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Taiwan. Day 2. Exams and Postural Assessment.

Yesterday I was warmed to observe some students discussinghypermobility. Or at least thats what it appeared they were doing.

Whilst their colleagues broke off to do what Taiwanese therapistsseem to love best at break timeseatfive ladies remainedhuddled at the end of a treatment couch concentrating intently. Itseemed there was to be no tea break for these girls, they wantedto make use of every moment of classroom time so I figured mycomments about safeguarding their hands had obviously hit homeand it was gratifying to see them so eager. One therapist washolding out her little finger as if showing her colleagues how muchit extended at the distal interphalangeal joint, something I couldsee for myself from where I was sitting. She began stroking thedistal phalange which elicited even more nodding and murmurs ofapproval, perhaps because they too had experienced pain here?Hypermobility has been an ongoing theme as almost all of thegroup display a marked increase in range in two or more joints soI was looking forward to the strapping and taping module where Icould show them ways to prevent injury to themselves and to theirclients. I leant closer. Turns out they were swapping best ways toapply nail varnish. Mmmm.

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However, when I handed out the postural assessmentphotographs I had marked up for each student96 in alltherewas much giggling and gasps and an obvious increase in energy

in the room. Those who wanted to share their images diligentlygot to work creating our postural assessment wall and begancrowing round to compare their postures with that of theircolleagues.

Victoria translated the key elements on our flipcharts and thestudents got to work identifying these on one another.

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During lunch I signed 22 copies of the Chinese language editionofDeep Tissue Massage and these were given to the studentswho requested photographs as usual.

Victoria says that there is less respect for books in Taiwanbecause they are so cheap. Even so, people apparently just gointo the bookstore and stand and read them rather than buying

them. So Im grateful to the Taiwanese publishers for making theeffort to spread the word to therapists here. Im teaching within a15-story department store and it has no book department. Thereare no bookstores on Nanjing East Rd, the high street.

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One of the students very kindly gave me a large bag of fruitcontaining bananas, Taiwanese lychee, and two ripe cherimoyas.

I dont know how to describe cherimoyas. The skin looks toughbut it is incredibly delicate and breaks easily. It is green but hasthe consistency of bread so crumbles. You simply pull it back andinside is a mass of gloop. This is filled with inward-pointing shardshaped seeds. You suck the flesh off the seeds, inside of which isa glass like black shard, the pip. I cannot find any metaphor todescribe the taste. It has the consistency of wallpaper paste buttastes a bit like bubblegum. Possibly the strangest thing I haveever eaten.

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