New experiences, new message.

Hello to all my fans all over the world :D

China update no.3. I have been here now for 2,5 weeks but it feels as if it has been 2,5 months already. So many impressions, so many experiences and especially so many feelings!
I am slowly coming into the chinese 'zone'. But this process comes with some downs.
However, good experiences have been gathered more and more as well. A daily highlight is always dinner. During these feasts i have already tried quite some interesting (read: sometimes delicious, other times.....awefull) things: fried aubergine, fried pumpkin (these two are my personal favourite), cotton candy potatoes, spicy fish, the well known hotpot and many more things. Normally we are with some people and the one that can read the chinese menu just orders a couple of dishes which are shared by everyone at the table. And usually it wont cost you more than 2 euro!!
A typical process worth mentioning in Harbin as well is the beer drinking. Its like the reverse way of the European 'technique'. Instead of small bottles and big glasses here they have huge bottles (0,67litres) and almost shot size glasses. Combine this with the fact that in the chinese language only a bottoms up exists (gambei), and no normal cheers, this results in drinking shots and shots of beer all the time. Its a nice process with a high pace :D Hoeraayyyy.

Sports activities: So far i have been playing soccer another time last saturday. We played a new south korean team, which surprisingly was dressed in the dutch national team's outfit. We on the other hand were dressed in Barcelona outfits which only cost about 3 euros per shirt :D. Guess they carry the label made in china anyway!
To beat these wannabe dutch soccer stars i had to put away some of my dutch pride. Apparently i had thrown it quite far away cause i managed to score 2 goals (with some help of their, lets say, not so confident goalie), which resulted in a 5-2 win our sides. We actually played in a university athletics stadium. At the same time of our game the chinese army had huge training marching sessions on the track field around our pitch. Communist obedience to the max. Unbelievable.
Oh yeah. Our socces team is called the Halle-lujas soccer team. As the organizer is called Halle. So praise the Halle-lujas!!!

I have also been a regular swimmer these days. Together with a swiss guy we have been exploring different pools in the neighbourhood. We found a really good one at another univeristy. Only 7 busstops away.
Buses are an experience in itself away. They have a driver, sometimes a ticket collector and often even an mc; someone to announce all the stops through a microphone. quite bizar.Just an example of how china is run by cheap labour.
Going to the pool is only legal with a swimming cap and speedos. Add to that that everyone wears goggles you can imagine its one big sexy happening there :D
In the swimming pool we, or actually sven (my swiss swimming mate), had a funny thing. Next to every swimming lane a little bowl with water was situated. Sven thought it was an excellent place to clean his goggles. Sounds logical. However, only a couple of minutes later we found out the chinese people use these bowls to spit in. I know its good to clean your goggles with some spit. However, this seems a little bit too much........hehe.

About the chinese learning experience: Yes, or actually No is the word. This language definitely is the most frustrating learning experience that i have ever engaged in. Especially the tones and the characters. you need so much imagination for these things. However, i am determined to learn this freakin language. They say it becomes easier after 1 or 2 months when one gets more in the chinese mindset. So actually i can't wait until we are 2 months further (there is one other reason for this as well, but that has to do with a certain 'sogno').

I have also managed to meet some people that speak english. Actually am speaking german a lot lately as their is a group of 5 germans that are doing internships here. Quite nice people. Have been to dinners with them a couple of times already and as they are quite new as well, we ll start exploring Harbin and its surroundings this weekend as well. As i bought a new digital camera (canon IXUS 60) yesterday you can expect Harbin pics online quite soon.
With the german and some chinese people and swiss sven I had an ultimate asia experience: good old karaoke (technical details for Singapore colleagues: KTV). It was a Super modern KTV where the computer even rated every song on a scale from 0-100 points. Surprisingly i managed to get a solid 100 points for my solo performance of Outkast's Hey ya!

another, maybe not particularly chinese, experience: shitting on the toilet when the power gets cut off! results in some braille ass wiping. i managed though. as i checked the result after the power was back and running :D Just as i managed to finish this challenge nice and cleanly, i am finishing this email as well.
Hope to hear from all of you. Take care.
Zaijian,
Marc.