Alexandra Ho comes across as a dainty petite lady with a movie star-like disposition. It can be a bit difficult to believe that she has been through one of the most physically demanding practices in the world of martial arts. She had the distinct privilege of being trained in Shaolin Kung Fu, for hundred days, in a Shaolin temple in China.

The programme was based on an invitation from the Chinese Cultural Head Office in Beijing, via the China Cultural Centre Mauritius, and was a 3-month scholarship, in the context of a cultural exchange between China and Africa. It had 20 African nationals from 5 different countries: Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

At the Shaolin temple located in the city of Deng Feng in Henan, the masters took them through a journey of self-discovery. A day that began at 4 am would involve a structured routine and as a woman in a mostly male environment, Alexandra had to push herself hard. She says, 'Every single day, we were pushed out of our comfort zone. Shaolin training requires extreme physical conditioning and the harder part in my opinion is to have the stamina, the courage to get up, and discipline to keep up at it day after day. This is the Shaolin spirit, and a life lesson for which I am grateful today.

I recall we were practising deep stretches and splits. Shifu kept encouraging us to keep up the effort, to go beyond the physical pain and get closer to our potential. Looking back I realise that the real training goes well beyond the physical conditioning. It was a real training of body, mind and spirit’.

She adds that she wishes to impart this knowledge among the Mauritian people.