Sunday, October 19, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Supporting Tourism in China!
Rachel bargained well for her silk dress and Chinese umbrella (I helped). After we settled the transaction, the seller said, "You are a tough mom!" I think it was a win-win situation. 
Kung Fu Jesse! Actually, Jesse attended his first kung fu class on Sat. with a "strong as steel" 61-yr-old instructor. If Jesse continues, he will be the tough one in the family! He complained of sore abs all day Sunday. And, no, he doesn't wear the silk suit or straw hat everyday, at least not since his Spiderman suit arrived in our shipment.
This is as close as we got to the Bird's Nest. The Olympic venues had record-breaking crowds during the national holiday, even bigger than Tiananmen Square. We drove by, saw the crowds, took a photo out the window, and got out of there. "One World, One Dream."
Jim bargaining for a couple of "pedicabs" for a tour of the hutongs, the traditional courtyard and alley neighborhoods of Beijing. The driver was laughing because Jim wanted to DRIVE the pedicab, not get a ride!
Jim agreed to take a ride. The girls rode in another pedicab. We had a short tour of the hutongs, a few stops at souvenir shops, and a look at the Drum and Bell Towers. I think those guys earned their money!
The view from the back of the pedicab. Some of the hutongs are very rustic and rundown. Others have been renovated with shops and guesthouses--very quaint. But watch closely and slow down when going around the corners.
Levi, the Urban Cowboy. From the plains of the Serengeti to the rails of Beijing...where next?
More Beijing
Photos of Summer Palace
So, royalty went to the Summer Palace to relax, but not the Arneberg kids. They were hounded by tourists the whole day (actually, the whole week) for photos. If I couldn't find one of the kids, I would just have to look for a small crowd and they were in the middle being photographed. 
Beautiful architecture and natural sculptures are all over the grounds of the Summer Palace. Behind the sculpture is a covered sidewalk that goes on forever...it allowed royalty to enjoy the outdoors even if it was raining.
Now that's a topiary! The Summer Palace has many beautiful gardens. I think we were there at the right time: early fall just after the Olympics. The whole city had lovely flowers everywhere.
Even the walking paths catch your eye. I love all the attention to detail in the architecture and landscaping in China.
Many people come to the Summer Palace to relax and engage in creative activities. This man was writing calligraphy using water from his specially-designed brush. How interesting! (We had no idea what he was writing, though!)
This man was playing this Chinese flute made from a gourd (calabash) and bamboo. We stopped to listen and he gave the kids lessons on the spot. Because Grace plays the saxophone, she caught on quickly and they played some duets. And, yes, we did buy one!
Just a typical view across a pond at the Summer Palace.
This man came to the park to draw. He sat on his stool in the middle of the path. The Chinese, esp. the older generations, value being outside and taking time to relax.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The Night Market aka Dinner-on-a-Stick!
Toffee-coated fruit. We liked the grapes best.
Starfish! Pretty to look at; that's as far as I went.
Crickets anyone?!? We saved our money and walked on by...
Noodles! Now that's something Rachel and Jesse gobbled up.
Fried ice cream--served on a piece of bread and topped with something like meringue.
Boiled dumplings. Yum. Just like the fair, we bought one serving and everybody got a taste.
This was called Bubble Tea, but the bubbles in this case were from dry ice dropped into each cup.
I'm not much of a seafood eater. And how do you eat this on a stick?
Fresh squid? Snake? I went for the spicy chicken. I'm a wimp, I know. I passed on the silk worms and the sheep testicles, too. Ewwwwwwwwww.
All those sticks and bowls have to go somewhere.
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
Beijing 2008!
Traveling by train! We took a night train from Nanjing to Beijing--9 hours (9:30 pm-6:30 am). Jim and I shared a cabin with 2 other passengers. They took the top bunks, so we settled-in below. Not a bad way to travel. (The 4 kids shared their own cabin. Probably a bad idea!)
We sat in the dining car for as long as we could handle the cigarette-smokers playing cards next to us. At least our cabin was smoke-free--something I have learned not to take for granted.
When the cat's away, the mice will play! Sooooo, our kids didn't get a good night of sleep, but they really liked taking the train.
Beijing at 7 am! Our train arrived and Jim decided we could walk to our hotel. Unfortunately, the maps aren't always accurate. We got there eventually in spite of the grumbling.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Class Photos
Dr. Rita, taking her time to understand a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dr. Lu comes fully prepared each day to teach, but we sometimes drive her nuts with our questions. One of her standard replies is, "we will be discussing that later." 
Chris, our interpreter. She is working very hard to give us her best interpretation of Dr. Lu's lesson. She is from Nanjing and has a degree in management! She is learning much herself about TCM. As part of our class, we learn a few Chinese characters and words. 
Our classroom. We have a good time together, learning and laughing. Everyday we have a pot of tea (chrysanthemum and honeysuckle) and a few Chinese snacks. But we still take a coffee break at a German bakery down the street! Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
School's in session! Here is my class: Dr. Mao is front and center. We study at his clinic, but he is also a teacher at the TCM University in Nanjing. Currently, he is in Germany, practicing TCM at a hospital there. Next to Dr. Mao is Dr. Lu, our current teacher. She came out of retirement to teach us and specializes in herbal medicines. In the back are Michaela, a German midwife, and Rita, a German homeopath doctor. Then there's me, the tall one! (I feel like a giant most days.)
I never really expected to be studying TCM. I never really expected to live in China! "My" plan when I started nursing school was to complete my degree and get some hospital experience while I looked around at the job market and explored possible job options for a nurse with a public health background, with international experience and interest, and 4 kids at home. Funny how life can throw us curve balls!
So, here I am in Nanjing, China, and this great opportunity almost falls in my lap--study TCM with Chinese doctors using an English translater and meet 4 hours a morning only on the days the kids are in school. How could I refuse? I am studying with 2 German women: Rita, a doctor who practices homeopathy in Germany, and Michaela, a midwife. They will continue for 2 full years and become certified practioners of TCM (which is generally the use of acupuncture and herbal medicine). They were very open to letting me join them for as long as I wish. I am planning to continue through Christmas, and then will decide if I want to continue into 2009. Because we are here only 1 year, I am debating my options! There are many opportunities and I want to be sure to make the most of the time I have in China.
You are probably wondering what we are studying. Our first few weeks have been focused on philosophy and theory of TCM. We have covered the history of TCM, including learning the titles of some of the classic books of TCM. We are painstakinly going through each of the major organs and learning how TCM views their function in the body. Most of the information is similar to what we have learned in Western medicine, but not all. For example, did you know the function of your heart is directly connected to your tongue? Or that the lungs control water transformation and distribution in the body? In TCM, they believe each organ is connected to a specific emotion, so a "hot" liver is related to the emotion of anger, i.e., a sick liver can make a person angry, or an angry person can make their liver sick.
We have learned that diagnosis is based on "syndrome differentiation" not a specific disease, so different diseases may receive the same treatment based on how it is manifesting in the body. The foundation of diagnosis is examining the tongue (size, shape, coating, color) and pulse-taking (3 pulses all at the wrist), and question-asking of the patient. We had a great opportunity to see one of our teachers apply this in the clinic. We study in the clinic of Dr. Mao each day, and on one morning, 2 women came in needing to see a doctor. Our teacher, Dr. Lu, was the only doctor available so we were all invited to come into the exam room and watch her in action.
Dr. Lu started with one woman first. She listened to her complaints, and then examined her tongue and pulses. Then she spent a good 20-30 minutes "interviewing" the patient. She listened to her describe her symptoms--a fast heart rate, difficulty sleeping, and then noted that she had dark rings around her eyes. She began asking her about her mood. The patient said she was generally an optimistic person, but Dr. Lu kept probing. Ultimately it came out that the patient had a stressful home situation and was worried about her health and finances and was angry that she might have to move with her husband so he could find work. She also had concerns about her health related to giving birth 17 years ago! Dr. Lu encouraged her to get over her anger and worry because it was affecting her health. She prescribed a long list of herbal medicines and they agreed the women would come back to the clinic tomorrow and the staff would "brew" the herbals into a tea for her to take (brewing one's own medicines is a long process that is messy and smelly--now we know why we smell funny odors during our classes!).
The second patient involved less time. Dr. Lu checked her tongue and saw tell-tale signs of spleen involvement (tooth indentations on the edges of the tongue, indicating a swollen tongue and therefore spleen issues). The woman said that she ate a pear out of the refrigerator one day and has since had a "cold stomach" and had problems with her digestion. (TCM strongly connects each food with heat or cold and ties that to health problems in the body.) I think this woman just wanted a second opinion because she said she had already seen a doctor and was cooking her own "tea" at home. Dr. Lu pretty much agreed with the previous doctor's diagnosis and told the patient she needed to strengthen her spleen.
The world of TCM is quite mysterious to me. As with most things, some of it makes perfect sense and some of it seems "out there!" I do appreciate the holistic approach the doctors take to treating a patient and looking at factors in the environment, diet, activity, emotional state, etc., before they make their diagnosis. Just being in Dr. Mao's clinic is a lesson in holistic living. In addition to the typical treatment rooms, he has a small restaurant where he will "prescribe" meals for groups based on the season and typical health concerns (we have yet to eat there, but hope to do so one day with our families). He has a room full of tiny drawers of herbal medicines, and a sauna, and he has a large room devoted to the art of calligraphy! He encourages people to come learn and practice Chinese calligraphy as a way to relax and enjoy life. How's that for a prescription!
We are taking a break from our studies for 10 days; our kids are out of school and next week is a national holiday. When we return to class, we will begin learning the meridians used in acupuncture. Dr. Lu warned us to be ready--they are difficult to understand. She stresses to us that practicing TCM is very much an art and requires years of experience to master. No matter how far I study TCM, I am thankful I am getting this overview to learn a new perspective and to better understand the Chinese culture.
Beautiful Purple Mountain
Jim and I spent an afternoon at the Botanical Garden (including a bonsai tree garden) and visiting some of the quieter spots on Purple Mountain.
