China Day 19

Today we met Master Wei in the lobby at 10am and went to our first Qi Gong class in Hong Kong. We walked to this little park that's about 15 minutes away from our hotel. It was pretty nice. I have been having a horrible time getting distracted by the littlest things during the QiGong sessions lately. I start obsessing about how tired my arms are going to be and then of course they start to hurt.. then I try and relax about it, but the damage has already been done.

Anyway, today my problem was my lower back. It was all crampy and wouldn't let go. It was irritating during the morning and pretty much stayed like that all day.

After Qi Gong, we went back to the hotel and I don't actually remember, but I'm pretty sure I did nothing all day. Maybe Bowen and I chatted in the room and ate pastry while Val and Zach came in and out.. I'm not quite sure.

What I do know is that later that night, I showed Master Wei Google Earth. It was pretty fun. I've never seen him quite as excited. He really wanted me to be able to open up the doors to the temple and show him around, but I could only show him the roof. Then Bowen got back and we showed Master Wei all the Chinny-Chin theater movies we thought he'd like. I hadn't thought he'd like it but he laughed so hard I thought he was gonna cry. And he didn't even understand what was being said! ..and then we got him to do one. He was so into it he wanted to draw his own eyes and nose. It was pretty great.

After that, Bowen, Master Wei and I went out for hot pot - we were only a slightly strange thing for the other people to see at the restaurant. I think I'm done with hot pot for a while.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and I got one of the best massages I've ever received (even though it wasn't focused - I'm told). I'm still glowing!




I asked my friend Jessica to translate what she could for me - this is what she came up with:

Huanying dao Zhonguo lai (I welcome you (to come) to China)....
wo he nimen shi hao penyou (I and you (plural) are good friends).....
wo gei dajia gei xiao gushi (I give the crowd (audience) a little story)....
zhe shi women... neige... (this is our... um..)
yi shujia (summer vacation)...
Jian de yi ge xiao pin (? a little ?)....
Xiao pin, zhe shi shuo shi gong pin yi yuan jiao a... fa bei fa yi a (laughs) (Xiao Pin (Little So&so... name?), this is [said] to be fair ????.... ????? )
Gan bei a... (Cheers, eh! literally "dry cup")
ba bai ba yi a (8 hundred 8 1...)

I guess this is a joke with a pun? maybe cuz the fa bai fa yi , then ba bai ba yi...

zhe jiu shi... gui, a (this is, I mean, expensive)

I forgot a word... back in "fa bai fa yi... bei" (the bei = cup) so, I think they are trying to buy a cup of liquor? and it is costing too much?
then.... ba bai yi wei, a (I don't know what the extra 'wei' means)

women mei ren lai yi bei, a, gan bei (we don't have anyone that came for one cup (shot?)... Cheers!)

wait... fa = pay, fei = fee... so maybe fa bai fei yi = pay Y100 each