimes even up to 12 years old, but the parents still treat them like 3 year olds.... another rant for later). Parents usually create a fear in the children when Milo and I are about 30 yards out and the children are often sent scampering behind the adult. This really gets to me, because it's a cultural fear. They just tell the children to stay away from dogs either because they are dangerous or because they are considered dirty.

So I've gone out of my way to stop, talk with them, especially directly to the child and introduce Milo to them. I even had a 10 year old tell me that I was lying to him that and that if he listened to me and petted Milo, it would still bite him. Outrageous.

Now I understand that Honeymuffer, extraordinary dog that she is, would not be as predictable around little ones because from a young age, I never had the chance to socialize her. She thinks little children look more and more like squirrels each day and would be good for herding and chasing. Well, Milo on the other hand grew up in a household of three children. So he's definitely primed for being what I call the Sensorial Ambassador.

Let me explain, I believe that each time I allow a child to pet Milo (maybe he's even their first dog to pet), that they experience something Sensorially that his/her parents aren't allowing them to experience. They rub his tail, maybe even grab and tug on it lightly. They feel the warmth of his body and the wetness of his tongue. These are all sensorial experiences that children in China are being robbed of.

Rarely do you see children here playing and looking for tadpoles. Even the grass here is off limits because parents think it will get them dirty or that there are too many chemicals sprayed all over. So when do children ever get to feel grass under their feet? Or when do they play in sandboxes? When do they experience having a pet in their household?

The way that animals are viewed is that they are merely a food source. Even in zoos, right here in Hangzhou, for example, children visiting throw rocks, sticks, trash at the caged animals. When they see a fish, they think of how good it is to eat. So Milo and I continue to break the barriers of ignorance, prejudice, and try to show children how wonderful it is to have a relationship with an animal.

Hopefully this will cause a shift in the way that parents allow children to interact with the world around them. The more experiences children have with nature, the more sensorially aware they are.

Montessori in China- Part 2

Oh, I forgot to mention....

So I live on a pretty busy one-way street in Hangzhou. Every Friday, my friend, Conrad, cooks dinner and hosts a yoga session before hand. I was the only one in attendance this week and I was taking Milo as usual. He's is the honored guest you know... Funny joke... So he's a poodle, but the translation for poodle in Chinese, gui bin, means "honored guest". How fitting for poodles. But he's such a relaxed guy. Not so prim and proper like a poodle.

So, across the street from my apartment complex is a strip of little shops- eateries, clothing, accessories, bakeries, etc. This Friday I noticed a group of young women opening up a new shop and it was in fact a Montessori Materials shop! I was timid upon entering for fear that they would recognize who I was (I am in magazines in Hangzhou advertising our school). But they didn't catch that and I spoke to them about their setup, intentions, and anything that they had to say. It was interesting and they mentioned that they had a school not too far from the shop.

It struck me so much about how Montessori is such a "catch phrase" in China at the moment and businessmen are doing just about anything they can to jump on the bandwagon. I can't believe how much in the two years I've been in China that Montessori has grown.

Chinese parents have one opportunity to raise a child and they are willing to do anything to get them a head start, a better chance of success, and an edge on other children. It's cut-throat even at the tender age of 3.

The materials themselves seemed on par to Nienhuis, or other AMI-approved suppliers. There were lots of "parts of ..." puzzles, basic math materials, and items like Dressing Frames, highlighted in the store. I didn't get a catalog but asked them to contact me in the future for any Open Houses for their school around the corner.

I can't be sure who's the manufacturer of these goods, but it's evident that Montessori in China is just "growing like a weed" in China.

I hope I can be a part of the good gardeners who groom and take care of this transformation in Chinese society for the future.

Montessori in China

So, some of you may know that I was teetering on the edge of quitting my job here in Hangzhou this Spring. The politics and the business side of things in Montessori in China are just really so much to deal with. I am idealistic, kind-hearted, and work with integrity, sincere, dedicated, and did I mention, Idealistic? Well, what you get in China is not the ideal situation. So I was consumed for the latter part of the school year about what to do. Well, I stayed: for me, for the children, for the families, and for the bond that I had already created with the community here in Hangzhou.

So we started school three days ago and I must say it's nice to have "returning children". It's been two years since I had that and I love the fact that I can see the relationship we have created. They know me, there's a foundation, and there's a mutual understanding. Beyond that, I can't believe how much English they have retained! Most of them are under 4 years (as is the case when you start a Montessori classroom from scratch) and they communicate with me in Chinese and I respond in English. I am so impressed. Since being in China, I have questioned the bilingual set-up. Talk to me more in detail and you will understand why I believe that bilingual settings in school are better reserved for the Elementary years. I just think that children from 3 to 6 have so much to cope with.... so why further complicate things? Nevertheless, I have been hired to teach English and I will do my best.

My parents in my classroom are so supportive, enthusiastic, and in-touch with their child's needs! What great Montessori parents! It also helps that for most of them they only get to have ONE. So they can make that dedicated focus.

The administration moved me to a new space which has more natural light, windows, and is a more "home-like" feel. I am grateful for that. It's a contrived space, but I am working with it. I've got a hard-working assistant and even more hard-working "ayi" or housemaid. Neither are formally trained but are so ready to learn. Even better! I love that feeling of mentoring someone from the "ground up" and am happy that they are eager. Which brings me to my desire to join the Training of Trainers program. I am looking forward to them approving me to start the program and I will do so whole-heartedly. I love helping and changing minds to think about children in a new way. My training in Montessori was such an eye-opener so I wish to convey that same feeling to anyone I can.

More later. But I am excited to start this new school year. And I hope that I can serve the children in my classroom in the best way that I can.

So Busy

I guess you can tell how busy I have been the last few months. I haven't had a second to really look at my blog or catch up on all the great things happening in my life. I am truly grateful to have a full, social, meaningful life where I am surrounded by those I care about and who love me.

July was great because I was in India with Chase and we were able to spend time with Archie (who's going to UT this fall), Sruthi (who's going to USC this fall) and my parents and grandmother. On June 10th, we celebrated my Dad's 60th birthday in traditional style. It's called a Shastiabdhapoorthi and it's basically where the husband and wife renew their vows. It was an intense few days as the schedule was jam-packed. In the mornings and afternoons for two hours each, 19 priests came to my Aunt and Uncle's home in SriRangam and recited the Vedas. Some where chanting from the Yajur Veda, others from the Sama Veda, Ramayanam, and finally others where chanting in Tamil slokhas and devotional hymns from the 12 Alwars. The energy that it created really purified the house and everyone in it. I definitely fell in love with the Sama Veda as it sounds very trance-like. There's a melody component and it is easy to see how Tibetan chanting and Karnatik music came from this particular Veda. Then on the 10th we had the big celebration. It was good to see so many of my parents' friends and relatives from throughout their lives come to support my parents. Community is such a big part of Indian culture.

The rest of the India trip was amazingly relaxing. I had so much fun eating. Everyday was a feast and I made sure to eat lots of okra, mango (not enough though), coconut, banana stem, and other wonderful veggies that are only found in India. Chase on the other hand was dying from the monotony of Indian cuisine. At least to his taste buds it was monotonous. For me, there were so many flavors that I missed.

As soon as we came back to Hangzhou I went through a series of interviews for the Training of Trainers program which is the next step for me in the process of becoming an AMI trainer. I have to wait a few more weeks to see if I made it in. It's really a 50/50 chance I think. And then I have to figure out how I'm going to get all of the program finished in my five-year plan... if I get in that is. So some major life decisions await in the future if I get in.

Chase celebrated his 30th birthday the next day. I had a surprise party planned for him given that we would go to the Banyan tree for a spa day. But that was unraveled when he said he didn't want to go. So we had friends over anyways, and then went to a bbq in Binjiang by the Sheraton. It was good food. I hope they host another one. I got him kettle bells as a present but apparently they are the wrong size. Oops. I really tried!

Chase went on a business trip for a day to Zhengzhou and it was explained to him that I actually was invited as well and me not showing up would be a major faux pas. So we rushed to get someone to take care of Milo and I hopped on a plane that Friday evening. We explored the Shaolin Temple and some famous grottoes in Longmen. The Buddhist carvings were spectacular and marvelous. Our hosts, were great and Chase and I had fun playing with their 4 year old daughter.

Last weekend, our friends organized a trip to Anji. Anji is famous from the movie, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, because there's a fight scene in the bamboo forest and Anji is where that portion was filmed. We didn't actually go to the bamboo park but there was bamboo everywhere. Our main purpose was to go swimming in the creek. It was Milo's first trip out of the city and he had a great time. We also took him swimming for the first time. I mean, maybe his old family let him swim in their pool, but we felt like it was his first time. He tried and then decided that the water is just not his thing. But ya know, Honeymuffer was like that until she got used to it. So maybe Milo will become accustomed to the water the more we take him. Here are some pics from the weekend. By the way, the watering hole was really great. Can't wait to go back.

Here's the great mountain scenery filled with bamboo everywhere:


Milo taking his first swim:


The swimming hole. The water was the perfect temperature:

Look. I'm famous.

A few days before we left for our trip to India, Chase and I went to Angelo's (a pretty decent NY style eatery) in Hangzhou for the World Cup kick-off party. There are always media photographers for these kinds of events and so my friends, Gillian, Nicole, and I were posing and made it into the local expat magazine, More Hangzhou. How fun. We are right in the middle of the page and I'm in a blue dress.

The Shryocs in China

I have been trying for weeks to get back to my blog but the Firewall of China is built strong and my vpn is friggety fraggety. Let's just be clear, I will not be renewing my subscription this fall, that's for sure. Here are the long overdue pictures from when Chase's parents came to visit.



Here's Kirk and Donna as they put on their rain gear as they would many times that week. It's perpetually rainy in Southern China. We spent the morning getting soaked while touring the Yu Gardens in Shanghai. The next day was beautiful though.


On their first night in Hangzhou we took them to our neighborhood Sichaun restaurant. The staff knows us since we've been there so many times and knows my dietary restrictions, etc. The food was too spicy for Chase's parents but they gave it a good chance.


Milo makes friends easily.


We took them to the famous Longjing Manor organic restaurant with some friends. Donna especially loved the duck soup even though it had locusts in it! There's a great story about why the locusts are in the soup and you'll have to come to China to hear it. Until then, Donna claimed it was the best duck soup she had ever had.


In Beijing, we went to see the Chinese Acrobats show. It was amazing!


Our good friend, Kris, an Executive Chef at the Crowne Plaza organized a full plated seven course (I think) dinner at the Yunnan restaurant. Here's Chase's Dad as he tries tree bark, a Yunnan specialty, for the first time. Great presentation on the plate, huh? It tastes like what you think lichen would taste like.


The last day we had in Beijing, we took them to Tiannanmen and a brunch at Maison Boulud. It was really so much fun to have them visit and for us to see how they reacted to Asia. I can't wait for their return!

While the Big Dog is out....

Mommy goes shopping!!!

Chase went to Shanghai on business this week and I couldn't help myself the other day when I was at Hangzhou Tower buying groceries. There's a little dog store I like to go to for treats and general supplies called, "Mr. Dog". I got Milo a new outfit... a summer outfit... and he just looks fabulous!


He knows how to pose for a photo. Check out the turned out front paw.


Chase said I could buy one outfit every three years. But this one was so cute. It has dinosaurs all over it and it says "dino-finder" on one of the patches. At least we don't have a girl dog that's pint-sized or I'd have to be buying outfits every three days!

Car Wrecks and Yoga

On Friday, I was on my way to the Hangzhou International Airport after dropping off "buddy" and Milo is affectionately called, at a friend's house. It had been raining since the morning and I got into a rather old and cruddy cab. The driver was extremely nice as he waiting outside for me to drop off Milo. If not, I would have been waiting for another hour (yes, Milo and I waited for an hour) in the rain for another cab to the airport.

Anyways, on the airport expressway I was playing with my Chinese-English dictionary, looking up words and phrases I didn't know. I look up and there we are slamming on the brakes swerving to miss a car that had stopped in the middle of the highway. The cab driver did the best he could and at the last minute swerved the car when he knew it was too late to stop. We were going approximately 30mph at the point of impact and I went flying into the back of the passenger seat. There are no seat belts in China taxis. I take that back.... on our way back from Beijing we were lucky enough to find a taxi with back passenger seat belts. But really, it's few and far between and there are no seat belt laws in China except for the driver. Within seconds I had my cell phone in my hand calling Chase who was already waiting for me in Beijing.

I remember breathing heavily, tears streaming, trying to hold them back, not being able to breathe, while trying to tell Chase I was ok and that I wasn't going to make my flight. I felt my right cheekbone get really hot, my left knee bruised and my wrist slightly battered. Mostly I was concerned that my cheek wasn't going to start bruising and/or get a black eye and that I wouldn't look good anymore. HA.

I was alright. The cab driver got me into another cab quickly so I wouldn't miss my flight and the two ladies in their did their best to cheer me up by offering me tissues and making light of the situation.... telling me I would make my flight etc.

Long story, short... I didn't make my flight. It was delayed. Got on another flight, but sat on the runway for about 3.5 hours and finally got to Beijing around midnight. It was a long day.

On Saturday my right shoulder began to hurt and the next day my right knee which then caused my right hip to tighten up. It's a trickle down effect and it has been interesting to see how my body has taken the trauma and reacted to it over the last few days. I must have actually crashed into my whole right side when I went flying and just felt my face because of the tolerance of pain that most joints and large body areas have.

Being the good yoga student I am.... er, well, hope to be.... I knew that the best thing for me was a long, slow, therapeutic yoga session. And I knew that it was important for me to USE my shoulder as much as I could... without pain.... in poses that were weight-bearing.... without pain. Weight-bearing poses promote blood flow.... i.e.- prana... and prana is the healing energy. So tonight I did EVERY shoulder, weight-bearing pose I could think of... I mean everything... from handstand (using and focusing on UPAs like a mad woman) to dhanurasana (with variations) to purvottanasana to urdhva dhanurasana to a long session with shoulderstand. I don't know if what I was doing was therapeutic... but it was what my gut was saying to do.... I knew I had to do it.

I kept saying to myself, "Move your shoulder, tell it that it's ok, send healing energy, don't be afraid, side body long, breathe, inner body bright..." yadayadayada... you get the point.

And I'll tell you what... there's nothing like a little injury to set your body straight! Talk about awareness! I was completely present in every movement I took. My practice was awakened and I was aware making sure my movements were precise. I used a lot more muscular energy than I am used to and did so in order to be pain-free.

Injuries are so motivating. Not that I want to have another injury. My hip currently is taking the brunt of the tightness and instability of my shoulder and I am made aware of it every movement I make. So I did practice a lot of hip openers as well and I think they temporarily helped.

In the end, I am thankful for the super therapeutic, mind-blowing, yoga practice I had and am grateful that I do know what I do know in order to help myself heal.

Weekend with Jordana

We spent the other weekend with our friend, Jordana, who's currently living and working in Nepal. She was kind enough to route her trip through Beijing, so we met her there. Chase had one extra night with her but when I arrived on Friday, we met some of our old friends and went to a Yunnan neighborhood restaurant which I must say is the best Yunnan food I've had outside of Yunnan! That is until next weekend when we take Chase's parent's to Kris' Yunnan restaurant. Kris is pictured on the left. It's not his but he is the Executive Chef at the Crowne Plaza where it's located.




We were the last diners and in fact they sent the chefs home and had to call them back just for us to eat! The waitresses sang us some songs at the end of our meal and told us to get going.... so we insisted on pictures with them. It was great fun.


The next day we had brunch at Capital M which overlooks Tiannanmen and the Forbidden City. Wonderful atmosphere and the weather was great.


We took Jordana for a walk around the Forbidden City and we met this little guy who was posing for photographs thanks to his parents who put him up on this ledge. Seriously...


Later that evening we met some other friends for Pizza at The Tree and drinks at Apothecary which is apparently a new hot spot on Beijing. So much has changed in one year there!

It was great to be back in Beijing and I will always say that. It's the city with the most imperial feel and everything is just so massive- huge streets, huge buildings, etc. I look forward to going back in a few days.

Weekend in Taipei

So my weekend with John Friend went by fast. Two days was not enough time with him. I just loved listening to him and receiving all the great snippets of wisdom.

Practicing again with a group of people just gave me so much energy! I love the whole Anusara kula. It's a very different feeling you get from all other styles of yoga communities. And for me, I just get so walled in my own apartment, that I forget how much fun it can be to be around people. Well, I shouldn't say that, Conrad and I have been having a few great practices together and it's been really great to have someone in Hangzhou to practice with. I love practicing with Chase but there's a lot of tension in the way that I help him and guide him. I think Chase just needs to learn from others. Let's face it, it's difficult to receive criticism (even though I say things in the best way possible) from the one you love.

I am a control-freak, perfectionist, and technical junkie when it comes to yoga and Chase could care less about technique and wants to just "stretch". He's not into the spiritual aspect of yoga. And no one really is when they first take a yoga class. But over time, and I didn't dare tell him this for fear that he would resist it, it becomes a prayer, a meditation, a disciplined practice that takes you within. When that discipline came into my yoga practice, that was when I first began to feel freedom. Just as John Friend also said this weekend, paraphrasing of course, Stepping into and aligning with the flow of Grace is difficult, but when discipline is cultivated and you are able to be a part of nature's order and you step into that flow, you can ride its waves with ultimate freedom.

I also learned, and might have heard this before but forgot, and isn't it great to just hear and learn over and over again.... but anyways, the only three poses in yoga are: tadasana, Sukhasana/Siddhasana, and Savasana. All the other poses are just variations of these three so that meditation is easier because the prana is flowing better. I know I knew this... but it was great just reemphasize! It made my practice more meaningful in the sense that I remembered that the ultimate goal is not the asana itself but that it serves the whole body and mind to create a better union.

On Saturday I was asked to do a demo! Wow. That was great. I did Urdhva Dhanurasana to Ushtrasana and then back to Dhanurasana.

On Sunday I was asked to be a student for Patrick Creelman as he demonstrated how to "teach" handstand. Our theme was converging the themes of Yin/Ying which is so central to Daoism and the melting of the heart theme in Anusara. So the hands in handstand are yang- strong, supportive, solid... muscular energy and the melting of the heart is the yin- soft, supple, and sensitive, organic energy. So Patrick walked me and talked me though the handstand in front of the whole group. When I came down John announced that on this day Patrick became the first Certified Anusara teacher in Asia! WOW! I was so happy for him and was proud to be a part of that moment for him. How special is that.

We also talked about personal practice a bit and John made it clear that his purpose here was to light a spark within us that would carry us until the next time we met again. I am without a doubt, more invigorated, determined, and realigned in my focus. John definitely created a shift in me and my experience with him was unforgettable. I think that this was due to the fact that I was open when I came to this course. I was accepting of everything I received and I hope that I can take all that I learned back to Hangzhou, mull over it, practice, practice, practice, and go further in my studies. Oh and that includes studying with Lois in a few short weeks in Shanghai and this summer in India at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai!

Departures

It's so nice to be in Taiwan and access my blog without any Chinese censorship! Taiwan is so different and it's amazing to see what happens to a culture and compare the years of different government rule and what happens. It's the same people, but one culture led into Communism and the other into a more Democratic reform. Both have corruption. Both are growing immensely. But what I see more differently is the people and how they are more free, more educated, and more open-minded here.

I am partial Taiwan as I lived here ten years ago for a semester in college. It's bringing back all the memories to be here again. And I am so excited today to have a day off to go exploring. I am definitely going to check out the National Palace Museum again. In my opinion, it's the Louvre of Asian Art. The Nationalists looted China as they came here for refuge during the fight for control. They lost, but did they really? Because they have all the goodies. hehe. And most importantly, I am going to check out Tang and Song Dynasty celadon.... my most favorite. I only have half a day now as I have been in my hotel room surfing the internet. My what a few months of censorship will do to you when you are free to browse the internet again!

Another stop will be to see Taipei 101. It wasn't built when I was here but for a long time stood as the world's tallest building. I hope to get some views.

I am also meeting with a high school friend, Steve Ho, who now lives in Taipei. So that should be great to reconnect.

Saturday and Sunday.... *drumroll* I get to go to John Friend's workshop! I am signed up for both sessions so that will be two whole days of yoga yoga yoga!

Totally wickedly stoked.

Chase was also supposed to come on this trip, but he's in India. Doesn't sound too bad if you ask me. I would love to be eating idlis and dosas and sambar and sweets all day long. And yes, that's just about all I'd be doing.

Milo is with our friend, Conrad, who also just studied with John Friend in Japan last week for a Teacher Intensive. He's trying to set up Anusara style classes in Hangzhou which of course I am a big supporter of! Yay!

So big ups to everyone. Loving being on vacation. Man, I needed it! I couldn't even sleep last night because I was just so excited to be on vacation for yoga, well, and for myself.

Big Plans

The next six weeks are going to be quite busy here in Hangzhou. There's lots of travel, meetings, guests, and events to go to. Milo and I are sitting here on the couch. Chase just left for India for a couple of weeks and I leave for Taiwan to attend a John Friend workshop in Taipei on Thursday. Yippee!

Spring is finally here in Hangzhou even if it's just for one day and it is going to rain tomorrow.

Jordana is coming to visit in May. Chase's parents are coming for a two weekend and a week in between visit. And there's a trip in Shanghai somewhere in there as well.

I feel bad for Milo because for five out of the next six weekends he's going to be all alone.

That's all for now. It feels good to be busy...

Downward Dog

So last week, something phenomenal happened. I have been doing downward facing dog for let's say about 10 years +. That is just the pose, the form, the shape. I have been learning the mechanics of it: the stance, the foundation, the hands, the shoulders, the tailbone, etc. I have always known my shoulders to be extra flexible and they end up crashing and splaying out. Often times, teachers will come over and give me an adjustment to remind me to hug my elbows in, hollow out my armpits, and plug the head of my armbone back and in. And this is easy for me to understand when I'm going other poses, but it always felt so good to just let my ribs hang out in downward dog. I felt like I was getting a more intense pose.

But somehow, a few days ago, I told myself that I was going to do the pose with integrity... no cheating, no collapsing... nothing. And I told my arms to hug in and my shoulder blades to move in and down!!!

They listened! Thank you oh Divine Love. I now feel downward dog. It's finally an exploration! It's joyous in every way. I want to say there and just feel the expansion in my heart. Downward dog is a backbend. Who Knew!?!?!?

I love that all I did was listen to myself, connected everything together and the pose became this delightful experience. Just talking about it now and thinking about how much this one pose has changed for me makes me want to go and practice it again and again.

So thank you yoga teachers, gurus, friends, who helped me and guided me.... for now downward dog makes sense.

What a great weekend!

So the last week, I wanted to take a mental health day and go to Shanghai for a day trip, but something came up at work and I was needed. So Chase's mission was to provide me the most relaxing weekend possible so that I wouldn't feel so burnt out.

(The school is enrolling more and more children, so my classroom is getting a bit chaotic until all these new ones settle in)

So on Friday night we went to a buffet with some friends at the Dragon Hotel. It was good, but the vegetarian choices were limited. So they just prepared some curry, pasta, and a pizza for me and my friend, Misha. Not bad. Was stuffed.

On Saturday morning we went on a bike ride through the tea villages with a mountain biking group that goes out every weekend. I had no idea if I could even make the distance because I never go on bike rides that are a very long. But I rode for about 4 hours! We went to Dragon Well Village, Long Jing Village, and through Nine Creeks (literally nine creeks merge into the Qiantang River). It was great. There were many hills, but now with my fancy new bike, they are manageable. I had a great time! We ate lunch at a tea house along the way and I was hoping to get a taste of this year's Longjing Harvest. This weekend was supposed to be the prime weekend for sampling it.... read... the most expensive time as well. So we didn't get any, but I don't really like Longjing tea anyways. The chinese think it's some great green tea, but I think the flavor is to sharp, strong, and not rounded enough. I like buttery, soft green teas. More of a japanese style.

Anyways, a yoga session with Conrad was next. Conrad just moved to Hangzhou and is working on this Anusara-Inspired status, so it's a fun time always practicing together. He was also part of our Friday evening buffet outing.

Chase and I passed out early on Saturday evening. Cycling just drains you.

Sunday I spent time around the house, went grocery shopping, had a good tutoring session, and made black beans, salsa, guacamole, and rice. Then we vegged in front of the laptop, catching up on the 8th season of 24.

The weather's been getting better in Hangzhou and I'm really looking forward to a beautiful week.

We have a RAT in the house

It's been two weeks now. And this rat is taking over our lives. He eats anything that he can get his hands on. He climbs into our bed at night and wedges himself in between us. He likes to be on laps and demands to be leashed and walked. He's a pretty smart rat and can slide the sliding door to the kitchen where he attempts to eat food off the floor, until I kick him out of course.

He's three years old and some people in China might call him a "hong Gui Bing" which means red-haired poodle. We just thought he was a rat that needed a good home. But it's really because he doesn't have his hair right now. It was all cut off because his previous owners didn't brush him enough and it was so matted that it just had to be shaved off. The groomers say he won't look like a rat in about four months. So we are waiting to see if he's really a dog. But until then, we will love him like a dog. And Lola now has a brother in China. I don't know how she'll do when they eventually meet, but at least we didn't get her a sister. That would have been a disaster. She is the princess and would not like any competition from another princess. So we got a rat. I hope you like him. Oh, and his name is Milo.

Here he is snuggling on the couch.



He likes to be carried and here he is in perfect baby position standing on Chase's belt buckle for extra support.

Pics from our trip

Ok, so I have been so busy and haven't been able to sign back on to post more about our trip. And in all honesty, I did try several times but it's been impossible to upload pictures along with content because of China's firewall. So I decided, after some requests for more pictures, to set up a flickr account and link it to here so you can view.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48442435@N05/?saved=1

If you can't go there, try just searching for me: smvshryoc


Hope you enjoy the pictures and there will be more!

First Day in Lijiang

Well, since I just sat around the hotel room and recovered yesterday, there’s nothing much to report.

This morning we took a flight to LiJiang which is a 50 minute flight northwest of Kunming. The descent was a bit choppy since we are in mountainous region. These hills and mountains are perhaps the precursors to the Himalayas which for certain start in Tibet. We are definitely closer to Tibet and you can see that by the architecture and there’s yak butter and yak yogurt for sale everywhere which I think is common in Tibetan diet.

We checked into a lodge that is decorated in the Naxi (minority) people’s style. There whole hotel seems like it’s one big wood carving. It’s beautiful, rustic, and it’s only $20 a night! And it’s located in the old town of LiJiang which is a reconstruction of what it looked like hundreds of years ago. It’s so peaceful and quiet here.

Day 2 and 3

Here's what happened the next few days....

After the Super Bowl was over, we went out to find the local climbing gym. It’s located in an old courtyard community and we were really able to spend some time wandering the streets. I have never just walked into those very Chinese neighborhoods. Places that westerners live tend to be modern with modern facilities. There were fruit stalls, butcher stalls, tailors, people playing mahjong. When we finally located the very tiny gym, it was obvious no one was around and when we asked some people if they had any information about when the gym would be open, they replied that it was a Monday. Here's what one of the courtyards looked like. This is traditional Chinese housing... comfortable housing.... us westerners wouldn't make it a day.

We walked to a Yunnan inspired restaurant that was horrible in my opinion- bad service, dingy, not so tasty or fresh like Yunnan food is supposed to taste like. Chase ordered what he thought was beef and he got duck tripe. I ordered eggplant and corn. More on this later…

We made our way back to the park that is by the hotel and sat in the sun and planned out the rest of our vacation. Then we went to the oldest Buddhist temple in Yunnan. And that how Buddhism first came to China, through land and through Yunnan. The temple itself is undergoing huge renovations but as we worked our way back through the courtyards and minor halls, we found ourselves watching an afternoon prayer service, full of monks, Chinese Buddhists, and some tourists. It was a beautiful thing to watch and the chants were similar to Sanskrit chants in their rhythm but of course, not in sounds. Here's a picture of one of the side halls where it shows Siddhartha renouncing his religion, caste, and position as an elite member of society by cutting of his hair. You can see his clothing and embellishments are Indian. And then a picture of him enlightened. That's great art and I really appreciated it for a few minutes.

In the morning the next day my stomach was waging a war and I knew something was up. I didn’t want to make a big fuss about it so we went to buy tickets to Dali or Lijiang, where we planned to go next. The train station was a ZOO. Everyone in China will tell you, as a foreigner, avoid the train station during Chinese New Year holidays. And now we know why. Every single family travels back to their hometowns and it’s beyond crowded. There’s just no space to even move and there’s total chaos with people moving around, sitting down, eating, sleeping and they all have 7-8 bags each that are either hoist on their heads/backs or are sitting around. Some of what they carry are gifts from the city for the country folk. One such popular gift we saw was an electric stove top. Just a single top that plugs into the wall, but just think about how that will revolutionize cooking for their family member, grandma, aunt, whom ever, in the countryside.

Chase and I couldn’t secure tickets until the 13th so we opted for going to the Stone Forest which is 60km from Kunming for the day. It took us about 1 hour to find where the minibuses were to take us but by 11am we were on the road.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the Stone Forest which is a beautiful collection of limestone karsts. It was awarded UNESCO National Heritage Site status. The main part of the park is very touristy. The pathways around it are completely cemented and there’s non-native grass growing around the karsts. Chase and I took the route as far away as we could get from them. Then we were in heaven. The breeze was light, the sun shining, and we couldn’t hear the crowds anymore. Chase was like a kid in a candy shop because he wanted to climb all the boulders and get to the tops. I was just enjoying breathing the fresh air and take some shots of him and the scenery. Here's what I think is a great shot. I know you aren't supposed to shoot into the sun (it's bad for your lens) but it was worth it.

And that’s when it hit me. Those of us that live in Austin or have immediate access to the outdoors really take for granted what we have. I can’t remember a day in the last few months at least where I was surrounded by nature and its noises. No cars, trucks, people shouting, firecrackers, they have all become the background noise to my life and even when I practice yoga or meditation in my house, I am always tuning out those noises. How stressful on the nervous system it is to live in the city!

By this time, my food poisoning as it turns out was getting worse. We stopped into a pharmacy at night to finally get some medicine for me.

I had packed a First Aid Kit, but the only item I managed to forget was some Immodium. The pharmacy lady recommended three kinds of medication and it seemed like a lot. Chase inquired about the price because we thought maybe it would be too much. To our surprise it cost only RMB 9.90. That’s less than $1.50 people! The same medicines that you can find in America, you can get here for so much less. For example, not that I think that antibiotics are good to use, but Amoxicillin is an over-the-counter medication! I guess it stems from the fact that 99% of all drugs are manufactured in China.

Anyways, the medicines are working and I do feel better and hope that I will be back to normal by tomorrow. We have a flight to LiJiang which I am excited about.

Day 1 and 2

'

We ate at the Bluebird Cafe in Kunming on our first night. Here's Chase enjoying his curry and yes, I drank one beer. Come on, I was on vacation!

So here's the official start of my diary from this trip. I couldn't keep up so while this is written in present tense, you will see in a couple of days that I will switch and just give you summaries.... with pictures.... yeah!

It’s the 2nd official day of our vacation and we are sitting in our hotel room in Kunming, Yunnan watching the Super Bowl with Chinese commentating. We don’t get to see any of the commercials, though. At least it’s better than our home where we don’t even have Chinese cable television and we would have to watch it streaming from our laptops. We went down and ate a yummy Chinese breakfast which for me consisted of a make-it-yourself noodle soup and they were kind enough to go in the back and get me some boiling water instead of pork broth.

So yesterday we got on our flight in the afternoon which we almost missed because we couldn’t get a cab on time and the one we did get was not a regulation cab and tried to scam us. (People around Chinese New Year will do anything to get themselves more money so they can go back to their families in the countryside and look good.) On the way down, we were able to see the mountains come into view and the plateau in which most of Yunnan is located. The hills are definitely barren, no more trees from years of deforestation hundreds of years ago, but nevertheless, we could see clear skies and that made us both happy. A baby began to cry during the descent and wouldn’t stop because his ears were plugged. The mother, tried to talk over it and made many attempts to soothe the baby. After about 10 minutes of the wailing, she became frustrated by her efforts and began spanking the baby on the bottom, shouting at it, and shoving it in the father’s hands only to take it back after a minute to repeat the cycle. It was a poor display but an accurate one of many Chinese parents. They have babies because they know they are allowed to have one according to law. But they have no nurturing spirit or sense of what it takes to be a loving parent and most of do not have the patience required. I just kept thinking that all she needed to have prepared was a bottle of juice or, if a child is old enough, a piece of candy to suck on. And if that wasn’t possible, at least massage the sides of it’s jaws. One of the main purposes of my work with parents in my classroom is to help counsel them on parenting issues like this one. However, I think that it’s common sense and I couldn’t believe she was not able to help her baby. Furthermore, her insults towards her child were purely to “save face” in front of all the other passengers who at this point were beginning to take notice of this tiresome situation. I hope that in my work here I can at least affect some parents to treat their children respectfully and with love.

Kunming is really pleasant. The air is so clean here, the trees and foliage are lush and the town seems really laid back. We went to dinner at Thai/Burmese/Chinese restaurant then took a walk and spent some time in two bars. One was a tavern-style Chinese bar with live musicians. The first one was singing jazzy Chinese favorites and after the DJ came on for a few minutes to play hip-hop, and then that was followed by a female singer. During her set, the lights went out and while we thought it was a fuse that was blown we later found out the whole city was in a blackout. A blackout! The only other place I know that happens is India. So it just reminded me how close we are to the developing world.

But honestly, Yunnan seems more “free” than northern China where communist rule and fervor is still imprinted in the culture. So people here seem to have more freedom and don’t see us westerners as such a spectacle. Tourism is their most important industry, so maybe they are just used to us.

Alright, it’s time to get back to the Super Bowl. Chase has begun to commentate play-by-play so that he doesn’t have to listen to Chinese for the three remaining quarters.

Yunnan!

It's been a few days since we've been back from Yunnan and I've enjoyed relaxing in Hangzhou. The weather's been great and it is going to get warmer in the next week or so!

So for the next few posts, I will be sharing with you our wonderful week in China's frontier land. Did you know Yunnan wasn't even a province during WWII? So it's as far away as you can get from China. It feels pretty wild there actually. There are many ethnic minorities who still call this province home and people from Vietnam and Thailand trace their ancestors to this region.

Chase and I had a great time. Quick summary: a couple of days in Kunming with unsuccessful attempts to find rock climbing, I got a stomach bug, went to LiJiang, and had a couple of attempts to go to the Tiger Leaping Gorge and finally made it there for a two day trek, almost adopted another puppy, a day in Dali (China's Goa, if you know what I mean), and back to Hangzhou.

Oh and I've got pics of it all! Love the new camera...

Slight Oversight

I thought I would be able to take our new camera on this trip, take pics and download them on to the blog for your viewing pleasure. However, I forgot that we are still in good 'ole China. The Great Firewall will block me from accessing my blog since I will be laptop-less.

So I guess I'm signing off for a week or so and when I return to Hangzhou I will have a splendid recount of what we did, who we saw, what we ate, and all the juicy details.

Stay Tuned.

And until then "Chun Jie Kuai Le!" and "Gong Xi Nin!"

(That was Happy Spring Festival and Happy New Year!)

Change of Plans

Chase called me at work on Friday, (well several times) and finally when we talked he told me that Yangshuo was going to be cold and rainy the entire time we planned to be there. So that would mean no hiking, climbing, and spending time outdoors in the sunshine and enjoying fresh mountain air, etc. So we decided to change our plans last minute and have chosen to go to Kunming, which is the capital of Yunnan province.

It's a city of about 8 million people on the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau. So that means the elevation is around 6,000 feet. It's the high-altitude training center for most athletes in China and many from around the world. And therefore, it has plenty of sunshine and because of it being so far south enjoys a tropical climate. Basically, it's very lush. It's the city from where you can take side-trips to see China's ethnic minorities up close. Hopefully we won't get sucked into some tour or destination where it's a Chinese ethnic minorities "themepark" but we hope to get off the beaten path and see the diversity in culture.

In southwestern Yunnan, there's a lot of Burmese influence since it shares a large border. This is evident in food as well. There are lots of places down there where you can get a glimpse of the different kinds of peoples.

In northwestern Yunnan lies Dali, Lijiang, Tiger Leaping Gorge, and the "Shangri-la" of China. All of these are supposed to be beautiful cities and the gorge of course is the deepest one in the world. So we are going that route and will worry about booking train tickets to Dali and Lijiang once we get to Kunming on Sunday. Hopefully it's not sold out and mayhem at the train ticket office because everyone's trying to get home for the holiday.

We also chose to go to Kunming because there's supposed to be some climbing outside of the city and Chase is definitely excited about that.

Finally, I am excited because Yunnan cuisine is fresh, earthy, and they use a lot of various kinds of mushrooms in their diets. You haven't eaten mushrooms unless you have come to China to taste their cuisine. It's amazing how many different kinds of fungi and mushroom grow here and the different preparations of them. In fact, Chase and I were at an early dinner tonight and I had wood ear mushrooms. YUM.

Yunnan cuisine also includes a fair amount of bamboo, pineapple, and banana, which I love to eat as well.

So I hope to take some pics with our lovely new camera and post them.... speaking of.... we went to the electronics market today to crack my Iphone to use in China, bought a case for my phone, a case for our new camera, and 8 DVDs, and the total cost - $25 USD. That's all. In America, you can't even buy the case for the Iphone for less than $20.

Then our dinner: 2 cold appetizers, 1 vegetarian entree, 2 meat entrees for Chase with a coupon for $10 brought our meal to $10. That was 50% off our meal.

Man, I love China right now.

Quick Update

It's a lovely Friday morning. I'm enjoying a whole pot of chai. I've started to increase my caffeine intake because the weather has been so poor in Hangzhou. I just don't have energy to wake up when it's day after day of no sun, gloom, and constant drizzle.

But the tea's excellent, had a bowl of granola, and listening to my current favorite song: A-Punk by Vampire Weekend. It's a happy tune and it gets me going.

Today's the last day of the term for the children at my school. Thank GOD. I made it. Hahah.

We have two weeks off for Chinese New Year, sometimes called Spring Festival. Chase and I are going on our first domestic trip of more than 3 days. Can you believe that? All of our other trips have been international, so far?

Crazy. I thought we came here to see China.

There have been fireworks going off for weeks. You just have to experience the excitement in the air. It's hard to explain. Everyone in the country travels home so I hope our decision to stay in the country was a good one.

We are going to Yangshuo, a climbing destination. It's known for it's tall towering peaks... yes the ones you have seen in landscape art and scrolls.

Oh, and the other day I cooked my first full-course Indian meal, desert included. I made dhal, rasam, cauliflower, and paysam. It turned out all right... except for the rasam, which I just can't make just like my Mom's. I guess that's how it goes though. Mom's cooking will always be the best.

Alright, I'm late for work now and have been every day this week. Yikes!

Bye.

Reason to Celebrate

Chase and I went to Shanghai for a day trip yesterday partly because it was my birthday this week and I love Shanghai. I also had a dentist appointment. There are no western style dentists in Hangzhou that would meet my requirements for education/training, cleanliness, etc. So the report is pretty good. I've got clean teeth now. But unfortunately, in the future, I'm going to need a root canal. I've got a cavity that was filled a long time ago but it is so close to the nerve that it's inevitable. So I must wait and when I start to feel pain there again, I should come in.

After the dentist I went to a yoga class. It was really great. I worked hard, enjoyed the instruction, learned a few things, and got a couple of great adjustments and instructions. So it's nice to know that there is good yoga out there in Shanghai if I need it. I also found out that an Anusara (not Inspired, but on the way there I think) is moving to Hangzhou, so I will be going out to Binjiang district every so often to take his classes once he gets here in February.

Chase and I went to the urban planning museum of Shanghai in the afternoon and we saw some great models of what the Shanghai Expo site is going to look like. It's a whole side of the city! And Shanghai is enormous! It reminds me so much of Manhattan and life there is just like New York life. So if you are ever interested in visiting us, I'm sure a trip to Shanghai is in order.

Then in the evening we went with a little trepidation to try a new interior Mexican restaurant that was recommended in the expat magazines of Shanghai, MAYA. It blew us away! Real mexican flavors, fresh cheese, jalapenos, and ingredients. The queso fundida was a little bland we think that the cheese they were using is just a little bit milder than what we are used to in order to fit the Chinese and international palette. The tortillas were freshly made and the margaritas weren't that bad! So we will be going back but we noticed on the way out that in the reader's choice awards for the expat magazine, that this restaurant was 1st runner up. So perhaps we'll try the winner next time we are in Shanghai.

Another reason for celebration last night was that we sold Chase's truck and got our house in Austin rented earlier this week! The new tenant will be moving in on Monday. So we certainly feel that we have cut a few more strings from our life in the US and are truly living the expat life. The only connection we still have is our baby, Lola and there's no way we would ever bring her here so we are glad she's happy and healthy with my family back in Austin.

Lazy Saturdays

Last night Chase and I went to bed at 10pm and didn't wake up or really stir until 9am this morning. A whole 11 hours of sleep! What a lovely thing that was. My weekdays are so jam-packed that it's inevitable that I'm sleep deprived by Friday so it's really lovely to just have nothing to do on Friday night. We ordered Papa John's and watched Up in the Air with George Clooney. I fell asleep through bits but it was an amusing story. It's on youku.com for any of you out there willing to watch it for free. It's a Chinese site but don't get too scared by all the characters. Just type in the movie you want to see and voila!

This morning I made breakfast and talked with my sister on Skype. Then I sat down at had two whole pots of tea and scoured the new City Shop site because you can select groceries from there instead of using their catalog and emailing in your order. If you don't know what I'm talking about, City Shop is the grocery store from Shanghai that we order our groceries from each week. And it gets delivered to our doorstep. This is because there is very little choice in the way of cheeses, dairy, and western products in Hangzhou. I have found a good grocery store that I go to for organic produce, but City Shop has everything else.

When I was done with that, I showered and Chase and I went out looking for my birthday present. What we expected to find was a bike at the bike store so that I can ride around the hills in the area and around the lake and along the canals with Chase, but instead we ended up with a scrapper. When we got there the store was closed and we were looking around and along came a little scrapper dog. She began to eat some bones from a chicken wing that someone left on the ground and as we started to walk away from the bike store, she stopped eating and followed us. Well, more like she really followed Chase. I mean, she loved him. He stopped, she stopped. He went, she went. He whistled, she came running along. She followed us and we thought she would eventually stop as she started to look thirsty. But she walked beautifully off leash, crossed the crosswalks, and kept at our heals. That was until finally, we came across a couple who had a long-haired chihuahua. She became distracted and figured they were more exciting than we were. So just a few blocks before our house, a few blocks from being a part of our family, living life on the 14th floor of Lan Ting Guo Ji, she gave up to perhaps join a family that already had a dog and would care for her.

To be honest, it was a relief. I wasn't ready to have her in my life yet and Chase and I both came to the conclusion that as cruel as this may sound, we would like to choose the pup that we might eventually have. It seemed like a burden to get a dog when we weren't prepared. We discussed that we didn't even have food for her when we eventually would get home. We also could see that she had just had pups and have an un-neutered dog would be messy about every month, and what would we do about that? Maybe she knew that and didn't want to risk the long journey. Who knows. We hope that the old couple that she followed away from us were dog lovers (they did already have one, didn't they?) and would feed her a meal this evening and maybe even take her in forever.

The Joys of Hiking

Last weekend, Chase and I ventured up Baochu Hill where there is an old pagoda. Of course it has been reconstructed only 50 years ago. Not much of what you see in China is ever the original because there has just been so much destruction and not enough reverence for the past. Anyways, the original was built over 600 years ago and it's still a symbol of Hangzhou.

We've been hiking before in Hangzhou and this time it was apparent to us that the guidelines that we normally follow when using trails in America do not exist here in China. I shall list a few:

1. Giving way to people climbing uphill. Chinese people just move at their own pace, stand in the middle of the trail and have conversations with no consideration for others. Chase and I repeatedly brushed by people who made no apologies or didn't move over as they saw us coming. And we would always have to move around them or make way for them. They are so used to not having personal space that it doesn't phase them.

2. The addiction to their phones. The purpose of getting out into nature is to get away from city sounds and enjoy fresh air. However, the number of people staring into their phones, texting while they hike was absurd. If they weren't on their phones, they were using their phones as boomboxes to blast their favorite tunes totally drowning out the few birds that were in the trees. Sorry, I just don't want to be forced to listen to someone else's music while I'm trying to get away from people. I just don't understand why they can't give up technology and media even for a few minutes a day. The addiction to video games is also growing in this country of recent economic surge. The other night, we went to dinner with friends and a full grown man with his wife and several other couples had brought along his laptop and while the meal was going on, he was engaged in computer games. Absurd!

3. A funny thing happens when people reach the top of the hill or a vantage point on one of the trails. They begin to yell. And I mean George of the Jungle style. Young Chinese men like to yell and yodel as if they have conquered a large mountain and want everyone below to know it. It's almost as if they have never had the opportunity to show their might and the trek up the hill has been a personal test. They might be just a few hundred feet up. All I could do every time I heard this was bawk and shake my head.

There are many things about the Chinese culture that annoy me after being 18 months into this adventure. And Chase and I have become less tolerant and patient with understanding their culture. This is the opposite, complete opposite of what I expected to happen. I thought I was an open-minded person and accepting of all people around the world. I suppose this is the case as an outsider just observing, but when you have to live with their customs day in day out, it's a totally different perspective.

We did come across some really nice experiences on our hike as well. For example, there was a man who stood out in a field and belted out some beautiful Chinese opera for passersby. He was really great. We also met a cute dog that didn't even come when I called it because the sounds and tone of voice that I use as a Westerner weren't recognizable to the dog. When a Chinese person called it, the dog came wagging its tail. Interesting. We also got to walk through an old village where people still don't have hot water and barely have electricity and cooking is done by fire. This all in the middle of a large metropolis, bigger than Houston. The disparity of life is so great just a few miles from where I live.

I do want to say that we do enjoy our lives in China. It's just that we have to deal with daily reminders of how we are so different. I thought that coming to China and experiencing a different culture would make me more tolerant and patient. It has done the opposite. I am more frustrated and annoyed with our differences, especially when it comes to hygiene, personal courtesy, and care for the Earth. Chase and I have a saying when there's nothing we can do about the situation we are in so that we can keep perspective: "It's China."