Photo by Maria Hochleitner

 Immer wieder verlieren wir Menschen uns auf der Suche nach unserem Selbst, nach dem was uns wirklich ausmacht. Doch wie kann man etwas finden was man doch von Anfang an in sich trägt!? Wahrscheinlich ist es unser Drang alles verstehen und greifen zu wollen, der uns rastlos macht und auf eine endlose Reise schickt, womöglich sogar immer weiter weg von uns selbst.

In unserer Angst uns nicht erklären und unsere Persönlichkeit nicht fein säuberlichst gegliedert und ausformuliert in Form eines Aufsatzes vorlegen zu können, geben wir uns damit zufrieden, kleine Fische aus dem See zu angeln, anstatt einzutauchen und selbst darin zu schwimmen.

Still und heimlich kennt unser Herz längst jedes Geheimnis das in unserer Seele ruht, doch unsere Ohren dürsten nach der Melodie unseres Herzens.

Wir wollen das in Worten wissen, was wir doch längst in Gedanken kennen, legen uns seblst in Ketten, bei dem Versuch unserem Selbst Ausdruck zu verleihen.
Unser Selbst in sich ist das Einzige was wirklich frei ist, es lässt sich nicht mit Worten einfangen.

 Unsere Gedanken sind ein Meer, grenzenlos und unermesslich.

Unsere Angst darin zu ertrinken, treibt uns immer mehr in eine Welt in der wir lachen, aber nicht aus vollem Herzen und weinen, aber nicht all unsere Tränen.

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Sorry to all of my english speaking followers, but this post is dedicated to the Germans only, cause if I translate this kind of poetical text into english it won't be the same anymore. Hope you like the photos though! It is the roof of a traditional chinese temple.The small animals on the roof are not only ornaments, but symbolize that the house is protected against evil spririts. The first figure in line is usually a god riding a phoenix (or rooster). It is said that this god is immortal and has the ability to perceive evil spirits.

“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.

Yangshuo 阳朔 (2)

 

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

 China is not only about smog, crowded shopping malls and traffic jams, there are a lot of amazing spots far away from the stress in the busy cities, that are waiting to be discovered. I had an amazing time in Yangshuo doing a lot of sports and enjoying the silence in the mountains. I met interesting people from all over the world who shared their experiences and stories with me.

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photoby Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Yangshuo 阳朔 (1)

Beautiful scenery in Guangxi province

In the time of the national holidays (1st to 7th october) I traveled to Yangshuo. Surrounded by karst peaks and boredered on one side by the Li river, Yangshuo is located in the northeast of Guangxi, nearby Guilin. The beautiful scenery in Yangshuo is overwhelming and can be discovered in many ways: you can go for a bike tour in the country side, face new adventures while climbing in one of the most famous climbing areas in China, go hiking in the mountains nearby, or just have a relaxed bamboo boat trip on the river. It is also possible to visit one of the traditional villages near yangshuo and discover a way of live that has nothing to do with tourist attractions, souvenirs and fancy restaurants. The town of yangshuo is very crowded (especially in the holiday week) and the traffic can drive you crazy, but if you are willing to leave the main roads sometimes and maybe get a little bit dirty you have the chance to discover the true beauty of Yangshuo and it's very special flair. 

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner

Photo by Maria Hochleitner