cracking down

Blogger is a bloody stupid programm. I wrote a little text to that picture (forbidden city, corner temple, Beijing. Taken tonight, after sunset and it was FREEZING cold. Please not the ICE on the water ... ). Blogger ate the first text. Aaaaargh! 

Anyway, I am on my feet since nearly 168hours, and now I'm tired. Keep trimming and cutting my first movie, no idea when it will be aired, but the forecast for the result is somewhat between promising and very disappointing. Any tricks regarding iMovie are very welcome ... 

Good night in the meantime!

just a tiny little beep

24 hours per day are not enough if you are in a city like Beijing! Somehow, there's so much going on, that you use your 24 hours immediately. Unfortunately, sleep not included. Therefore, I am always on the road at the moment, and always falling asleep in taxis immediately. By the way, a taxi drive of about 10 kilometres kosts about 2 Euros. Split into 4, because most of the time we're a group of 4. That makes it even more cozy and cheap, and me take the taxi even more often! Tube's also ok, very very modern, fast, and while you drive they show advertisements on the wall, like on the way to the e-gate on Zurich Airport. But no Heidi or cows on beijings underground walls. 

I went shopping (didn't buy anything, just for a quick glance first of all) and went to the hutongs. Ah, and brought the bloody immatriculation process behind me. You wouldn't believe how this is working here! Forget about electronic registration, or strategically well organised processes! It's more like "back to the basics", here's paper and a pen, fill it in! here! now! then stand in line. 

That the line is like 35 people and "here and now" are outside the building at 8.30 in the morning, when it's 0 degrees, doesn't bother anyone but me. I froze my ass off and recorded it, so you will see my miserable mood once the first Video-blog will be online (and who knows when that will be).

At the same day as the not-very-convenient immatricullation process, I had the worst manicure in the world. A group of women wanted me to force to take off all my clothes (for a MANICURE) and when I refused, still put me on a massage be, started massaging my arm with a weird body lotion, washing it off, put it on again, washing it off and so on. 

At some stage I escaped in horror. If I would have stayed any longer, they would have probably set me on drugs and stole my organs, I knew it! 

I was really upset with Beijing after that, first of all seriously asking myself how I could come up with the stupid idea to go to a country where nobody understands the slightest bit of what I was saying. But after the dinner with my new friends, I felt ok again. 

It's different here, no question. And may be they ARE a bit crazy, because they just CAN'T say no to anything. A problem will be ignored until it's not in anybodys mind anymore. And they seem to have that as an attitude in general, because they don't get angry. As if they told themselves "ah, it's not important tomorrow, so it's not worth getting angry in first place at all". 

Same thing on the streets. I can't say they are bad drivers, because they drive very smootly. Just, the don't respect ANY rules or signs. The only rule seems to be "never EVER stop the car!" So they change lanes like crazy, cut others ROW all the time, and all the ROW-vehicle is doing, is a little beep. 

In Switzerland, you almost fall out of your shoes when someone beeps, because it 's a BEEEEEEEP! 

Here it's a tiny little "beep", and that's it. 

Really an attitude I should internalise for myself ... 

back to life, hello from China

I'm online, wohooooooo!!!! Writing from a "crappy from the outside, beautiful on the inside"- looking coffee around the campus of BFSU in Beijing. And since the parkavenuegirl blog is accessible from here, Parkavenuegirl is therefore back to life. 

Arrived in a very smoggy Beijing yesterday at noon, and got picked up by David, my fathers co-worker from beijing. Everything no problem. In fact, I was stunned about the new terminal (T3) at Beijing Airport, it's huge, processes are very fast and uncomplicated, even the luggage was there immediately. 

The just as-huge garage was filled with brand new cars, most of them luxury class. 

After brining me to the university, just to find out that everybody is currently at lunch (anytime you need something, everybody seems to be anywhere but on their desks, it seems!), so David decided we do as they. He pulled me into a restaurant, where you could decided, which fish they should kill for you. I pulled the vegetarian card IMMEDIATELY, and David chose vegetarian for both of us ... which surprised me a little bit. but it shouldn't be the last time! 

Well, we had nice and slimy food, a soup full of mushrooms, and aspargus with Chillies, HOT AS HELL. I nearly started burning. 

The whole immatriculation process went through well in the end, and I am now the current owner of a nice room in the 15th floor, movie will be delivered soon. 

David left me after getting me a chinese number, so he can always reach me. He promised to call tomorrow (i.E. tonight), and I had to face 24 hours alone. Since that's not exactly my preferred style, I jumped on two guys I saw in the mobile shop. Alessandro and Pietro, Alessandro in the very same situation as me. Pietro being in Beijing for a couple of years, and therefore great to know. I ended up at a japanese dinner with them and 6 more, and my side of the table mainly shared our food, and since I pulled the veggie card again, most of that food was vegetarian!! I wonder if that's a form of politeness, that they join someone with special needs? 

Anyway, will test that tonight. There's a big chinese dinner this time, with people from my dad's office. Therefore, I guess I better go shopping now. Never had a better excuse. 

By the way: I feel like somebody put me in a movie. very, VERY surreal everything! but on a high level, so nothing to complain about!

再见!