10 days from now we are off to China again, and the packing has started! I’m digging into my memory to recall what I can’t live without…Louisiana hot sauce, protein bars, travel pillow, rain poncho (just read about the torrential rains happening in Beijing right now), wet wipes, COFFEE. Because buying what I forget may not be possible!
As always, this trip evokes a sense of returning home for me. I’m not from China, and maybe I have some Asian ancestry from thousands of years back (thanks, NatGeo Genome project), but my long time practice of taijiquan and my close ties to the Chen family make China a different kind of home for me. The art I love was created in Chenjiagou, and practicing on that same village dirt is a bit magical. Studying with the descendants of the Chen family puts me in touch with that DNA, the myriad lessons available from these generous teachers, and the meaning of taijiquan as a way of life. Studying at one of the oldest working Taoist monasteries in China gives me a much needed chance to unplug, be more still, and reflect on the teachings of the ancient sage Laotzu.
It will be hot. It will probably rain a lot. It will be crowded in the village, and quiet in the monastery. The food will be barely tolerable, and we’ll have some delicious meals. I’ll say I’m never going back, and I’ll return again. The yin and yang of these trips creates Experiences with a capital E, and isn’t that what life is all about?
Follow our trip here, on this blog. I’ll post when I can.
Allison