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Archive for February, 2006

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That Friday feeling

Friday, February 3rd, 2006

Hi y’all.
Feeling a lot more up beat now and enjoying myself.
I made a big realisation that all this Shaolin malarky (?) is actually just choreography. If I wanted I could learn it anywhere to a certain extent. So this makes it a lot easier to fathom.
Sanda (Chinese kick-boxing) is still the main bain, but I survived the last one of the week this morning so it’s up hill all the way. I’ll see about the possibilities of doing extra tai chi instead… we’ll see. I have my first tai chi today… yey! So fingers crossed it’s good.
Apart from Tai chi, they are all external arts. What I’m really after? Internal, magic, the alchemy of base into gold. This I think everybody has, but that’s the reason I need to look internally, with the aid of the softer arts.
I will enjoy the time I spend here, but will be content to move on as well.
Playing basketball today in class… don’t ask me why, Shaolin basket ball or something. Got and accidental elbow in the face and a split lip, nice. All fine, will take a photo and post it on Sunday. Something to look forward to!
Love to all
Tom x

Posted in Zhengzhou Yo! | 2 Comments »

Too cool for School

Thursday, February 2nd, 2006

So I did get the right train. And I did arrive in Zhengzhou. And I did wait out side the station for over an hour and wonder where somebody was to pick me up. And I had my doubts and I did have another mission to getanother taxi driver to use the meter.
I decided to get a taxi to the school since I had either missed the person who was going to meet me or there had been a mix up. I eventually got there at about 12 midnight to find all the lights out. I walked around in the dark for quite sometime around the grounds looking for some sign of life. I knocked on one door and got a Chinese answer to which I wasn’t sure how to reply so said thank you and continued my search. I eventually found another light and knocked on another door. It turned out to be the cook who woke the Shifu, Shi Yanlin. He had thought it was tomorrow but was verynice about the whole thing. I fetched my things and we went to my room, sharing with a German guy, Christian.
I went almost straight to bed.
The next morning, I got up at 6.15am to watch the first trainingsession. I was happy to find outthat it was not running for a whole hour and was similar to whatI had experienced in my training in London.
I had a tour of the site and some introductions to people and activities etc. All the people are really nice and level-headed from all over Europe. Because of the Chinese holidays all the Chinese students are away and will be back next week.
I joined the second morning training and it was fine, learning a new form. The third training however was not so rosey. Itwas Sanda, Chinese kick-boxing. We only have it twice a week but I am definately not interested. It seems so agressive, reliant on speed and muscle and not much else. And the Shifu (teacher) is a masochist who is quite nice outside of class, only 20 years old but I think is a closet homosexual. That’s just between you and me though.
The class, I felt was pretty mindless and I felt, wasn’t part of the magic I was searching for when I left for this trip.
It made me think about what I want from this journey. I am not sure thatwhat is taught here has much knowledge of the body or much focus for what people want out of it. I think if I wasn’t honestaboutthgis then I would be punishing myself.
I need to give the whole place a week or so to give it a chance but at the moment I think I mayonly stay a month. The main Shifu, Shi is really nice and gentle and I think is probably quite spiritual. He introduced me to the small Buddha here as a sort of good luck ceremony. It was really nice but I don’t think it is possible to live any kind of spiritual life in this environment, at least that’s how I feel at the moment.
I haven’t had Tai Chi class yet, and I am looking forward to it tomorrow. I may choose just to do Taichi as I feel it’s more of what I am looking for. How in depth and detailed it will be, I don’t know yet.
The place itself, well frankly it’s dirty. It’s cold and dirty. I thought everybody would have duties to keep it clean, but … erm, no. The place seems to be really run down. I know it’s China, and I don’t mind simple life but not dirty. I haven’t had a washyet since I have been here and the shower will re-open next week. There is hotwater available but the thought of stripping down and getting cold is not something I have brought myself to do yet.
We also don’t have regular Buddhism lessons, only half an hour reading once a week. And no meditation.
Also I’m not sure the ‘vegetarian’ food is all that vegetarian – oh dear.
Stick it out for a bit longer, that’s the idea. See how it works out.
I feel a lot better than I did yesterday, now that I am justgoing to be honest with what I want and don’t want, if it’s not right then I’ll move on.
I have been think about going to the Wudang mountains next month, just south of here wher Tai chi is supposed to have started. And then, maybe move on early to Japan, we’ll see I need to do some research and talk to some people.
On the whole I feel quite positive about the outcome. I have already learnt some big lessons on honesty, who and what I am and want to be. I just didn’t think I would learn them in the way that I did. I am happy for the lessons all the same.
I will re-connect on Sunday maybe with some more pictures.
The number here is 0086 371 658 13883
We are 8 hrs ahead of UK time. My timetable is training until 7.45am, training 9.30am -12noon, and then 2.15pm-5pm. If anyone wants to call then just ask for Tom. Also please don’t call after 9/9.30pm. I’ll leave it to you to work out when these times are in your local time. Also, extra training on Tuesday and Thursday 6-7.40pm and no afternoon training on Thursday. Sunday is our day off. On the times off I think everybody goes into the city for the supermarket and more time on the internet so may not be there some of those times off. If you speak to someone, ask them when I might be back. Mum and Dad, maybe you could think about looking into Skype, ask Minami how it works.
I don’t think I have reallypainted such a good picture and they always say don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I am fine though but missing home quite a lot.
Catch you Sunday
Tom xx

Posted in Zhengzhou Yo! | 7 Comments »

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