Hello all,
I’ve now finished my official study abroad program in Nanjing and have been traveling around China with a good friend for the past week. After the trip to Bozhou, I finished my clinical observation on herbal shifts. Instead of sticking to one shift, I had the opportunity to observe many different doctors, a different one each morning and afternoon for a total of ten doctors. Many of them were semi-retired doctors who had a lot of prestige and were now only working a few days a week, as suited their liking. The last doctor I observed with didn’t even take new patients, instead only treating his acquaintances. His shift was by far the most relaxed and peaceful of the ones I saw. It was also inspiring to see such senior practitioners be able to care for themselves well enough to keep practicing well into old age. A few were even over 80 and still sharp enough to write prescriptions.
We also got to see a few kids being treated, and they were always fun. This little guy had a chronic cough, and the doctor had us listen to his lung sounds with a stethoscope after he was done. I went first, checking both his front and back despite the fact that the training we got for this sort of Western diagnostic technique in school was very minimal. One of my classmates went next, likewise somewhat perfunctorily, and when she skipped his back, the kid called her out on it, and got us all to laugh. The doctor said he was right and my classmate listened to his lungs from the backside as well.
I filled up another notebook with translations of herbal formulas and learned about a few new herbs. It’s definitely good material that I’ll be able to look over and study back in the US, though those shifts were not as photogenic as the acupuncture and moxibustion shifts. The building itself was much nicer and newer than Qin Huai – most of the shifts were in the new campus building walking distance from my hotel.
The end of the trip came quickly. We had a Closing Ceremony on a Wednesday, during which we were given with graduation folders, a group picture, and polo shirts in commemoration of the school’s 60th anniversary, which it was celebrating that same week. We were also encouraged to come back to study at Nanjing TCM University in the future. The next night, Thursday, we had a goodbye dinner at an Italian pizza place, and our translators and doctors were all invited. Finally, on Friday night, we had our own small goodbye get-together in which we dressed up in our “Chinese best,” attempting to imitate the most ridiculous of the Chinese fashion we encountered. I managed to find a full body bear suit for less than $4 at a night market, where some of my classmates bought some other very furry fashion. Other great finds included a one-piece outfit including a vest, skirt, and striped shirt with what appeared to be a lady gnawing a red high heel shoe, a glittery shirt of a tiger wearing glasses, and one of the surprisingly popular shirts that had ACNE emblazoned across the front.
Most of us would be together for another weekend to visit a town called Hangzhou on our way to Shanghai, where the trip would officially end, but a few were splitting off early to begin their travels. They missed out on some of the most beautiful sights we’ve seen in China in Hangzhou, in the center of which is this beautiful lake.
I definitely enjoyed my time in Nanjing and I plan to go back there during my travels before leaving the country. I didn’t have time to update this blog on my non-school adventures in the city, but there were some good sights to be seen, including a nearby temple, Nanjing museum, beautifully landscaped neighborhood parks, and pieces of the old city wall that once surrounded the city.
More pictures to come, when I have better internet access! I’m currently back in Hangzhou with my travel buddy Jess, the same town I was in last weekend with the school group. I also spent a few days in Shanghai, where I said goodbye to the rest of the group and met up with Jess. The two of us stayed with friends we know in Shanghai for a few days, then took off for a hostel in a canal town called ZhuJiaJiao before heading here. Our future holds the beautiful mountains of Huangshan as well as the cities Lushan, Nanjing, and Suzhou before heading back to Shanghai to catch our flights. Wish us luck!
Brush Knee & Push 