China | Dominik Mayer – Products, Asia, Productivity

On walking to one of the cafeterias we passed several booths. I was asked to take part in a survey. At least that’s what I understood. I thought why not, filled in my name, email address and telephone number and they promised to contact me. I asked what we’d do then and they said something about an interview and that they’d be happy if I’d join them. Join what? Seems to be some kind of student council. I’m not sure. But I have no intention to join.

We walked on and found more clubs in front of the cafeteria:

I left my number at a dance club. Thought that could be interesting.

Next day:

My landlady’s grandson just came in, crashed his remote control car against my water bottle and left. Perhaps I should start to lock my room.

It’s so good to have Chinese friends. They can read the menus and bus schedules, know all the strange things in the supermarkets and find out how to tell an air conditioning to use hot instead of cold air.

That had taken me about an hour yesterday. And today I walked to university because I couldn’t find the right bus. Not the most comfortable thing with my hurting ankle.

Because most foreigners can’t pronounce the Chinese names correctly many Chinese get themselves an English one. Today I met Zyclops…

I wanted to take a picture of the McDonalds menu but the lady tore it away quickly. No idea why. Particularly because she handed it back to let us order. And then they gave us the take-away menu. I could have taken a picture of that…

At least I could try the Banana Pie that’s advertised all over the city:

I don’t have to have it again. Too sweet filling and a strange sour crust.

I’m feeling like an old man. Elbow and jaw are getting better but now I can’t put pressure on my left ankle. Last night, I had to turn off the air conditioning because I didn’t know how to tell it that I wanted hot instead of cold air (works now). It got ice-cold, my cold that’s been on the mend got worse again and I got a cough as well.

I know I was completely healthy when I left Germany.

It doesn’t only look like war, we also have the sound. There are fireworks about every other day. And they’re only meters away from the houses. I filmed this one yesterday (and it took ages to upload it). A Chinese girl told me that there’ll be a marriage the next day.

Yesterday we met a German guy with his nice Chinese girlfriend. She really seemed to like him. He will fly back to his German girlfriend in three or four days and thought if he won’t betray her now he’ll never do. And the poor little Chinese girl’s heart will be broken. That takes the stuffing out of me.

If you want to wash with warm water here you have to fill it in by yourself. About four buckets. The thing starts when it thinks it got enough. I had to repeat the procedure twice…