2017 – Page 24 – SLA Profiles (2017)

Exploring Salzburg and Bayern

I’ve had a very full couple of days in the past week. It’s awesome to have my afternoons and weekends free to explore Munich and the surrounding countryside. Last Thursday, acting on a recommendation from another student at the CDC, I rented a bike and rode several miles in both directions along the Isar River. It was a very hot day out, so hundreds of families were out relaxing and swimming in the river. I took a little swim myself to cool off and join in the fun. It’s very interesting to see the various social differences between Germany and the United States. For example, many people (both young and old) sunbathing along the river were naked and probably half the swimmers were skinny dipping – there just doesn’t seem to a comparable social stigma about the body here in Germany. Having a bike allowed me to see a lot of new areas of the city and it was great fun.

On Friday afternoon, I caught a bus to Salzburg after class. I explored the town throughout the evening and visited most of the main tourist sites. I enjoyed having a whole conversation with another man in German as I hiked up to the Fortress. I’m getting a lot better at using the language conversationally. I stayed the night at a youth hostel – where they were conveniently playing “The Sound of Music.” The next morning, I got up really early and went for a run around the Kapuzinerberg and stopped in one of the churches I passed and was fortunate enough to hear the cloistered Franciscan monks singing their morning Lauds. It was a cool reminder that there is still a part of Salzburg removed from the tourist shops and sightseeing tours. I caught a bus to Berchtesgaden to visit the Kehlsteinhaus (in English known as the Eagle’s Next), Hitler’s former mountaintop retreat. It was quite crowded but the skies were fairly clear, making for incredible views. I had a nice conversation with an Alabama fan who saw my ND shirt and jokingly gave me grief about our historically bad season this year. I caught an evening bus back to Salzburg and got in pretty late.

Early on Sunday morning I trekked back to the bus station and headed out to Garmisch. It’s a fairly small vacation town about an hour south of Munich famous as the site of the 1936 Winter Olympics and as a major site for Ski Jumpers. I attended Mass at the big local parish and was able to understand a fair amount of the homily, but I was more interested to see how everyone there was dressed. Most all of the men were wearing Lederhosen and the women were wearing beautiful traditional Dirndl dresses. It was cool to see that Bavarians really wear these cultural outfits as dress clothes, as most of the men in Munich I had seen in Lederhosen were either waiters or employed in the tourism industry. I trekked up to the old Olympic Stadium and hiked through a geographical wonder called the Partnachklamm Gorge and explored the surrounding trails. There were many German couples and families out hiking as well on that beautiful Sunday.

I’m now in my third week of classes – time is flying by way to fast. I’m so incredibly thankful for this opportunity and I’m trying to make the most of everyday.

Reykjavík

Góðan Daginn!

During my time in Iceland, I am living in the country’s capital, Reykjavík, and attending class during the week at the Háskóli Íslands (University of Iceland). As mentioned in last week’s blog, Reykjavík is often translated as “Bay of Smoke,” though some Icelanders prefer the translation “Bay of Steam” because the city was named long ago for the steamy vapor which spread from nearby hot springs (fun fact: the verb reykja means “to smoke” in modern Icelandic). About two thirds of Iceland’s population of around 340,000 live in the city’s greater metropolitan area. However, a steady influx of tourists (over 2 million a year!) makes the city and its environs a hustling and bustling place. New construction projects seem to be cropping up everywhere! The Icelanders tell me these are mostly going to be new hotels. However, other kinds of new businesses are also coming into the area; Iceland’s first Costco just opened in May and has been immensely popular.

The city has an artistic flair, with intricate paintings decorating several of the buildings downtown. Many of these buildings house tourist shops which sell traditional Icelandic wool sweaters, puffin stuffed animals, and viking- themed paraphernalia.

The architecture in the city alternates between the quaint, traditional Scandinavian brightly-painted houses and the structures of modern minimalism. In the picture below, you can see how a ultra-modern building has incorporated the more organic-looking Viking interlace pattern into its wood door. The top scene depicts Ingólfr Arnarson (the first settler of the city) retrieving his high-seat pillars on the shore; around 874 he had cast his high-seat pillars (objects of great symbolic significance) from his boat and determined that he would settle wherever they landed on the shore.

One of the most important recent construction projects in Reykjavík was the completion of Harpa in 2011. Harpa is a concert hall designed to evoke Iceland’s landscape visually and to be energy efficient. Construction began in 2007, but the project became delayed with the financial crisis of 2008. The government decided to finance the completion of the building. Icelanders are extremely proud of this unique and beautiful structure. Its largest hall, Eldborg, seats 1,800 people and is named for one of Iceland’s volcanic craters.

Near Harpa one can find “Grandi” and the traditional fishing district, a waterfront area with lots of food options (as well as whale-watching tour boats nearby, of course).

Though it is Iceland’s largest urban center, Reykjavík enjoys its own spectacular views-not only of its bay and the North Atlantic- but also of the mountains close by.

If you are not such an enthusiastic fish eater, there are pylsa (hot dog) stands all over the city. I think they are best with onions (fried or raw) and an Icelandic mayonnaise-based sauce. Yum!

One of Reykjavík’s most striking structures is Hallgrímskirkja (Hallgrim’s Church), and many tourists ascend the tower to look down on the city and see the surrounding nature. For reasons unclear to me, there is a statue of Leif Erikson (considered the first European to discover North America) right in front of the Church. This statue was a gift from the United States to Iceland in 1930, commemorating the 1000 year anniversary of Iceland’s governing body, the Alþingi.

Me at Hallgrímskirkja with the statue of Leif

After a hard day’s work, who wouldn’t want to grab a bite at Drekinn (“The Dragon”)?

Que penses-toi de la police française?

This was one of the first questions my Uber driver asked me as we drove through Paris.

Je ne la connais pas du tout, la police française

I responded, a little surprised. I had few encounters with the police in the States, let alone with those in France. So of course it would be four weeks later, that I would get to know the French police.

Around 18h20 on a warm Saturday evening, I left my flat for an evening of swing dancing with Parisian Lindy Hoppers. I was turning the intersection of Rue Bichat and Rue Faubourg du Temple when I was approached by a Franco-African teenager, who couldn’t have been older than sixteen-years-old. He wore a black cut-off tank, khaki shorts, and eyebrows gently furrowed with anxiety. He told me that he was lost, and that he would like to borrow my phone to call his mom. After a split second internal struggle between common sense and disgustingly instinctive stereotyping, I gave this boy both benefit of the doubt, and my iPhone. He made a quick call, and departed with my device.

I ran off after him, shouting in English (a sad sign I am still inherently an anglophone), begging him to stop. Unfortunately, my morning jogs proved ineffective, and I was unable to keep up. Now it was I who had to borrow a telephone. A group of six French girls, a hotel manager, and a restaurant owner helped me contact my local friend Nicolas, my mother, and the police.

When the police arrived at the scene, they told me to get in their sedan. We drove around Belleville for twenty minutes looking for the boy. However, he turned off location services making my device untraceable. The officers told me to search the streets for the culprit. It was horrible, sizing up every adolescent boy of African descent, trying to decifer the innocent from the guilty. We even stopped one innocent boy. The officers eventually dropped me off at the commissariat, where I waited hours with Nicolas before giving my civil complaint statement.

After my petty theft extravaganza, I can conclude that the French Police Department is much more relaxed than the American Police force. They even have time to drive around college students in search of an telephone. During ride-alongs, officers stop the car to chat and laugh with passerbys. Similarly, the commissariat environment is no more serious. Officers are out of uniform, dressed down in t-shirts and jeans. Staff joke with the detained, and paperwork/civil complaints are handled without haste. Another aspect of leisurely French life-style–I guess you can’t pick and choose.

I probably will never see my iPhone again, but this isn’t important. Though that Franco-African boy, of nothing more than sixteen-years-old, made off with my mobile, I’m determined to maintain my ability to trust and judge each person independently. For the hearty price of a smartphone, I was chauffeured by the Fro-po, graced by Nicolas’ friendship, and schooled in the art of responsible benevolence. It’s for those reasons I can still be grateful, and a little bit amused.

Gilded Surroundings

My first month in Chiang Mai, I had an apartment on Nimmanhaemin Road, which is a great location to access cafes, shops, malls, transport, etc. The area is known for the droves of digital nomads, hipsters, and yes, sigh, shopping tourists. I was craving a place with a little more authentic Thai flavor so I moved to the old city. Now, I live next door to a wat (temple) that is surrounded by golden horses. The monks’ morning bells are my free alarm clock.

I’ve rented a bicycle for the month and life is so much more joyous! Sometimes I can’t believe the busy roads and chaotic streets I ride through. It is terrifying and exhilarating all at once! The thing is, the traffic is actually very relaxed. People don’t move hastily or aggressively. Red lights and street lanes are suggestions. The driving is creative and fluid. It feels as though I am floating down a river filled with motorcycles, songtaews, cars and other bikes. The invisible space bubble I am accustomed to is no longer. One must bobble, weave and expect the unexpected at every moment, and be completely present (and calm) while doing this. My bright pink helmet and neon yellow bag also help me to be more visible.

My uncle recently had his 90th birthday! I rented a car with Laos, my partner, and we took a day trip north to visit my uncle and cousin. It was my first international driving experience! I could read only some signs and did not have wifi or GPS – but I had a good feeling (and an excellent co-pilot!) and we just went with it. After only one U-turn (missed a turn due to construction) and we made it! We were so happy to spend a few hours together and enjoy fishball noodle soup and then eat some local sweet snacks.
This past weekend was Asahna Bucha Day วันอาสาฬหบูชา and Kao Phan Sa วันเข้าพรรษา, Thai holidays. They fall on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. I made my first offering to a monk at Wat Phan On. It is a small quiet temple with a peaceful atmosphere and a lovely golden chedi. I chose my sangkataan – a basket containing everyday items like soap, toothpaste, and balms to donate to the monks. I went inside and kneeled down before a monk and said a few sentences in Thai. He asked me a few questions and we had a short conversation (mostly in Thai!). He said he had lived at that wat for 21 years. He sprinkled aromatic water over my head while chanting blessings. It was a very moving experience. When I walked out onto the street, it felt as though all strangers had smiling faces and everything moved in slow motion.
The following morning I awoke at 5:30am to do a dak bat offering at a wat near my new apartment. Many people were dressed in beautiful bright colored silks and carrying bags of food and rice to feed the monks for the special holiday. I sat down beside 2 women in front of a monk and and they showed me what to do. I poured water from a decorative container into a silver bowl while meditating as the monk chanted blessings. Then the water in the bowl is poured outside onto the earth.

Other highlights and new discoveries of the week:

Trying new fresh fruits!!! —> Mangostein (not at all like a mango!), guava, passionfruit, white dragon fruit —> all delicious!
I bought some peanuts from a little girl with big eyes. The following day, I brought them to school for a snack after class and was disheartened when I cracked one open and the nuts inside were black. I opened another. Same. With a sour face, I asked my teacher about it. She laughed and said “gin daai!” Meaning “Eat can!” I love these fresh peanuts. They are black or white or grey inside the shell, and a little bit wet. So very good!
Watched a Thai movie with English subtitles. Before the previews, everybody must stand up to respect the King while the national song plays. Images of the new King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Aka Rama X) are displayed in gilded frames amidst a luminous dawn.
In honor of the late King Bhumibol, I made paper flowers for the upcoming Royal Cremation Ceremony taking place this year October 25-29. Flower-making hubs can be found throughout Thailand. I made the daffodil, which was His Majesty King Bhumibol’s favorite flower. He often presented this flower to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, when they stayed in Switzerland.

Another song to help learn Thai! This one is so funny and combines English and Thai, particularly common phrases many “farang” (foreigners) have difficulty saying in Thai.

https://youtu.be/2YdEscEhO98

Checking In and Checking Out Chinese Cuisine

(7.1.2017)

Naturally, when travelling to a foreign country, trying regional cuisine comes with the territory. While food unites people universally, food also gives personality to different cultures and regions. I recently learned that many Chinese consider dinner to be the most important meal. Families can eat breakfast or lunch casually, but for dinner, families eat together. I respect such strong familial bonds and devotion.

As for my own experiences, some of the major highlights of my trip involve food. Right from day one we were introduced to the Chinese dinner table culture. Once most of the students arrived and settled into their rooms everyone came together for our first taste of authentic Chinese food. The teachers told us they ordered “safe” foods for our first day. Minutes after we sat down dishes quickly filled up the turntable. Instead of having my own individual dish I had a chance to try several dishes, most of which I still do not know the name of. Since then I learned that I need to pace myself when eating with a group. Just as one dish on the turntable is consumed another comes out to take its place.

After that first day, I have made of point of trying as many different dishes as I can. From home-cooked meals to street food I have had more variety in my meals than I have over the span of my life. Rather than describe everything, I have included images below.

As part of our program the teachers treat the students to dinner every Friday. These “language tables” serve as both rewards for the students’ hard work throughout the week and as casual learning opportunities. The past two language tables included Peking duck and Hotpot. Peking duck is one of Beijing’s proud delicacies for a reason. As wonderful as the flavor of the duck meat and the texture of the duck skin were, I found the hotpot to be especially memorable.

Hot pot’s history extends as far as 1,000 years ago. Originating in Mongolia, hotpot first spread to Southern China. Unlike most unique cuisine, hot pot has been popularized around China. Most local cuisines stay in one area and remain a specialty in that province or city. Sometimes referred to as Chinese fondue, different variations of hot pot have emerged. Sichuan was the first to adopt hotpot. Today Sichuan hotpot, or Chongqing hotpot, is known to be spicy. Beijing often has lamp hot pot, Guangdong has seafood hotpot, and Hong Kong specialized in beef hot pot. Hot pot is further categorized into different soup bases and cooking methods. Some hot pots are dry, but most variations involving cooking at the table. Guangdong hot pot for example has a light soup base with an instant boiling method (涮 shuan = the act of placing foods into the hot pot). As soon as ingredients are cooked they are taken out and dipped into dipping sauces of one’s choice. Another variation includes cooked main meat. With this variation a meat flavor such as fish or mutton dominate the scent and flavor of the water. Yet another variation has all ingredients cooked. Instead of instant boiling, the pot is just meant to keep the food hot. A last type has different soup bases. Stock boiling for a while before using the instant boiling method. In this variation, dipping sauces are integral to the experience.

The restaurant our class went to is a well-known chain called 海底捞火锅 (Hai di lao huo guo). This chain is known for its service. According to one of the teachers if someone goes to eat hot pot alone the restaurant will provide a teddy bear for them to eat with. When we went, the service was extremely upbeat and friendly. Waitresses and waiters were prompt to bring dishes, take away dishes, and aid in the cooking process. Some students were even brought up to dance with the staff members. Later we also watched a young boy perform a sort of noodle dance. He spun and whipped around dough into strands of noodles that would be placed in our hot. We partook in the instant boiling process with two different soup stocks: mushroom on one side and tomato on the other. Timing is key for a successful hot pot experience. Thinly sliced meats, seafood, and various vegetables all have different cooking times. The waiters and waitresses tell the customs how long to cook each food. We were also given aprons and plastic bags for our phones and glasses. With the shàun method, the teachers unceasingly placed food on our plates as they prevented the boiling water from ever being empty. As a result, I ate much more than I should have that day, but I’m not really complaining. More so than normal I had a very balanced meal that day. My experience was extremely filling, yet fresh, delicious, and enjoyable. A sense of community accompanies the hot pot tradition. The concept of freshly cooked ingredients, sharing among friends and family, and gathering around a round table are all aspects of hot pot’s appeal. Hot pot is physically warming and heartwarming.

Добро пожаловать в Россию!

Welcome to Russia! I’ve just finished up my first week here in Saint Petersburg, and it already feels like I have been here for a long time! There’s so much to take in, between the sights and sounds of the city itself and the major adjustment of taking classes in a foreign university. Despite any challenges, I have managed to settle in, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.

My program here with the School of Russian and Asian Studies (SRAS) has three lengths: 6, 8, and 10 weeks. As I am in the 6-week program, those doing the longer versions arrived a month before I did, so they’ve been able to help me adjust to the area. Saint Petersburg is an international city: in addition to Russian, of course, and English, I’ve also heard Korean, Chinese, German, Spanish, French, and more! The dining options correspond; within a few blocks of campus there’s everything from traditional Russian to shawarma to new age American cuisine, most all of it tasty.

It has been challenging attempting to adjust to the language difference. The obvious examples, like ordering food and attempting conversation, are indeed difficult and occasionally frustrating, but I find most off-putting the small things. For example, it is disorienting hearing bits of conversation on the street and not recognizing most of the words. I’ve been trying to follow the advice of others in my program: celebrate the small victories. One day at lunch, I successfully ordered food and answered a follow-up question, all without issue, and I felt a sense of accomplishment.

On the whole, the strangest adjustment has been the so-called ‘White Nights’. Saint Petersburg is close to the Arctic Circle, so the sun rises at around 3:30 in the morning and does not set until well past 10, and the sky never gets dark. It’s very easy to look outside, think it’s the late afternoon, and discover it’s already 10:30. Compounded with jet lag, this made the first week of sleep difficult.

Attached here is a picture I took of the Казанский кафедральный собор (Kazanskiy Kafedral’niy sobor, or simply the Kazan Cathedral), a large Orthodox church modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It’s the next block down from campus, right in the heart of Saint Petersburg! On the whole, my first week was rewarding and exhilarating, if also intimidating and challenging. I hope that the remainder of my time will be the same!

Le Bon Sens Est La Chose Du Monde La Mieux Partagée

This weekend I visited Descartes, France. Once called La Haye en Touraine, the small town was rechristened “Descartes” in 1967 in honor of the famous French philosopher’s birth in the city in 1596. My eventual dissertation may involve a study of neglected aspects of Descartes’ philosophy, including the understudied influence of his philosophic project on the historical development of Europe.

The fame of Descartes’ “method,” in which he first doubts all things of which he is not certain, and then constructs a new system of knowledge upon the edifice of this doubt, conceals a more supple philosophic mind than most philosophic commentators have appreciated. The Descartes you were taught in “Philo 101,” in short, hardly resembles the real man. This trip was therefore a wonderful opportunity to discover a living memorial to one of the towering geniuses in the history of Europe.

M. René Descartes, Maison Musée René Descartes

The town has turned the family home of Descartes into a museum, which turned out to be far more elaborate than one has a right to expect of a museum in a town this size. After an initial awkward conversation with the woman working the museum, I was outfitted with an audio guide and given as much time as I wanted to tour the birthplace of M. Descartes. Or was it? The first piece of information given me by the audio guide was in fact local gossip. Legend has it that Descartes was not actually born in the home, but in a carriage on the way to the home as his parents rushed to arrive before the baby. But, as the audio guide counseled me, let’s not bother ourselves with such spurious rumors.

Full-paneled reproduction of the original title page of the “Discours de la Méthode”

Inside the museum, I discovered the resolution to a question I have wondered about for some time: could Descartes read Ancient Greek? The answer is “yes.” The museum had on display a replica of Descartes’ schedule and curriculum at the famous Jesuit school of La Flèche, in Northwest France. He studied both Latin (never in dispute) and Ancient Greek at the school. This information helped resolve, for me, the further question of whether Descartes had read Aristotle in the original Greek or whether he had only read the Latin translations of William of Moerbeke and the scholastic interpreters of Aristole. It is likely, to the point of near certainty, that Descartes had read Aristotle in his own tongue.

Beyond this important historical fact, the museum itself offered one fascinating panorama after another about the life and work of Descartes, including panels on his famous friendships with Fr. Marin Mersenne, S.J., Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, and Queen Christina of Sweden. I was pleased with how many of the panels I could make sense of without needing to search for English translations in the audio guide. Although I certainly had to work to interpret each display, I could follow the developments in Descartes’s life. I was aided by the fact that I was already familiar with many of these developments, but it was a reassuring moment in my French language studies.

A panel dedicaed to one of Descartes’s closest friends and interlocutors, Fr. Marin Mersenne, S.J.

Before this weekend visit to the town of Descartes ever took place, however, I was witness to the most interesting and contentious dinner conversation I’ve yet experienced in France. My host family invited a family friend over for a wonderful dinner, preceded by the opening of a bottle of Champagne( from Champagne…) and political discussion in the living room. While the French are keen to keep political discussion away from strangers, they are eager to engage in political dispute among family and friends. In truth, I was the precipitating cause of the dispute. I posed a question I thought would be mostly factual: How is it that so many people of Northern African descent ended up settling in Tours? I asked this question in part because immigrants from former French colonies had settled, or so I had thought, for the most part in the South, along the Côte d’Azur, and in Paris.

My question set off a conversation that outlasted the pre-dinner apéritif and dinner itself. The main point of contention was the extent to which the French had a right to demand that immigrants adapt to the French way of life. The particular point of dispute was not whether the French had a right to demand this—all were of accord that this right existed—but rather the degree to which it could be demanded by French society. Of particular importance was the question of whether the French, an historically Catholic country with a secular constitution and increasingly secular mores, should demand secularization from Muslim immigrants of Northern African descent. The table was certainly not of accord on this point.

Baozi

Most people who are familiar with Chinese cuisine have heard of Baozi. It is a staple of Chinese food, but some people do not realize just how much this food means to the Chinese people. A Baozi is steamed bun that is filled with a variety of different meats, pastes, or even soups. They typically come in two sizes. Da Bao (大包) are typically around 10 cm across and Xiao Bao (小包) are half that size. The invention of the Baozi is credited to Zhuge Liang (181-234), a military strategist from the Three

Kingdoms period (220-280). It is said that he and his troops were on an expedition to south China when his army caught a plague. Zhuge made a bun shaped like a human head from flour, pork and beef which was offered as a sacrifice to the gods and later given to the soldiers to cure their illness.

Baozi are simple to make, but there are so many different types of Baozi, and they can be eaten with many different spices and sauces. However, besides their wonderful taste, Baozi are popular for their convenience and price. Baozi can be found all over Beijing. Walking along the road, it is very common to see people carrying bags full of them. Also, you can eat Baozi for any meal of the day or as a snack. I often go to a Baozi shop down the road in between classes or on my way home. Additionally, Baozi are a cheap option for how filling they are. One of my favorite things about Baozi is that even if you buy them often, you can always try a new filling or style of Baozi.

Mid-Autumn Festival – 中秋节

The Mid-Autumn Festival （中秋节）is originally a harvesting festival celebrated on the 15^th day of the 8^th month of the lunar calendar during a full moon – which usually takes place in September or October.

The Chinese National Tourist Office and Hong Kong Tourism Board describes this day as the day of the year in which the moon is roundest and brightest. Traditionally, families pray to the moon, offer sacrifices to the moon and express yearning for the loved ones who live afar.

The Mid-Autumn Festival emphasizes family gathering, thanksgiving, and praying for a prosperous and good life. On this day, Chinese, Vietnamese, Singaporean, Indonesian, Malaysian, Taiwanese families gather and eat special traditional mooncakes called Yue Bing （月饼）filled with egg yolk or lotus seed paste.

“mooncake mid autumn”的图片搜索结果

Legend has it that the celebration when the Moon goddess of immortality, Chang’E, drank overdosed on the elixir of life. The drink was intended for her husband, Houyi, who shot nine out of ten suns out of the sky. Chang’E unwillingly floats to the moon (not too far from earth), leaves her husband and had to become immortal. Her husband loves her so much and displayed his wife’s favorite foods and fruits as sacrifice to the moon. Another historical legend has it that mooncakes originated in the Yuan Dynasty when revolutionaries passed on messages to organize an uprising against Mongol rule.

The round shape of the mooncakes symbolize reunion and familial unity. Traditionally, the senior family member would cut the mooncake and give a slice to each family member. In recent times, family members gift each other mooncakes. After talking to some locals, they mention giving and receiving too many mooncakes to eat from different family members and family friends. This gesture reminds locals of the importance of family unity.

Kung Fu

Kung Fu is a traditional practice in Chinese culture. More literally translated, kung fu refers to any skill that is acquired through practice, so many forms of martial arts are included in this term. It is said that Chinese martial arts originated in the Xia Dynasty, when the emperor introduced fighting systems to China as means for self defense, hunting, and military training. This past week we discovered a Kung Fu class being offered here at Peking University, so we decided to try it out!

Our instructor turned out to be an extremely experienced kung fu artist who even majored in kung fu in college. He took us through some of the basics at our first practice to give us a taste of Chinese martial arts. We began with some “qi,” which is an internal style of martial arts where we really focused on controlling our bodies and blood flow. Then, we moved on to “hand pushing” where were learned 2 basic patterns that actually turned out to be self defense moves (if performed correctly). In the second portion of our class, we did paired up and practiced a self defense move used to escape another person’s grasp.

Overall I found the class to be not only fun and useful, but also extremely interesting as our instructor filled us in on a lot of the history that has come with the practice of kung fu. However, kung fu is an extremely complex practice and has a deep history, so I hope I can continue to learn more throughout the rest of my stay here in China.