The Only Way to See China

Academic Explorers was a powerful and incredibly unique experience. I arrived in Beijing on an overcast fall day not really knowing what to expect. It happened to be my birthday, so Kong Laoshi a.k.a. Sabrina Cohen, founder of AE, took me out to a delicious dumpling restaurant (the first of many ridiculously awesome meals) and treated me to a traditional Chinese birthday treat; long life noodles. I had just arrived, but I started to feel like a local already.

Early morning wake-ups that first week were tough, but once I got into the zone it felt great to get up at dawn, hop on my bike, pick up some baozi (dumpling-like breakfast food), and scoot on over to the park near my hostel. Riding alongside Beijing locals peddling around to their various destinations helped to strengthen the feeling that I was living in China and not just visiting.

A normal day studying with AE consisted of two hours of Tai Ji or Shaolin training early in the day, Mandarin class at Kong Laoshi's apartment for about an hour, three hours of homework over a cup of coffee, a brief period of relaxation/hanging out with friends at the hostel, and back to more martial arts at the kung fu school later in the evening. I was the only student during the fall semester, but there is usually a small group enrolled in the program. My main instructor was Zhang Laoshi. He taught me a seven minute Tai Ji form which I learned bit by bit throughout the three months I was there. He is a great teacher and a great friend. I also learned Shaolin fist from Jin Shifu, a deceivingly strong Kung Fu master, and Shaolin staff from the nimble and reserved Jiao Laoshi. FYI, the forms that are studied vary depending on the student, and if something interests you that you aren't studying, the instructors will do their best to work it into the schedule. The martial arts classes were intense and relaxing at the same time and have taught me a lot about my body and mind.

Some days we would break from the normal routine, and pretty much anything could happen. One time Zhang Shifu, a master of Wushu and a very knowledgeable Taoist philosopher, told us to meet him at some random building. After arriving, Sabrina and I found ourselves sitting at an oversized table with about 15 Chinese businessmen from the Chinese broadcasting company, CCTV, as Zhang Shifu received an award, and was subsequently interviewed for a TV special on Wushu. Kong Laoshi and I appeared in the newspaper the next day both looking slightly confused.

The stories are endless and the experience is once in a lifetime. The fast pace at which one learns to speak Mandarin is a driving force in the seamless integration with the Chinese culture. People are also so friendly in Beijing that they will just randomly approach you, offer you food/invite you to their home, and talk with you for as long as you feel like...or they feel like. Hilarity can and usually does ensue. This knowledge of the language along with the study of martial arts and Taoist philosophy really cultivate a feeling that you are living in Beijing and not just whimsically blowing through a foreign city.

The most meaningful aspect of Academic Explorers that I found, however, did not have as much to do with the Mandarin or Martial Arts I learned, but rather with the relationships I developed with my teachers and the many people I met in China. I now have a sense that I am part of an extended family, and that all the past participants in the program are my great friends that I have yet to meet. I also know that anytime I go back to Beijing, Kong Laoshi and all my Martial Arts teachers will be there. China no longer feels like a distant country. In my mind it is now a home away from home, and I can't wait to go back someday.