Chengdu–Day 2

 

Our second day in Chengdu dawned much like the first one…cloudy (“close” as we call it in Seattle)…just a little “eh” but warm enough and no rain.  Off we went!

Today we were going further from the hotel, so we cabbed it.  In true “share” mode…whoever ended up sitting in the front seat not only got to pay..but they got the birds eye view of driving and dodging the city streets.

Today we were headed off to Wenshu Temple. It was built in the Tang Dynasty and is the most used temple in the city.  According to the guide books it has 450 Buddhas and relics.

The cab rides in Chengdu are much like Hong Kong in that they are CHEAP and efficient.  The hotel helped (?) us by writing in Chinese the places we wanted to go.  There were very few staff members at the hotel who spoke English so THIS little exercise proved to be frustrating.  I was not involved…but the faces of my traveling partners showed that it was. However, the staff was truly trying to help, that can not be argued. When all was said and done, we were handed a card in Chinese and English with the ten most visited places in the city. Sigh.

First in the front seat was Susan.  I can say that she did a great job handling the drive.  She did let out one gasp…that made the driver laugh.  Wait  What?  A cab driver w/a personality and a smile.  THIS is where being in a cab completely stopped being like Hong Kong. 

This is not the temple itself…this is the gathering hall and it was huge!  (I tried to “panoramic” this pic…not so good…but you can see both ends of the hall)

The area is more a gathering spot.  As we toured we not only saw relics and statues:

ALL through the grounds we saw people gathered to pray, talk, play cards, read, draw.  I have to believe that when it was built, THIS is what it was meant to be used for!

In the Pagoda were groups of people chatting.  The little girl had “tea” with the kitty.  The other kitty was an “under kitty” so I took his pic (he was picked on by the bully cat…poor thing – there IS a world order…even at the Temple)

The temple has ponds full of koi and turtles (yes, those are real).  I am a little shy about taking pictures of people…so you will have to settle for descriptions

Diane and I walked pretty leisurely through the grounds.  We watched the card games (NO idea what they were playing), the artists and those doing Tai Chi. 

After we left the temple, it was time for….you guessed it  SHOPPING!  You see, these beautiful sites are in the middle of the city…so we took advantage.

I forgot to mention in yesterday’s update that shopping is interesting JUST because of the language issues.

The best thing I watched yesterday was Diane and Susan buying coats.  The sales lady spoke in Chinese the entire time…Diane and Susan spoke in English the entire time…and voila…two transactions were completed.  It was pretty amazing to watch.  There was no frustration, just chatting back and forth!

When you are out on these adventures you never really know what you see that will strike you.  Diane was on the hunt for small vases, but other than that…you just look.

Chengdu is known for it’s silk and embroideries, so we were scoping that out.  After a couple hours we were looking for lunch.  Boy, did we LUCK into a great place:

Shrimp, chicken, pork..on decorated plates!  5 dishes to share all for the bargain price of 50RBM each (8 bucks US?)  YUM.  The province is known for it’s spicy food, but with mixed palates on the trip, we were careful how we ordered.

OH…What we did NOT order from this restaurant?

Yes…that says Pee Beef ball …dunno…NOT asking

NOW…here is a list of OTHER things on the menu we did NOT try…ready…put down your coffee … consider yourself warned:

FRESH Chili Donkey (b/c who would want NOT Fresh?)  Jelly Fish Head w/Vinegar (Vinegar makes the meal I have found): Agricultural home cooking rabbit (could this mean Organic??), Hand Rub Chili Mix Tongue (I got nothing), Green Pepper Little Rabbit (everyone knows littler is better!) Boutique Blood with Something (I am NOT making this up…what’s the something? again…NOT asking) Fish lips with Delicious Pepper, Lively frog with Tender Ginger (If my frog is NOT lively, I am not eating it…I have standards!) lastly, Novel Braised Deer Tendon

People! Trust me…we could have gone on and on, but Cindy made Diane STOP reading from the menu! LOL

The streets had lots of vendors selling different things and had kinda funky statues (or was that art…not sure)

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The lady on the bottom was roasting chestnuts…one exploded and scared a tourist who ran away…since it was not one of us it was pretty funny!

Our next stop was an artist area that at one time was known for students putting out their art and selling it.  This has pretty much gone by the wayside…but there were tons of ceramic vendors and art stores along with stalls with other goods.  More good looking opportunities!

Those guys on the bottom were for sale…I figured I could not get them in my carry on so I resisted. This bottom picture is of a pretty typical looking apartment building overlooking the river.

Once again watching the transactions was COOL. The vendors were smiling, cordial, helpful and it was all done in two entirely different languages.  When I was looking at a couple items (can’t say b/c they are gifts) the older gentleman showed me the sign (in Chinese…I had no clue but there was a 5 on it) then pulled out his calculator and slowly showed me how everything was 50% off.  SOLD.  I bought 4! 

As we walked we were greeted with lots of smiles and lots of moms and grandmas showing off babies…I enjoyed making baby noises and I think they like me doing it. Diane found her vases and other gifts, Cindy a canvas (I never did see that), Susan a 300 year old vase…we did pretty well!

Diane and Cindy both did their stints in the front of the cab…and both handled it well!  (only small gasps as bikes and scooters and cars came straight for us).   The last picture I will leave you with cracked me up. 

It was an advertisement for Tiffany …I think it was an apartment complex…read the bottom:

The ENGLISH words you sillies!

Chengdu–Buses and Scooters and Cars … OH MY

In my life I never thought I would say that walking in Hong Kong is SAFE compared to other cities in the world…but oh my…after one day in Chengdu…Hong Kong is a walkers’ paradise!

Four of us ventured to Chengdu China on a ladies trip. Chengdu and the area surrounding it has a population of about 28 million people…yep..it’s one of the biggest cities in the world you have NEVER heard of! Believe me…I had never heard of it either.

14 million of those people live in the city…and as we walked around on a Sunday…I felt like they were all in or on motorized vehicles heading straight for US.

We arrived late Saturday night First…immigration was a B R E E Z E. The easiest I have ever encountered…no lines. It WAS late, but that is normally when immigration is slammed. Susan arranged for us to be met by a student. Her name is Wings. (she kindly gave us an easier version of her name to remember). Wings hired a car for us to transport us to the hotel. (Godsend!)

Exiting the airport was crazy. (this should have been my first clue that things would be nuts as a pedestrian but I did not make the connection). Now, I was in the WAY back of the van, but as far as I could tell, there were NO lanes. It was a sort of a “trample the weak” situation just getting out to the street!

We awoke Sunday morning to breakfast and then headed straight out for our “Shopper-tunities” (What else would we do?)

Here is where the craziness started. We decided to walk to our first destination. Diane is a primo navigator and got us to our destination…however crossing the streets did give me moments of my life flashing before my eyes.

These pictures really don’t tell the CHAOS of an intersection! However…take a look…see the bikes in the crosswalks? See the the bikes dodging the cars? See the people kind of hanging at the edge of the crosswalk? yea…they will venture out there…and also dodge the cars…You see…the cars only dodge each other. This is a Sunday…day of rest…uh no.

It DID help that that the cars are like OUR cars…well…it helped a little.

Green lights mean walk…it means walk with the scooters and cars and bikes that turn in front of you…ride in the crosswalk…generally Green SHOULD mean….”If you are lucky…you will live through this day”

NOW…in fairness…even though the drivers seem crazy…and even though they invent their own lanes (if there ARE lane marks on the street)…even though they drive in the emergency lanes….I did not see one car with a dent. They USE turn signals and cut each other off and honk…but there does not seem to be any other aggression besides the honking…AND the cars have no dents! OK..so we did see two scooters on the ground…oops…As in most cases…the cars win those encounters.

Safely crossed this huge intersection…it took 3 steps to do so…we headed to Wuhou Temple …we were intending to look at SOMETHING cultural…but first… a little shopping!

That is Susan, Cindy and Diane…yes, we did leave some things for others to buy…but we did some pretty good damage! The area had great shops (jackets, tea, tea sets, scarves)…it was very fun and very picturesque.

The street heading to Wuhou temple is called Jinli Street.

The gentleman is drying tea. The next two are sugar sculptures…and those giraffes light up in the middle! Lots of different things!! (I did NOT buy the candy …it was too pretty)

There is entertainment, ice cream (look close!), saloons, and the last pic is of a silk rug that is being weaved…the pattern is behind the material…the weaver peaks through and then puts in the right color…and I thought cross stitch was hard!

We DID get to the Wuhou temple.

The incensed is burned and prayers are said. I am NOT sure what the interlocked hearts and ribbons are for…I am romantically hoping it’s to declare a bond. Some of the signs are in English at the temple…but I wish there were more…and that’s Diane by one of the Incense receptacles.

Our first day ROCKED…and we walked SAFELY back to the hotel…where we had dinner and drinks…

Exhausted…we turned in early because the next day would bring more shoppertunities…more temples…more exploring…more “life in the hands” situations!

Turning the Big Maui 5 0!

We all know birthdays just tend to happen In fact, they tend to come quicker and quicker each year. It’s kind of scary.

We are not a family that typically does big birthdays. That changed in a BIG way when Kirk turned 21. We invited friends and family and off to Las Vegas we went. Kirk had super big plans…a trip to LA to see family, jet over to Vegas…yep…a big week! He was in his gap year, so, he figured what the heck. Well, Kirkapalooza was scaled back, but we did all travel to Vegas. We did have shirts made. It was a blast!

Plans were soon in the making for Kari’s 21st and that was 3 years away.

However…there was one birthday that was going to fall between Kirk’s and Kari’s 21st birthday

MY 50th.

I’ve not made it a secret that when I die I want to come back as MY kids. 6 week trips to Europe, BMWs, convertibles (a birthday trip to Vegas and one in the planning stages). My children have possessed and done many things that I have not.

Corey has been made very well aware that I was a little frightened about turning 50. He got his first clue of this fear when he would bring it up and I would stop breathing…I mean I would literally become breathless. Teasing aside, he started thinking it would be great to EASE me into this decade by celebrating on Maui. What better way to do this than with family and friends.

The save the date went out well over a year ago. Dates were blocked…flights were checked, thankfully not purchased.

Because between July 2010 and July 2011…Corey and I experienced an even BIGGER life change. Our move to Hong Kong.

Now, what was to be a pretty easy plan became a dance between time zones, international date lines, and business travel. Now, my birthday became not only a birthday…It became a reunion.

We had a few friends that could not join us. They would be terribly missed.

Leaving our kids and friends in Seattle was not easy. Now, my birthday was a gateway for an amazing reunion. The Lord works in mysterious ways

Kari and I got to Maui before the others and were soon joined by her BFF Shaylin! (and Corey being mean to Shaylin!)

After a fun 10 days with Shay, she headed home. By this time Corey had joined us…and after Corey, his mom and Anita! Then, Mair and Stu!

Aaron and Aletha and Tracey and Waylon landed on Friday!!!

Woo Hoo!! Let the games begin.

We had four more guests that had yet to arrive!

Bo and Tim had a lonnnngggg day of flying (flying first class but lonnnggg flights!) and arrived Saturday night late.

Our friend Oski came in from Los Angeles, and got sick…so I don’t have a shot of him …He made it to dinner, but he had a rough patch of it

One more person and the party would be complete.

Kirk got on Island Saturday too! He had to wait until his Internship at the AGs office ended before he could come.

Our family, for the first time since December…had FIVE whole days together! YAY

The first official party event was an amazing dinner @ The Four Seasons. We hired a bus to take us all to dinner.

We were greeted with Mai Tais on the lawn so we could snap pictures and watch the sunset.

.

Dinner was incredible! A beautiful setting, great food and to top it off…the yummiest cake! Red Velvet Cake! It was awesome!

We purposely took Monday off as a “group” day…This IS Maui after all! No need for forced marches!

Tuesday was a different story! We all reported to the Maui Diamond II @ o’dark 30 (that is 6:30 to you all)

We chartered the boat for a day of scuba diving (like this birthday would pass w/o scuba diving) and snorkeling for the non-divers. See the shirts? I even got a shirt!! (Thanks to Hillary for the design and Kari for getting it done!)

It is pretty cool that those who are not certified STILL get to dive. They are called Intro Scuba dives and the Captain of the Maui Diamond chose two sites so the Intro divers could go twice! Waylon and Tracey were the “Intro” divers..while it was great to find out that Aaron is certified, so he dove with us for the first dive. (excuse the BAD pictures… we did not know where “fish” mode was on the brand new camera)

The dive master was REALLY patient waiting for us to get in position for the first picture! and Aaron and Kirk I think waited 5 minutes for me to turn around and snap them with the turtle!

The day was so much fun. Mary Ann learned how to ignore turtles while snorkeling so they would come to her!

The day was beautiful, the waters calm, the company perfect. What a terrific way to celebrate !

After diving was a friendly poker game…because this crowd can NOT be together without playing cards.

Sadly, Tuesday and the boat trip was our last full day together. Everyone started bugging out on Wednesday…Kari included

Our time together went by way too fast! Corey Kirk and I went back to Duo for dinner (on Duo!) We had another terrific meal.

We also did some more diving where we FINALLY found FISH mode…so the pictures are VASTLY improved!!

Corey presented me with a gift a day! My camera, gift certificates to the dive shop…a print from my favorite Maui artist…my sparkle pen! Every gift was GREAT!

We all left Maui on Sunday. Kirk and I for Seattle. Corey for travels in the US.

For someone who never really celebrated birthdays in a big way…I was treated to a fantastic time with family and great friends. I look over the pictures ALL the time and smile every time

Thanks to all! You made turning Maui 5 0 no big deal at all (though I still get a little breathless at the thought)

Most of all…and of course…thanks to Corey. Wow Wow Wow. I’m not sure how I will be able to top this for Your 5 0 because baby…it’s a coming soon!

Here’s to the best decade yet!

Random Act of Kindness…

 

The one thing that I have constantly complained about here in Hong Kong is the lack of casual human contact. 

Language is the barrier in most cases. In my last post I said how I missed just chatting people up in a line.  I really miss  communicating easily with the person @ the 800# or the idle chat as I check out at the supermarket. 

I have even noticed that most ExPats have had eye contact “knocked” out of them.  As I walk through the MTR or on the streets…it is hard to get anyone to engage with a glimpse or a grin. 

Kirk was here until Aug 19.  We did some touring.  He was really here to EAT and EAT he did! BUT, there were gifts to be purchased, Off we went to the Jade Market to be followed by the Ladies Market

The Jade market is two FULL tents of vendors selling much of the same thing.  Small bracelets are a BARGAIN!  They consist of small pieces of Jade (yes, real jade) threaded to make a bracelet. I have picked up these little gems for as little as 15 HKD ($2,39)USD)  The other picture is of a more expensive piece I picked up on “Canton Road (Jade Market Road).  The larger Jade piece was about $30 USD (it is lilac Jade, so I grabbed it.  Green Jade was $20) The thread necklace I got for $20 HKD and the lady threaded t to my big piece.

The Ladies Market is 4 blocks of sun glasses, purses, clothes, and general stuff.  Both places are PERFECT for shopping.

Off we went.

Well, I have been to the Jade Market multiple times and I have not had a problem navigating.  However,  on this day I did not recheck my directions and set off thinking I was “good to go”  WRONG.  We got off at the wrong station, and navigating went down hill from there.

We did have our map.  The maps in HK are BRILLIANT!  They are clear and the new maps even have the subway (MTR) exits marked on them so you know where to exit when the station offers you 10 or 20 choices.  

However, this time, we exited the train one stop earlier and had a little more navigating than normal. 

We got outside and put our backs to the wall of the MTR station to make sure we stood out of the way of passersby. 

Hong Kong (in this case, Jordan) is a busy busy place and it is very frustrating to those involved to watch people stand IN THE WAY while they figured out where to go. 

As we stood there, map in hand,…the entire thing unfolded, an older local woman approached

She asked “Do you need help?”  “OF COUSE WE DO!  WE ARE LOST “ my brain yelled.  !   However…my first reaction? “NO! We are fine"”  My defenses were up and armed

She asked again where we were going. I told her the “Jade Market”  She smiled

SHE TOOK ME BY THE ARM…and took us around the corner to show us the road to take.  We were so close but she made sure she pointed out the 7-11, the road, and where to turn.

WOW.

In six months I have not ever had someone stop to help me like she did.  She was not bothered that I might not speak English.  She risked helping us and while I wanted to turn her away (pride?) …she persevered.

I have started to make eye contact with people. I have even gotten some people to smile back at me.

Today I tried to ask a couple if they needed help, but they moved away (the maps are a dead giveaway). I will not let this stop me.  I promise I will not go around and push myself into people’s worlds. 

However…I WILL smile at strangers.  If someone looks REALLY confused as to where they are,  I will ask. No more hustling by.  I have nothing but time and I know just enough to be dangerous

It’s the least I can do…and maybe we can make this big city just a little bit smaller

BACK IN THE USSA

There were many emotions coursing through my brain and body as I prepared to return to The States.

EXCITEMENT I had not seen Kirk since Jan 15.

We video Skype three or four times a week, but it is just NOT the same as being in the same room with him. I had not seen my kitties OR my house in the same amount of time. Getting a Skype date with my cats is nearly IMPOSSIBLE with their busy lives, so I have had to hear about them through the kids and through Derrick (our house sitter). The house I get to see via Skype b/c Kirk is there most weeks doing laundry…well, I get to see the two Seattle prints behind the chair he normally sits in, but at least I know the prints (and the house) are still there.

Kari I had not seen since late May. Her trip to Hong Kong was SO needed.

I had not seen her since she went back to WSU. I knew they would be waiting for me at baggage claim (yes I checked)…they even PARKED the car to come in and get me …WOW

I was so looking forward to seeing the majestic PNW again. Seeing Mt Rainier loom above the city topped by puffy clouds and snow covered do a soul good after days and days of clouds and mist.

Going back to Weight Watcher meetings with a format I love, leaders and receptionists I admire.

ANXIOUSNESS- Corey was leaving a week after I was, so he was responsible for getting the house ready for six weeks of emptiness. I also had to have it ready because Kirk would be back in Hong Kong 4 days before I would so his room had to be set and comfy. Packing for 6 weeks is nerve wracking! Corey’s travel motto is “Half as much crap, twice as much money” It’s a good motto…but I was having trouble with it at the time.

SADDNESS – I was sad about leaving Corey. He had been traveling for almost a straight month before I left. Now we would be separated again. Only for a week, but we had not seen each other for SO long, and now we were apart again. I was hesitant about leaving Hong Kong. My routine was just getting set and now it was getting changed, yet again. Granted, many of my friends had already headed out, or were heading out to their summer vacations. The city was getting empty, but that did not mean I was ready to go.

ANTICIPATION – Seeing family and friends and what would reactions be since I had not seen anyone in six months. What would it be like?? Doing and seeing and eating things I had missed…boy did I anticipate me some Mexican food!

You can’t take away anyone’s emotions, and they all ran through me. So how did my six weeks in the US go?

WHAT I HAVE MISSED ABOUT THE USA (in no particular order)

I think it goes without saying (see above) that I have missed seeing the kids and the house. More on this later, but for now, let’s concentrate on the more “physical” things first :

MACY’S – there is nothing like a good 15% off the 30% off the 50% off sale. Shopping in Hong Kong is problematic for sizes and it is EXPENSIVE. I was there July 3 bright and early working to find as many bargains as possible. 3 pairs of capris, shorts and 2 shirts for $77.00? I WAS IN HEAVEN.

LA PALMERA – We eat at two restaurants in my house. La Palmera (Mexican) and Sparta’s (Italian). Hong Kong is FULL of great eats but I missed these old standards. We RAN to La Palmera Sunday night. It was everything I remembered.

DRIVING – I missed my car. I missed the ORDER of the streets. I missed knowing where everything. I get lost A LOT in HK.

ALBERTSON’S – grocery shopping in Hong Kong can be exhausting and frustrating and again, expensive. Sometimes I really think it is cheaper to eat out. I know living WAY back when was REALLY hard…but honestly, having to go to three different super markets to pull together one recipe is a bit like hunting and gathering! Did I EVER tell you about the great Tortilla shortage of May, 2011? Alarming and disconcerting! I walked into our Albertson’s and just stood for a moment. It was familiar and comforting to be back there!

CASUAL CONVERSTION WITH OLD FRIENDS – It was soooo nice catching up with old friends on Maui and in Seattle. Seeing and speaking to everyone again is like slipping on a comfy, broken in, pair of slippers. We KNOW each other. Conversation just flows. You know you have especially strong friendships when it is like you never left them.

CASUAL CONVERSATION WITH STRANGERS – Think about it. How many times do you smile and chat with strangers while out and about. In Hong Kong that rarely if ever happens. The city is easy to navigate, but I have learned not to assume that the person near me speaks English. HK is the new melting pot. That blonde lady? Yea, she’s German or Swiss or WHATEVER...I don’t strike up conversations anymore. I MISS THIS!

Ok…so here are six pretty big things I have missed. My six weeks in the States were great. But, quite honestly, I was ready to head back. I would not trade that time, and I am not saying that while we are assigned here, I will never spend that much time in the US again. But in a short period of time, Hong Kong has become my HOME. My house in Lynnwood, without the kids and without Corey, is just a shell. I was ready to be back.

WHAT I MISSED ABOUT HONG KONG

COREY –

I have made the joke that we took “empty nest” to a whole new level…our nest was empty so WE flew the coop. It has been so nice living in our amazing flat and being with Corey again. Of course he is working and traveling like a crazy person, but we are very lucky to have this reconnect time.

WALKING – The US was AWFUL for me when it came to my weight. DISASTEROUS. I was celebrating my 50th birthday with friends and family for the first 3 weeks and I COMPLETELY took my eye off the ball. Being back in Seattle did not help. I got VERY used to hopping in my car to do a simple errand so my steps per day PLUMMETED.

FOODS – Yes, while the hunting and gathering thing can be just AWFUL and frustrating sometimes, the not having a car and only being able to bring home what you can carry has been a blessing for me. I worked REALLY hard in the last few months before heading back and I dropped just about five pounds. Taking my eye off of the ball for 6 weeks destroyed almost all of that work! I just don’t keep junky foods around and we eat almost all whole foods, because processed foods are limited and expensive!

MY MONDAY WEIGHT WATCHER MEETINGS – it has been YEARS since I made myself a priority to go to a meeting on a regular basis. I have NEVER wanted to be a Monday weigher. Monday weighers are CRAZY right? Nope…smartest people on the planet! Monday meetings have made me realize that ALL days are important in my weight loss and weight maintenance. .

MY MONDAY WW FRIENDS – Barb and Sandy reached out to me at my first WW meeting here in HK! We have been separated since late June. I can’t wait to get back into our meeting and lunch after (yummy salad bar) routine. Barb isn’t back until September, but I know Sandy and Andi will be waiting on Monday.

AMAZING OPPORTUNITES -

On Sunday we were able to go tour the USS Ronald Reagan and walk the decks and meet a small handful of the men and women serving. They had not been on land since May and were SO happy to be in Hong Kong. This opportunity was made possible by the INCREDIBLE organization I belong to and the women who run it.

THE AMERICAN WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION (AWA) – has been so helpful to me and many others getting acclimated. I missed the friends I have made and am looking forward to volunteering to help support the AWA which has supported me.

Anyone still reading? Well, maybe not, but writing it all out has made me realize what we have in the States is a blessing and what I have in Hong Kong is too.

I am so very very fortunate to have this opportunity and a husband that makes it possible. The fall is going to be a busy busy time for me! I look forward to sharing.

Tian Yan Nei Gong

Tian Yan Nei Gong

I cannot tell you how fortunate I am to be in a city that offers opportunity after opportunity after opportunity. I am also fortunate that the city has a VERY active Association of Women to help put Expats together.

I have done many many activities with the American Woman’s Association (AWA). Today was the first time that I took a class that was centered just on wellness.

I took a Nei Gong class. Nei Gong was started over 11,000 years ago (11,000 years. ONLY in China people) Nei Gong means “internal work”. It helps you work on your “inner self” and your physical self. It is just a little bit like Tai Chi because there are “moves” However, instead of their being 65 moves, there are 15. You are working on your “qi” (energy) in the lower Dan Tien (the energy center below the naval). The Dong Gong is repetitive movements that come from the spine and pelvis using a beautiful series of movements. Nai Gong is based on Taoist movements where Tai Chi is based in martial arts.

Needless to say I cannot do its history justice. I am only hoping I can describe the class well enough for you see the work and beauty behind it.

First of all, it is work. Think of a time you have seen anyone doing Tai Chi. It looks fluid and pretty but not challenging (at least to me). Well, I have a new found respect for the effort being put forth!

We arrived and are immediately “evaluated.” We are seated on the floor with our legs not quite “crossed” and she looks at our flexibility. Some had already been evaluated and were sitting on 3 or 4 pillows (building a pedestal). I only needed one pillow. I am not sure if it was because of my flexibility or because of my lack of muscles that allowed my flexibility. Either way I was very happy NOT to have the largest stack. (This would change soon enough).

After we were settled we were shown our resting crane position. We were shown how to hold our hands a few inches under our navel with our legs in a specific position. Then we were taken through a series of exercise that last two to three minutes each.

I have never done Pilates. I have never done Yoga. This series of stretching and holding poses was very new to me and very new to my body.

There was one exercise where you actually capture your qi in the “air” between your hands as you brought your hands together... Doris said we should be able to feel a tremor and I actually could!

The one that got me the most was the stretch where you are sitting back on your knees, arms flat on the floor and head resting there. “Rumor” has it that if you can fall asleep in this position for ten minutes, it is like the rest of six hours. HOLDING the position for ten minutes was doubtful, let along falling asleep. This is where the revenge of the pillows returned. For me to be able to stretch enough to “sit” on my ankles, I needed THREE pillows! This is where pride gets you... SLAPPED in the face (or the butt). I was able to keep up (yay me) and I do like that there is a “no risk” policy. If it hurts, stop and rest. I could get used to that!

Finally, after the “calisthenics” of it all, we moved to the “fluid” part of the day. We sat on the floor and did a series of movements for 10 minutes. All very fluid, all very beautiful, using our arms and head and neck. I thought I would never be able to remember the sequence, but I soon did.

During the first few minutes what was going through my mind was “really, how long is this going to go on?” I had trouble letting my need to keep “moving on” go. Finally, my mind cleared and I just enjoyed the repetitiveness of the moves. I also liked the feeling that I was doing something well. (Pride returned when the teacher did not correct me).

My “body bugg” did not show me burning hardly any calories. However, I am realizing my need for Core strength is much more important than my need for “data” on said body bugg.

I am hoping this class becomes a regular thing in my life in September. I enjoyed it and I enjoyed the company I was with.

Once again, I am thankful for the people I have met here.