A Beautiful Description (WARNING about the pictures)

"Polish by birth yet Chicago raised, you got the feeling she way soon take over the world yet her laughing eyes and her force of will would make you accept it quite willingly."

Some people don't like compliments, and I am one of those people. I mean don't get me wrong, who doesn't love a compliment here and there, but when it gets to be too much, it's just TOO MUCH (if you know what I mean)...but sometimes you get a compliment that seriously makes you want to be a better person because you want to live up to that idea that someone has of you. Well this week I received a compliment like that (the one above). Kevin from Shanghai wrote this on his blog about me, so special shout out to you Kevin! One of the greatest quotes about me EVER. I am looking forward to hanging out with you guys when I come to Shanghai :)

Next on the agenda: my pain. I am literally in a massive amount of pain right now. Yesterday, I decided to be me and push myself to try something new. I can't say it was a bad idea, but I do believe it was... a painful one. I have been wanting to get a massage in Beijiao since I came here, so finally the girls (Lily, Kianie and Audre and I) went to get one! I finished teaching class early and we took a motorcycle to the place. There were so many private rooms and we were seated in one. The woman asked if we wanted a guy or girl to massage us, and of course all of us said a guy for the sole reason that they are typically stronger and can get the knots out... well there was only one guy, so three girls would have to do. Of course we were served tea and slices of watermelon. The massage girls came in and we discussed what type of massage we would get. At first I wanted to do something crazy, but then Lily said we would need to reserve a room in advance, so I went with the simple back, shoulders and arms massage... Then Kianie blurted out that she would get the Thai massage (something that I looked up online before we went to the salon, and they described it as bending and stretching you, without you having to really do anything but relax). I thought I would get the Thai massage next time...well then I wanted to also get it if it was possible, and it was ( นวดแผนโบราณ). Well at first it was fine... it started with a head massage, then a scalp massage, then shoulders, then arms, then legs...and then THE FUN STARTED! She started twisting me in positions and arching my back and it was somewhat painful, especially for my lower back. Supposedly a Thai massage is a "lazy man's yoga". Eventually the masseuse left and went to get the dangerous weapons...by that I mean that with the Thai massage, they included what is called Fire Cupping OR Gua Sha (we thought we could get both but it was either or). Gua Sha is scraping the skin in a rhythmic pattern while Fire Cupping is taking glass bulbs (as big as 4 or 5 shot glasses) and spraying oil in them, lighting the oil of fire and applying it to your back. This cup then sucks your skin and muscle into it and is smoothly (with oil) circulated on your back (like a suction cup). I chose the Fire Cupping because Lily said it includes scraping somewhat... I must describe this in detail because at points, the pain was unbearable. Other times, on my shoulders for example, it was a pleasant pain--because I knew my knots were being relaxed with the bulb. Audre and Lily said my back was super black (and Lily made some noises that made me feel uncomfortable), and I'm not surprised since it hurt SO MUCH! I am surprised I didn't cry, because it was so painful. The closer she got to the spine, the more and more it hurt. If you are sensitive, I am warning you now when I post pictures, do not even glance at them. After she was done rubbing my back, she put 2 bulbs on each side on my spinal cord down my back. She started at the bottom and went up to as close as she could to my neck, and covered my shoulders and my upper arms. I looked like a turtle with a glass shell!!! (Audre took pictures of this with her phone of Kianie and I) This was left on for 10minutes and it was painful, but less painful than the running the glass bulb over my back. When she sucked my back from these bulbs I was so happy. This was not something I could do again, but I'll see how I feel in a few days. I looked at my back in the mirror and took a picture, and I must say...pretty damn disguising. It looks like someone beat me with the end of a baseball bat....up and down my back. Yesterday I couldn't sleep on my back and it was hard for me to fall asleep because my back hurt so much, and still does hurt. It aches, but hopefully this will go away soon. For now I must give in to taking an Advil (from the US of course) because this pain is irritating at work. I have purple/dark red bruises in weather that feels like summer, and I can't even wear a tank top because it looks so gross. That is all for this entry, tomorrow I will write another one that doesn't consist of the description of my pain.