The most remarkable thing about today is that I got to administer TCM therapy to my classmates. After the usual Chinese class and baozi for lunch, my group for TCM put on our lab coats and went to the TCM ward of the Peking University Health Science Center Third Hospital to learn in the clinic. Dr. Guo, a practitioner with 23 years experience, explained some of the therapies to us, showed us some techniques on actual patients, and then did some demonstrations and tutorials on cupping, moxibustion, acupuncture, and gua sha for us, and we got to try all of it.
Personally, I applied cupping to one or two of my classmates, I administered gua sha, and I took pictures when Dr. Guo asked if anyone had brought a camera. I let a classmate apply cupping to me, but since I didn't really have a particular ailment, it was more for getting the technique than curing me.
The technique for cupping is that you soak a cotton ball in alcohol, place it in forceps, light it on fire, stick the fire to the bottom of the jar, and then quickly apply it to the appropriate point. The timing is what takes practice. With gua sha, you run the scraper (which is really blunt and is more of a massage tool than anything else) along the jing luo meridians where it will help the ailment.
The coolest part of the day was that Dr. Guo could find the acupoint based on the consultation and then diagnose the patient's problem. For instance, a girl who runs a lot but doesn't stretch said she had knee pain, the doctor found the point, and then said that she was hurting because she was tight. Or another girl with stomach pain had a point on her back that correlated with a specific kind of stomach pain that she had, but did not specifically describe. The diagnosis was really amazing to witness.
I did feel kind of guilty for us taking hospital beds when there were patients waiting. The patients were very kind and when the doctor asked if the American students could observe, they all said yes and even encouraged our intellectual curiosity.
After class, I had about an hour to myself where I watched "Once More with Feeling," the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because the songs were stuck in my head. At 6, I left with some friends to have dinner in an area called San Li Tun. This is where the western shopping centers are, a bunch of interesting international restaurants, and the bar scene. I had yet to go, and since I'm a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine, it was a good night to go.
On the way, since we were going with one of the Chinese teachers, we had some train troubles. First, Laoshi and I got on the train as the doors were closing, so we had to get off at the next stop to rejoin the group on the next train. It was pretty hilarious, particularly because she wasn't my Laoshi, but the doors almost closed on my body, which was scary. Then, on the next train, there was a man who almost got in a fight with Laoshi and was being mean to her because he thought our group was being too loud. The students nearby defended her, which was both nice and kind of scary, and we got off the train shortly after the incident. Then we went out the wrong gate of the train station, so we were late for the reservation.
First of all, San Li Tun is a really cool area. It's very modern, with gorgeous architecture that is primarily glass and beautiful LED lights in the trees. I'm really happy to have finally seen it! Second, the restaurant was awesome. It was called Bite-a-Pitta, but really Bait HaPita, or Pita House. It was Israeli food and I had hummus, falafel, pita, and shakshuka (onion, bell pepper, tomato stew with eggs cooked on top) for dinner. It was so good, and I told the owner that I really enjoyed her restaurant. Who knew I would be speaking Hebrew in China? I left dinner in high spirits.
Today is awesome because I got to be a TCM therapist for a day.
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