This week's adventures were a myriad of "firsts." On the top of that list was a blind man massage. For two hours (one hour foot massage, one hour body) a blind masseuse administers a traditional Chinese massage, which as I mentioned before is a fully clothed deep tissue massage targeting sore spots and pressure points. What I failed to remember was how much that would hurt on my legs that were freshly sore from hiking Nanjing's Purple Mountain. At least I knew if I winced, they could not see the pain in my eyes. The theory is that because these men are blind they have a superior sense of touch, which I can now attest is true. This experience turned into somewhat of a Chinese medicinal lesson, as my masseuse diagnosed spots of bodily weakness through foot reflexology. What struck me as truly impressive was an exchange I had with my masseuse at the end of my treatment. I had an especially tender spot on my foot, which he told me was a sign that I have "a bad stomach" for lack of better translation. The interesting part is I had indeed been feeling ill for sometime, but dismissed it knowing it was nothing that I could blame on food or stress. He verbally listed numerous remedies, including a Chinese proverb meaning only eat until you are 70% full. To which I basically said, "Well if Chinese food wasn't so yummy..."
My next "first" occurred at our local gym. A bunch of people on my program joined a gym not too far from our apartment, and I decided I wanted to try the yoga class that they offer. Once, I got there, I realized the schedule had changed for the month of February, and there was no longer a yoga class, but instead a spin class. My friend and I decided that this would be suitable for us, and even though we both had never taken a spin class, we decided that we would at least try it. Now, I don't know what spin classes are like in the states, but this class was awesome. The instructor was so motivating and pumped up that you couldn't help but want to peddle faster, but I guess that's the point. He played some American songs amongst various Chinese songs, and would sing at the top of his lungs whilst steam literally rose of his body. It was highly entertaining, and before I even knew, it the class was over. I'll definitely attempt my spinning skills again throughout the semester.
Tomorrow, we are going on a day trip to visit the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. The highlight is a vast scale model of urban Shanghai as it will look in 2020. I have included a picture (above) that I found on the internet. So, I've heard the museum is a lot more interesting than its name suggests, but if not, some of us are going to the famous 7-story Shanghai museum afterward. It houses over 120,000 pieces of art, and can take more than one trip to successfully navigate. More to come on both of these excursions.
Lastly, I am excited to be reunited with Sophie, who will be venturing from Beijing to come stay with me for 10 days, including 春节, Chinese New Year. We will be traveling to Hong Kong for the New Year, and enjoying Shanghai and neighboring towns the rest of the week. I'm glad I came to China knowing no one on my program, but I am more than looking forward to a familiar face and all of our fun plans. There won't be a single day (morning, afternoon, or evening) free from exploring, eating, dancing, traveling, or simply being together in a foreign country. So this is my next "first" in China: favorite friends in foreign places.
Chinese Word of the Day: 春节 (chun jie, chwen jee-yay: Chinese New Year/Spring Festival)
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