Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting
It’s been a long week. We loaded up two buses last Friday with all of our belongings and a ridiculous amount of swords and drove about an hour southwest to this new school which is much larger and much more modern. We are near the mountains here, so the air is much cooler and it’s not as polluted. On clear days (which isn’t very often) you can see the mountains in the background while we are training. It’s a BIG step up from the old school which is now nothing but a pile of rubble.
The training schedule is still the same, but this week was a little more sane. The first few days of training last week I really thought I was on Candid Camera. The first day was power training, which involves jogging, sprinting, relay races, frog hopping, duck walking, carrying people on your back, sit ups, push ups, more sprinting, hopping on one leg forever, and various other exhausting activities. The second training of the day involved power stretching which means you get down as far as you can in the splits and then your foot gets kicked out from under you and you get pushed down the rest of the way. They’ll stop is you scream enough, though. The final lesson involved acrobatics. One of the guys in my group who is a Kung Fu master in France did about 10 backflips in a row. Then a Polish dancer knocked out about 5 in a row. Then my trainer looked at the rest of us and nodded his head as if to mean “Ok. Now you’re turn.” Needless to say, it was somewhat of an intimidating day. This week was better, but I’m still sore.
I was also sick 4 days the past week. On Saturday during our break I started getting the chills and feeling badly, so I asked my Sifu to take me to the doctor. My temperature was 102.2. So, the doctor gave me a million pills and Sifu reluctantly agreed to let me rest in my room while the rest of my group trained. I’m not sure what was in those pills the doctor gave me, but they definitely worked. The fever was gone the next day, but then the stomach problems began and that kept me down for the next couple of days. I feel much better now, but one thing I’ve learned is that nobody is ever 100% well. Or even 90%. Strenous training is one reason for this, but hygiene is another.
One of the most difficult things for me to deal with here is the lack of cleanliness. Throwing trash on the ground is an acceptable habit. Spitting any and everywhere (very loudly) is an acceptable habit. Covering one nostril and blowing your nose on the ground is an acceptable habit. In the school cafeteria, throwing (or spitting) food on the table and/or the floor is an acceptable habit. It’s difficult to walk in the cafeteria if you get there too late because there’s food everywhere and broth from the soup all over the floor. I think almost everyone has been sick here at least once. I’m feeling pretty good today, and I’m just crossing my fingers that it will last.
Our arrival at the new school with my Sifu in the foreground
Training
View of the new school from where we live
Training: Don’t spill the water
More Training… it seems like it never stops..
The recommended dosage for a fever (3x a day)
Unfortunately, not an unusual sight
Me and the gate to the old school in Zheng Zhou
My old bedroom
My old bathroom…
My new bedroom!! I share it with another girl from the States and a girl from Poland.
Perfect form
You’ve got to be careful where you walk
A much needed break
Tags: Amanda Formoso, China, Kung Fu, Kung Fu training, Shaolin Temple, Travel
Amanda
I’m in Beijing now. Heading down to the school in a week !!! This entry got me super excited! Thanx for posting!
See you soon!!
A-
You are officially super hardcore. Great pics! Great post! I hope you find yourself a Kung Fu fighter.. I also realize this training could permanently put you on the ranks to kick my ass. I’m on it.
Dang!! All the kids I coached in volleyball complained when I made them run 5 laps around the gym!!! I’ll have to have you come in when you get back and show them what reall training is all about!!!!
Sounds like you are having an awesome, memorable time!!! Stay safe (and healthy!!)
And why is it you’re doing this???? I feel sick after just readng your post. . . . . . . .
Hang in there!!!
All I can say is holy crap.
At least you don’t need to eat much…all those pills look filling! And I guess the floating garbage at the bottom of the posts is good motivation not to fall off!
At least you broke the new school in for me…looks like quite an upgrade. 🙂
– Greg
Funky pills!! hope you are feeling better after them. Trainning looks tough but good, great pics!
Holy Chit!!! That sanitation stuff is too gross….even for this old Marine. How many pounds have you lost since you began this “exotic” journey.
After you graduate from the Chinese Kung Fu training program, do you thing you’ll be interested in enrolling in the Italian martial arts program – Fung Gu???
Hang tuff, Little Lady..
I like the simplicity of your room. Like a monk’s cell.
You are very good at taking pictures that capture the sense of the place you have visited. And you are good at catching people when they don’t know they are being photographed.
[…] I am so desperate to get fixed up before the hellacious training starts, that I took the 8 mystery pill regimen which Amanda was given at her school. It consists of a variety of different shaped and colored capsules, most of which would probably give the FDA a heart-attack. If it works, I owe her big time! […]
I know that I am so late on reading this entry….but I really want to know what those pills are……so interesting.
I can’t wait to see your back flips!!!!