UIC Ampersand Blogs

I have been writing blogs for the UIC Ampersand news article organization. They can be found on this website: http://ampersand.honors.uic.edu/category/blog-posts/

The 15-hour Layover in Hong Kong

I thought I would hate having to wait so much time before my next flight to Chicago. But now I actually feel lucky to have this opportunity. After I landed in Hong Kong, I checked in at Regal Airport Hotel. I had everything all planned out. I wasted no time. I went to my room to drop off my luggage and headed out to exchange US dollars to Hong Kong dollars. The currency is different there from other parts of China. I am not sure why. The MTR (Mass Transit Railway) connects the airport to various parts of the city. It’s like the CTA. I got a map and began to study it. I didn’t want to get lost so preparation was key. I got on the MTR and it took about 20 minutes to stop at Kowloon. Also this subway was going so fast, about 20 times faster than Chicago CTA trains but maybe I am exaggerating.

            I got off at the Kowloon stop and this stop was connected to a huge mall that I sought to be boring. I probably circled it about 4 times trying to find souvenir stores but all I could find was expensive brands like Armani and many other ones. So after studying the map again while eating a double cheeseburger at McDonalds I decided to try again. I was about to give up because I was really tired. It was around 10pm and the last train to the airport was at 12:50am and I didn’t want to take a taxi back for so much money so I needed to make the most of my time. I asked for help and I got what I needed. I was heading to Temple Street Night Market!

            I got on a taxi and it was weird because the steering wheel was on the right side of the car. I got over it after staring for a while. It costs $22 HK or about $3 US to get to Temple Street. It was nearby. I stepped out the taxi. The first thing I noticed was the hot weather. It was really hot and humid. Almost everyone looked sweaty. Anyways, I realized Temple Street was the place to be at night! It was just what I was looking for.

            There were so many souvenir stands and shops. I bought a few things after bargaining for a good price. I practiced no Chinese here. Mostly everyone spoke English so it was super easy to get around. There was also lots of food and foreigners. It was very noticeable that here were so many people from all over the world. I overheard people speaking different languages like Spanish.

            By the end of the night I am glad I didn’t let my fear of getting lost and missing my flight get in my way. In less than three hours I learned how to navigate with the MTR and taxi system. I wished I had more time so I would have explored other stops. I have never felt so independent in my life but when I did, I knew what to do.

Chinese Oral and Written Exam & the Final Exam on TCM

We took our final exam on community health and traditional Chinese medicine as well as the language written and oral exam. I really think I got an A on both because I got a 103% on my TCM final and I felt confident about the Chinese oral exam. I enjoyed studying this summer because I was very interested in the classroom learning about medicine as well as outdoors practicing my Chinese with the community. Also, near the end of the Chinese course we started learning Chinese characters.

Last Week in Kunming

Our last week in Kunming was very exciting. We visited a Women and Children Hospital and focused mainly on healthcare with pregnant women. Then we visited Naigu Stone Forest. It is what it sounds and it was an interesting place. The stones look amazing and really tall with its highest point at an altitude of 1,870m. About 260 million years ago the area was uplifted as land due to tectonic movement. We also visited an amazing cave system in Juixiang with rivers flowing through them. We concluded the weekend with Karaoke night with faculty and a farewell dinner with delicious food and certificate distribution.

Nice Cars!

My Favorite Food

            After eating a numerous meals at restaurants, I have made up my mind. My favorite is sticky purple rice cooked in a pineapple and spicy potatoes…but not too spicy of course. Speaking of food, a few weeks ago we had a delicious dinner with the teachers. It wasn’t just an ordinary dinner. It was a medicinal dinner. Medicinal food refers to drink and food, which can be used either for prevention and cure of diseases, or for health care and recovery. I don’t remember exactly what we ate. But I do remember the chicken soup. It was so good!

Job Opportunity

Foreign English Teacher wanted!

Expiration Dates

One day I panicked and I thought I was going to be sick. I had bought milk from Walmart. Normally I check the expiration date on everything I buy, especially milk! But I didn’t this time. After I drank the milk, I checked the expiration date and it was passed due? But later I found out that the date on the milk was actually the date it was packaged. What a relieve!

Tibet and Bai: Medicine and Culture

Two types of medicine we learned about while we had our excursion was Tibet and Bai medicine. Bai medicine is similar to TCM because they also use herbal medicine found locally. People rely on these herbs because they are really cheap, as opposed to Western medicine.

Tibet medicine is also similar because they use herbal medicine, however, it is mostly in the form of a pill. A small pill could be composed of numerous herbs. About 90% of the medicines used in this hospital are Tibetan medicines and the other 10% are Western or TCM drugs. Tibetan medicine also uses acupuncture, cupping, and moxabustion. However, there is some variation from TCM such as with the number of acupuncture points. Also, their main diagnostic method is urinary analyses, something different from TCM. One interesting thing about Tibetan culture is that they have “sky funerals” and so they don’t bury or cremate the dead bodies. Instead the bodies are cut up and fed to vultures. It was this way that they were able to have advancement about the physiology, function, and surgical knowledge.

The Road to Tradition: The Excursion

             I haven’t really mentioned the exciting eight-day excursion mainly because there was so much we did that I could write a book about it. I’ve also been procrastinating on this post.

            Our excursion started Monday, July 7^th to Tuesday, July 15^th. Almost each day we were at a different city. Some cities were more urban than others. At these cities we had lectures about medicine and culture. We also got to explore the cities on our own. I have a list of the places we went.

Weibaoshan Daoist Mountain

Here we hiked a really tall mountain while checking out the temples built on top of it. The next morning, we had a Daoist talk on health preservation and a Daoist Taiji and flute music demonstration. This was probably the most tiring day from all the hiking.

Dali

This was an amazing urban city! We rented mopeds and bikes and drove around the countryside. This was my favorite city because I like urban and there were many restaurants and shops to explore. I also got an amazing workout from biking.

Shibaoshan and Shaxi

We saw monkeys and then hiked the Shibaoshan Mountain! Later that night we saw and learned about Bai herbal medicine in Shaxi. The next morning we visited a Shaxi clinic. There were some things that stood out to me about the Shaxi clinic such as no patient privacy. Their names, where they live, cost of treatment and how much the insurance covers are shown on a board in a hallway. However, patients don’t seem to complain about this.

Lijiang

This was an amazing city full of entertainment and food. Here we went to a Naxi ancient music concert. It was really good! The Naxi are an ancient minority group in Yunnan. The next day we had an intro to the Dongba culture which included their ceremonies and chants, which get rid of evil spirits, to preserve health, and to treat sickness. Later we visited a Dongba shaman’s home. I mentioned the Dongba shaman in one of my previous posts about the fortuneteller so you can read more about it on that post.

Zhongdian

Here we were at a really high altitude and it was very rural with huge mountains. We got to ride horses.  I rode one by myself but I didn’t know how to control it and my horse was acting disobedient. When I got off to take pictures, my horse wandered around and I lost him so I had to find a new horse on the way back.

Later we listened to a talk on Tibetan view of health. The next day we visited a Songzanlin monastery. Then we listened to a talk on Tibetan Buddhism, meditation and health. We had a question and answer session with a living Budda. You can read more about it on my post about two wise men. We finished the day by visiting a Tibetan class II hospital and a Tibetan orphanage. The orphanage houses 20 boys and 19 girls. We had fun watching them perform a dance for us. Then we danced with them.

Hot springs

We learned a little about the science behind the therapeutic hot springs. Our professor told us that most people look younger and live longer because of the health benefits when swimming in the hot pools. Also, best place to relax! This was the last place we visited. The next morning we headed back to Kunming.

There is honestly so much to write about each of these places! It was an amazing mini-break from Kunming.

Getting a Haircut

The cheapest haircut I ever got was last Monday in a Kuming barbershop for 20 Kuai, which is about $3.23 US dollars. Normally I get my haircut for $15 at a barbershop near my home so it was an amazing deal and he did a great job. I didn’t know how to let him know what kind of haircut I wanted; however, one of the SIT staff members came with me to help translate. The best part was when a lady washed my hair before and after my haircut with shampoo because it felt so relaxing.

Cupping

Last Monday we practiced cupping. It was very interesting! Cupping works by warming up points and channels to release toxins and get rid of disease in our body. It also activates the lymphatic system, activate the skin, clear the veins, arteries and capillaries, and to stop pain. Often times cupping is an alternative for painkillers when someone has external pain. Cupping also helps strengthen the Qi (the supernatural energy within us that moves blood in our body) sensation, accelerate the acupuncture results and help make bleeding on pain points after acupuncture.

Cupping is done by applying a jar, from which the air has been expelled with heat to create a vacuum inside and to produce suction of the jar to the skin.

We had cupping practice led by the doctors of Yunnan TCM hospital. I had to try it! So I did. There are different ways of performing cupping. The doctor did the sliding cupping method on my back. It felt like a really good massage. I’d say it was the best massage I ever had.

I can briefly try to explain the procedure involved with cupping. First, the doctor disinfected his hands. Then, he poured a lubricant on my back. Then, he grabbed a cotton swab and dipped it in an alcohol-based liquid. Then, he grabbed a sterilized jar and the lighter. While standing close by, he tilted the jar at a 45 degree angle and lit near the opening of the jar for two seconds. The doctor immediately placed the cup on the skin and that’s it! It’s so easy. We had the opportunity to practice on our classmates.

I tried one jar at first but it was boring. So I asked to have six on my back for the experience. It didn’t hurt. But after a while it felt like my back was sun burnt. I had them for like a few minutes. It has been two days and I still have the circle-shaped bruises of the cups on my back.  Everyone should try this at least once in their life!

Last Day of Chinese Class

Yesterday was the last day of Chinese class. I am going to miss it! Having Charles as our teacher was an amazing opportunity to get to know the language. He has been teaching Chinese for twelve years! We honestly learned so much in such a short amount of time. He taught us some culture behind some phrases and words. For example, it is always polite and encouraged to answer a question by direct substitution. If a Chinese native asked me, “Tomorrow at noon what will you eat for lunch at the restaurant?” Then I should answer, “Tomorrow at noon I will eat (replace with food) for lunch at the restaurant. This is more polite instead of just answering the question with the food. Charles told us that someone who would just simply answer the question or in another way is considered “reckless”.

In a few hours is our language written exam and oral exam. I think it will be an easy A. I hope! The language written exam will be to translate sentences, answer questions, and asks questions in pinyin (the standard system of Romanized spelling for translating Chinese). The oral exam will just be a conversation with Charles about myself such as my name, nationality, family, and favorite place to go in Kunming.
        Although I can form sentences, it is still hard communicate with the natives because I have a hard time pronouncing words with the correct tones. It is really frustrating.  I often use an app on my phone called Hanping Pro and I can easily look up any word and have it translated into Chinese and I’ll show it if I need someone to understand me.

Two Wise Men: The Blind Fortuneteller and the Buddha

         

            My fortune is horrible! A couple of days ago, we were on our excursion for a week as part of our program. During this excursion we visited many urban and rural cities in Yunnan to learn about the culture and medicine. We also had lots of fun going out and exploring the cities. At the city of Lijiang, we studied the Dongba culture and their ceremonies and chants, which are done to get rid of evil spirits, to preserve health, and to treat sickness.

We also visited a blind Dongba fortuneteller. He has been blind his whole life and has been performing chants to dispel bad spirits and for health preservation.  The first thing we did was sit down to watch him chant. It was an interesting chant! Then he individually told us our fortune. The blind fortuneteller asked for my lunar calendar birthday, which is August 2^nd. Finally he did the magic! I was kind of nervous about anything he would say. Okay so he foretold that I would have obstacles with my career and marriage. I almost didn’t want to believe him but he seemed legit. He was able to accurately point out scars on my classmates so he had to be legit! He told me that in order to fix my bad fortune I needed to get a new name. So I did.  The next day was the perfect opportunity to fix this bad fortune. We were going to Tibet and to visit a monastery.

At the monastery, we visited a Buddha. A Buddha! I thought it was big deal and it felt like a dream. We had a question and answer session. My only question: “May I please have a new name?” I told him my birth year and then he pulled out some dice-looking things and he did his magic. My name is Losang Tashi. My name means auspiciousness. However, I am still a little bit skeptical about my fortune so I may have to confirm once I am back in Chicago.

The Buddha was inspirational. Him being full of enlightenment, we had so many questions. We were wondering if today’s media and entertainment ever offended him. We were wondering if world news about war and violence ever caused him to break down. And I think his answer was my favorite. “Nothing shakes me”.

Moxibustion

            In addition to acupuncture, there is another similar invention just as effective for preservation of health. It is called moxibustion. Moxibustion is the burning of dried leaves of a plant called Artemisia Vulgaris, at an acupoint. It’s really fascinating! We had moxibustion practice led by the doctors of Yunnan TCM hospital. The doctors did a great job at explaining and demonstrating how moxibustion works.

Moxibustion functions to promote blood circulation. It also works to nourish Yang Qi which “charges the battey” for anti-fatigue. It also warms the channels, found throughout our body that connect organs, and expels pathogenic cold. Moxibustion can be done in three ways: with a moxa stick, moxa cone: direct and indirect, or with an acupuncture needle. A moxa stick is a stick made of dried Artemisia Vulgaris and is ignited on one end and put over the selected point or diseased part of the body. With indirect moxibustion, an ignited moxa cone is insulated from the skin by a pad of medical substance. Some pads that are used are ginger, garlic, and salt and these are used for treating different conditions. With direct moxibustion there is no padding and so the burning may scar the patient.

I faced my fear of needles again. I had moxibustion done on both my legs. The area was first disinfected and then an acupuncture needle was inserted into a point called zusanli. Some treatment purposes that this point has are: vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, numbness and pain in the lower extremities, and edema.  Once I endured the pain from the doctor inserting the needles, the doctor attached a piece of moxa (dried Artemisia Vulgaris) to the end of the needle and ignited it. I felt a numbness and tenseness in my legs during the 15-minute treatment.  According to Dr. Wen, this was good because that meant I was having a sensation of qi, the energy within us. Although I wasn’t sick, having moxibustion done once in a while helps tonify the body.  Unfortunately, one of my classmates was feeling very sick that day and so we practiced moxibustion on him. Later on that day he felt way better.

The next invention we will study is cupping. Cupping?

 

My First Experience with Acupuncture

          Today, I faced my fear of needles. It was awesome! We had acupuncture practice led by the doctors of Yunnan TCM Hospital. Acupuncture works by inserting needles on specific points in our body for therapeutic purposes. These points are on the meridians in our body and connected to organs and stimulate the energy flow throughout our body (qi).

           I started off with having one needled inserted near my elbow. This point is called the Quchi and is used for treating a sore throat, toothache, redness and pain of the eye, vomiting and diarrhea, and maniac and depressive disorders. I felt minor tenseness while it was inserted. However, I wasn’t feeling it so I decided to have a needle inserted on a point between my eyebrows. This point is called the Yintang and is used for treating headaches, vertigo, and insomnia. I was nervous but I knew it wouldn’t be that bad since I was well under supervision. We were told that people who have acupuncture done the first time may pass out. So the doctor proceeded to hand sanitize her hands. Then she cleaned the area on the point between my eyebrows. Then it happened! The needle was in. At first I felt sleepy. It was a calming feeling. A couple of seconds later I felt a rush of joy. I felt a “high” and tenseness in my head. It was honestly a feeling I have never felt before. I’d do it again.

Traffic Chaos: A Stressing Experience

            If you thought it was frustrating when the car in front of you didn’t turn on their turning signal before switching lanes or people who jaywalk, well, then China will test your limits and I mean it. You are better off crossing the streets in groups with the natives because they are fearless! People jaywalk all the time. Whether there is a red light, green light or a one-way street, it doesn’t matter! Drivers are full of surprises. Also a popular mode of transportation in Kunming are mopeds. A lot of people drive them…on the sidewalk. When I am walking along the sidewalk, I am constantly looking over my shoulder before I make the smallest movement. I’ve had an experience where a moped drove about 10 mph past me and I was so close to losing my left arm! One-way streets are a joke! They can become two-way streets at anytime.  I always look both ways before crossing. People drive really nice cars too like Audi and Mercedes. My whole time here I’ve only got to see one car accident. Just one!

The Four Diagnostic Methods

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is intriguing to me because I have learned an important concept about how every thing about nature and us is connected and plays an important role in our health. After reading a book on TCM, I have learned things I already knew about the human body and organs. However, I grasped a better understanding on how each organ is divided into two parts: Yin and Yang and how organs work in pairs.

TCM doctors use the four diagnostic methods to examine disease and collect data from different angles. When an imbalance occurs, diagnosis and treatment is based on an overall analysis of signs and symptoms. The first thing to do is to observe the patient. This means observing their facial complexion and tongue. The tongue can be divided into different parts and each part corresponds to a different organ. A tongue with white fur shows signs of dampness and may correspond to a problem with the spleen. A TCM doctor can observe various parts of the tongue and determine which organ may be going through imbalance. The next thing to do is to listen and smell. This means paying attention to the patient’s voice, breath, and cough. The next thing is to inquire and ask questions about various topics such as appetite, food and drink consumption, taste, defecation and urination, etc., to better understand the patient. Lastly, a TCM doctor observes the pulse with their wrist. TCM uses different points on the wrist to check a pulse. There are three points on each wrist and each point corresponds to an organ. Also, one can describe the pulse of someone in eight different ways: floating and sinking, slow and fast, smooth and rough, weak and strong. One type of pulse corresponds to Yin and the other to Yang. A doctor can know if someone has a Yin or Yang pulse and can therefore better diagnose a patient with the correct herbal remedies or Western medicine. When all these analyses described above are taken into consideration, a TCM doctor can narrow down and treat the specific problem. We were able to see a TCM doctor diagnosing a patient. A TCM doctor, based on these four diagnostic methods, also diagnosed us individually. It was intriguing! The TCM doctor said I was healthy.

What I took from this understanding in TCM is to never focus on one side of the problem. Be curious. Be open-minded. Because things aren’t always what they seem to be and one must understand the overall picture first.

Taiji Time!!!

Every morning on Monday thru Friday at 8am we eagerly walk to a little plaza to do Taiji. Taiji is an exercise we have been practicing at the plaza and it’s supposed to improve balance, health, and achieve relaxation. This martial art is said to allow proper flow of qi (the supernatural energy within us that moves blood in our body) and to help achieve balance between Yin and Yang. The best way I could describe this exercise as is yoga combined with meditation. Our Taiji master does a great job when teaching us some cool moves, some of which look easy to do but are actually difficult to perform. He doesn’t know much English so I am used to hearing him speak Chinese during our exercise and not have a clue what he says. Everyone else in my group and I copy what he does and I hope I am doing it right. We stand in a line behind the teacher and mimic him as we carefully move our hands and feet in an organized and slow manner. Often we have a small crowd of Chinese people watching us perform and taking pictures. They make us feel like celebrities! My favorite part is when we do fighting moves and throw punches in the air. I have always enjoyed watching Jackie Chan or any other marital arts movies since I was little. I also always hoped to take marital arts classes one day but it feels like my wish has come true here in China with Taiji. 

Acupuncture

            Been sick lately? Acupuncture might just be a solution. Acupuncture involves the body’s meridians, which is a complex network of the human body through which energy flows. This energy is known as qi. There are twelve different meridians in the human body and they connect organs, transport qi, blood, and yin and yang. I was impressed and curious about this! Each meridian also has pressure points that can be stimulated by inserting needles in them (acupuncture), helping achieve balance between Yin and Yang in our body and cure diseases. According to traditional Chinese medicine, it is when an “imbalance” between Yin and Yang happens that we start to experience health problems. One way to solve health problems is through acupuncture, which looks painful, but I heard it is not. I haven’t tried acupuncture yet but it’s definitely on my bucket list. Earlier in during the program, I had the opportunity to try acupuncture and have just one needle inserted in my arm to experience the feeling but because I didn’t have breakfast that morning I wasn’t able to partake in this awesome activity. I was told by a TCM doctor that I needed a big breakfast otherwise I could pass out.

            A doctor first determines on which meridian the disease is located and then selects the appropriate acupoints to insert needles. Another way to treat is by massaging the acupoints if the condition is not a in a severe state.

            Later on we received a small manikin, by one of the SIT staff members, that has all meridians and pressure points labeled on it. It looks so sophisticated but most meridians connect the same organs and after studying the textbook on acupuncture, it makes more sense how every part of our body works together and exists in harmony.

Acupuncture - Meridians and Points