Day One:

The moon is still high in the sky, and the air is freezing. It’s six thirty five in the morning on my first day in Yantai. Technically, I was here yesterday. After forty-three hours of traveling I arrived in Laishan National Airport to discover that my luggage had been misplaced somewhere along the journey. Fortunately, I was greeted outside the baggage claim by two fellows, Daniel, and Bernard, who had come to pick me up. That much went right at least, and they assured me it would be no problem, we’d just come back a few hours later.

On the drive to the school, which only took about twenty or fifteen minutes, we talked about the school, Chinese New Year, and the other students. I have landed in a truly interesting little place. At present there are five long-term students, and no short term ones who, I’m told, are more common in the summer. There’s Bernard, Tom, Lion (not actually his name, but what people call him), Charlie, and myself. Tom is from Britain, Lion is from Korea, Bernard is from Pakistan, Charlie is from South Africa. There’s also Andy, our Chinese translator who seems like on of the guys, but apparently he mostly translates as opposed to joining in on the training.

The training, the training, it’s promising to be very intense. My master to be, who knows a variety of styles, but specializes in Northern Mantis, is at home celebrating the New Year with family. He’ll be back in a week or two. Until then I’ll be practicing with the other guys and their master, until he goes home for New Year’s too, after which we’ll train on our own until they all return. Training today starts at 8:00, I think I’ll at least give it a shot, although I have an excuse of jet lag if I require it. Apparently the routine here is to wake up, breakfast at 6:00, go back to bed, and train for most of the day with a break for lunch. I’m told that afterwards the guys mostly take a shower, scarf down dinner, and collapse, and that I may be too tired to walk properly for the first couple of weeks. Whatever. I’ll give it my best shot, I only hope an injury doesn’t foul me up.