10 things I miss here in 广州

 1. Hot water 24/7

2. Radiators

3. Dates (the fruit)

4. Huge, fresh salads

5. Climbing gym

6. Drinking tap water

7. Cool, fresh air in the mornings

8. Empty buses and metros

9. Cozy atmosphere in the library at university

10. Being undercover

* 11. Mimmi

No I don't hate China and no I don't think living in Germany is so much better than living here. I love China and overall I am enjoying my life out here pretty much, but of course there also some things that i miss about Germany.


Stay tuned for "10 things about China that I will miss back in Germany"

The day when being allowed to enter China was the greatest gift I could have possibly got...

It was predictable that it's gonna happen: According to chinese law foreigners have to have their passports with them anywhere and anytime, so with carrying it around all day chances are very high that one day you accidently leave it somewhere or lose it. And yes you are right, of course that happened to me.

Some weeks ago Mimmi and me were trying to imagine what our reactions would be like, if we discovered that we had lost our passport. we both agreed that we would be totally upset and probably burst into tears. That my actual reaction was totally different is still surprising me.

It all happened on the day when after spending some days in Hong Kong my parents went back to Germany. Coming from Hong Kong I got off the train in Guangzhou, holding my passport in my hands, ready to pass the security check to enter China again. I followed the crowd of people and started to climb the stairs, but having reached the top, I suddenly realized that that my passport was not in my hands anymore. The first thing that came into my mind was: I have to go back to the train and check if i have left it there, before the doors are closing. So I got onto the train again and after having explained to the staff what had happened, more than 10 people were helping me to find my passport. I was pretty sure that when I got off the train the passport was in my hands, so it was not a suprise we didn't find it.

Of course I don't lose my passport like other people in a cafe or a metro station in China, so that you have time to at least think about the next steps and find out where the next german embassy is... No of course I have to lose my passport in nomansland, havingleft Hong Kong already,but not having entered China yet. So there I was, standing in a place that doesn'tbelong to any country, with my small backpack, no documents, no money and no idea what to do next.
At this point it would have been normal to start panicing, but somehow I managed to remain totally calm and relaxed. I decided to wait until all the people have passed the security check and then ask one of the police men what to do. I have no idea what I was doing or thinking in the following 30 minutes,I just remember that feeling full of joy and gratitude I had when seeing a police man waving with my passport in his hand.
10 minutes later i was back in China, with my passport and my wallet, waiting for the metro and asking myself wether I had been dreaming or all this actually had happened to me...
"All things come to those who wait", how true...

All good things come to an end

End of the semester in Guangzhou

It seems like yesterday that i opened the door and saw my roommate Mimmi for the first time, walking down the hallway with her pink suitcase. In less than one week I will see her walking down the hallway again, but in opposite direction. The semester has almost come to its end and most of my classmates going back to their home countries soon. Since I am staying here also for the next semester I don't have to say Goodbye to Guangzhou, but to a lot of amazing people and new friends. The last four months were full of new experiences, friendship, travelling and happiness. I dont want to get too much into detail here, and instead of trying to put in words what the last semester was like, I will just take you with me so that you can see by yourselves: I hope this video, that was edited by my friend Chris, will give you an impression of our student life here in China.

“物以稀为贵. (Wu yi xi wei gui.)”– Objects that are rare are precious

 Being a foreigner in China

If you ever plan going to China there is something you need to know: You will get a lot of attention! People will stare at you and talk about you standing right beside you and they won't stop even if you catch them out. The only time that most Chinese have the chance to see a white face or a non-Chinese face is probably on TV or in the movies. Being able to see someone like that, up close and personal, is a pretty big deal for most of them. Toddlers are sometimes pointing at foreigners and yell, “外国人 (Foreigner)!” If you reply to the ashamed moms' "oh sorry, sorry..." with a friendly "没关系(no worries)" they will have an even more surprised face expression than their kids had before. Even if you know only a tiny little bit of chinese you will have a lot of advantages in daily life: you don't have to pay for your drinks in bars, people will not only explain the way to you but give you company to make sure you find the right way and you can easily change from being the last one in row to being the very first one without others complaining about that kind of rude behaviour.

Unfortunately there are also some disadvantages of being white and big eyed here: It can be hard to find friends, at least "true" friends. Europe is trendy, Europe is beautiful and of course everyone in Europe is rich. For some chinese students having a foreign friend is like having a fancy new Gucci bag. Even though it doesn't go with the rest of your outfit you want the world to know that you have it. And to make sure that as many people as possible recognize your new "western accessory" you take photos and share it with headlines like "had an amazing time <3 <3" on Wechat. That this "amazing time" in fact was nothing more than a 5 five minute small talk on the street is irrelevant. If you are looking for a real friendship based on trust, respect and common interests rather than being just a figurehead on someone elses social networks, you have to be both patient and critical. No matter how good it might feel at the beginning on the long run it will make you feel uncomfortable to be put on a pedestal just because of your origins.

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Maybe we have to see China's obsession with Western beauty standards and Western culture as a relict from the past when after years of being dominated by foreign powers they felt they needed to emulate the West in order to modernize. But shouldn't a country whose economy is the second largest in the world, be confident enough to show their face to all the others out there!? It seems like especially China's youth would give anything to be a part of "the western world" which is considered the land of milk and honey. What most people here don't understand is that Europe is not the centre of the universe and just because our beer may taste a little bit better and our eyes are a bit bigger doesn't mean that we are first class people. Instead of trying to imitate the western way of life, chinese people should start to be proud of who they are and what they have achieved so far. It makes me kind of sad that many young people in China are ashamed of being rooted in a cultural background that is so fascinating and unrivalled like almost nowhere else in the world.

Guangzhou night fever

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Even Confucius loved food

 What to eat (1)
Food is an important part of the chinese culture and once you are in China you will be confronted with it everywhere you go. Having dinner here in China is not only about filling your stomach because you are hungry, it is about spending time with your friends and familiy, sharing delicious food and enjoying to talk about what is happening in your daily life. Nomatter how busy you are, sharing at least one meal a day with the ones you love is very important to chinese people. That eating plays a major role in their lives, is not a trend that came up recently, it indeed seems to be as old as chinese culture itself: according to Lun yu (Confucian Analects), when the duke Ling of Wei asked Confucius about military tactics, Confucius replied, "I have indeed heard about matters pertaining to tsu (meat stand) and tou (meat platter), but I have not learned military matters."

Since I am living in Guangzhou a Dim Sum Restaurant of course was one of the first places to go. Dim Sum, literally "touch your heart", is a Cantonese term for small bite-sized portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. Due to the the small portion sizes you may try a variety of different dishes. Some of these may include rice rolls, lotus leaf rice, turnip cakes, buns, dumplings,  etc. Eating dim sum at a restaurant is usually known in Cantonese as going to "drink tea" (yum cha, 飲茶), as tea is typically served with it.

Due to my "uncommon" eating habits a lot of  people are asking me how i can survive here in China, since most of the dishes offered at the restaurants contain either meat, fish or seafood. Well, being a vegan in China indeed is not always easy and sometimes people here don't even know what vegan means. If you say you don't want meat they will still try to offer you chicken.  It sometimes takes a lot of time and explanations to make people understand what you are looking for, but nevertheless it is worth it.  And since rice, noodles and vegetables are staples of the chinese cuisine there actually are tons of different options for vegans too, you just have to find them. And if you really can't find a place offering any vegan dishes you can just order any dish on the menu that contains vegetables and rice/noodles and ask the waiter to serve it without the meat. Here are some examples of what I am usually eating:

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Getting to know each other

My first 2 Months in China

Time flies by, I have already been in China for more than two months, but I didn't feel like writing an update on my life here so far, because it is almost impossible to find the right words to express what I am experiencing here.
If i was told to describe my daily life here by using only one word it would probably be: adventurous.
Every day here is an adventure, full of new challenges i have to face: how can I manage to learn 50 new chinese characters a day? Where can I buy stuff and how to get there? How to tell the house keeper that the keys are broken? Where to get on the bus when there is no actual busstation ? Will I be able to read the menu tonight? ...
During the week a normal day starts with going to class and after that having lunch together with all the international students. Its very easy for me to remember which classes I will have the next day because it is always the same: language ! At the end of the Semester I will have exams in 6 different subjects: oral chinese, intensive reading, writing, listening, business chinese and cantonese. Although some of the classes are really intense I still enjoy going to uni every day. But not only university keeps my life busy: there are a lot of events on the campus and since we are more than 20 international students living in the same dormitory there is always someone who comes up with an idea for an exciting activity. And if it is really the case that I am only sitting in my room, my crazy but lovely roommate Mimmi would always come up with something to entertain me and make me laugh the whole evening. She really makes my life more colorful and shows me how to just let go and not take life to seriously. Sometimes we also play badminton or rent a tandem bike to cycle around the island in the evenings.
At the weekends I try my best to discover as many different places in Guangzhou as possible: Art district, parks, pearl river, shopping malls, street markets, tea market, etc. Sometimes it is even enough to just take the bus to the city centre and get off at any station to discover a whole new world.
I love to have a walk in one of the parks or along the pearl river at night and watch people dancing, singing or playing games. People here are so warm and welcoming they are happy about anyone who wants to join. Even if they don't know each other they are enjoying their time together the feeling to be part of big community. I feel that people here like to socialize a lot more than people in northern Europe. When people here go out for dinner, the food is actually a minor matter, it is all about talking and laughing and spending time together. Getting to know that chinese way of life and peoples' habits and thoughts are the reason why my stay here is so exciting and interesting and why I can't get enough of China.

Home Sweet Home

I know you have all been requesting this for so long! Here they finally are: Photos of my room!

  I decided to live in one of the student apartments here on the campus, since it is very cheap (900 RMB a motnh) and also a lot more convenient than living in the city centre and taking the bus to university every morning. There are several markets, shops and restaurants on the campus and the classrooms are only a five minute walk away from the dormitry buildings. 

My room is on the 3rd floor next to my room mate Mimmi's, who I share the bathroom with. Although it is very small I feel really comoforable in it and I have everything that I need (even aircondition!!). After only two days I already felt like coming home, every time I returned to my room at night. As you can see there is a big tree right in front of my window, what sometimes makes me forget that I am now living in a 13 Million inhabitant city.

对不起， 我迷路了！

Or: My adventurous journey to Guangzhou University

No, I did not go to China by bicycle, although that would have been a nice idea too! ;) I chose a more conventional way, at least I thought so.

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

After six hours flying to Abu Dhabi and then flying another eight hours to Hong Kong with almost no sleep at all, the only thing I had on my mind was going to bed as soon as possible. But things turned out to be more complicated than I had thought: Because of a delayed flight I arrived in Hong Kong later than I had actually planned. Luckily I had no problems finding a bus to Guangzhou, but the passport control on the border to China was so complicated and unstructured that it did take me another four hours until I finally arrived in Guangzhou. Since it was rush hour it was almost impossible to get a taxi.I tried to call the International Office at university, but nobody picked up the phone. I didn't dare to go to university without knowing if there would be anyone to welcome me, so I decided to look for a cheap hotel in Gaungzhou where I could spend the night. I had no internet connection and didn't even know in which part of the city I was. Therefore I had to give my chinese skills a try in the "real world". If you think that people heretry to speak more slowly and pronounce the words very clearly when they realize that you are not a native speaker, you are completely wrong! Fortunately I managed to understand at least some important keywords when it came to describing the way, so that after a while I found a place to spend the night!
The next morning I took a taxi to university and since I knew the exact adress of the International Office I was expecting the taxi driver to drop me off right in front of that building. But of course it did not happen like that ! The Guangzhou University is located in the "Higher Education Mega Center" in Guangzhou. You can not only find three big universities in that huge complex, but also several supermarkets, karaoke bars, restaurants and all kinds of shops. There is also the "old district" where you can find a market offering all different kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. The taxi driver didn't know the wayto the International Office very well, so he dropped me off somewhere "nearby" the office.
My friend Yin once told me that chinese people never say no because they always want to be polite. On that day i learned that this is absolutely not just a prejudice but the truth!Iasked several people for the way to the International Office and after crossing the same street for more than five times because people sent me in completely different directions, I started to notice that most of them had no clue where this Office actually was. The best way to find out wether they know what they are talking about or not, is to analyse their reaction after you have asked a question: Do they hesitate? Do they look to the left and to the right more than once? Better not trust in that description of the way !!
So what about me? Did I somehow find the way? Yes I did! After almost one hour running in circles with all my luggage and people starring at me like if I was the last unicorn, I finally made it to the Office and was showed my apartment. Mrs. Deng told me that the phone didn't work but if I had send them an email they would have fetched me at least somewhere in the city, as they normally fetch all their students arriving at Guangzhou Airport. According to her I am the first student who made the way to university all by herself...