Voluntary Torture, Part II

I've had three treatments for my shoulder and I can tell it's working. I have better range of motion and less pain.

During the second treatment, he recommended the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice of cupping. I wasn't convinced that it would actually help my shoulder, but I thought....What the heck?...I'm in China....Let's give it a try...

So he takes these little glass bowls (that look like little goldfish bowls from the county fair) and puts a flame inside to heat them up, then sticks them to my skin. As the air inside the bowl cools, it creates a vacuum, which pulls my skin into the glass bowl. Yes, it hurts.



The result is the pretty bruised circles on my skin (can't wear tank tops for a few weeks).


TCM believes that it will bring heat and healing to my shoulder area. Hmmm.....

I'm still willing to try anything once....as long as it doesn't involve dirty needles, small enclosed spaces, raw meat, and, and, and...
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Voluntary Torture

Voluntary Torture....otherwise know as Chinese acupressure....Yes, that's what I put myself through today.

Why? Well, I've had a nagging shoulder injury since fall. It hurts to reach above my head and behind my back. After hoping it would just go away on it's own (for 7 months), I finally decided to take action.

The first step was a visit to our local doctor and he prescribed Physical Therapy via video chat with a therapist in Beijing. Actually, I was quite impressed by the application of technology to help with my treatment, but my instinct was telling me that this therapy wasn't the right cure.

The second step was an amazing full-body massage by a Chinese masseuse. A massage that was the roughest and most physical I had ever experienced. After the massage I realized that I definitely had better range of motion in my arm...which got me thinking about other options.

Which was the third step - acupressure. I have a friend who is Chinese and she highly recommended going to a local "massage therapist". She had been earlier in the year for her shoulder and it is now better. I have always been a fan of alternative medicine, and I was hoping to get an opportunity to try some Chinese therapies while here, so I decided to give it a try.

So, my first visit was today. His office is in a small storefront at the base of a tall residential tower, in a densely populated neighborhood. The office is quite small - maybe 20 ft x 15 ft. We walk in and there is a small waiting area at the front of the room and three massage tables in the back. He is smoking a cigarette. My friend is along as an interpreter.

She explains the problem and then for the next 20 minutes I endure the torture. I've always pictured acupressure as someone gently pushing their thumb onto pressure points on your body. Not this guy...

Picture a small, strong Chinese man leaning his body weight onto his elbow which is jammed into the tender parts of my body. Now I know a pain worse than natural childbirth!

Of course, it didn't hurt that bad the whole time, and I used the breathing techniques I learned in Bradley classes to help me through it. My friend had warned me that most people scream because it hurts so bad, so I knew what to expect.

The funny part is that Mr. Jin said he wasn't pressing as hard because I was older and quiet! I guess being over 40 does have its rewards!

I now feel relaxed and my arm feels like my body feels after a good workout - relaxed and tired. I have a few bruises on my back and arm.

The whole thing cost $3 (US).

And, I'm going back on Monday. Yes, crazy...
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What's In a Name?

Welcome, guest blogger Mike!

Chinese employees at my company have a choice to use their Chinese first name or an English first name on their employee badge and email address. I don’t know the career implications of choosing one or the other, and I really don’t have a preference. (But I will admit that it’s easier for my Western brain to remember English names).

About one-third of the Chinese employees choose to use an English name. I can’t imagine what it’s like to choose your own name as an adult, but I suppose there must a certain freedom to it. It’s a chance to redefine yourself within the English-speaking culture at work.

Some choose names that sound similar to their Chinese names...Liu could be Lou.

Some choose typical English names like.....Bill, David, Michael, Eileen, Jack, Ethan, Will, Ben, Jimmy, Helen, Eddie, Andy, etc.

Others choose an English name based to their interest or hobby. The most common English name among the hundred or so male college students I interviewed was Kobe (not the Japanese city or the beef, think NBA).

And others choose names just because they like the sound of it.

For the past year I’ve collected the English names I’ve come across at work that I find interesting or fun. All of the names below appear in official employee systems, either as their email or the nickname in their company profile, which shows up in various databases. I’ve sort them into themes.

Weather-related:

Storm
Sunny
Shady (reference to Eminem, she’s a fan)
Rainy
Cloud
Snow
Sky
July (this one caused some confusion in a conversation, until they figured out it was his name. Who’s on first? I’ve met an April, May, June, and Augusto, so why not July?).

Cute:

Dolphin
Puppy
Swallow
Apple (Gwyneth Paltrow’s child is named this, right?)
Cherry

Manly:

Axl
Fjord
Heaton
Sand
Grit
Stone
Rock (there’s also an American with this name)
Armstrong
Stronger

Whimsical:

Sprite
Arrow
Flight
Run
Ryder
Wise
Elves (not sure if it’s the king of rock & roll or Santa’s helper?)

We deliberately chose an unusual name for our daughter, partly because as a Michael, there is no real advantage in being confused with 3-4 other people in your class or workplace. So I applaud these folks for defining themselves as unique!
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World Citizens

One of the things that Mike and I have always agreed on is that it is important to be not just Americans but also citizens of the World. To us, this means making choices for the greater good of the planet, because we see all people and all nations as interconnected. If we are all looking out for each other, the World will be a better place to live.

This belief was a big part of our decision to live in another country with our kids. We believe that if we live in China, then what many people think of as "the Chinese" become real people to our kids, not just news blurbs and stereotypes. We wanted to make the other parts of the world real places with real people and not just blobs on a map.

After being here for 10 months, we now have the chance to see that it has had an effect and they can make personal connections to news stories.

Yesterday, the North Korean president came to China. He took a train from North Korea into Dandong on tracks we stood next to a few weekends ago. He then came to Dalian and stayed in the hotel downtown next door to where we stayed when we first arrived here. After visiting the Dalian port and a few of the many multi-national factories here, our hope that he’ll see the enormous economic progress that free market economics has brought to China and decide it’s time to change himself. The North Korean people we saw across the river in Dandong deserve to be part of this interconnected World too. I'm proud that my kids know why it is significant that the North Korean president came to China. They know this because we live here and visited Dandong.

We've had similar, but not as historically significant, experiences after traveling to other places as well....Google moving their China servers to Hong Kong while we were there, the potential tsunami approaching Hawaii the day after we left (with our hotel in the backdrop of the news coverage), and Thailand protests on the news knowing we will travel there later in the year.

As we continue to travel, I look forward to seeing their views of the World continue to grow.

Go Sea Dragons!

The school announced its new mascot this week during spirit week. They are now the Sea Dragons!! Friday was a celebration day at school, with a school-wide pep rally and soccer games out on the field. The entire school (K-11) wore blue and yellow to celebrate. The boys' soccer team played a game against a local Chinese High School and the girls' soccer team played against the moms (yes, I played).

The school administration and teachers have worked hard to have activities beyond academics available for the students (harder to do at a small school). And, the result has been fantastic! Friday was a lot of fun!

Kids in the stands(this is about 1/3 of the kids):


Kiana and friends:


The boys soccer game (our condo in the background):

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