I’m Arwen, your 32 year old writer, sword wielder and dreamer. This blog was born out of the desire to share my journey into the wonderful world of traditional kungfu with you. And to write about travel. About drawing caricatures. Art and philosophy and general musings. About the impossibilities of learning the Chinese language. The wonders of solitude and what it does to change your mind for the better. About learning how to feel Qi (Chi), your life energy. About pub life and songs in Ireland. About what it means to be a warrior.
But mostly about traditional kungfu, the art I’m living and breathing here in Wudangshan, China, where I enrolled in a traditional kungfu school for a year. Here I train five to seven hours a day, six days a week next to a group of the most badass kids you’ll ever meet.
I spend my days practicing meditation, Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan, Baguazhang, Xing Yi Quan and Tai Ji Sword. Through these disciplines, I’m learning about commitment, focus, the powerful mind-body connection and ultimately, about myself. A year is a long time and there have been days where I would gladly give an arm and a leg (so not convenient!) to spend an evening in the pub in Ireland with friends. But in general the journey has been amazing and it has opened my mind in ways I could never imagine possible.
I’m originally from the Netherlands and I have never been interested in the thought of having a ‘career’ nor have I ever come close to understanding our current society where celebrity gossip makes headlines and deforestation and wildlife extinction do not and where our absurd obsession with economic growth takes precedence over life, health and the future of our planet. Absolute madness. In contrast, there’s a realness and wisdom in traditional kungfu that I haven’t experienced anywhere else. I’m quite smitten by it.
So on this blog, I share stories of my life as a kungfu student in China. I don’t want to pretend to have any answers, I will simply write from my own experience. This blog is for anyone with an interest in martial arts, their own body and mind, growth and truth-seeking. It’s also for the wannabe artists, writers, pleasure seekers and for anybody who wants to learn how to find beauty in between the lines.
Much love, Arwen