A selection from the past few weeks...
http://picasaweb.google.com/tyler.chernin/WestMeetsEast02
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Change is good
So, the program officially ended last night. We went to Xining's most expensive restaurant and we ate (well not all of us) Peking duck (they also served chicken fingers. And when I say chicken fingers I mean pickled chicken feet. It looks far more disgusting as it sounds and I couldnt take a picture because I was going to gag). We were also witness to a warm speech by the Don and then received actual mini diplomas and were scarfed (see below) by our hosts. It was all bittersweet. I am sad to leave my classmates and our hosts for the past month, but I think we are all ready to move on and do something different.
To celebrate, we went to a Tibetan dance hall after dinner. Basically it looks like a dinner theatre, and you sit at a table drinking while watching Tibetan dance routines and songs. The beer was flowing and we were all getting silly. A Tibetan custom of showing respect/admiration is to go up to a person and place a white silk scarf around their neck. So, the waittresses walk around with plates of scarves and you can buy them and then place them around the neck of the performer you fancy (right in the middle of the performance, you just walk right up on stage and interrupt them). This custom birthed a new expression for us: 'scarfing.' As in, 'yeah, he's hot and totally scarfable.' Obviously, we had fun with this and we al managed to scarf someone by the end of the night. While we all were feeling the effects of the alcohol, our program director, the Don was definitely the most drunk: 'Are you guys having fun!!!??. I mean, ARE YOU GUYS HAVING FUN!!!!????' It was awesome and a great way to formally finish our experience here.
As things in China are always unpredictable, our trip to Lhasa has fallen through. At first we were denied permits, but then we found another travel agency that could get them for us no problem. The issue here was the cost; roughly 1200 USD for a 6 day tour of Lhasa, minus going to Everest Base Camp. It was soooooooo hard saying no. I have dreamed of going to Lhasa for quite some time now but I believe that what is meant to happen always ends up happening. I think I'll get there one day...
Instead we rented a car, driver and hired a guide to take Katie, Rohit and I (the Canadians) to Yushu. Yushu is the name of an autonomous Tibetan region in Qinghai province. It (like all of Qinghai province) was once part of Tibet, but now sits outside the formal Tibetan Autonomous Region. All of these names are just labels, because we are told the place is almost entirely Tibetan (as opposed to roughly 40% of the population now in Lhasa). It is quite remote and the trip there is normally a horrendous 15 hour journey on a smoke-filled bus without a bathroom. So, the renting of the car, while expensive, is key (at least for me!). Apparently the ride is gorgeous, and at one point you pass through the mountains at 17,000 feet! We will spend a few days seeing the sites, then continue to Nancheng, and then head back up to Xining. After that, Katie and I are flying to Guilin and Yangshuo in the south of China, which we are told is gorgeous and is home to the famous Karst Topography. After that, we plan to go to Shanghai.
I know I promised pics before but I am working on it. Hopefully tonight.
Miss you all and look forward to hearing from you.
Love,
Tyler
To celebrate, we went to a Tibetan dance hall after dinner. Basically it looks like a dinner theatre, and you sit at a table drinking while watching Tibetan dance routines and songs. The beer was flowing and we were all getting silly. A Tibetan custom of showing respect/admiration is to go up to a person and place a white silk scarf around their neck. So, the waittresses walk around with plates of scarves and you can buy them and then place them around the neck of the performer you fancy (right in the middle of the performance, you just walk right up on stage and interrupt them). This custom birthed a new expression for us: 'scarfing.' As in, 'yeah, he's hot and totally scarfable.' Obviously, we had fun with this and we al managed to scarf someone by the end of the night. While we all were feeling the effects of the alcohol, our program director, the Don was definitely the most drunk: 'Are you guys having fun!!!??. I mean, ARE YOU GUYS HAVING FUN!!!!????' It was awesome and a great way to formally finish our experience here.
As things in China are always unpredictable, our trip to Lhasa has fallen through. At first we were denied permits, but then we found another travel agency that could get them for us no problem. The issue here was the cost; roughly 1200 USD for a 6 day tour of Lhasa, minus going to Everest Base Camp. It was soooooooo hard saying no. I have dreamed of going to Lhasa for quite some time now but I believe that what is meant to happen always ends up happening. I think I'll get there one day...
Instead we rented a car, driver and hired a guide to take Katie, Rohit and I (the Canadians) to Yushu. Yushu is the name of an autonomous Tibetan region in Qinghai province. It (like all of Qinghai province) was once part of Tibet, but now sits outside the formal Tibetan Autonomous Region. All of these names are just labels, because we are told the place is almost entirely Tibetan (as opposed to roughly 40% of the population now in Lhasa). It is quite remote and the trip there is normally a horrendous 15 hour journey on a smoke-filled bus without a bathroom. So, the renting of the car, while expensive, is key (at least for me!). Apparently the ride is gorgeous, and at one point you pass through the mountains at 17,000 feet! We will spend a few days seeing the sites, then continue to Nancheng, and then head back up to Xining. After that, Katie and I are flying to Guilin and Yangshuo in the south of China, which we are told is gorgeous and is home to the famous Karst Topography. After that, we plan to go to Shanghai.
I know I promised pics before but I am working on it. Hopefully tonight.
Miss you all and look forward to hearing from you.
Love,
Tyler
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
T minus 3 days
Hello all,
Last week in Xining and things are winding down at the hospital. I think we are all ready to finish by now. The rotation has been a mind-opening experience, and is something few foreigners have been able to do in the past. We have been challenged and frustrated but will come away with a great appreciation for another culture and the way in which its medical system has existed and survived for literally thousdands of years.
That said, we have kind of hit a wall in the past two weeks in terms of learning. The number one issue, as I've said many times before, is the language barrier and the fact that we are limited to asking very superficial questions. That is essentially a deal breaker when it comes to understanding the incredible complexity of Tibetan Medicine. Our hosts have been wonderful and can sense our frustration (they must feel it as well). We don't look forward to lectures because they can be very hard to follow and our morning clinical rounds have become a bit stale. One of the doctors we were rounding with has left and so we see patients with a non English-speaking Tibetan doctor and our untrained (medically at least) translator. So you can imagine a lot gets lost in translation.
Another issue that has come up relates to this hospital in particular and the current state of Tibetan medicine overall. The system is in flux right now, at least in urban areas, as it tries to combine both Western and Tibetan knowledge. However, the outcome is less than the sum of its parts. A lot of the Tibetan doctors are not truly practicing pure TM. At the same time, they are prescribing Western medicine without truly understanding the why and how of it all. Xrays are ordered, labs are sent off, but from what our host says (The "Don") they only have a basic understanding of the results and what they mean. The outcome is a mishmash of both systems and the whole thing seems a bit slapped together. We witnessed a team of Western and Tibetan doctors admit a patient (which means seeing him/her for the first time and is traditionally the most thorough and exhaustive encounter between doctor and patient) and it was far from the holistic method I had anticipated/expected. The whole thing lasted less than five minutes and it didnt seem like any of the pure TM techniques we learned about were coming into play. I dont judge any of the doctors, because I cant imagine what its like to straddle two divergent systems of thought, but it was disenchanting nonetheless. (then again, I have had many such moments working in Boston this past year).
At the end of the day, I would do this over again. I think the program needs to make some changes, but its only in its second year, and that's to be expected. Outside of the hospital we have had some awesome experiences on our incredible day and overnight trips. This weekend we went to Repkong (Tongren in Chinese), which is almost 100% Tibetan and is the home of three beautiful monasteries. It is also the origin of all of the best Tibetan thangkas (traditional Tibetan religious artwork, describing it would not do it justice). In fact, the worlds largest thangka was made there and is over 600m long (all hand-painted in extreme detail). In many Tibetan and Chinese cities, people gather at night to dance in the main square. In Repkong, there is only one tiny square, and we joined in on the traditional Tibetan circle dancing. The dance is beautiful and everyone seems to know the moves (except us). We caused quite a scene...(see upcoming pics). All the kids were following us, making fun and laughing. It was hilarious.
The next day (Sunday) we left for another overnight trip to the mountains to collect herbs. The highlight however was the fact that the "Don" finagled his way into having us stay inside a monastery. Apparently this rarely happens, especially for women. We were greeted incredibly warmly and two monks in particular gave up their little home for the night for us to sleep in (not the best night of sleep but a very small price to pay). The monastery sits in a little valley surrounded by amazing holy mountains, and fields of canola (bright yellow). We climbed one of the peaks to get a good view and realized we were higher than some of the clouds! The monks were about our age (23) and were our guides/official hosts for the night. They hung out with us in our room till we slept, laughing with us, even though they spoke practically no English. At one point they pulled out these elementary English-Tibetan lesson books and we taught each other words for a while (I know this sounds lame, but honestly it was one of the best nights I have had in a long time). They exuded warmth and love and we all felt incredibly at peace around them. It really was a palpabe sensation coming from the entire monastery. Walking around in the early morning, all we could hear was chanting coming from each little house. All of our senses were engaged, with the bautiful view and the crisp air...In the morning they prepared for us a traditional Tibetan meal called Tsampa (take a bowl, fill it with Yak butter and Yak cheese pellets, then melt down with hot water. Then add Barley flower and using your fingers, mash it up until it has the consistency of dough. Serve and enjoy!. It isnt horrible, but the Yak cheese adds an unpleasant after taste. It is also as hard as a rock). Soon it was time to go and we all regretfully hopped into the van and wished we could stay another day. It was really one of the highlights of the entire trip (see pics soon).
The program finishes this Friday. The plan, as it stands, is to head for Lhasa (capital of Tibet) with Katie on Saturday night on a 24hr train ride (if we get our visas in time). We'll spend a few days in Lhasa and then head to Everest base camp, which is a 6 day trip there and back (stopping a lots of little towns on the way). After that, we are flying together to Xi'an to see the terracotta warrios and then to Shanghai. Altogether about three weeks of travelling. I'm really excited!!!
Hope to hear from all of you soon and make sure to check out the photos that will be posted soon.
Peace and love,
Tyler
Last week in Xining and things are winding down at the hospital. I think we are all ready to finish by now. The rotation has been a mind-opening experience, and is something few foreigners have been able to do in the past. We have been challenged and frustrated but will come away with a great appreciation for another culture and the way in which its medical system has existed and survived for literally thousdands of years.
That said, we have kind of hit a wall in the past two weeks in terms of learning. The number one issue, as I've said many times before, is the language barrier and the fact that we are limited to asking very superficial questions. That is essentially a deal breaker when it comes to understanding the incredible complexity of Tibetan Medicine. Our hosts have been wonderful and can sense our frustration (they must feel it as well). We don't look forward to lectures because they can be very hard to follow and our morning clinical rounds have become a bit stale. One of the doctors we were rounding with has left and so we see patients with a non English-speaking Tibetan doctor and our untrained (medically at least) translator. So you can imagine a lot gets lost in translation.
Another issue that has come up relates to this hospital in particular and the current state of Tibetan medicine overall. The system is in flux right now, at least in urban areas, as it tries to combine both Western and Tibetan knowledge. However, the outcome is less than the sum of its parts. A lot of the Tibetan doctors are not truly practicing pure TM. At the same time, they are prescribing Western medicine without truly understanding the why and how of it all. Xrays are ordered, labs are sent off, but from what our host says (The "Don") they only have a basic understanding of the results and what they mean. The outcome is a mishmash of both systems and the whole thing seems a bit slapped together. We witnessed a team of Western and Tibetan doctors admit a patient (which means seeing him/her for the first time and is traditionally the most thorough and exhaustive encounter between doctor and patient) and it was far from the holistic method I had anticipated/expected. The whole thing lasted less than five minutes and it didnt seem like any of the pure TM techniques we learned about were coming into play. I dont judge any of the doctors, because I cant imagine what its like to straddle two divergent systems of thought, but it was disenchanting nonetheless. (then again, I have had many such moments working in Boston this past year).
At the end of the day, I would do this over again. I think the program needs to make some changes, but its only in its second year, and that's to be expected. Outside of the hospital we have had some awesome experiences on our incredible day and overnight trips. This weekend we went to Repkong (Tongren in Chinese), which is almost 100% Tibetan and is the home of three beautiful monasteries. It is also the origin of all of the best Tibetan thangkas (traditional Tibetan religious artwork, describing it would not do it justice). In fact, the worlds largest thangka was made there and is over 600m long (all hand-painted in extreme detail). In many Tibetan and Chinese cities, people gather at night to dance in the main square. In Repkong, there is only one tiny square, and we joined in on the traditional Tibetan circle dancing. The dance is beautiful and everyone seems to know the moves (except us). We caused quite a scene...(see upcoming pics). All the kids were following us, making fun and laughing. It was hilarious.
The next day (Sunday) we left for another overnight trip to the mountains to collect herbs. The highlight however was the fact that the "Don" finagled his way into having us stay inside a monastery. Apparently this rarely happens, especially for women. We were greeted incredibly warmly and two monks in particular gave up their little home for the night for us to sleep in (not the best night of sleep but a very small price to pay). The monastery sits in a little valley surrounded by amazing holy mountains, and fields of canola (bright yellow). We climbed one of the peaks to get a good view and realized we were higher than some of the clouds! The monks were about our age (23) and were our guides/official hosts for the night. They hung out with us in our room till we slept, laughing with us, even though they spoke practically no English. At one point they pulled out these elementary English-Tibetan lesson books and we taught each other words for a while (I know this sounds lame, but honestly it was one of the best nights I have had in a long time). They exuded warmth and love and we all felt incredibly at peace around them. It really was a palpabe sensation coming from the entire monastery. Walking around in the early morning, all we could hear was chanting coming from each little house. All of our senses were engaged, with the bautiful view and the crisp air...In the morning they prepared for us a traditional Tibetan meal called Tsampa (take a bowl, fill it with Yak butter and Yak cheese pellets, then melt down with hot water. Then add Barley flower and using your fingers, mash it up until it has the consistency of dough. Serve and enjoy!. It isnt horrible, but the Yak cheese adds an unpleasant after taste. It is also as hard as a rock). Soon it was time to go and we all regretfully hopped into the van and wished we could stay another day. It was really one of the highlights of the entire trip (see pics soon).
The program finishes this Friday. The plan, as it stands, is to head for Lhasa (capital of Tibet) with Katie on Saturday night on a 24hr train ride (if we get our visas in time). We'll spend a few days in Lhasa and then head to Everest base camp, which is a 6 day trip there and back (stopping a lots of little towns on the way). After that, we are flying together to Xi'an to see the terracotta warrios and then to Shanghai. Altogether about three weeks of travelling. I'm really excited!!!
Hope to hear from all of you soon and make sure to check out the photos that will be posted soon.
Peace and love,
Tyler
Monday, July 7, 2008
It's been a long time...
Nin Hao!
Hope everyone is doing well! From the myriad of postings you all have written, I feel like I never left home...Haha....ha.....ya
It's been quite an eventful few days. For one, my 5 day, 'mysterious nighttime fever' is gone! Being with a group of med students, many theories were put forward but I think in the end alas we will never really know why (for the nerds out there; no, I did not have any contact with aborted cow fetuses). It seems like week 2 is 'sick week' for the group as everyone seems to have come down with some sort of bug. I think the food here is just so utterly alien that our bodies are starting to get tired of grease, oil, spice and mystery meat (yes, I have accidentally eaten a bit of meat). But I think the worst part about having diarrhea here is the fear of having to use a Chinese toilet. 1-there is no toilet paper so you have to come prepared. 2-chinese toilets are what we call squatters (if they are upscale, instead of a hole in the floor, there is a hole in a porcelain 'basin' that is fitted into the floor). 3-you dont put toilet paper in the toilet here. No, you dont. You put it into a garbage can next to the toilet because the sewers cant handle it. Do I need to elaborate more? The good thing about our hostel is that half of the toilets are american style (guess which ones I use).
This Friday was July 4th, and since we Canadians put on such a show, it was only natural that our American compatriots woul try and outdo us. We started with dinner at Casa Mia, the best/worst Italian food in the world. Then we came back to the hostel and played celebrity (sort of like charades but way better) but restricted to Americans, past and present. It was so much fun, except my team lost. However, the losing gift was something truly amazing. When the girls saw it in the supermarket (just sitting in a regular shelf), they almost died. Check out my photos to see what it was...
On saturday we took a trip to Qinghai lake (Lake Kokonor), China's largest lake and a very sacred place for Tibetans. We piled into a cramped little van and headed West for the 2.5 hour journery. But the journey really was part of the destination. The scenery was magnificent. The city quickly gave way to rolling hills, then startling mountains, then snow-capped peaks as we wound through the little turns and valleys. The temperature dropped precipitously too as we steadily made the 1km ascent from Xining (lake sits at 3200m). We made a pit stop at this one junction where lots of locals were catering to the tourist influx. Despite the touristiness, the spot was gorgeous, overlooking a famous mountain and marking the spot where the Chinese Princess Wen Cheng crossed into Tibet hundreds of years ago to marry the Tibetan emperor. The wind was roaring, and the thousands of Tibetan prayer flags were flapping away. It was incredible. Jen, one of the students, payed 5 Yuan to sit atop a Yak. After she paid, all these people came running over; one threw a traditional Tibetan robe on her, the other a headdress with a fake hairdo attached, the other threw a baby goat into her arms! There she was atop the Yak in all this fine regalia...I got a great picture and she looks amazing!
When we first caught site of the lake, it took our breath away. For one, its huge, but the contrast of the light blue water, the blue sky, the rolling green hills and the snow-capped mountains was overwhelming. Pictures really do not do it justice and almost seem to cheapen the sight. We spent a few hours sitting by the lake, thinking, relaxing and then had a traditional Tibetan lunch. We couldnt stomach the boiled yak and the mutton blood sausages so they kindly went out and bought us vegetables. They were very kind to us but I think they were happy when we left. But before we got back in the van, I couldnt resist sitting atop this beautiful yak and taking a photo.
A side note on Yaks. I dont know much about them, but they are a pivotal part of Tibetan culture. They give milk, and are used for meat, and nothing goes to waste. They also serve as pack animals. Since nothing much grows at the high altitudes where most Tibetans used to/continue to live, their lives were deeply entwined with this amazing animal. They have an incredible respect for the Yak and it is amazing how many times Yaks come up in our daily life here (on urinalysis; "when you stir the urine, the bubbles are big like yak eye"). The yaks I met on the weekend were so beautiful and looked so gentle.
We didn't waste any time on Sunday, and headed out early for another field trip, this time to a great natural reserve called Kanbula. It was also about a 2 hour drive away, but because we organized this one ourselves, we were treated to a luxurious bus/van that made the journey a lot more fun. We arrived, and then took another bus to a lake. This lake was much much smaller than Lake Kokonor, but was the most amazing green and turquoise color I have ever seen. Plus the contrast of the red mountains on each side pretty much took your breath away. We piled into motor boats and crossed the lake, where we headed for a nunnery that is well known in the region and beyond. This nunnery is literally hanging off a small hill in the middle of an imposing valley. There are a few dozen houses made of earth surrounding the nunnery (they look very primitive until you see the satellite dishes and power lines). We climbed the little hill and visited the nunnery. It was such a cool place because it reminded me of those traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and cliffs where the villages are drawn all perched together on tiny ledges and cliffs. Off in the distance you could spot these little temples and pagodas that were built perched on even tinier and more precarious spots than the one we were on. It really sparked my imagination and my sense of adventure. Around us there were tons of wild goats, scaling the cliffs without any fear.
From this spot, we took a harrowing "bus" ride up to one of the peaks. The bus was flying, the roads were dirt and incredibly bumpy, and the cliffs were on either side of us, without any safety borders or anything. It looked like a cartoon. I was simultaneously crying and laughing and most of us (the foreigners) were screaming. It was so scary...I kept thinking of you Mom and how freaked out you would have been. This was my first taste of what I am told are driving standardss throughout most of the world.
The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing, as we made our way up and then down another route to where we started. Each vista was more breathtaking than the next. It really made me realize how isolating it is to grow up in a city. I mean, there are perks of course, but we miss so much of the world staying inside. This is coming from someone who has rarely ever camped or trekked, but I find that everytime I get out into the wildnerness, I long to return and see more.
I am in the process of uploading some photos and hope you all enjoy them (they should be on in the next few hours). I miss all of you and love hearing from you.
Love,
Tyler
Hope everyone is doing well! From the myriad of postings you all have written, I feel like I never left home...Haha....ha.....ya
It's been quite an eventful few days. For one, my 5 day, 'mysterious nighttime fever' is gone! Being with a group of med students, many theories were put forward but I think in the end alas we will never really know why (for the nerds out there; no, I did not have any contact with aborted cow fetuses). It seems like week 2 is 'sick week' for the group as everyone seems to have come down with some sort of bug. I think the food here is just so utterly alien that our bodies are starting to get tired of grease, oil, spice and mystery meat (yes, I have accidentally eaten a bit of meat). But I think the worst part about having diarrhea here is the fear of having to use a Chinese toilet. 1-there is no toilet paper so you have to come prepared. 2-chinese toilets are what we call squatters (if they are upscale, instead of a hole in the floor, there is a hole in a porcelain 'basin' that is fitted into the floor). 3-you dont put toilet paper in the toilet here. No, you dont. You put it into a garbage can next to the toilet because the sewers cant handle it. Do I need to elaborate more? The good thing about our hostel is that half of the toilets are american style (guess which ones I use).
This Friday was July 4th, and since we Canadians put on such a show, it was only natural that our American compatriots woul try and outdo us. We started with dinner at Casa Mia, the best/worst Italian food in the world. Then we came back to the hostel and played celebrity (sort of like charades but way better) but restricted to Americans, past and present. It was so much fun, except my team lost. However, the losing gift was something truly amazing. When the girls saw it in the supermarket (just sitting in a regular shelf), they almost died. Check out my photos to see what it was...
On saturday we took a trip to Qinghai lake (Lake Kokonor), China's largest lake and a very sacred place for Tibetans. We piled into a cramped little van and headed West for the 2.5 hour journery. But the journey really was part of the destination. The scenery was magnificent. The city quickly gave way to rolling hills, then startling mountains, then snow-capped peaks as we wound through the little turns and valleys. The temperature dropped precipitously too as we steadily made the 1km ascent from Xining (lake sits at 3200m). We made a pit stop at this one junction where lots of locals were catering to the tourist influx. Despite the touristiness, the spot was gorgeous, overlooking a famous mountain and marking the spot where the Chinese Princess Wen Cheng crossed into Tibet hundreds of years ago to marry the Tibetan emperor. The wind was roaring, and the thousands of Tibetan prayer flags were flapping away. It was incredible. Jen, one of the students, payed 5 Yuan to sit atop a Yak. After she paid, all these people came running over; one threw a traditional Tibetan robe on her, the other a headdress with a fake hairdo attached, the other threw a baby goat into her arms! There she was atop the Yak in all this fine regalia...I got a great picture and she looks amazing!
When we first caught site of the lake, it took our breath away. For one, its huge, but the contrast of the light blue water, the blue sky, the rolling green hills and the snow-capped mountains was overwhelming. Pictures really do not do it justice and almost seem to cheapen the sight. We spent a few hours sitting by the lake, thinking, relaxing and then had a traditional Tibetan lunch. We couldnt stomach the boiled yak and the mutton blood sausages so they kindly went out and bought us vegetables. They were very kind to us but I think they were happy when we left. But before we got back in the van, I couldnt resist sitting atop this beautiful yak and taking a photo.
A side note on Yaks. I dont know much about them, but they are a pivotal part of Tibetan culture. They give milk, and are used for meat, and nothing goes to waste. They also serve as pack animals. Since nothing much grows at the high altitudes where most Tibetans used to/continue to live, their lives were deeply entwined with this amazing animal. They have an incredible respect for the Yak and it is amazing how many times Yaks come up in our daily life here (on urinalysis; "when you stir the urine, the bubbles are big like yak eye"). The yaks I met on the weekend were so beautiful and looked so gentle.
We didn't waste any time on Sunday, and headed out early for another field trip, this time to a great natural reserve called Kanbula. It was also about a 2 hour drive away, but because we organized this one ourselves, we were treated to a luxurious bus/van that made the journey a lot more fun. We arrived, and then took another bus to a lake. This lake was much much smaller than Lake Kokonor, but was the most amazing green and turquoise color I have ever seen. Plus the contrast of the red mountains on each side pretty much took your breath away. We piled into motor boats and crossed the lake, where we headed for a nunnery that is well known in the region and beyond. This nunnery is literally hanging off a small hill in the middle of an imposing valley. There are a few dozen houses made of earth surrounding the nunnery (they look very primitive until you see the satellite dishes and power lines). We climbed the little hill and visited the nunnery. It was such a cool place because it reminded me of those traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and cliffs where the villages are drawn all perched together on tiny ledges and cliffs. Off in the distance you could spot these little temples and pagodas that were built perched on even tinier and more precarious spots than the one we were on. It really sparked my imagination and my sense of adventure. Around us there were tons of wild goats, scaling the cliffs without any fear.
From this spot, we took a harrowing "bus" ride up to one of the peaks. The bus was flying, the roads were dirt and incredibly bumpy, and the cliffs were on either side of us, without any safety borders or anything. It looked like a cartoon. I was simultaneously crying and laughing and most of us (the foreigners) were screaming. It was so scary...I kept thinking of you Mom and how freaked out you would have been. This was my first taste of what I am told are driving standardss throughout most of the world.
The rest of the day was spent sight-seeing, as we made our way up and then down another route to where we started. Each vista was more breathtaking than the next. It really made me realize how isolating it is to grow up in a city. I mean, there are perks of course, but we miss so much of the world staying inside. This is coming from someone who has rarely ever camped or trekked, but I find that everytime I get out into the wildnerness, I long to return and see more.
I am in the process of uploading some photos and hope you all enjoy them (they should be on in the next few hours). I miss all of you and love hearing from you.
Love,
Tyler
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day 12 in Xining
Happy Belated Canada Day!
In honor of yesterday, the two other Canadians and I hosted a little Canada tribute evening. We made a little jeapordy game for our fellow Americans, split them up, and forced them to compete against each other. The categories were history, geography, sports, people and miscellaneous (did you know Keanu Reeves is Canadian?). We used wikipedia to come up with all the questions, as I clearly wouldnt have known any of the answers in the first place. We spiced up the educational side of things with some wine we bought at the store. All the wine here is 'Great Wall' brand - it's horrible. Sometimes almost undrinkable. Oh, and the losers' prize was a package of Yak Jerkey!
Other than last night's festivities, there is not much to report on. Morning observations in the clinic have started to become a bit repetitive, so someone in our group had a little talk with Renchen 'the Don' Dhondrup about how to make things a bit more structured dynamic. So yesterday, we were brought into a patient's room and went through all the steps that a Tibetan Doctor would go through if he were seeing the patient for the first time (which we hadnt done before). This was a lot more interesting and forced us to take on more of an active role. The basic outline for a patient encounter is the following: Questioning (where do you live? what do you do? what are your symptoms?) followed by observation, which includes urine diagnosis, stool analysis (we skipped this one, thankfully), and tongue analysis. Then there is pulse diagnosis. After you gather all of the data, it is then one's job to put it all together and place the patient's symptoms in the context of an imbalance of the three humors. This particular patient had leg weakness/paralysis, leg swelling. For example, an inability to ambulate implies a decrease or dysfunction in the patient's rLung (wind humor), which represents movement and circulatory processes in the body (not just blood circulation, but general fluidity in the body). The leg swelling is attributed to an increase in 'yellow liquid' which can be compared to it's Western counterpart, lymphatic fluid. While lymphatic fluid is derived from blood in Western thinking, it is a bit more complicated in Tibetan theory (pretty much over my head). Furthermore, the patient's urine was orange-ish, had a lot of sediment, a pungent odor, prominent vapors and when you stirred it, the bubbles disappeared quickly (I was given the task of stirring the urine). All of these characteristics are classic for a 'Hot' disease (a lot of diseases can be initially classified as 'hot' or 'cold' before getting more specific), in this case likely due to an increase in Tripa (Bile humor). Treatment would then be designed specifically for this patient to bring his humors back into balance. Pretty interesting, no?
While the doctors apparently learn how to use stethoscopes, I havent yet seen a doctor using one. In my limited experience, it also seems that there is less physical contact with the patients here, as opposed to Western medicine (ironic, since Western doctors are usually criticized for being distant). In fact, the only touching we did for this patient was when we felt his pulses.
I will upload some more photos soon. I got some really nice shots of the mountains and city from this mountain top park that we went to yesterday, 'Nan Shang Gong Yuen' (literally north mountain public park). I am really enjoying my Chinese lessons and am starting to be able to communicate, in extremely basic terms, at restaurants and stores. Our group's biggest outings are still going for lunch/dinner (meals here are leisurely and tend to last at least 1.5 hours) as there doesnt seem to be much else to do in this city. This weekend we are going to Lake Kokonor (Qinghai lake) for a day trip. It is the largest lake in China and is supposed to be beautiful:
http://www.amoshapp.com/kokonor.jpg
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Love,
Tyler
In honor of yesterday, the two other Canadians and I hosted a little Canada tribute evening. We made a little jeapordy game for our fellow Americans, split them up, and forced them to compete against each other. The categories were history, geography, sports, people and miscellaneous (did you know Keanu Reeves is Canadian?). We used wikipedia to come up with all the questions, as I clearly wouldnt have known any of the answers in the first place. We spiced up the educational side of things with some wine we bought at the store. All the wine here is 'Great Wall' brand - it's horrible. Sometimes almost undrinkable. Oh, and the losers' prize was a package of Yak Jerkey!
Other than last night's festivities, there is not much to report on. Morning observations in the clinic have started to become a bit repetitive, so someone in our group had a little talk with Renchen 'the Don' Dhondrup about how to make things a bit more structured dynamic. So yesterday, we were brought into a patient's room and went through all the steps that a Tibetan Doctor would go through if he were seeing the patient for the first time (which we hadnt done before). This was a lot more interesting and forced us to take on more of an active role. The basic outline for a patient encounter is the following: Questioning (where do you live? what do you do? what are your symptoms?) followed by observation, which includes urine diagnosis, stool analysis (we skipped this one, thankfully), and tongue analysis. Then there is pulse diagnosis. After you gather all of the data, it is then one's job to put it all together and place the patient's symptoms in the context of an imbalance of the three humors. This particular patient had leg weakness/paralysis, leg swelling. For example, an inability to ambulate implies a decrease or dysfunction in the patient's rLung (wind humor), which represents movement and circulatory processes in the body (not just blood circulation, but general fluidity in the body). The leg swelling is attributed to an increase in 'yellow liquid' which can be compared to it's Western counterpart, lymphatic fluid. While lymphatic fluid is derived from blood in Western thinking, it is a bit more complicated in Tibetan theory (pretty much over my head). Furthermore, the patient's urine was orange-ish, had a lot of sediment, a pungent odor, prominent vapors and when you stirred it, the bubbles disappeared quickly (I was given the task of stirring the urine). All of these characteristics are classic for a 'Hot' disease (a lot of diseases can be initially classified as 'hot' or 'cold' before getting more specific), in this case likely due to an increase in Tripa (Bile humor). Treatment would then be designed specifically for this patient to bring his humors back into balance. Pretty interesting, no?
While the doctors apparently learn how to use stethoscopes, I havent yet seen a doctor using one. In my limited experience, it also seems that there is less physical contact with the patients here, as opposed to Western medicine (ironic, since Western doctors are usually criticized for being distant). In fact, the only touching we did for this patient was when we felt his pulses.
I will upload some more photos soon. I got some really nice shots of the mountains and city from this mountain top park that we went to yesterday, 'Nan Shang Gong Yuen' (literally north mountain public park). I am really enjoying my Chinese lessons and am starting to be able to communicate, in extremely basic terms, at restaurants and stores. Our group's biggest outings are still going for lunch/dinner (meals here are leisurely and tend to last at least 1.5 hours) as there doesnt seem to be much else to do in this city. This weekend we are going to Lake Kokonor (Qinghai lake) for a day trip. It is the largest lake in China and is supposed to be beautiful:
http://www.amoshapp.com/kokonor.jpg
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer. Look forward to hearing from you soon.
Love,
Tyler
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Pictures...finally
Here is the link to my Picasa account. Check them out!
http://picasaweb.google.com/tyler.chernin/WestMeetsEast02
Let me know if there are any problems.
http://picasaweb.google.com/tyler.chernin/WestMeetsEast02
Let me know if there are any problems.
Day 9 in - Italy, Monasteries and Blind Massage
Finally, a lazy Sunday to relax and do nothing...I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the summer.
Week 1 at the hospital is now over and we are all weighing in on the experience so far. I think the consensus has been that everything we are learning is fascinating, but that the limiting factor continues to be language. Communication is working for big picture ideas, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty questions that we inevitably have, things get a lot murkier. It's frustrating at times. However, I just keep reminding myself that this experience is for broadening my understanding of medicine, not to learn traditional Tibetan medicine in its entirety. Once I remember that, it's easier to go with the flow.
Friday night we were all feeling a bit nostalgic, so we went to "Casa Mia" an "authentic" Italian "home away from home." Needless to say we didnt have high expectations, but the meal was fantastic (relatively, I guess). We had two bottles of wine (wine is very hard to come by here because no one drinks it) and I ordered eggplant parm which tasted great. It turned out to be by far the most expensive meal I have had here. My share was 100 RMB (divide by 6.8 to get canadian dollars). Things are so cheap here!!! Most of our meals do not exceed 20RMB per person, and there is always wayyyy more food than we can eat.
Yesterday we had our first field trip to Kumbum Monastery. The trip there was interesting as the cab driver was half asleep at times (we resorted to singing the theme song from "fraggle rock" very loudly whenever his eyes closed for more than 2 seconds. Mom, I know you are going to send me a special email now warning me to be safe, but trust me, we are doing our best!). This Monastery is at the center of the Gelugpa sect of Buddhism, the sect which HH the Dalai Lama follows. It is situated about 30 minutes from Xining, nestled into this little valley. There is of course a very touristy town around it, which caters to the vast amounts of tourists that come here. Hard-core Tibetan tourists sort of scoff at the place, now that it is so overrun by the Chinese. We visited several temples as well as the Monks' own hospital. The temples were so incredibly beautiful, and the doorways were painted in the most striking and detailed way. I took some pictures and am uploading them to my Picasa account (see below). The level of intricacy was astounding. One of the temples is dedicated to Tsong Kha Pa, the founder of Gelugpa Buddhism. There is a large stupa (term for a commemorative structure) built at the site of his birth, housed inside one of the temples. It is a huge, 3-story structure made entirely of silver and other precious metals and countless jewels. As the story goes, Tsong Kha Pa's mother was carrying water jugs when she felt labor pains. She put down her load and gave birth right there. The blood from the umbilical cord then mixed with the ground and from it a Bodhi tree sprung up. This tree is contained in the stupa. Pretty awesome. When you enter a temple or walk around it, you always have to walk clockwise, as this is the direction of earth's rotation. There are also these large prayer wheels on the outside of temples that you spin as you walk, which contain various religious/spiritual teachings written inside. We capped off the day with a Tibetan/Chinese lunch. The cab driver on the way home was way more animated. When I let out a mild shriek at the oncoming traffic we were headed straight toward, he slapped my thigh and them held my hand. I can only suppose that this meant I should relax.
As a side note, the taxi drivers in Beijing have all been given a tape, from which they are supposed to learn 100 English words. Apparently, one of the words is "Look out!" to which the tape responds in Chinese "Don't worry, if your passenger yells 'look out' as they are simply not used to Beijing drivers."
When we got back yesterday we were all a little tense, so Rohit (Canadian guy who goes to Queen's) and Katie (Canadian girl who goes to U of Manitoba) and I went to get a massage. But this was no regular massage, this place is run by blind people. Yes, all of them blind (except for one lady who deals with money and sets up the massage tables...There was a little confusion at first because at one point she told us that she loved katie's red hair and blue eyes. After a few seconds I was like "wait a second!" but then we figured it out). I wouldnt necessarily say the place was "clean" but in China you really have to let go of Western standards (i.e. Chinese toilets...). They don't speak English but they just sort of motion you onto the table. It isnt really relaxing as there was a lot of loud cell-phone talking and yelling but it did relieve some tension. And you cant beat the price: 35 RMB for the hour (remember, divide by 6.8). But on a more serious note, this is a really nice way for these people to make a living, which would otherwise be very difficult for them.
Finally, last night we went out for dinner for "Indian" with our clerkship director, Renchen. This guy is really an enigma. He is a Tibetan doctor, former/current Tibetan club owner (we call him the "Don") and one of the most stoic people I have ever met. With time we have all really grown to really like him and respect him and understand him better. He can be very serious at times, but then breaks out into this huge smile when he finds something funny. Overall, it is obvious that he really cares about us and the rotation. We finished dinner at around 10:30 and felt like going out, so we asked him to take us somewhere where we could dance. The cabs pulled up to this place that sort of looked liked a casino. The waitresses were wearing gold 80's prom dresses, yet everyone started at us. This place was so random. There were entertainers performing dances/skits with this cheesy host who would sing ballads every now and then. At one point, a guy came running out in a full tuxedo and played violin pieces for three sets. The place was so weird and I could not stop staring. What made it weirder was that there was a strip club component as well (which we did not enter!)...that added significantly to the sketchiness factor. We finally made it out of there around 1:30, dazed.
Wow, if you made it all the way here you probably really are interested in my life. Thanks for reading.
Miss you all,
Tyler
P.S. Tibet is officially open to foreigners!
Week 1 at the hospital is now over and we are all weighing in on the experience so far. I think the consensus has been that everything we are learning is fascinating, but that the limiting factor continues to be language. Communication is working for big picture ideas, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty questions that we inevitably have, things get a lot murkier. It's frustrating at times. However, I just keep reminding myself that this experience is for broadening my understanding of medicine, not to learn traditional Tibetan medicine in its entirety. Once I remember that, it's easier to go with the flow.
Friday night we were all feeling a bit nostalgic, so we went to "Casa Mia" an "authentic" Italian "home away from home." Needless to say we didnt have high expectations, but the meal was fantastic (relatively, I guess). We had two bottles of wine (wine is very hard to come by here because no one drinks it) and I ordered eggplant parm which tasted great. It turned out to be by far the most expensive meal I have had here. My share was 100 RMB (divide by 6.8 to get canadian dollars). Things are so cheap here!!! Most of our meals do not exceed 20RMB per person, and there is always wayyyy more food than we can eat.
Yesterday we had our first field trip to Kumbum Monastery. The trip there was interesting as the cab driver was half asleep at times (we resorted to singing the theme song from "fraggle rock" very loudly whenever his eyes closed for more than 2 seconds. Mom, I know you are going to send me a special email now warning me to be safe, but trust me, we are doing our best!). This Monastery is at the center of the Gelugpa sect of Buddhism, the sect which HH the Dalai Lama follows. It is situated about 30 minutes from Xining, nestled into this little valley. There is of course a very touristy town around it, which caters to the vast amounts of tourists that come here. Hard-core Tibetan tourists sort of scoff at the place, now that it is so overrun by the Chinese. We visited several temples as well as the Monks' own hospital. The temples were so incredibly beautiful, and the doorways were painted in the most striking and detailed way. I took some pictures and am uploading them to my Picasa account (see below). The level of intricacy was astounding. One of the temples is dedicated to Tsong Kha Pa, the founder of Gelugpa Buddhism. There is a large stupa (term for a commemorative structure) built at the site of his birth, housed inside one of the temples. It is a huge, 3-story structure made entirely of silver and other precious metals and countless jewels. As the story goes, Tsong Kha Pa's mother was carrying water jugs when she felt labor pains. She put down her load and gave birth right there. The blood from the umbilical cord then mixed with the ground and from it a Bodhi tree sprung up. This tree is contained in the stupa. Pretty awesome. When you enter a temple or walk around it, you always have to walk clockwise, as this is the direction of earth's rotation. There are also these large prayer wheels on the outside of temples that you spin as you walk, which contain various religious/spiritual teachings written inside. We capped off the day with a Tibetan/Chinese lunch. The cab driver on the way home was way more animated. When I let out a mild shriek at the oncoming traffic we were headed straight toward, he slapped my thigh and them held my hand. I can only suppose that this meant I should relax.
As a side note, the taxi drivers in Beijing have all been given a tape, from which they are supposed to learn 100 English words. Apparently, one of the words is "Look out!" to which the tape responds in Chinese "Don't worry, if your passenger yells 'look out' as they are simply not used to Beijing drivers."
When we got back yesterday we were all a little tense, so Rohit (Canadian guy who goes to Queen's) and Katie (Canadian girl who goes to U of Manitoba) and I went to get a massage. But this was no regular massage, this place is run by blind people. Yes, all of them blind (except for one lady who deals with money and sets up the massage tables...There was a little confusion at first because at one point she told us that she loved katie's red hair and blue eyes. After a few seconds I was like "wait a second!" but then we figured it out). I wouldnt necessarily say the place was "clean" but in China you really have to let go of Western standards (i.e. Chinese toilets...). They don't speak English but they just sort of motion you onto the table. It isnt really relaxing as there was a lot of loud cell-phone talking and yelling but it did relieve some tension. And you cant beat the price: 35 RMB for the hour (remember, divide by 6.8). But on a more serious note, this is a really nice way for these people to make a living, which would otherwise be very difficult for them.
Finally, last night we went out for dinner for "Indian" with our clerkship director, Renchen. This guy is really an enigma. He is a Tibetan doctor, former/current Tibetan club owner (we call him the "Don") and one of the most stoic people I have ever met. With time we have all really grown to really like him and respect him and understand him better. He can be very serious at times, but then breaks out into this huge smile when he finds something funny. Overall, it is obvious that he really cares about us and the rotation. We finished dinner at around 10:30 and felt like going out, so we asked him to take us somewhere where we could dance. The cabs pulled up to this place that sort of looked liked a casino. The waitresses were wearing gold 80's prom dresses, yet everyone started at us. This place was so random. There were entertainers performing dances/skits with this cheesy host who would sing ballads every now and then. At one point, a guy came running out in a full tuxedo and played violin pieces for three sets. The place was so weird and I could not stop staring. What made it weirder was that there was a strip club component as well (which we did not enter!)...that added significantly to the sketchiness factor. We finally made it out of there around 1:30, dazed.
Wow, if you made it all the way here you probably really are interested in my life. Thanks for reading.
Miss you all,
Tyler
P.S. Tibet is officially open to foreigners!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Day 6 in Xining
We have now got ourselves into a routine at the hospital. Each morning we arrive at 8:30 to meet our interpretor and esteemed Tibetan doctor, who then takes us to a specific ward or department. Mostly we do 'walk rounds,' which means we walk to the rooms of various patients and learn about their disease, method of diagnosis, treatment...etc. It is fascinating just to get to see the hospital and see how differently, and similarly, certain things are done. We have been focusing a lot on pulse diagnosis this week, which is a way to pinpoint disease to a particular organ/body part just by feeling and characterizing the patient's pulse (weak, strong, rolling, soft...etc.). You feel the pulse along the radial artery (wrist) with three fingers (index, middle, ring) of the opposite hand that you are examining (left examines right, vice versa). On the left wrist, the index finger can palpate the heart and small intestine, the middle finger the spleen and stomach and the ring finger the left kidney and reproductive organs. On the right wrist, you can feel the lungs and large intestine, liver and gallbladder and right kidney and urinary bladder. The doctors are adamant about us examining each patient in this way, and while we are always up to the challenge, we are all usually unable to reproduce their findings (no surprise there). However, the doctor was able to tell I was having indigestion just by feeling my pulse (no hint from me) and claims he can identify what part of her cycle a woman is currently in (menses enhance the spleen's pulse).
We also had a talk yesterday on venesection, or bloodletting! A doctor came in to explain the process and theory behind it. It is a very precise science, and there are about 77 commonly used points for most common ailments. Interestingly, venesection is almost always used for 'hot' diseases, because it is believed that the loss of 'bad blood' gets rid of tripa, or the hot humour. I volunteered to be a guinea pig (don't worry, not for the actual bloodletting part). He placed a very tight band around my forehead so that that vein in the middle of my forehead began to bulge. He then took out the little blade that he would normally use, showing us how he would 'flick' it at just the right distance from my forhead to make a small knick in the vein. Apparently, the amount of blood you remove depends on the ailment, but can exceed 300ml. When I asked the doctor the theory behind this practice (i.e. what are they actually removing? what is 'bad' about the blood?) he told me that some Western doctors had done some sort of study in the past and analyzed the blood that was removed, finding that the cells were 'dead' and 'useless.'
What I am starting to appreciate and respect, the more I am here, is that one cannot approach TM in the context of Western medicine. At first, and even now, we find ourselves trying to find a Western equivalent to the diseases these patients are presenting with. Sometimes the connection is obvious ("patient has pain in stomach, vomits blood, cannot eat without vomiting" we soon realized was a case of stomach ulcers caused by H. pylori. The patient was taking Amoxicillin and Omeprazole, prescribed by the Western docs). But other times we are left perplexed and sometimes even frustrated ("patient has ringing in ears, ear pain, face turned black, kidney problems, nerve pain and muscle pain." This patient has everything!). It is important to remember that this is a science that is 3800 years old, and just because it doesnt make sense to me, doesnt mean it isnt valid in another context. If the body were a PC, western medicine would be like Windows and Tibetan medicine would be Vista. Same computer system, but you are interacting with the machine in a different context. Another way to look at it, is that Western medicine is designed for acute care, whereas TM is better designed for preventative and long-term well-being.
---
On a less serious note, I am quickly getting used to the food here. Dont get me wrong, I am not going to miss it by an means, but I am slowly figuring out how to order. "Soo Shuh Juh" is my new favorite sentence. It means: "I am a vegetarian." Still, isnt always foolproof, as my spicy eggplant rice dish arrived today with chicken and beef. My new motto is "tyler, shut up and pick around it." Meal time can be a bit of a hassle, both for us and the servers. I have seen more than one look of disguised despair from a hostess at the sight of all nine of us entering their restaurant ("oh great, yeah, a bunch of...foreigners...uh huh...WELCOME!"). Ordering is a huge hassle, as we pull out our phrase books and hack at the Chinese pronunciations while they laugh at us. The other day we decided to visit our neighborhood joint, called "French Island Jazz Coffee." If that isnt a good example of Chinglish, I dont know what is. The menu was also in English, and was hilarious (an ice cream flavor called "unfortunately" for example. Another place we went to today, which I have dubbed Turtleville because of the tank of alive, and apparently edible, turtles at the entrance. Their word for pork sausage was "pig colorectal slices"!). The restaurant sort of looked like a brothel on the inside, with all these individual rooms with names of French places on the outside. We were brought into the "Louvre" room thank you very much. There were plush couches, a big wooden dining table, and brocade wallpaper with some "paintings" of French aristocracy. Totally trippy and random and sketchy. But the food was good!
People are still staring at us, incredulously. My new thing is to just stare right back, which is especially giggle-inducing to the groups of young Chinese girls. Sometimes they shout out "Hello" and when you say "Hi" back they crack up as if it were the funniest thing you ever said. Some people take pictures, without asking. Yesterday we were sitting on the grass outside the hospital and this Tibetan man, dressed out of another century, just came right up to us and sat right in our circle. He didnt say anything or smile, just stared. He continued to say his prayers while moving his prayer beads, as if this were the most casual of interactions. But to him it was! We are so concerned with personal space, which just isnt really a concern over here. After a while it was kind of nice to have him there, and he eagerly accepted an Oreo cookie from us. Eventually a small group formed around us, and even some Buddhist monks joined us. It was really cool. The Tibetan people are so amazingly beautiful. Their traditional dress is beautiful and they all have very gentle, but worn, faces. The women sometimes adorn their heads with these beautiful scarves, which just sort of sit folded on top of their heads. I have some pictures and I hope to post them soon.
All for now. Hope you found it interesting. Let me know whats going on in your lives!
Tyler
We also had a talk yesterday on venesection, or bloodletting! A doctor came in to explain the process and theory behind it. It is a very precise science, and there are about 77 commonly used points for most common ailments. Interestingly, venesection is almost always used for 'hot' diseases, because it is believed that the loss of 'bad blood' gets rid of tripa, or the hot humour. I volunteered to be a guinea pig (don't worry, not for the actual bloodletting part). He placed a very tight band around my forehead so that that vein in the middle of my forehead began to bulge. He then took out the little blade that he would normally use, showing us how he would 'flick' it at just the right distance from my forhead to make a small knick in the vein. Apparently, the amount of blood you remove depends on the ailment, but can exceed 300ml. When I asked the doctor the theory behind this practice (i.e. what are they actually removing? what is 'bad' about the blood?) he told me that some Western doctors had done some sort of study in the past and analyzed the blood that was removed, finding that the cells were 'dead' and 'useless.'
What I am starting to appreciate and respect, the more I am here, is that one cannot approach TM in the context of Western medicine. At first, and even now, we find ourselves trying to find a Western equivalent to the diseases these patients are presenting with. Sometimes the connection is obvious ("patient has pain in stomach, vomits blood, cannot eat without vomiting" we soon realized was a case of stomach ulcers caused by H. pylori. The patient was taking Amoxicillin and Omeprazole, prescribed by the Western docs). But other times we are left perplexed and sometimes even frustrated ("patient has ringing in ears, ear pain, face turned black, kidney problems, nerve pain and muscle pain." This patient has everything!). It is important to remember that this is a science that is 3800 years old, and just because it doesnt make sense to me, doesnt mean it isnt valid in another context. If the body were a PC, western medicine would be like Windows and Tibetan medicine would be Vista. Same computer system, but you are interacting with the machine in a different context. Another way to look at it, is that Western medicine is designed for acute care, whereas TM is better designed for preventative and long-term well-being.
---
On a less serious note, I am quickly getting used to the food here. Dont get me wrong, I am not going to miss it by an means, but I am slowly figuring out how to order. "Soo Shuh Juh" is my new favorite sentence. It means: "I am a vegetarian." Still, isnt always foolproof, as my spicy eggplant rice dish arrived today with chicken and beef. My new motto is "tyler, shut up and pick around it." Meal time can be a bit of a hassle, both for us and the servers. I have seen more than one look of disguised despair from a hostess at the sight of all nine of us entering their restaurant ("oh great, yeah, a bunch of...foreigners...uh huh...WELCOME!"). Ordering is a huge hassle, as we pull out our phrase books and hack at the Chinese pronunciations while they laugh at us. The other day we decided to visit our neighborhood joint, called "French Island Jazz Coffee." If that isnt a good example of Chinglish, I dont know what is. The menu was also in English, and was hilarious (an ice cream flavor called "unfortunately" for example. Another place we went to today, which I have dubbed Turtleville because of the tank of alive, and apparently edible, turtles at the entrance. Their word for pork sausage was "pig colorectal slices"!). The restaurant sort of looked like a brothel on the inside, with all these individual rooms with names of French places on the outside. We were brought into the "Louvre" room thank you very much. There were plush couches, a big wooden dining table, and brocade wallpaper with some "paintings" of French aristocracy. Totally trippy and random and sketchy. But the food was good!
People are still staring at us, incredulously. My new thing is to just stare right back, which is especially giggle-inducing to the groups of young Chinese girls. Sometimes they shout out "Hello" and when you say "Hi" back they crack up as if it were the funniest thing you ever said. Some people take pictures, without asking. Yesterday we were sitting on the grass outside the hospital and this Tibetan man, dressed out of another century, just came right up to us and sat right in our circle. He didnt say anything or smile, just stared. He continued to say his prayers while moving his prayer beads, as if this were the most casual of interactions. But to him it was! We are so concerned with personal space, which just isnt really a concern over here. After a while it was kind of nice to have him there, and he eagerly accepted an Oreo cookie from us. Eventually a small group formed around us, and even some Buddhist monks joined us. It was really cool. The Tibetan people are so amazingly beautiful. Their traditional dress is beautiful and they all have very gentle, but worn, faces. The women sometimes adorn their heads with these beautiful scarves, which just sort of sit folded on top of their heads. I have some pictures and I hope to post them soon.
All for now. Hope you found it interesting. Let me know whats going on in your lives!
Tyler
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Let's Learn Chinese and Tibetan!
Part of this program includes daily lessons in Mandarin, and some Tibetan (Lhasa dialect) as well. It's nerdy I know, but I love languages and Ill keep posting what I learn as we go along.
Chinese:
Hello = Knee How
What is your name = Knee Jow Shen Meh Ming Dzuh?
My name is _____ = Wo Jow _____
Table = Jwo Dzuh
Chair = Yee Dzuh
Stool = Deng Dzuh
Hospital = Yee Ywen
Vegetarian = Soo Shuh
Tibetan:
Hello = Tashee Deleg
Thank you = Guadenchee
Bye = Demo
Chinese:
Hello = Knee How
What is your name = Knee Jow Shen Meh Ming Dzuh?
My name is _____ = Wo Jow _____
Table = Jwo Dzuh
Chair = Yee Dzuh
Stool = Deng Dzuh
Hospital = Yee Ywen
Vegetarian = Soo Shuh
Tibetan:
Hello = Tashee Deleg
Thank you = Guadenchee
Bye = Demo
Pictures Galore!
Just kidding...have some great ones but having trouble uploading them. Is there a better way to save them as opposed to JPEG to make them easier to handle?
Thanks
Thanks
Day 4!
Hey All,
Day 4 in Xining. Having a really interesting time. The people on my trip are really nice and chill. Altogether, we are nine students; three canadians in all! No one has any previous experience in Tibetan medicine so we are all on the same page. I feel great about the group and am looking forward to getting to know everyone.
There is so much to write already about my short time here. As some of you read from my previous emails, I am still getting over an acute case of culture shock. I dont really think I allowed myself to think about this possibility before I left, which is definitely for the better. No one can escape the surprise you get when entering such a foreign place! But overall the shock is turning into intense curiosity, and I am switching over from 'survival mode' to 'eager tourist' mentality.
Some of my recent thoughts/observations so far:
-Why put diapers on your children when you can just cut a slit in the crack of their little pants and let them go anywhere? You can even cut a slit in the front and let it hang out as they walk. Seriously brilliant (actual pictures to come I promise)!
-Who needs toilet paper?
-We think Montreal drivers are crazy...uh huh. There are no lines on most of the streets here and it seems like the point of crosswalks is to drive as close as possible to a fearful pedestrian (dont forget to honk!).
----
On a more serious note, today marked the second day of our time at Qinghai Tibetan Medical Hospital. This place blows your mind. On the one hand, you can recognize some aspects of Western medicine. Doctors wear white coats, patients' vital signs are charted, there are specific departments for each specialty, there are elevators.... But the similarities sort of end there. We are obviously still learning the theories behind TM, but the tools Tibetan doctors use to diagnose and treat disease are totally incredible/shocking/amazing! From bloodletting, to moxibustion (burning herbs in specific locations on the body), urine analysis (not the Western kind), pulse diagnosis and tongue analysis (to name only a few), the world of Tibetan medicine is a fascinating and always daunting experience for someone trained in the technology-dependant Western world.
Tibetan doctors believe there are three poisons: hatred, ignorance and desire. These poisons cause disease, by causing imbalances in the three humors.
The three humors are (in Tibetan):
-rLung: known as wind but implies movement, circulation...etc. This is a neutral temperature.
-Tripa: known as bile but refers to hot processes in the body, such as digestion. Also liver, gallbladder. This is hot.
-Bekan: known as phlegm. This is cold.
It is a constant challenge for us to understand the essence of what the humors (and all of Tibetan medicine for that matter!) are supposed to represent. They can refer to specific organs (each organ seems to be a specific mixture of the three), bodily processes...etc. Part of the problem is that this is a very complicated subject, and also that the translations are not always appropriate or possible. Combine this with the language barriers we are facing with our instructors, and I fear a lot can be misunderstood! But it is always a fun challenge.
Today we learned a bit more about urine diagnosis. There are many properties to analyze about one's urine, but one of them is sediment. For example, the location of the sediment in the urine can tell you where in the body a patient is experiencing a 'fever' (I think this refers to the source of the fever). Sediment in the top layer implies a heart or lung source, the middle layer implies visceral organs, and the lower layer may indicate kidney or lower extremity origins. There are many other things you can do to urine and apparently this is on the agenda for tomorrow! Woohoo. [the doctors are not fazed by urine, obviously. The doctor we had today was very eager to show us a patient's urine sediment and you could definitely tell we weren't used to getting this close to someone else's excretions! He would hold it up, and move the cup quickly from side to side as he talked, stirring it around as well. Each of use would take turns reflexively stepping backwards, away from any possible spillage...Even the patient didnt mind at all having us crowd around her pee, poking and prodding away]
We also had a session on moxibustion today. In a nutshell (which is pretty much all I know anyway), many diseases in Tibetan medicine (TM) can be classified as 'hot' or 'cold' in origin. So, if a patient is suffering from an excess of cold, it might be helpful to give them 'hot.' This can take the form of moxibustion. Special herbs are prepared by the doctor and burned over specific areas of the body. These sites are either located exactly where the patient is experiencing pain, or may be located in specific areas that are known to provide relief from certain ailments. It is then important for the patient to avoid any fluids for at least an hour after the treatment lest they extinguish the 'hot' that they obtained from the therapy.
Sorry if this posting is all over the place, I just have a lot on my mind!
You should all be able to post comments, but if you cant and still want to reach me, send me an email! Love hearing from all of you.
Day 4 in Xining. Having a really interesting time. The people on my trip are really nice and chill. Altogether, we are nine students; three canadians in all! No one has any previous experience in Tibetan medicine so we are all on the same page. I feel great about the group and am looking forward to getting to know everyone.
There is so much to write already about my short time here. As some of you read from my previous emails, I am still getting over an acute case of culture shock. I dont really think I allowed myself to think about this possibility before I left, which is definitely for the better. No one can escape the surprise you get when entering such a foreign place! But overall the shock is turning into intense curiosity, and I am switching over from 'survival mode' to 'eager tourist' mentality.
Some of my recent thoughts/observations so far:
-Why put diapers on your children when you can just cut a slit in the crack of their little pants and let them go anywhere? You can even cut a slit in the front and let it hang out as they walk. Seriously brilliant (actual pictures to come I promise)!
-Who needs toilet paper?
-We think Montreal drivers are crazy...uh huh. There are no lines on most of the streets here and it seems like the point of crosswalks is to drive as close as possible to a fearful pedestrian (dont forget to honk!).
----
On a more serious note, today marked the second day of our time at Qinghai Tibetan Medical Hospital. This place blows your mind. On the one hand, you can recognize some aspects of Western medicine. Doctors wear white coats, patients' vital signs are charted, there are specific departments for each specialty, there are elevators.... But the similarities sort of end there. We are obviously still learning the theories behind TM, but the tools Tibetan doctors use to diagnose and treat disease are totally incredible/shocking/amazing! From bloodletting, to moxibustion (burning herbs in specific locations on the body), urine analysis (not the Western kind), pulse diagnosis and tongue analysis (to name only a few), the world of Tibetan medicine is a fascinating and always daunting experience for someone trained in the technology-dependant Western world.
Tibetan doctors believe there are three poisons: hatred, ignorance and desire. These poisons cause disease, by causing imbalances in the three humors.
The three humors are (in Tibetan):
-rLung: known as wind but implies movement, circulation...etc. This is a neutral temperature.
-Tripa: known as bile but refers to hot processes in the body, such as digestion. Also liver, gallbladder. This is hot.
-Bekan: known as phlegm. This is cold.
It is a constant challenge for us to understand the essence of what the humors (and all of Tibetan medicine for that matter!) are supposed to represent. They can refer to specific organs (each organ seems to be a specific mixture of the three), bodily processes...etc. Part of the problem is that this is a very complicated subject, and also that the translations are not always appropriate or possible. Combine this with the language barriers we are facing with our instructors, and I fear a lot can be misunderstood! But it is always a fun challenge.
Today we learned a bit more about urine diagnosis. There are many properties to analyze about one's urine, but one of them is sediment. For example, the location of the sediment in the urine can tell you where in the body a patient is experiencing a 'fever' (I think this refers to the source of the fever). Sediment in the top layer implies a heart or lung source, the middle layer implies visceral organs, and the lower layer may indicate kidney or lower extremity origins. There are many other things you can do to urine and apparently this is on the agenda for tomorrow! Woohoo. [the doctors are not fazed by urine, obviously. The doctor we had today was very eager to show us a patient's urine sediment and you could definitely tell we weren't used to getting this close to someone else's excretions! He would hold it up, and move the cup quickly from side to side as he talked, stirring it around as well. Each of use would take turns reflexively stepping backwards, away from any possible spillage...Even the patient didnt mind at all having us crowd around her pee, poking and prodding away]
We also had a session on moxibustion today. In a nutshell (which is pretty much all I know anyway), many diseases in Tibetan medicine (TM) can be classified as 'hot' or 'cold' in origin. So, if a patient is suffering from an excess of cold, it might be helpful to give them 'hot.' This can take the form of moxibustion. Special herbs are prepared by the doctor and burned over specific areas of the body. These sites are either located exactly where the patient is experiencing pain, or may be located in specific areas that are known to provide relief from certain ailments. It is then important for the patient to avoid any fluids for at least an hour after the treatment lest they extinguish the 'hot' that they obtained from the therapy.
Sorry if this posting is all over the place, I just have a lot on my mind!
You should all be able to post comments, but if you cant and still want to reach me, send me an email! Love hearing from all of you.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Welcome!
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for checking out my blog.
This way, if you're interested, you can read about what I'm up to and hopefully see some pictures from my trip, all as it unfolds.
As you all may or may not know, I am travelling to Xining city (pop. 770,000) in the Qinqhai province of China to spend 4 weeks learning about traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) with a group of medical students from the US and Canada. From the limited information I currently have, I am told that we will be spending our days hearing lectures, observing in clinic, going on field trips, and learning Chinese! While the region I am visiting is not in actual Tibet, the region is very much culturally Tibetan (formerly part of Amdo in the Tibetan world).
Some (interesting?) facts (thanks wikipedia!):
-The current Dalai Lama was born in Qinghai and the region is home to many Tibetans
-The average elevation is 3000m above sea-level
-One of the largest and 3rd poorest of China's provinces
-The Kumbum Monastery outside Xining is home to the Hall of Yak Butter Sculptures!
To look at a map, click here: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=xining&ie=UTF8&ll=34.089061,100.283203&spn=31.653811,52.822266&z=4&iwloc=addr
I have a cell phone already set up, so if you'd like to get in touch with me, you can apparently call: 00 86 136 0162 6780 (I don't know how much this will cost...)
Or you can always email me at: tyler.chernin@gmail.com
Looking forward to your responses!
Love,
Tyler
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