My Journey of Becoming a TCM Physician Chapter 5: My First Winter, New Year and China Chinese New Year
The first half of the year in Beijing was still all about studying and getting adjusted into the life of Beijing and far away from home.
We started to learn how to order drinking water in dispensable tanks (because the water from the taps was not for drinking) 农夫山泉was THE ONE brand that we knew could be still reliable, learn to check out the markets to get fresh veges and meat for cooking dinner, went to warehouses to get our powerful winter clothings for our first winter.
Yes, my first winter.
I could not remember exactly how it was like but it came almost silently and unknowingly. The temperature just started to drop from 10 degrees to 5 to then some days below 0. I didn’t know how to handle the cold and one problem I started to develop was pain in my hands and my fingers turned red, almost all the time. It was one day one of my coursemates saw my hands and told me I was having frostbite. That I needed to wear gloves when I washed my dishes. The coldness together with the water made it cold and overly dry and my skins started to break because of the dryness. I started to learn to wear those plastic gloves when I washed my dishes and also moisturizers, both which I never had in my life back in Sg.
The first snow came and I remembered this when we opened the window in the morning and literally everything was white! And the picture taking began as we started to send back to our families back home what we saw.
Winter became harsher especially when there were cold winds which joined in the party. It felt like your ears could literally drop off! So ear muffs, woolen hats, gloves, mittens were added into the shopping lists. And because in China the heating system operated via central control from the government, there was a certain date before it got turned on! So if winter hit earlier than the official date of switch on for central heating, you just had to find ways to suck it up and bite through. So…… the small heating machines, infrared lamps were next on the list of shopping.
And I only knew when it was deep into winter, we just did not want to step out much and staying indoors was the most luxurious thing to do.
Christmas was quiet in China because people did not really celebrate that. And you would have thought there would be New Year count down in the streets of China on the last day of the Year, but no… it was quiet quiet quiet…
I did not go back to Singapore in my first year of Chinese New Year as I wanted to experience how China Chinese New Year was, thinking it would be exciting than that of Singapore’s. But as a matter of fact one month before the actual Chinese New Year, every night there would be people releasing fire crackers and fire works at their own premises! Initially it felt exciting but after a while it became an annoyance as you could not really sleep with all the noises! Surprisingly Chinese New Year was rather quiet on the streets of China as most people would have gone back to their hometowns, except the Beijingers. Everyone would stay home and watch the Chinese New Year show （春晚）which gathered all the best dances and comedies and performances before the final count down.
So that was my first winter, New Year and China Chinese New Year, a little bit painful, a little bit inexperienced, overrated in my imagination but still a cool memory =)
Further reading:
Everything you need to know about Acupuncture
Men’s Health Series: Which is the Better Way to Treat Prostatitis - TCM or Western Medicine?
How do Acupuncture and Acupressure work and which is the Better One
Everything you need to know about Dampness
It is not normal to have cysts and fibroids
Why Everything Cold is Discouraged during Menstruation
