Shaolin life in China: Week 6 (8 February

Monday morning we had to shovel snow again, for afternoon training we had another intensive session followed by some power stretching and I must say my energy levels had been effected by the weekend away. I spent the rest of my day learning my forms and also started learning a new one.

On Wednesday it was test day which meant I had to present my two forms, the Wu Bu Quan and the Shaolin Dao. Strangely enough I was very nervous, something that has never been a problem before. I can talk in front of a large crowd with no problem but presenting two forms in front of 20 people was a problem. I wasn't too happy with my performance but my shifu said that he was happy, I just need to relax more because I look too tense.

Thursday I woke up tired again, I have been struggling to sleep the past 2 weeks. Times seem though at the academy, the energy and morale is very low. Most don't come to training and no smile or laughter can be seen or heard, I think this is what "they" call cabin fever. In the afternoon I meditated with my shifu which helped me relax and feel more at ease, I find I can keep a clear mind for about 15 minutes now which is better than the 30 seconds I first managed when I got here. The new student that got here is leaving after just two weeks, he feels this place is more than he can tolerate, he did come at the worst time though. I have just been pushing through these hard times, this is by far the worse I've felt since I'm here. The worst part is the feeling of being alone, nobody to talk to because everybody else seems worse off and staying in touch with friends and family is almost impossible, so little free time and the huge time difference, but it is unpleasant times like these that should be cherished because they make us stronger.

Friday I went from a low to a high when Steffen (Norway) had completed his two years at the academy and was kind enough to offer me his room, so today I moved into my new room (#303) which is on the second level facing the sun, so now my room is warmer, looks better and has a nice view.

That evening I went to Yehe with Chima and Nirup to go and buy some firecrackers for Chinese new years, we bought crackers and rockets for 260 RMB. This stuff is more intensive than anything I've seen before, the firework shop is actually a farming shop that also sells fertilizer (coincidence?) plus the owner was kind enough to demonstrate all the different products right outside the front door.

On Saturday which was new years day we spent the entire day blowing up toys and other things we could find lying around. In the evening the skies lit up from about 19:00 and ended at about 01:00 am during this time we had a late night snack which included a bunch of strange dishes and I had a dumpling with a coin hidden inside which according to Chinese was great luck, as it was 1 of 3 coins in 150 dumplings.