MY BROTHER (BIG MAC) AND MY SISTER

Big Mac





I wrote about my little Chinese buddy in WingChun who we gave the english name Big MAc. Over the past few weeks i have been talking to him in Chinese and teaching him english. My chinese is pretty decent but i have not been practicing my chinese for the past few months since i been training hard for competitions and not going into town as much. So when i started talking with Big Mac my chinese came back to me. I can understand a lot more now and speak more. I first realized my chinese is getting better is after first class we sat outside on the steps and talked about the last tournament i was in. He told me i did good and if i was doing the next one. My chinese was pretty basic at this point and i said basic words like 'Yes'. 'Next one i do same thing'. 'Will you compete'? Basic phrases like that. He understood me though which is good and i was glad. Over the weeks i got more fluent and could converse a little better.




We talked about sparring coming up and he asked if i was fighting. I told him no because i dont want to injure myself before the competition. But he should fight. He laughed and told me he is too small and fat but i said he would do well against the other Chinese boys in shaolin. That seemed to boost his spirits and he liked that idea. I wonder if master will let him fight. Then i started teaching him english phrases like hello, how are you? I am fine thank you. His pronunciation is very clear and was shocked when i asked him, "How are you." And he said, "i am fine, thank you. And you?" He learned fast! Now i am starting to teach him the days of the week and 'punch' and 'kick'. The last time we talked I asked if he watched the movie "Kung Fu Panda" and if he liked it. He loves that movie. I told him he is Kung Fu panda. He laughed so hard and told me that if he is "Kung Fu Panda" then i am "Kung Fu Dragon". I didnt mind. I even taught him a little 'handshake' we do when i see him in class. Sam my roommate pointed out that when we did drills on the punching bag Big Mac would mimic my punching sounds. I didnt realize it till after he pointed out. I have a little "mini me". So i taught him how to say "Awesome!". He says "Awesome-ah". Lot of Chinese say Ah after they say an english word...i do not know why. I'm working on that with him.

I always wanted a little brother. I guess i found my little Chinese kung fu brother.






NOW MY SISTER KC




August 4th

Tomorrow my sister, Kc, is coming from the United States to train with me here in China for a month. She has been in law school for the past four years and she just took the Bar, (the test to become a lawyer). She wanted to go on vacation after the bar to Hawaii or somewhere but i told her not to go to Hawaii but instead come visit me in China. here she can get in shape and we can go traveling. My horror stories of pain and beatings scared her a little but i told her she will be fine and I told her that i was exaggerating (....i wasn't). She wont read this blog until she gets here so i don't have to worry about her getting scared off and not showing up. 

Right about now she is getting ready to board her AirChina Air Bus and 16 hours later be in Beijing. Now she arrives in Yantai at midnight, the same time i first landed here. Remember how that experience went? I got in a random "taxi" with three other people, drove around for about an hour looking for a hotel, ring a bell? Well it was pretty scary. I couldn't imagine being a woman in that situation. I would be a little more paranoid. The Academy told her it is difficult for the translators to pick her up at that time because they would be tired for work the next day so i told the academy that i would go pick her up. I have been telling my friends that my sister is coming for weeks now and i am pretty excited to see her. I told them i'm picking her up tomorrow and since Mathieu needed to go into town tomorrow he will meet KC with me.  He said we should go get some McDonalds a bit early in the evening and then wait for my sister to arrive. I thought that was a great idea, plus i would have a friend to help with her luggage.

My sister will here for a month. She does yoga and crossfit back home. I told her she will do TaiChi in the mornings at 6am. She should join the Shaolin group because in a month she could learn a lot more in Shaolin rather than wingchun because the basics are a bit harder in WingChun and Mantis. And Qigong in the afternoons. 

I think she will do alright, she gets a bit lazy at times so i hope they put her in the shaolin group with Master Xiang or Master Wong. Master Xiang is known as the "Terminator" Shifu. Picture the Terminator...now picture him asian and thats Master Xiang. They way he walks and his face expressions are just like a robot's and he is as powerful as one. But when he laughs or smiles he looks like a Happy Buddha. Master Wong is a younger Shifu so he pushes his students a bit more and whips them is they are lazy. I'm sure Kc would not be as lazy in that class. When she gets here i will start waking up in the morning and doing tai Chi with her. Right now I pay more attention to my power training and forms in the morning and afternoon classes but once my tournament is over i will be more relaxed on forms and would like to do a class with my sister.

I am especially excited to see how she does on the Mountain run. I will be to blog and take pictures of her experience!


-Scott