CATCH UP!

I can't believe that it has been a week since my last blog! I'm going to give you the Cliff's of my last week. I promise to do better moving forward!

The reason I didn't blog on Monday was because I was busy recovering from my CHINESE / CUPPING MASSAGE! Trenia posted a great blog about it, but in short... A Chinese massage will push you to your limit! It is not a walk in the park and is NOT FOR SISSIES! Those ladies put what seemed like the weight of an elephant on my back and almost made me cry! And... at one point they cracked my neck and back "into" alignment. The cupping was wild... they light a fire in a cup and then placed the cup on our backs. The heat difference created a suction in the cup which was strategically placed on our backs. The purpose is to improve circulation and balance out your CHI. (whatever that is) The spots on my back were far worse that everyone else's... I guess I need to work on my circulation! The darker the spot... the worse the circulation. The streaks on either side of my spine are where they took a cup that was suctioned onto my back and worked it up and down... AAAHHHH!

You all will be happy to know that I am recovering nicely!

Some of my favorite moments from last week:

This little girl was on a bridge. I'm not sure where her parents were, but she was just chillin having the afternoon of her life, just waving at everyone as they passed by! MADE. MY. DAY.

This guy... the one I blogged about earlier... BUSTED! SNOOZING!

This guy... bit off more than he could chew! STUCK in between the sea of flowing traffic! (This was probably way funnier to me at the time - than it is in this shotty picture, a week later! Oh well!)

My project is moving forward with full steam. I have made my way around the city and have begun my interviews with the local art galleries. Some people are intrigued and interested in a community art event and others are hard pressed to see the purpose. Some of my interviews have been just amazing. There is not much more that I love than talking with someone about something that they are deeply passionate about. Some of the gallery owners are artists themselves and have done amazing work. I am absolutely pumped up right now about art and improving the quality of people's lives through art! I am learning so much about China's art culture and the history of art in China. It is fascinating.

Next week I will interview more galleries run by foreigners, after that... the CHINESE galleries. I will have an interpreter, but that should be an adventure to say the least.

Its confession time. I've already failed on my "no American food" gig for the summer. I didn't even last two full weeks. The reason is simple: It was going to cut into my ability to engage with others. Really, if you look at it from a utilitarian perspective: the greater good would come from me attending social functions with american food and participating rather than isolating myself to this "personal" journey of only eating Chinese food. I'm not sure what I was trying to prove anyway! :)

This weekend Mircha, Trenia, and I went to Hangzhou. Hangzhou is a city south of Shanghai that is easily assessable by train and / or bus! Roger, my flight buddy, said that he would show me around if I came... so we did! It was a GREAT time. I will blog and post pics from the trip tomorrow!