March 22nd - Sore, Fearless, and Adventure

Morning Thoughts 🍵

I am really tired this morning and really sore. The training from this week has finally caught up to me, maybe the little bit of extra training that I've been doing each day has added to the soreness. Each day I've been trying to do some extra pull ups and sit ups along with stretching. Hopefully I can get stronger and more flexible through this continuous grind.

Last night, all of the students gathered together in the training room for a cool movie night. People ordered from a fast food place and watched Jet Li's Fearless. This movie is about a martial artist named Huo Yuan Jia (霍元甲) who was a real dude!

Huo Yuan Jia - 霍元甲

I watched the movie and throughout the whole two hours the constant thought came into my mind, is this a real story? Turns out there is some parts of the movie that were "real".

1) Huo Yuan Jia was a martial artist, he grew up from a farming family that also practiced the martial art, Mi Zong Quan (迷踪拳). Later on, he started to compete in fights that grew his fame.

2) Huo Yuan Jia actually created the Jing Wu Athletic Society in Shanghai and was a famous figure for Chinese during a chaotic time in China.

It is an interesting story and the more that I study into it the better it seems. During his childhood he was very sickly and couldn't study martial arts but over time through the secret training that he did, he became stronger then became a Chinese martial artist "hero" in the end of his life. This is why I like these Kung Fu movies is because you can peel back the myth and see that there is a true, sometimes better, story laying behind it all.

Afternoon Thoughts 🍜

This afternoon was relaxing and a bit exciting as well. A bunch of the students left to go to a nearby city so I stayed behind and stretched for a bit. I soon realized I should've went because I needed to get some snacks for this upcoming week. So, I packed my little "monk backpack", wore a mask, and went off to 曹刘村 which is a small little town/village nearby that has a couple of corner stores. While on this grand journey for some snacks I managed to take some nice pictures of the blooming fields and beautiful plants that are all around the landscape.

The thirty minute walk to the town was peaceful and it was the first time I set out on my own to explore the area around the school. It was neat, all I saw were farms, animals, beautiful plants, and the long Maling Mountain in the distance with a shining temple on top. (One day I want to go to that temple) Once I got into the town I realized that it wasn't as busy as it was on my previous trips. Seems like the whole area was relaxing on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I bought my few provisions, two bottles of tea, two apples, six Chinese sesame cookies, a bag of cheap moon pie ripoffs, some "beef bread" and a box of chocolate, and began my short trip back to the Kung Fu School.

This short 1 hour trip is just another reminder of why I like this lifestyle. It is all very peaceful, very simple and very quaint. I can see why on so many reviews for various Kung Fu schools many people mention that they came, not to learn Kung Fu, but to just "get away" for a bit as it really is a different feeling living here. I don't mean China, I mean at this Kung Fu School in the middle of the country side. At times it feels very movie-esque, and other times you're just sore and tired from training. The "biggest" problems that I face here are my Visa, the Virus, keeping myself healthy, and managing my money. Other than that, I don't have to worry about much until I get closer to my last days here.

Evening Thoughts

I spent my evening doing various things. First was power training. A basic combination of jump rope, bench press, sit ups, hand stands, kicks, and stance practice. I did this for about an hour until it was time for dinner. Dinner was, as it always is, good and simple. Eggs and Tomatoes, Steamed Broccoli, and Seasoned Potatoes all mixed in with white rice. I wish I ate more though because after dinner me, Josh and JD spent a while talking about many things but one of them was food back home. Burgers, Brisket, BBQ, and so much more. Man, it made me hungry.

But this Sunday feels a bit different compared to the other Sundays that have come and gone. I'm not sure why but I don't feel prepared for the upcoming week. My body is still tired and I didn't review what I had learned throughout the week. I guess I got too focused on my additional power training that I forgot to review. I'm sure I'll feel better once the morning comes but what I do feel right now is improvement and that is the most important.

Another great week begins... are you ready?

Like clay in the hand of a potter, so are you in my hand...