Too Damn Honest

Shanhaiguan, China

There was a slight mix-up with tickets today. Well, technically it wasn't so much a mix-up of tickets as of places. I blame the Lonely Planet but it does make clear the importance of checking the map of where you're going. I was going to Shanhaiguan. In the book the description of how to get there is in the same section as the one to Beidaihe, a different town in the area. So, I assumed they must be near each other. Both could also easily be reached from a hub called Qinhuangdao but it sounded like the bus first stopped in Beidaihe and then in Shanhaiguan. Since Shanhaiguan is not often serviced by trains from Beijing I just bought a ticket to Beidaihe and planned to take a bus from there.
The revelation came on the train while talking to another passenger. He was confused that I was going to Beidaihe. I told him: to take the bus to Shanhaiguan. He asked me why I didn't go straight to Qinhuangdao and take the bus there. Because Beidaihe is closer, no? No, it isn't. In the end he showed me on my own map. He was right, of course. Curses. Never mind, he said, just stay on the train. It would stop in Qinhuangdao next. Then how about my ticket? In China they check tickets at every station when you go out. Don't worry, he told me, you're a foreigner. When they stop you just pretend you don't speak Chinese and they will give up and let you go (we were having the conversation in Chinese). He laughed. That's China.
When we reached Qinhuangdao I did what he had told me. Of course, they stopped me. I tried to stare blankly. And just when they were about to wave me through, just as the man had said, I couldn't stop myself and asked them what was wrong. Then, of course, I got politely shown to their little office where I had to explain my mistake and pay 35 RMB for a ticket from Beidaihe to there.
Sometimes I do hate my honest self.

The Golden Nail

I've finally done it: My blog is now finally up to date. After posting lots of newer stuff ahead of old stuff and lots of back dating all past entries into my book have now been transcribed.
Hallelujah!
It feels a bit like the Golden Nail Celebration!

My school - a review

Beijing, China

So, what have I been doing all this time - except for the occasional field trip? 当然学汉语吧 - learning Chinese, of course. Came a long way to do it, too. So, essentially I spent most afternoons (except weekends) at a small language school in Beijing's Haidian District called 地球村学校 or Global Village Language School.
And what's it like? Well, it's been essentially like going back to school. Only that this time I chose to; and I could choose my classes. Classes are generally fairly small with an average of six or seven students (although popular ones have way more than that). Lessons go by text book spending one lesson going over new words for that chapter of the book and a second lesson reading and understanding dialogues and excercises. Lessons are taught entirely in Chinese (I believe most of the teachers speak only little English or Korean). Even though this is a bit daunting at first you get used to it quicker than you think. The teachers I had spoke a very clear standard Chinese. I also believe the school doesn't really encourage the use of other languages so as to make the lessons fair for all students. Often the teachers also encourage having a subject related chat (in Chinese, of course), which can be very interesting depending a bit on your class. In our classes the atmosphere was very relaxed - in a way most students were adults (or close to it), so we could have quite interesting conversations. Then you can still go home and do some homework.
Now, how was the school? I'll answer this by category:
Firstly, some bad news. As you can already see from the website, the school is mainly aimed at Korean students. Information in English is extremely limited. Schedules are only in Chinese (if I could read that I wouldn't be here!). Office staff also don't speak English, so, signing up for my first lesson was an adventure - and I could already speak a bit. Later me and a classmate helped a Western girl, who was completely lost. English might help to broaden their customer base.
Now, there's a small cafeteria with hot and cold food which caters mainly for Korean tastes (if you like it) and is a bit pricy for what they offer (I can reheat food at home, right?).
The study room can be quite crowded - especially before HSK exams, at which time the pressure seems tangible in the air.
Their computer room is functional at best - the machines are old and overloaded with viruses. It hurts any IT guy's heart to see this kind of neglected infrastructure!
Now for the brighter side:
The tuition fees have just gone up - by a whooping 25%! Still, Global Village works out much cheaper than attending a course at university.
And more flexible: you can choose from a range of classes of different levels, classes of the same level are often offered at several times during the day, so you can choose a convenient time. Also, new courses begin every month, so you don't need to arrive at the start of term. If a level or time doesn't suit you just wait for a week or two and see what new classes are put on.
I've saved the best for last, of course: that's the teaching. It out-weighs all possible disadvantages. The teaching I've experienced was simply excellent. Teachers are enthusiastic, well prepared, know their stuff, are patient and thorough making sure every student understands the lesson.
So, my overall impression is that, although there may be some disadvantages to the school, it was well worth every yuan I paid.
So, now that my time here has come to an end, all that is left now is to thank my teachers Ms Peng, Ms Meng and Ms Wu. Special thanks go Ms Peng for being the most beautiful, cutest but also funniest teacher ever. Ms Meng on the other hand really challenged my listening comprehension speaking quite fast but in doing so helped me improve a lot and her lessons always keep you on your toes. They were all amazing at their job. I wish I had had teachers like them back in the days when I had to go to school! It was a joy going to class every day. I hope to be back in Beijing soon and continue my lessons with them. Thanks to them, I'll miss going to school for the first time.
非常感谢你们！我一定会想你们！

Do strange people attract more strange people?

Beijing, China

A guy bumped into me in the restaurant today while I was having dinner with a friend. As I turned to face him a tall, lanky young Chinese man bent down to my sitting level. His clothing looked old, a bit worn maybe, together with his hair shaved at the neck but longer at the top it gave him the appearance of a punk. Not entirely pleasant, especially because when he started talking to me it became obvious that a) he might be drunk or stoned and b) a lot of his teeth were missing. I'm used to random people here trying to talk to me because I'm a foreigner, so I indulged him.
"You're a foreigner", he said in quite good English. "Yes", I answered patiently.
"Deutsch", he shot at me. That had me impressed. Few people ever mention Germany when they try to guess my nationality.
"You are from Munchen", he continued. No. "Frankfurt?" No. "Bonn." Yes, more impressed this time. That was another first. Few people here even know Bonn exists. "When Germany was apart Bonn was the Western capital", he proceeded to explain.
"I know one German rock band", he then announced. This time I actually played along, interested now. "Which one?" "Rammstein." He rolled the r like a Prussian. Wow! He knew even them. He went on to name several of their songs. His German pronunciation was quite good, too.
Then he turned to my friend. "Are you Chinese", he asked in Chinese. She gave me an exasperated look. That happens a lot - she is from Chinese background but not nationality. Hardly anyone gets her nationality right. She shook her head. "Japanese", he continued in English again. No. "Korean?" Those are the usual guesses. Then he changed course: "Malaysian?" No. But now I was curious, so I encouraged him to try again. "Indonesia?" Correct.
"Then you're catholic", he shot at her, "praise God." That was yet another surprise: very few people know that the Chinese minority in Indonesia is largely catholic.
Shortly afterwards he excused himself. "Auf Wiedersehen", he said, again in quite clear German, gave us another toothless smile and left. My friend relaxed.
At first, I didn't think much of it but then she said to me: "That was scary. How could he just guess all these things?" That had me thinking. For the rundown punk he appeared to be his education seemed very good. He spoke quite good English and some German. He knew about a lot of unusual random facts. Also, he seemed incredibly good at guessing things about us. It reminded of things, stories about psychics who just by a look or a touch will know things about you, receive a short insight into your mind. Now, this guy could just have been some crazy punk, alcoholic, homeless; and surely in the 1.5 billion people here there has to be someone who likes Rammstein and is able to guess my nationality. But right there, right then? A less than usual nationality correct at the first try, an unusual, hardly known hometown correct after only two wrong attempts, a band that happens to be my favourite. And the facts about my friend, as well. Thinking about it now it feels not so much as if he was guessing but rather working his way to the truth. Believe in it or not but that conversation now seems very surreal. Even among other strange encounters this one was certainly unique. Just think, what if ...

Servant of the Dynasty

Beijing, China

I've finally got a Chinese name. After countless people have asked for it and subsequently memorised my German one I've finally done it. And I'm actually really happy about it.
With pride I'd like to introduce...
魏天拜
Why this name?
Well, the surname 魏 (Wei) sounds a bit like my German surname. Secondly I like the sound of it. Finally, it has history - like most surnames in China. During the period of the Warring States when seven warlords battled to reunite China one of the kingdoms was the Kingdom of Wei. Later during the period known as Three Kingdoms around 220 AD China again broke into three pieces; one of them was again called the Kingdom of Wei (established by famed general Cao Cao, later ruled by Sima Yi and his descendants).
The given name 天拜 (Tianbai) was actually generated by an online name generator. Now, before you roll your eyes hear me out. The generator picks characters based on the pronunciation of your surname and given name. You can also specify a topic you want your name to be based on (like "intelligence" or "strength", etc.). Now, as it happens 天 (tian) is heaven or sky, 拜 (bai) can be obedience. So, together we loosely have "Obedient to Heaven" or maybe "Servant of Heaven". Tobias on the other hand comes from Hebrew and means "God is good". A good match, isn't it?
Together I also like the sound of the name. So, there it is and let it be known in all corners of the empire!

Table manners - It's the little differences

After watching a Chinese TV show where a few boys tried to compete with each other who best knew Western table manners I realised that technically in the West things are awefully complicated when it comes to eating. There are rules about which set of cutlery to use for which dish, exactly how to hold the cutlery, where to put the napkin, etc. This even differs between different Western countries (e.g. in Italy you can tug the napkin in your collar but in Germany that's a no-no).
In China, on the other hand, all this is more relaxed and I got the impression the focus is more on the eating and enjoying the food rather than how you go about this. It seems in more up-market restaurants it's perfectly OK to spit (or at least deposit) the bones on the table, to burp (or at least belch) contently when you've finished eating or slurp your soup directly from the bowl. You're allowed to bend over the table and bring your face level with your food for convenience. So, the result of this is that when I come home from Asia my family note that I have picked up a multitude of bad habits. But as for me, I feel a lot more at home and relaxed going out for food here.

Bestiary of Foreigners

China is a country that attracts foreigners a lot and attracts more and more of them these days. I mean, hey, I'm here for a reason. People in the Wudaokou area of Beijing will certainly not be surprised to see a Westerner anymore.
In China, though, there are a number of kinds or "subtypes" of foreigners. Let me explain. In Russia, e.g., there are about two kinds of foreigners: mainly the one that speaks Russian and the one that doesn't (and maybe the occasional language student).
Now, in China there are degrees. First, there's the clueless, the tourist - you see them stand in front of signs for extended periods of time trying to match the writing with that in their guide book or note. I guess, to be fair, that's how we all start. Occasionally, you also get the stubbornly clueless - often from English-speaking countries. "Why don't they just speak English?"
Then you have your average language student, who speaks and reads some Chinese and is very proud of it, too. They will, on occasion, be very eager to help translate for lesser types to show off their skills at mastering this difficult language. (somehow I have a feeling this is where I fit in the food chain)
Then there's the proficient language student who speaks and reads fluently - to the great amazement of locals and annoyance of the average student: "why does he get all the attention?"
There's the language teacher - again often from English-speaking countries. This subtype is often very apologetic about their apparent lack of improvement when it comes to learning Chinese: "if I only had more time..." An interesting variant of this one is the teacher from non-standard English backgrounds - be it from "Austroilia" or "Fronce". Makes you on one side pity their poor students (I once had a conversation with a New Zealand teacher who I could hardly understand). On the other hand you wonder if this will result in Chinese people speaking English with an Irish brogue or slight Tsherman aktsent. That would certainly be exotic!
Finally, there's the "I live and breathe China" type. It's not that common but once in a while there's a sighting - like with the Yeti. It's usually a mutation of the above types after staying in China for a prolonged time. Their language proficiency varies. They do commonly have a Chinese name and are proud of it - so proud that they may even choose to forget their real name (this has happened: "what's your English name?" - "没有" [I don't have one]). They will readily (requested or not) dispense insights into this mystical country and its culture that their long sojourn has allowed them to gain. Toward other Westerners they will try to act as Chinese as possible and relentlessly support their new chosen home. Somehow I get the impression that if they didn't continue to stay here they would be completely unfit to return to the rest of the world. I hope I never enter on that dark path or forever will it dominate my destiny.