It's raining outside with thunder, lightning, the whole deal. Even though we don't have heat in our rooms this kind of weather always makes me feel cozy inside. We do have hot water bottles and warm blankets. It was getting pretty warm for a few days there and then things took a turn for the worse and we're in winter again. Spring and fall are such short seasons here, summer and winter are both too long.

This week I did something to my lower back so I've mostly been taking it easy. It's been a lot of tai chi and bagua walking and although I never enjoy injuries, it has been nice to practice more internal stuff. I think my posture has improved in just one week of concentrated practice, even Shifu commented on it. I also love the feeling I get from doing bagua walking (circle walking) for a long time, it's euphoric. Although I've never experienced runners high (I dislike running), I imagine it's a similar experience.

Well, time for some hot tea. Hopefully spring comes soon, here and at home for you guys!

We had our disciple ceremony on Friday. It was such a great experience in a way that is so hard to describe. Up until that day I'd kind of been worried that a lot of the tradition and meaning had been lost by including so many people but that turned out not to be the case. Not for me anyway. I really felt like I was making a serious commitment and being accepted into a very special group. We took an oath and did some ceremonial bowing, presented Shifu with an offering, received a booklet with our Taoist name inside as well as a ceremonial sword with our Taoist name inscribed into the blade. Then we bowed to our kung fu uncles and the next group went up. Doesn't sound like much I know, but for me every part of it was infused with weight and magic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nikonfreak/6820741300/in/set-72157629182053122/

This is a link to a classmates photo of me in the ceremony.

This week not much happened. I was pretty tired for our Wednesday evaluation so I just went with the old stand by sword form that I like. It's hard to hold on to a weapon when the weather is so cold though, I dealt myself a glancing blow to the forehead at one point! Luckily I don't think Shifu noticed and it wasn't painful, just a little silly. Here's a picture of me.

It's almost the end of February already! Where does the time go? Somehow I've managed to get through a whole 3 weeks of training and I'm still happy to go to class. haha.

Things are going quite well though. We've started learning Dragon Fist bum bum buuum! We're about a third of the way through it and although it's a form that requires a lot of juice to get through, it's really fun. There is a lot of unique body techniques that are really cool looking and also difficult. Here is the link to a video of one of our older kung fu brothers performing the form several years ago. He's really good at it, check out his stances! It's too bad the video cuts out before the end of the form.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cobcTvougfo

When we were in Hawaii I got a really nice ukulele and I've been learning to play that. I like! Easier to learn than the guitar and much more portable, plus I think the ukulele sound is really cute. I think I'll be spending a good portion of my free time this year on it.

Back at the School

After a truly wonderful break we're back in Wudang. This break felt almost like 2 breaks, we got to go home fro Christmas and see our loved ones, then we got to go to Hawaii for 2 weeks. It was amazing. I highly recommend the island of Kauai for anyone looking for a laid back place with gorgeous natural scenery and tons of outdoor activities to do. I had so much fun and I didn't want to leave.

On our way back we stopped in Hong Kong for a few days to get our Chinese visas which ended up being really crazy and stressful. Although Wudang was freezing cold the day we got back we were so relieved to be finished with all that visas, catching flights stuff that it felt good to finally arrive.

Shifu has been surprisingly gentle with us this past week. He's been mostly letting us practice on our own and giving us a few tips on how to build our stamina back up. He's easing us back into practice in a way he's never done before. Last year we did frog jumps, duck walking, and sprints every single day for the first week. We all could hardly walk up or down the stairs. This year has been nice. Of course we're still sore, it's to be expected but overall, it's been a really nice transition.

The other day he was giving a few of us some help with our tai chi, pointing out a few mistakes and polishing it a bit. He said we've reached a level where he can get into the details more and really help us perfect our form. I'm excited about that, I hope we spend some time working on that stuff over the next year.

I already miss my parents and it's pretty cold here but it feels good to train again and things are going well so far. It's been a good week.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Spending a lot of time with family here and it's so relaxing. I really missed them in China.

Last night I went to Silent River kung fu to say hello and train a little. It is so great that even after not seeing them for a whole year it feels like no time has passed at all. Everyone there is so welcoming and positive, it feels like a real family. I'm always so happy to come home for a visit. We are so lucky to have such a great place to train. I hope everyone realizes that.

I leave for the train in one hour!

20 hours on the train, 2 nights in Beijing, 12 hour flight, 2 nights in Vancouver, then.....

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