from one experience into the next

New Year: Spanish not Chinese

2012-01-24T15:47:00.000+01:00

We kind of had our own new year's feast in the weekend.
Spent most of the weekend at my parent's place and they had received this huge part of pork, jamon iberico or pata negra from Spain for New Year's, together with all kinds of other goodies like Manchego cheese (love that!), chorizo, lomo, olives, wine...

Although I'm not much of a meat lover, the ham is so divine it's too tempting. A lovely New Year's present I think!

Anyway, it was fun to get together with my parents and brother and his family again. The two boys (3 and 1/2) had grown a lot so it was good to have some cuddle and play time.

And now it's back to daily life again. Ingo is back in the Netherlands as well after working in China. Myself I have been struggling a bit lately to find balance in life, my body wasn't always cooperating in the past two weeks, it's hard to fit in everything I want/need to do (still readjusting from time to time... it's sometimes overwhelming), I have been having huge headaches lately etc. but I'm back in the rhythm again.
Back to gym and back to the plans I had for this year. Off we go :)

Happy New Year

2012-01-22T19:26:00.000+01:00

新年快乐 ~ Xīnnián kuàilè

Happy New Year of the Dragon

Oh I love the signs of hope

2012-01-21T11:29:00.002+01:00

You wouldn't think so if you had looked out of my window here for most of the past week (it's been raining cats and dogs) but I do feel and see signs of spring. Which is weird. Because it's only January and we are heading for at least two more months of winter.

I don't mind winter too much. I don't like the cold rain like we have now. I do like cold and snowy weather. Snow has some kind of magic to me (that's why I like to ski), despite the practical problems it can cause. I don't like the darkness in winter though. The pitch darkness when waking up makes me want to turn around and snuggle up in bed for a bit longer. It's something I had to get used to again. In Shanghai summer or winter, the sun rises long time before I do. Here in the Netherlands in winter it's dark and depressing, it makes me feel like the world has to wake up again!

But I wanted to share these little signs that always give me hope :)

And for the rest I'm just trying to keep that positivity alive and taking in lots of vitamins, doing exercises and taking it easy from time to time.

So for Six Word Saturday I was playing with words on this topic and ended up with:

Springtickles winter by tiny nudges

A thin line between life and death

2012-01-18T15:04:00.000+01:00

On some days I'm so much more aware of life and death than on other days. Today I got together with one of my friends to meet her lovely baby girl and it was wonderful to see my friend and the new blooming life in her arms.

On my way back going home by train while still thinking about how magical the birth of a child is, I noticed the billboard in the picture on the left.

The man in the picture is the deceased Dutch international hockey player Theodoor Doyer. He died at the age of 54 years old from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a nerve/muscle disease).

Before dying he decided to participate in this new ALS campaign. The title says: I have already died (fight with us against this ruthless disease).

The campaign is a quite straight forward confrontation (in that way maybe typical Dutch), but I think it's a campaign with a huge impact to make us aware of how ruthless and harsh the disease is.

I did see the documentary of the making-off of this campaign so I knew it would be released, but still it *is* confrontating. And you don't know who's next. We could all get it.
There are a series of posters and billboards and commercials with different people but with one resemblance: they all have already died when the billboard or commercial was posted...

If you want to know more about this campaign, please read the press release in English to know more.

I liked this weekend because...

2012-01-16T12:12:00.000+01:00

10000 eyes, a project in our city
for more safety and social cohesion.
It means we have to work together
and all keep our eyes open to realize it.

I liked this weekend because...
no plans, no dates, no appointments - reading on the sofa - lovely French cheese - writing letters and cards - a tasty avocado - crying when watching a moving scene - talking about dear Shanghai memories with my love who's there - sleeping in, while I never do that (don't need much sleep in general) - fresh orange juice - signs of spring mid winter, it gives me hope: 'No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow' - random strangers making me smile - life is what we make of it!

Six Word Saturday

2012-01-14T15:57:00.000+01:00

click on pic to know more

Perfect day of total lovely haziness!

I won't give up...

2012-01-13T10:55:00.000+01:00

A few of my friends already noticed that I'm slowly starting - or actually restarting - something I have loved for most of my life: snailmail.

Some weeks ago there was a question circling on Twitter whether there are still people interested in snail mail these days. And if so, interested in what way: postcards (through Postcrossing or just individually), holiday cards, pen palling, etc.

I started pen palling as an eight year old girl. I was home from school due to a concussion, lying flat for a few days but started to get bored after a while. My mum suggested I should write a letter to my cousin who lived in the centre of our country in those days. We wrote letters to each other for years to come.

In high school as soon as I started learning foreign languages (English, French, German) I joined several penpal clubs to get to know and become friends with teenagers around the world. Also I started writing with friends I made while traveling in the summer holidays.

I have always been interested in foreign cultures and countries and through my friends I got to know more and more about the world around us. And of course I loved loved the letters, the stories, experiences, dreams and secrets we shared. Mannn and the tears, heartbreaks... ;)

And so it still is one of my passions. Even if life came in between in the past years. Like with so many other things.

But I won't give up...

Birdy

2012-01-12T11:55:00.000+01:00

Since moving back from China, I am trying to catch up on European music again.

I so love love her!

Skinny Love by Birdy:

Slow dance

2012-01-08T18:51:00.000+01:00

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.
Do you run through each day On the fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.
Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die,
Cause you never had time To call and say,’Hi’
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower.
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

by David Weatherford

Exciting day

2012-01-07T16:12:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we met up with my high school girlfriend and her family who moved to Australia more than five years ago. They are in the Netherlands for a first real visit since then and I admit I was quite nervous and excited to see them again!

We spent our years on high school together and biked to and from school every day. Mannn I still remember the storms we had to pedal through at times. But also the non-stop giggling like only teenagers can do.

As teenagers we also traveled together; in the Netherlands we had something called 'teenager rail', which meant you could travel by train for four days as from the age of 16 years. Our parents allowed us to travel to relatives and that's what we did. We had a lot of fun. We watched the film Fatal Attraction together in the very north of our country and had nightmares in her granny's house because of it (I remember screaming "That rabbit" in the middle of the night ;). We prepared cakes in the bakery of my (now) late uncle. She forgot her braces at my grandparents' so we had to go back to get them. I remember that when arriving at the house again my granddad asked her whether she had forgotten her denture ;). It's still a fond memory of my grandfather to me (he died in my early twenties). And I had my first Big Mac with her, in those years McDonalds was still quite rare in our country and of course we had to try. Oh the memories!

We also worked together in our summer jobs in the south of France as we were eighteen years old. It was hard work. Starting work at 7am every morning, working on the fields (in the hot weather - even at 40*C), in the green houses or in the shed sorting tomatoes, melons or cucumbers until 11am, then going to the house to prepare lunch, have lunch and clear away again, maybe a quick siesta and then we had to continue work again until 8pm. Preparing dinner, having dinner and clearing away. Shower time. And going out lol... but up early again in the morning. It was huge fun though. A great chapter in my life.

We went different directions after high school but found each other again afterwards. We both started lives with our boyfriends. Started working. We got married. They left for a year of backpacking and working Australia. We met up somewhere in their tour around Oz in Melbourne. They came back to the Netherlands. They had their daughter. Got married.
But deep in their hearts they longed for Australia. And so they left again. Now permanently. But fortunately there's internet!

And now they are back... for a visit! So cool :)
It was great talking and laughing again, I so enjoyed our get-together and I have very warm feelings of it! Thanks guys!

IFFR

2012-01-05T18:18:00.000+01:00

Can't wait...

for the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012

Lovely New Year's wish

2012-01-04T19:53:00.000+01:00

This quote is making rounds on Facebook and I find it so inspirational, especially when linking it to my previous blog entry. As to remind me of it for the rest of this year I decided to post it here as well.

Great words when starting a new chapter I think!

Let's all surprise ourselves!!

New chapter

2012-01-03T21:40:00.000+01:00

Lac d'Annecy - France

After a weird year I must say I'm feeling quite relieved to leave it all behind and start another year. Even if I think it's ridiculous to pinpoint it on a date like 1 January, it still feels inspirational to start a new year.

I am feeling reenergized from this last week of the year. It was a very active week with going to gym, skiing and swimming (about five hours of sports a day ;) and I'm feeling totally relaxed because of it.
And full of plans of what I am going to do. I don't do resolutions because I don't believe in those but it's good to think about what you'd like to achieve on the longer term. To me our China adventure felt like a breaking point in my life, I have changed, things have changed and now that I'm back for a while I'm going to try and bring in the lessons I learned into daily life in the here and now. Not always easy but I love where it brought me so far and don't want to loose it now that I am back.
I learned:

- to let go more and more (living on long distance kind of forced me to do that)

- not to worry too much

- to give people some slack (a good lesson when living in a foreign culture)

- but most of all I learned to follow my own path and not whatever path others follow or expect from me. In China I learned more than ever that it's up to me to make the choices and to find out what I am comfortable with. Be me.

The China adventure felt like some kind of closure of a lot of struggling in the years before it and so I am very grateful I had the time and opportunity to get into these finals and deal with it. I can now say that I am very happy. I did it!!

I don't know where this year will bring me (we never know) but I do know I'm in a far better shape than I was last year at this time. And I am ready. Ready to start my new life! New year, new me.

Happy Birthday grandma

2012-01-02T09:58:00.000+01:00

Last night as I was going to sleep I was thinking about my grandmother. Not the one who died almost a year ago but the one who died as I was in my early twenties. It is her birthday today.

Lately I am thinking a little more often about her. I don't think I really got to know her. We lived quite on distance in my childhood, only at an older age they moved back to where they were born. She didn't seem the easiest person but I guess life wasn't easy on her either. She married my grandfather when he already had seven children. My dad was only six years old as his biological mom died.

When I think of her I most of the time think of the last visits we paid them. She died all of a sudden in her sleep so we weren't prepared. We did have some very interesting conversations in those last visits. Even at an older age she stood with two feet in the world and had her very own opinion about politics, literature and events happening around us. I liked those talks. I wonder what it would have been like if she would be still alive these days. I grew up (a lot) since my early twenties and I think we would have been able to have so many topics to talk about. Pity that we sometimes don't have the time to really get to know each other. It's important to seize the moment I guess...

So from here on earth I say cheers to you grandma...

my grandmother and me in October 1971
my mum on left, a relative on right
must say my mum looked pretty gorgeous
after delivery ;)

both grandparents (dad's side) in 1986

May all your dreams come true... in 2012

2012-01-01T22:24:00.000+01:00

New Year's Eve party

After a full week offline (yay!) and enjoying life I'm back again, right on time to wish you all

many happy moments in the new year 2012! Have a great one!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T21:42:00.000+01:00

From my corner of the world
I wish you
lovely days of wonder, light and joy!

I'm very much looking forward to this last week of the year, a little peace and quiet, time for reflection...

Closing of with one of my favorite songs for these days:

Have a good time!

Back to Shanghai

2011-12-18T15:51:00.000+01:00

photo taken through one of the windows

of the Flair Bar @ IFC Shanghai

And there I was again! Back in my one of my favorite cities. It really felt a bit like home away from home. It was so good to walk in my old street again and to go to my coffeeman in the morning. To have dinner at my favorite places. But most of all to spend some time with my friends again. It was an awesome week!

I actually did not do anything spectacular. Of course I walked through my favorite part, Old Town. I was in Tai Kang Lu. Had another Chinese lesson with my lovely Chinese teacher but we mostly chatted away ;). Had lunches with friends, dinners with friends. Shopping. The usual. But so good! I loved loved to be back.

Not in the sense that I am longing to live in China again. I am not too sure if I would like to. I am ok with living in my hometown, I am trying to get some sort of a feeling that I belong in the Netherlands again and we will see about the rest later.

Home is where the heart is, I guess it is in different places these days!

A collage of my trip:

Bella Sicilia

2011-12-17T08:30:00.000+01:00

A long overdue post. I am so behind in blogging. Time is flying so fast!

So this is where I spent my 40th! And had a very happy birthday!

Sicilia. So many influences over the years and so much history. Beautiful sights. And great food and wines. So... lots to explore for us.

The island south from mainland Italy is larger than you would think and the infrastructure not always that convenient. We rented a Fiat Panda (reminded us of the early nineties as Ingo had a Fiat Uno in those days) and drove around to get to know the island.

Our highlights... absolutely Etna. We had been to Iceland many years ago, so the volcanic landscape seemed familiar but Etna is amazing. It's the tallest active volcano in Europe (3329m) and one of the most active in the world. In winter it's possible to ski there (must be lovely skiing down with the view on the sea!) but also in summer it's pretty cold high up there (the wind made it freezing ;). It was spectacular to be walking on Etna... and seeing the former houses or restaurants being buried under the lava was so impressive. Nature is so powerful!

Another highlight was the Valle dei Templi (Valley of the temples). I must say I was totally impressed by the quality of Greek heritage there, so well preserved. Especially the Temple of Concordia (which is in the UNESCO logo btw). It's so beautiful!

In the southeast most towns were destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and built up afterwards in baroque style. It's lovely to walk around. And Noto is also known for their ice-cream... as they say the best in the world ;) while Modica is known for their chocolate. Sounds like a perfect world, no?

A nature highlight was the Riserva natural oasis faunistica di Vendicari with absolutely lovely unspoiled beaches. It was so wonderful to swim in the sea there (temperatures were still about 25*C in the week we spent there). It almost felt intrusive to make a sound though when swimming in a nature reserve ;)

The food was divine. I love salads and seafood so the Sicilian food will become one of my favorites I think. The way they marinate artichokes or fish for their salads is so good. Need to find recipes for that.

All in all, absolutely an island to get to know more about and it impressed me in many ways. I'd love to come back!

Quiet please....

2011-10-21T12:42:00.000+02:00

This weekend Dewey's Read-a-Thon will take place again. Last year I participated in a readathon as well and I loved the experience of just reading-reading-reading. Somehow these days I can't just sit down and read. Too restless and always feel guilty because there is plenty of other stuff to do 'first'. Silly, I know.

So I signed up for another readathon. I'm not sure about the scheduled 24hrs for I'm sure there will be other stuff to do, but at least I will have more of an excuse ;).
I won't read 24hrs non stop anyway as I have been sick this week so I still need my sleep. I planned this whole weekend for 24 hours of reading in total though and will see when I will do what. I already have plenty of food and drinks and of course books piled up waiting for me. I'm looking forward to it!
I will keep track of my reading on my book blog and twitter so if you wanna know more, meet me there!

Oh... and of one thing I am sure... it won't be quiet... there's a fair across the road this week ;)

Saudade

2011-10-08T10:54:00.000+02:00

One of my writing friends talked me into another writing class. Ok, I admit... he didn't have to convince me that much but still... poetry not really was my cup of tea. Of course I have been playing with words for most of my life and in my teenage years I actually did try a bit of something that might look like a poem. But besides that... I don't even understand most of Dutch poems.

So yes... I felt a bit awkward when entering that class, even if I knew that I would at least know one of my class mates. Why would I do this?

But I was not the only one of our group who didn't have a clue, it's a poetry class after all so we started off together 'playing with words'.

For our next meeting we are supposed to write about saudade. Of course my present feelings about not feeling at home in my own country yet or missing a bit of China could go for saudade. No problem to write about that.

But I kept thinking. Two of my friends (both male actually, is that a coincidence?) have been teasing me with my upcoming birthday this year... and if you want me to confess something... yes this big 4-0 has been bothering me a lot in the past year. It wasn't the easiest year of my life to begin with anyway, but it didn't help that it felt like I was approaching some kind of 'bumper of life'. I didn't have this feeling - at all - when turning 30 so why would I sense this with 40? Please tell me? It's just another number, right!

One of my friends - who died in our first year of China - was 40 years older than me and he always teased me with being 'so green and young'. And he was right of course. Age is such a relative thing. In the eyes of a teenager someone of 30 already is old, in the eyes of a 70 year old you are still so young at 30, even if you think it's 'very much adult' yourself.

And after all, don't they say that life starts at 40? Time to start new chapters?
Hmm, I guess the point is this birthday makes it even more clear that life flies by. I still remember exactly my feelings of my last birthday and it's almost a year ago again.

And was life worthwhile so far? In one way yes, in another way not so much. Do I have regrets? Yes... although I think I shouldn't. I would do things differently when I would do it again, but I guess that's all in the life lessons we get from life. But still, I'm happy...

So I'm going to celebrate... life! Like I always do. My own way though. No big party but the way I like it...

hammock weekend

2011-10-03T17:31:00.000+02:00

it makes much more fun to study in a hammock

I liked the weekend because of...

such lovely summer weather, it felt like a present - spending time together -

living outdoors - the relaxing hammock - fresh seafood - the crispy nature at this

time of the year - lovely wines - walking barefoot in the sand - and in wet grass

in the early mornings - celebrating a birthday (not mine) - it was raining tiny leaves

on me in my hammock and felt like a hot summer day at the same time -

the seawater actually wasn't too cold - finding back a friend I lost touch with -

lots and lots of cheese - great reads - Midnight in Paris (the film) - blue skies -

it was weekend...

Cooking up a storm

2011-09-30T07:40:00.000+02:00

"Chinese boat" in Rotterdam

I am feeling inspired... to cook! Which is quite unusual. I love love food, but mostly like eating it and not so much preparing it. But somehow all the fresh veggies and fruit welcoming me in Europe made me wanna cook cook cook. And I'm loving it!

And don't think I'm back to completely Dutch food now... Hmm no, we Dutch are not particularly well known for our food (apart from caramel waffles maybe? ;). And although I do have some Dutch favorites I mostly go for multiculti. So it can be from anywhere. I like to try and am adventurous in trying. Sometimes based on a recipe, at other times I start with a certain veggie. In the past weeks we have had dishes from Italy, Morocco, Thailand, India, France, Russia and China of course.

In China it wasn't all that inspiring to go grocery shopping and cook meals. Ask the average China expat and they will tell you the same story. When you have a certain dish in mind it's hard to get ingredients, you would probably have to go to several shops before you will find the most basic things (most basic in your eyes that is, not in the Chinese eyes). Besides that you'll never know whether food is safe to eat, whether veggies are treated right and most of the time they just don't taste that awesome either (which is understandable since they have to produce soooo much food for the amount of people living in a city like Shanghai - 20 mln people).

And being a two-person-household it is about as expensive or even cheaper (depends where you go) to eat out then to go through the hassle yourselves. So in the beginning we tried for a balance eating at home-eating out... but after a while we just gave up. We realized we were always cooking the same things and it was getting boring anyway. So why not have the way more interesting food outdoors.

But now... I miss the dishes I had in China and I want to cook them myself. Hmmm... from our apartment here in Rotterdam it's only about 300mtrs walking to 'the Chinese boat'. On this ship, they have a hotel, two restaurants and an oriental supermarket. I'm only interested in the supermarket since I'm not too convinced about the other stuff but... it's so interesting to walk around the market now... so I'm trying to build up a stock of some basic ingredients again and find recipes for the food I enjoyed so much in China.

Anyway... if you do have a favorite recipe from your culture, please share, I will be happy to try!

Choose your battles...

2011-09-27T09:05:00.000+02:00

One of the first things my trans-cultural teacher in Shanghai taught me was to "choose battles". Don't get mad, disappointed or freak out about everything and everyone but try to go with the flow, otherwise you won't survive this life in China. And she was sooo right!

Now back in the Netherlands - which is supposed to be familiar and my comfort zone but doesn't feel that way just yet - I kind of force myself to live to the same principal. Because life would be very hard if I wouldn't.

It's interesting to see how difficult things are here. And everything takes up so much time (I could give so many examples already e.g. it takes one month to become a Dutch resident again... why so long? they already know everything about me anyway and just need to tick a box in the computer in my opinion ;) and I need to have a lot of patience and often I find myself counting to ten because of bureaucracy and all the rules. Step by step I guess...

Anyway we moved back into our apartment in Rotterdam and I'm spring cleaning in autumn to get it a bit more livable again. For starters our apartment is about ten years old now, so apart from a cleanup because we didn't live here in the past two years, it also needs a makeover here and there.
And we need to make some space for the shipment with our Shanghai stuff which arrived last Thursday, because not everything will fit in otherwise.
The interesting thing is when moving to China we didn't bring any of our stuff and I was curious whether I would miss things. Actually I didn't... at all. And now that we are back we feel like giving/throwing away and selling a lot. We both aren't pack rats and our house is too small to collect a lot anyway but it suddenly feels like too much and very liberating to get rid of a bit here and there. So this Saturday we already started by selling stuff at a flea market ;)

Besides that I still need some more time to 'land' in my own world. I'm having my ups and downs, find it hard to make decisions, pick up the pieces of my earlier life, etc.
I find myself going through the same process as when just moved to China, which is also one of the things my trans-cultural teacher promised me... but fortunately I do have some better skills to tackle emotions this time.
I do have my own daily rhythm back though and am feeling ok most of the time but I also know there are still many steps to take. I'm back to my daily gym routine, which helps a lot as well, it keeps me sane.

So it takes time... for everything. Please bear with me ;)

Weekend in the hometown

2011-09-23T18:55:00.001+02:00

Zierikzee - Schouwen Duiveland (NL)

Technically speaking not my hometown. I was not born on this island but moved to this south west part of our country when 10 years old and spent my teenage years there and therefore it feels very much like home.

One of my girlfriends (since highschool) sings in an ensemble called WaiSiSi. In Spring she told me about their concerts coming up in the Watersnoodmuseum (flood disaster museum - the Netherlands did have a huge disaster in 1953: the 1953 North Sea flood). It would be a performance of music / choir / theater.
I didn't know yet whether we would be back by then but I noticed two of the performances would be in September/October so I waited and waited and eventually booked tickets for September. And booked the campsite close to the museum to have accommodation as well. It felt a little funny to book it all from China...

And so we left to the island. These days with the famous deltaworks (after the flood disaster the Dutch started to improve their water management and built dykes, dams and storm flood barriers) there's no need to take a ferry to this island, we can cross dams or bridges to get where we want.

The campsite is situated behind the dyke of the Oosterschelde. In 1953 this area was all gone. Also the place where I later lived for 12 years was flooded in 1953, in that village only one street survived. Many many people died in that night or later on. It took one year before the water left. It's always devastating to see how the streets looked like in those days. And it's still such a huge part of life of the people in Zeeland.

These days the area feels relatively safe. But the Netherlands will never be really really safe since it's situated below sea level. Even with the present and continuing water management there will be risks. But that's life I guess.

promo video of the performance of WaiSiSi

The concert took place in the museum and was all about the flood disaster. I didn't know what to expect (apart from the promo video) but I really enjoyed it. The voices sounded so cool together and the drama built up by the actors was very impressive. So good!
And of course it was wonderful to see my girlfriend again!

I loved loved to be back on the island. It was so much fun to run on the dyke in the early morning and see the sun coming up. We rented bikes and rode to my old street (always weird to see that things have changed ;) and to the center of the village. It was Dutch heritage day so every monument was open to public. My old church was open as well so I walked in. It was so cool to meet people from back then again.

sticky sugar & cinnamon snack

I went to the bakery and bought the local sweet snack bolus. It's nowhere as good as here in this part of the country.

We biked to Zierikzee, the town I went to highschool. It was good to see everything again. And because of Dutch heritage day also here a lot of the buildings were open to the public. Very interesting.

And the weather was so awesome we even had dinner outside on the terrace of one of my fave restaurants in town. With the sun going under...

But after dinner we had to bike back at full speed because of upcoming thunderstorms. Exactly timed (no minute too late) we arrived back at the campsite. Such bad weather at night. Fortunately we didn't get the worst of it (it all stayed at one island more southern) because I wouldn't have liked the hailstones and thunders they had.

Sunday morning it had cooled off because of the storm and it was a bit chillier but still good enough to go hiking in the National Park and we finished the weekend on one of the lovely beaches. Now that we live in the Netherlands again we should come back sooner!

Zierikzee

Viaggio nostalgico

2011-09-20T20:59:00.002+02:00

Manerba del Garda

Somehow I lost it. Didn't remember what it felt like anymore. And still...

In the past few months I felt a certain longing again.

Almost all school holidays I spent on the cobble stone beach which you see on the left. I walked through the path with the oleander trees, smelled the water...

At the first glimpse of the blue lake my face lighted up. I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face anymore. Wow! I'm back. It felt like coming home.

It was so lovely to walk around in the area again. Actually not that much had changed. The last real holiday I spent there was already more than twenty years ago. The owner of the camping and his partner still looked the same: one still walking bare feet all day with his boxer-shorts and white t-shirt, the other still the same mustache and mocking. Even he didn't manage to make disappear my smile. Besides: they still recognized me ;)

This time we only had a few days to spent there... I loved floating on the water again, watching people walking by on the beach, the espresso which nowhere is as good as in Italia, the heavenly long dinners with oh so yummie food, the sound of the water coming up the cobble stones, the speedboats further on, the sound of the stones under my feet, visiting my old familiar places, the friendly people... It felt so good to be here again!

A photo report of our trip on our way to and thru my nostalgic spot!

since it's a nostalgic trip it was kind of special to start
at a camp site in Germany where I already came as a child as well

the first of many risotto's... such a favourite dish

always wanted to see the Concorde from close by
already drove many many times along the
Sinsheim Auto & Technik Museum (Germany)
and now finally was there. I was so excited ;)

the Concorde was built for small French persons
I think because there wasn't much room:
small chairs, small aisles

love this beer garden - Nenzing (Austria)

camp sites these days can be so posh ;)

we used to go skiing in St Anton (Austria)

a little different to see it in summer

Lago di Resia (Italia)

Mals-Vinschgau / Malles Venosta (Italia)

wherever you go in Italy: the espresso is awesome
and the view...

even on the white mountains

place your order on the form for the next day

and the next morning you would find your bread
in the basket with the same number as your pitch ;)

Alpe di Siusi, Dolomiti, Italia...

what a lovely place to enjoy my espresso :)

lots of places where Heidi could have lived

loved hiking here

the good life

siesta for cows

my fave Heidi house

Hugo & me

Ingo enjoying the good life

Fie-allo-Sciliar / Völs-am-Schlern (Italia)

beautiful green roof tiles

beautiful crosses

lovely door

appero with a view on the Lago di Garda (Italia)

one of the towns along the Lago: Salo' del Garda

love this sign on the music school

lunch at the lakeside

in my childhood on the last day
of every summer holiday al Lago
a pic would be taken ;)
the background with la Rocca is very dear to me

and the morning after,
not quite awake yet
despite my early morning run
but the best espresso :)

forever linked to the Lago di Garda
in my memory at least ;)

in my childhood I spent many hours in this old church
in Pieve di Manerba

central church of Manerba del Garda

Desenzano del Garda
a very very rainy one, that is
almost impossible to take pics
so I'd have to come back again :)

Glorenza - Val Venosta (Italia)

Merano (Italia)

ooooooh

Castelbello - Val Venosta (Italia)

Val Venosta is apple land
apples wherever you go

and wine of course

Zugspitze (Austria)
the kitchen wasn't open yet... but they opened earlier
to get us our Germknödels :)
and Almdudler to drink with it...

Going Dutch... the real way

2011-08-19T19:21:00.000+02:00

So we thought... maybe we should go a little more 'cold turkey'... just go all the way...

A weekend on the countryside in the Netherlands... in the rain... that must give the real Dutch feeling, right. Feeling back home in a sec...

A few years ago we had our first experience with this so called farmers bed when friends of us holidayed there for a couple of weeks and we payed them a visit. This time we spent the weekend with them at farm house De Pippert in Ophemert.

The accommodation is a big tent on a wooden floor with furniture, but from the early days. There's no electricity, but candles and a woodstove to cook (slowwww cooking). One double room, and old fashioned bed (more like a wooden hut) for the children, a bunk bed room and a bathroom (showers in the farm house). In the living room there's a huge dining table. Outside there's another woodstove and a picknick table (for when it doesn't rain).

We have seen all types of weather but we did see the sun (!) so we shouldn't really complain (although it would be really Dutch to complain about the weather, because the Dutch do... all the time ;). Anyway... we had a great weekend!

The Pippert is a dairy farm (delivers their milk to a famous Dutch cheese factory: Leerdammer) and the kids - and they so enjoyed that - could help feeding the calves, cuddle the smaller animals (there are goats, chickens, rabbits, cats), there's a hay barn to play in and of course there are many many cows!

I really enjoyed the guided tour they organized for us to get to know all the new techniques and methods used these days in a dairy farm. So cool!

Ah well... after this weekend I at least didn't remember anymore what it smells like in Shanghai...

Shanghai-lights

2011-08-10T13:26:00.110+02:00

me @Taikang Lu, Shanghai
one of my last nights as a resident

What I miss...

in no particular order...

~ Getting to know such a different culture from so close by. Learning from them, re-evaluating my own values and standards. Sometimes I learned to let go things from back home, other times I started appreciating things from back home even more. I made a bit of their culture mine. I guess at a certain point I ended up somewhere in the middle of both European and Chinese culture (still more western haha). Anyway, it was a great lesson of life!

~ The dynamics of Shanghai, today is never yesterday: a shop can be a shoe shop in the morning and a fruit shop in the afternoon. Whenever I would walk in the streets, I would always be surprised by something. I love it.

~ Never a dull moment, even if that could be frustrating at times ;)

~ The friends!! They all seem so faraway now. Of course there's the internet and they are only one flight away, but still I miss them all so much!

~ Tracy, my Mandarin teacher and all our wonderful talks about her Chinese culture and my European culture. We will try to continue our lessons by Skype, but still... it will be different.

~ Doppio espresso with or without one of their irresistible blueberry muffins @Costa Coffee. It's so great to have a good coffee place across the road.

~ The easy access to food... from street food, noodle soups and cheap sushi and sashimi to great restaurants, all around the corner.

~ The newest films on dvd for only 50ct from our street vendors Joey & Annie, we bought from them already a long time ago, way before we moved to China.

~ The anonymity. Living there where nobody knows you. Even if you meet up with a lot of the same people every week again... it's a weird temporary life... it makes you fuzzy and confused at times, but it is so liberating as well.

My personal Shanghai-lights in sightseeing's:

~ Old Shanghai, to wander around in those areas where people still live their life the way they used to...

~ Duolun Lu, the cultural area.

~ Everywhere they sell street food... I love food markets, wherever in China... it enormously attracts me.

~ SWFC (left) or the handbag/bottle opener. The highest building in Shanghai and I love it, by day and night

~ and her smaller sister next to her: Jinmao (right)... one of my fave buildings in SH.

~ The Bund, the boulevard along the river or the opposite one River Side park.

~ Taikang Lu... where I went for the lovely places to eat, or just sit and enjoy life.

My favorite restaurants (in no particular order):

~ Haiku, the best sushi in China... the Californian way! I so liked sitting at the sushi bar where you can watch the guys preparing the sushi and have fun with the crew. If only I think of Haiku...

~ The Flying Fox, I will miss my Friday night pub nights so much!! Graham & Lee, his son and their crew: Lucy, Selina, Laura, Emmy, Peggy, Aria and all the others! I loved this place. They gave me the home away from home feeling, every time again.

~ Kakadu, Australian restaurant & bar. Great cocktails with Bundaberg rum. Lovely original food and a wonderful crew.

~ Pin Chuan: spicy chinese and sizzling dishes. And many more Chinese restaurants, but I had to pick one ;)

~ Kathleen's 5: one of the most beautiful restaurants. As I walked in there the very first time (it's on the top floor of the Shanghai Art Museum) the smell reminded me of the office of the diocese in Rotterdam where I used to work years ago. I guess it was the smell of some wax for the floors or furniture ;). Anyway, I completely forgot the smell again when arriving at the restaurant. It's a great place and I love the ambiance there!

~ Kommune and Origin, my fave places in Taikang Lu. Both have oh so yummie food and I could sit there for hours!

~ Din Tai Fung: for the best xiaolongbao's, steamed dimsums with meat and soup.

~ El Willy: The most amazing food at this Spanish restaurant with a gorgeous garden.

~ Delight Food, for when I felt homesick: they have bitterballen (!) and Belgian fries with mayo, my fave beer Chimay Bleu, chicory (the Flemish way), and all kinds of typical Flemish food. The owner is Chinese but studied in Leuven, Belgium, speaks Flemish fluently. So funny to hear that.

And what I don't and won't miss... even if you get used to everything after a while...

~ The Chinese firewall, which made that my 'life line' to the Netherlands and the rest of the world frequently was blocked because of internet not working or *very* slow (no photo uploading etc), websites not being accessible, VPN's that got blocked. At some days just nothing worked.

~ The quality and safety of food, the continuing scandals around it which make you insecure. Ok... it's just a matter of not thinking about it and going on... but it's annoying.

~ The safety of health care. That they actually don't care so much for your health, but only the money you bring in. That you don't know whether doctors have any certification or whatsoever. That when you really have a medical problem, you actually would need to go abroad to Hong Kong or further away. So what if you can't? Because you don't have the money or your problems are too severe to fly? It's scary.

~ That you can't cross the street in a safe way. Never. They won't even care if you are walking there with your small kids... they will just drive over your toes anyway. A green light doesn't say anything.

~ The smell of sewage, garbage and whatever... every morning when I walked to gym... eeewww.

~ The spitting, phlegming, the clearing the nose thing, the scraping the throat noises...
and whatever they do more. It's disgusting when you stand next to them.
But I must say... it didn't bother me that much anymore after a while.
I guess I stopped hearing it after a while or blocked it lol!

~ The always pushing and jumping queues. If there is a queue at all that is...
I'm aware of it now and much more self-assertive but in the beginning they would so sneakily get in front of me at the pay desk or a ticket machine in the subway station. I get very mean when they do now lol. You really learn how to stand up for yourself in China ;)

~ The staring... even with their mouths open. Ok... I'm a laowai (foreigner), yeah I know. Sometimes I even said it loudly in Mandarin. They would look surprised and walk away.
I got used to the staring and asking for photos... but at some days I loved my black glasses and Ipod and remained in my own little world.

All in all

this was one of the most interesting and special experiences in life ever, which I wouldn't have wanted to miss out on. It was not always easy and I got to know myself in ways I not particularly liked at times. But it was so worthwhile. It gave me so much as well!!
It's a country and culture I deeply deeply love, but can hate thoroughly too. So intriguing. And I'm not done yet. I will come back, one way or the other ;)
In the end no one can take this experience from me.
It's in my heart.

But.... it's time for a new chapter now... and I'm curious where that one will bring me!

Limbo

2011-08-02T07:38:00.000+02:00

the famous CCTV building in Beijing
created by Rotterdam architecture Rem Koolhaas
- under construction hence the pic -

Back to the roots… back to reality.

It feels like I have to squeeze in into my own life again, to the one I left two years ago and it doesn’t fit anymore… such a weird feeling!!

This feels totally different then when going back to your own country for a visit. This is for real!

And It doesn’t feel like I belong here. It feels like I’m in no man’s land, a twilight zone.

Of course at first it feels weird to be able to use tab water again while brushing your teeth (wow I can drink it!).

Or to surf on the internet without any restrictions (hey I don’t need my VPN to go onto Blogger or Facebook ;)

Or to go to the supermarket and products you thought you would find aren’t there anymore (yes, you were away for two years).

Or that traffic is so much safer (hey I can cross the street!)

And of course life is more practical/comfortable here…

But these are the minor changes in life you won’t even recognize anymore after a few weeks.

The thing is… I’m different…

And I feel lost… in my own country and world.

I knew this would happen… but it is overwhelming…

One step at a time I guess…

Bye bye Shanghai

2011-07-30T18:15:00.011+02:00

me @Hongqiao airport on one of my travels

As soon as I waved goodbye to the husband and the driver who dropped me off at the airport in Pudong my emotions started to get the better of me. I walked around the corner and I cried… huge tears. And I’m sooooo not like that usually. I hardly ever cry. This adventure really has gotten under my skin. So much. When thinking back of those last moments in SH I get emotional again. It’s such a weird feeling…
And still I find myself thinking… ok, this is just another holiday back home and in a few weeks I will fly back to SH again ;)
But no… next time I fly to Shanghai, it will be for a visit only…

A friend of a friend wrote this poem about saying goodbye to Shanghai and I thought it would be nice to add this to this post today. It’s not entirely the way I see it but it moved me nonetheless...

Zàijiàn Shànghǎi

It’s time to go. Shanghai has given you thirst for knowledge, while pearls of wisdom flow.
As fireworks explode one last time, New Year will have deeper meaning.
Do not expect your friends at home to understand, you are different now.

So-long Zàijiàn, so-long to the Frog and the fog or was it smog?
Farewell the Bund, Pearl Tower and Xintiandi.
As visitors you have explored Beijing, Great Wall and clay soldiers seen,
Silk route to name a few have become great memories too – xièxie nǐ Shànghǎi.
Drink one last Tsingtao beer, you will not find it on the menu at home.
Zàijiàn!

Oh tàitai wǒde péngyou, we had some fun. Meet at Starbucks that’s number one.
Relax with a foot rub before the gang dine on dumplings or noodles, hěn hǎo chī anytime!
Forage for food to prepare at home you cycled to Carrefour, well stocked in local fare, delicacies include live toads, eels and black eggs you need?
Isles of soy sauce, MSG to taste, the queues are long – too long to wait. Pines, City store seemed a glorious place.

Zàijiàn to friends in Shanghai. Xièxie nǐ the ayi, give her one last hug.
She helped so much, kept you sane at times.
Your sock draws will never look the same, but those precious clothes soon safe from Clorox bleach. “Bù kèqì”.

Close your eyes now and then to hear the mopeds too.
Doze off to a foot massage in bliss, absolute.
View the Bund deeply etched in your mind, memories to soften as a new chapter untwines.
“Hey lady, I give you good price”. Oh! What a treat! We could buy one every week. Like the movies accumulated and scarves in every hue, pray that the furniture we collected will fit in too.

Míngtiān has finally arrived. Quick… one last trip to Nanjing xi lu.
Qǐng huānyíng the bustle and the hustle.
Underground market to negotiate – your last, last price.
Negotiation skills like pīnyīn shelved with old purses and handbags.
When you find the shopping malls at home, don’t be overwhelmed.
All sized! Fixed prices! Welcome the change.
Savour the memories.
Zàijiàn Shànghǎi, wǒde péngyou, zàijiàn.

By Sue McCallum

Packing up

2011-07-28T05:57:00.002+02:00

We didn't bring our stuff to Shanghai - just our suitcases - and moved into a furnished apartment. I still remember the feeling when moving in. Would I like it? Would I miss my personal belongings? No... not in the least. I never looked back ;)

Now, two years later, it's time to pack up. The contract is done and we decided to move back. For now, that's the best thing to do. With mixed emotions though. A part of me does not want to go - at all! China got under my skin and into my heart...

So I have been going through the apartment in the past weeks and through the stuff we collected here. Our house was furnished well (especially compared to what I have seen in houses of friends here), I'm not a big shopper and not a pack-rat either so I guessed it would be a piece of cake. But maaaannn there was still so much to go through... and all those memories built up in those two years ;)

China has been a wonderful experience... tough and intense at times, many ups and downs, many many impressions...
It was the most interesting thing to get to know such a foreign culture from so close by, to have the cultural lessons, to learn the language (a bit ;), to travel around, to learn from it all and even to adjust a little here and there. I guess I became a little less Dutch/European and a little more Chinese. Only a little though ;).
And it was also very interesting to get this break in life... not easy but interesting.
Last but not least (on the contrary) I met some great friends, of whom some have become very very dear to me. I really hope we will be able to remain friends despite living in different parts of the world.

I will keep all these memories in my heart... thanks China you gave me something amazing!

Xi'an

2011-07-23T06:12:00.003+02:00

As my departure time approached I felt like doing one more trip. So I booked my flights for a combined city trip. First to Xi’an and from there to Beijing.
I had never been to Xi’an and it’s a kind of ‘must see-must do’ thing in China and of course I wanted one more trip to my fave city.

Xi’an literally means western peace. It is the most eastern point of the Silk Road. During the Tang Dynasty it was the capital of China and most probably the largest city on earth (about 1 mln people).

I wasn’t lucky in Xi’an because it was raining cats and dogs. Most of the time I was completely soaked and muddy but I tried to make the best of it anyway although I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked. In my photos you will see a lot of water and umbrella’s but I guess I will have to go back some day to have some brighter pics ;)

I did enjoy my stay in the city though, it really has a great ambiance. My favourite place to go was the Muslim quarter. Of course the food was attractive but also the Great Mosque. What a beautiful serene site!!

The next day I walked to the train station to find a bus to go and see the Terracotta Army. I got into a public bus, which brought me to the site, 35km’s away and only 7 RMB (about 70 eurocents). Don’t expect too much from adventures like this… on my way back I had a driver who at one point was smoking, talking on his mobile phone, cleaning his ears with some kind of thingie and oh yeah… he was driving too ;). He was hooting at every crossing to see if more passengers would want to come with us so the bus was overloaded in no time. No wonder accidents like the one of this week can happen in China…

Anyway… I got to the site of the Terracotta Army and it was very impressive.
It's another one of the many China’s Unesco world heritage sites. The statues (3rd cent BC) were discovered in 1974 by some local farmers. There are warriors, chariots, horses, officials, musicians, etc. A lot is still to be discovered as well.
It all was meant to help defend Qin Shi Huang’s empire in his afterlife. I find this is quite an interesting way of thinking… and it made the whole site all the more impressive… sooo many of these statues!!
Anyway, I had read a lot about it and there’s an interesting theater on site, which shows the backgrounds as well. There are three different pits with statues and especially the last one is huge, it’s like an hangar for airplanes but then full of statues. Very very interesting!

Hunan

2011-06-28T07:56:00.000+02:00

From Guizhou, Guiyang we took a plane (small one, I had to bend my head to fit in... made for Chinese ;) to Hunan, Tongren. A short flight, arrived there in no time.
When arriving in Tongren I heard the arrival song (a lot of airlines do have a song when arriving) and it was a Belgium kid's pop song (in Flemish, which is quite similar to Dutch)... sooo funny. I was singing along with the lyrics. Of course people were watching me, cause no one knew the song but me.

From Tongren we drove to Phoenix Town. Phoenix is another water town but more touristy than its sister in Guizhou. But charming nonetheless. Because of all the rain falling down without end Phoenix was flooded. The water decreased a bit before we arrived but the day we left it increased again. Guess we were lucky. In the photos you will notice it anyway.

The next day we had a lovely experience. In Huoluping, we visited a Miao farm house and stayed with the people for four hours. Sooo interesting! They seemed genuinely interested in us (as much as we were in them). The local guide told that he brings guests only three times a year. Guess that's why it was still special to them. We learned a lot about their traditions... their music: they sung and danced for us; their costumes: one of the ladies even took of her costume and jewelry and let me try it (cool!!); their food: they cooked for us and of course they wanted to have us 'gambei' with them... drink their local strong alcohol. Fortunately I'm a woman so wasn't 'forced' ;). Oh and no bathrooms here... when you feel the need you just go to the next room where the animals are. Great experience though to have a staring pig on your left and a cow and calf on your right and chickens tripping around you!! I had a *huge* smile on my face :D.

We also visited a farmer's market. I was really curious to it. I knew it wouldn't look like a European market (couldn't resist to have a French or Italian one in mind... oh so wrong I know) but it was very very interesting. Very friendly and accommodating people again and such a lovely market.

Another highlight in this area of Hunan is Tianzishan (mountain) in Zhangjiajie (remember Avatar?). This area - on the Unesco list - is made up of three adjoining subtropical parklands, with quartzite sandstone peaks and pillars. The area is know for the fog. We would visit different parts of the park on two following days so plenty of time to be lucky. And we were! The first day there was loads of fog which made it all look very mysterious. The second day it was a bright bright day full of sunshine. It was fun though that we still kept complaining (too much fog for photos, too much light for photos... but I do prefer the foggy photos). We had great fun nonetheless. Although in the end... I was sooo done with all these rocks and stones ;). Oh yes... and who would have thought the Chinese would build the highest outdoor elevator in this park. It's kind of ridiculous and they almost lost the Unesco nomination because of it.

Anyway... it was a great trip and I learned so much about China and its culture again. It's something that will keep amazing me. The more I learn about it, the more I want to learn and explore...

Guizhou

2011-06-27T07:55:00.000+02:00

One of the most interesting aspects of China for me is the so many different minority groups still living the traditions and lifestyle they have been living for ages.

The goal for this trip was to get to know the Miao people better.

Guizhou is known as the rainy province.... and it showed! Born in the Netherlands I know quite a bit about rain but Guizhou was totally wet. Of course I hadn't brought an umbrella. Naah, don't need one, I'm Dutch ;). Anyway... the saying in Guizhou is: a sunny day is a lucky day! Go figure.

But it's sooo beautiful! Not only because it's so green. But also because of the many many ricefields here and there throughout the landscape. Agriculture is handwork here... no machines. And it's a hard life... amazing.

The people were so friendly again. The good thing about having a local guide is that he knows the local lingo and that way I got to know much more about the people.

Anyway... this time the trip started at Beijing, flying to Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou. From there we drove to Kaili where we visited our first Miao village. Their source of income is agriculture and paper making. It was interesting to see how their - still so handmade - process was going on. They said that even famous painters from Beijing come to get their paper here... you keep wondering why they wouldn't upgrade their methods then but still, it was interesting.

In Kaili we had the local speciality for dinner: fish hot pot. To be honest: I'm not a big fan of fish in China since... well their way of thinking about keeping rivers reasonably free from chemicals just is a bit different. But... I did enjoy the fish hot pot. It was absolutely tasteful!

The next morning we drove to the next Miao village Shidong, known for their silver making. In the photos you will see pictures of Miao women beautifully dressed up with silver jewelry and headworks. It's such hard work to make these ornaments. And heavy to wear. It's lovely though.

We then drove to Zhenyuan, a lovely ancient water town. It's such a charming place to walk around: the houses along the river but also in the main streets. I loved walking around (despite the rain ;). Not too touristy, just charming. We visited Qinglong Cave, where a temple was integrated into the rocks. Beautiful!

In Feiyun Cliff we visited another temple integrated into the rocks. It wasn't restored and the rain actually gave it a bit of a dramatic look. I really liked it.

We walked through the paddy fields to another Miao village, Paika. No tourists, just locals living their daily life, not even paying attention to us much. Really interesting to walk there and to get an insight look into their lives. We visited some traditional lusheng (a typical flute) makers.

The next village we visited was Langde... the people here were definitely more used to tourists and waiting for us with their baskets full of stuff to try and sell us their souvenirs... Still it was an interesting village to walk around.

And we ended our trip in Guizhou with a great meal in a Dong (another minority group) restaurant in Guiyang.

Beijing

2011-06-26T05:08:00.000+02:00

the Bird's nest and me...
I look so tiny in combi with the stadium

Beijing is a totally different city than Shanghai. To me Beijing seems so much more laid-back, Chinese and even interesting. When I talk to people - either living in Beijing or Shanghai or having experiences with both - I notice that there are very different opinions. Ok... I know most Amsterdam people don't want to live in Rotterdam and vice versa. And so most Beijing people don't like Shanghai people and vice versa. So this rivalry maybe is just a common thing in a lot of countries.

Anyway... I like to go to Beijing and actually think I never go there often enough. It's a two hours flight so that's not the point. It just doesn't happen very often. For this time I didn't make too many plans. In previous trips I always had people joining me... either I had the company driver who toke me to places (outside of the city) or a Chinese friend guiding me. This time I just wanted to wander and get lost. I love doing this in cities. And I met so many friendly people on my way. I found it much easier to connect with random people along the way than it is in Shanghai. I really had a good time.

Many many highlights in this trip but I didn't take photos of all of it (most of the time I just enjoyed life...) so I will just share what I have.

Olympic Park
I hadn't been there yet and it's so easy to go to. The subway stops right under it. Just wanted to take a few pics of the Bird's nest and the Aquatic Center... having so many memories of the Olympics.
At a certain moment I was taking pics of myself in front of the Bird's nest and while doing that two guys came up to me and offered to take a pic of me in front of the nest. One of them took a pic with my cam while the other... took a pic of me with his own cam. Sooooo Chinese ;). I'm used to things like this now but it still always makes me smile when it happens.

Lama Temple
So many people told me I had to go to Lama Temple. To be honest... I have visited soo many temples in China already that it's not easy to get impressed anymore (ouch... this sounds just awful, not meant that way... but a lot of temples are just too... much). I do have a few favorites though... and lovely memories.
So Lama is nice but overly crowded with tourists and tourist groups (hmm yes you are right... I am a tourist too right...). But I guess deep down there is a part of me that still longs to find some solitude and serenity in religious places ;).

China culture: qipao

2011-05-31T15:16:00.001+02:00

my qipao & me

Finally... I got my first qipao. Always wanted one but I guess it's one of those things you never do until you are forced to do it ;).

Anyway... I got an invitation to a party with the dress code: Old Shanghai. Which means I had to get a qipao. Such a good excuse! I like occasions like that.
Must say I'm pretty pleased with the result :D. I so love the dress.

And the shoes. My ridiculously high heel shoes. Ok, wasn't easy. My size (though very regular back in Europe) is a little on the big side here. And I didn't have time and patience to have them made. So I went to H&M, Zara and the like. At Zara I had so much fun. Only afterwards though. I tried on a pair of shoes, with a zip at the heel. But... it wouldn't open again and so I was stuck in the shoe. So there I was sitting on the floor of the shop with a shoe that wouldn't go off my foot. My girlfriend walked away to get one of the sales girls. She arrived but couldn't fix it herself so walked away again to come back with a boy. Eventually I had two Chinese people working on my foot. Tearing and pushing... Eventually the boy left and came back with scissors and they cut the shoe open. Pity... the shoes were nice. But I was done with it anyway and left the shop. I love the shoes I bought eventually in a real shoeshop. They are 10cm high although you wouldn't say that from the photo (even if you click on it to have it enlarged... I'm not kidding though ;). Very comfy shoes and I suddenly was almost taller than Ingo lol!

At the party it was so interesting to see what everyone else had come up with. Of course it's a lot of work to get organized for parties like this but then again it's so much fun as well :)

to give you a better look at the lovely details

Exploring China: Pingyao

2011-05-28T03:05:00.032+02:00

And another trip! Leaving for the weekend. Going west.
We flew in to Taiyuan at night. Of course we had delay (air traffic congestion is the standard excuse) so we arrived late in the hotel. Still we felt like a walk in the surroundings. Not that there was much to see or to explore but it was fun to look a bit around anyway.

The next morning we left early for Pingyao, a 2700 year old city in Shanxi province, dating from late Ming and Qing Dynasties. The most striking part is the city wall. Besides that there are lovely siheyuan (courtyard houses) and enormous family mansions.

We stayed in one of the courtyard guesthouses as well, it's always special to stay in places like that. Not always the most comfortable but it does give an extra dimension to a trip in China.

The Family Wang's courtyard is a famous complex, it's also called the Forbidden City of Shanxi. It *is* enormous. During Ming Dynasty Family Wang started working in agriculture, trade and politics and things went so well that it was time to show off a bit ;). The construction of the courtyard took more than half a century and the complex stretches about 31.956m2.

One of the most interesting places we visited was Liang village. No tourists at all, just daily life. Part of the village are cave houses. Very basic so I guess that's why a lot of the people moved out eventually. The people in Liang were so friendly and accessible. And they seemed as curious to us as we were to them ☺.

In Pingyao we walked on the city wall of course: great view over the city. And Pingyao also is a nice city in itself, especially when you leave the beaten paths with all the souvenir shops and go for a walk in the back alleys. There you will find the daily life, the peace and quiet.

Pingyao used to be the financial center of China in the late Qing Dynasty. The Rishengchang bank was considered the first bank of China, it's now a museum about banking in China in the 19th and 20th century.

At night we got to see a bit of Chinese opera. I had heard from quite a few westerners that they didn't like it much (cat howling ;) but although I didn't understand a word of it I found it very special to attend, even was emotional at times.

In the dustbowl of China

2011-05-24T16:36:00.000+02:00

The next trip was to the northwest. This time we went the two of us for the weekend. Actually we had planned a different trip to Gansu province but due to some Tibetan issues we foreigners were not allowed to go there. So instead we left for the neighbouring provinces Ningxia and Inner Mongolia.

Already when approaching Yinchuan (capital of Ningxia) and looking out of the plane window I noticed a lot of sand... it looked like an enormous sandbox. We were definitely in for some desert experience! One of the first comments our local guide told us was to be careful with our camera because of the sand ;). Fortunately we had lovely weather and didn't end up in the sand storm they experienced a few days before our arrival.

Ningxia is an autonomous province in China and was stipulated in 1958 to be a Muslim province for the Hui Minority people. There are quite a few Hui living there but also a lot of them live outside of Ningxia. Besides that in the meantime many Hui married Han Chinese so that it isn't always possible to see the difference between the two cultures, but it does give an interesting dimension to the local community. The food is a little different too. We ate lots of sheep over the weekend :). My favourite was this spicy soup with sheep meat and fish balls, loved it!!

We visited Helan Shan, a mountainous area which separates Ningxia and Inner Mongolia. We saw some lovely rock carvings and visited the twin pagoda's of Baisikou. I loved the rugged mountains, it always looks so desolate. I do have a soft spot for sceneries like this :)

For you who don't know: the Great Wall does have different stages from different ages and structures. In Ningxia there are some old parts dating from Ming Dynasty. It looks very different to the picture I guess we all have in mind when thinking of the Great Wall. It's interesting to see though! We weren't allowed to stop there so I had to take a picture through the window but it's still very visible and I like how it looks like. We later visited another part of the wall which was more turned into a theme park than anything else. I kind of had mixed feelings about that.

We drove into the desert in 4WD cars, a real sand dune experience. Years ago in Western Australia we had done that ourselves (and back then the yoghurts and eggs had started a lovely marriage in our fridge because of the going up and down in the dunes haha) so we kind of knew what to expect. It was an awesome 45 minutes drive again though!

Once in the desert where we stayed at the Moon Lake we went for a camel ride to Sun Lake and back. It was so beautiful to be in the lovely empty desert (so silent) and to let the camels bring us up and down the dunes of sand. It was just so wonderful. The ride took 2.5hrs so we were kind of bruised when it all was finished but it was so worth the experience!

We also visited the Xixia Tombs (also called Oriental Pyramids or the Pyramids of China). These tombs are the remnants of nine Western Xia emperor's tombs and two hundred other tombs within a 50 km2 area. I must say it was kind of weird to see all those tombs, a bit mysterious really.

So although we had planned a different weekend it still was a very interesting trip with a mixture of action and fun and culture. We had a good time!

Shangri-La

2011-04-29T08:00:00.049+02:00

And eventually we arrived at the destination with the highest altitude of our trip: Shangri-La (Zhongdian). Fortunately still no signs of the altitude sickness and the scenery is sooo beautiful! I loved waking up in the morning seeing the snowy mountains (ok, I'd have to look well ;) and I so loved the crispy air.

I still have to read the book of James Hilton "The lost horizon" but Zhongdian was - following the book - renamed to Shangri-La in 2001 to attract more tourists. There are however more places in the world that claim Hilton's story was based on them.
It didn't make much difference to me... Shangri-La or Zhongdian, the place in itself was magical enough for me and I will keep the memories in my heart.

I loved the rugged landscape, the thin air and the Tibetan farms. The most impressive to me was the enormous Songzanlin monastery, a complete village. Really wonderful to walk around...

Sadly but true, the end of the trip was there though, but it will remain a week never to forget :)

Lijiang

2011-04-29T07:30:00.001+02:00

So many people told me to go to Lijiang because it would be one of the most interesting places to visit in China. So I guess my expectations got higher and higher ;)

Lijiang is approximately 800-900 years old and dates from the Southern Song Dynasty. After a huge earthquake in februari 1996 UNESCO got interested and in the meantime it is mentioned on the well-known list.

It is a charming town with nice houses, cobblestones and old canals but it is very touristic as well. Especially in the second half of the afternoon it got very crowded with tour groups. Oh wait, I was in a tour group myself lol. Anyway. There are still plenty of back alleys to go wandering though.

The town is known for the Naxi culture. This minority group originates from Tibetan nomads and they have the most beautiful script (see photos below)!

Our guesthouse is situated on top of Lion Hill with a lovely view over the town roofs. It was built in Naxi style and filled with traditional furniture. I had more the feeling that I was sleeping in a museum than in a guesthouse but it was an interesting experience ;)

The next morning we left again for a bus ride through the mountains (fortunately we had a good driver).

First we visited Zhiyunsi monastery (Tibetan), which also is a school (seminary) for boys till 18 years old (they choose then whether they want to enter). It really is a nice monastery. I loved loved the temple (no photos allowed so you would have to believe my words ;). Beautiful coloured fabrics and such a serene atmosphere.

After this we drove to the Tiger Leaping Gorge, it is said to be the world's deepest river canyon. The legend tells that a tiger - to escape its hunter - jumped from one side to the other, hence the name.

Shaxi

2011-04-29T07:00:00.005+02:00

The next stop is Shaxi, a smaller town in between Dali and Lijiang. During the Tang Dynasty Shaxi formed a market place on the southern silkroute for tea and horses. Shaxi probably is the most authentic horse caravan town along the old tea route to southeast Asia and Europe.

Shaxi was renovated in a cooperation between the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and Jianchuan County, which shows in the way they restored things, using old materials and their eye for detail.

For me Shaxi absolutely was one of the highlights of our Yunnan trip. I loved the charm and quiet peacefulness.

Dali

2011-04-29T06:30:00.066+02:00

Another early morning... alarm clock at 4.30 again to catch our flight to Dali. The hotel was still asleep, even in the lobby there were people sleeping ;). But our breakfast packs were waiting for us. So we were ready to go.

I was feeling a bit grumpy because of sleepless nights but that disappeared as snow in the sun when boarding the plane. Why wouldn't I... I love to travel. And we had fun :)

Dali has an altitude of 2200m, is situated at a lake and is divided in an older part and a more modern part. Most people are Bai (minority group). Bai = white, which is used in the houses and clothes. Also our hotel was built in Bai style (it was a bit big though, we hardly couldn't find the way back to our rooms ;).

At the other side of the Erhai lake we visited a Bai fishing village. It looked so authentic and peaceful. Loved walking around.

After lunch we took the cable car to visit Cangshan (highest peak is 4200m). In China it used to be possible to bury your dear ones wherever you felt like doing it. But seeing all the graves under the cable car made us wonder what that said about the quality of the cable car ;)
Up on the mountain we walked, visited a temple and had a great view on Dali and the lake.

Back in the valley we walked into the historic center. I loved the market... and all the yummie smelling food (guess I was hungry ;). You had to walk carefully though, the street was very greasy of the oils used for cooking. At days like this I love my hiking boots... I never have to think where to put my feet lol.

It was wonderful to look around: people watching. So many interesting faces, especially the older ones, so much character. The great thing on the countryside is that people look as much curious your way as you look their way.

No Starbucks or other coffee chains here and outside of the cities it isn't easy to get a decent coffee anyway. Due to the altitude my head felt a little groggy so I really felt like a strong espresso. When walking through old town I suddenly noticed a sign: Italian coffee. Ok, I thought: let's give it a try! The girl looked a bit like: ohoh what I'm going to do now... But she made me a perfect espresso. So good that I wanted another one. It was half the price of a Shanghai espresso anyway. And gone was my headache :)

Shilin

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000+02:00

At first I thought I was the only non-Chinese in the airplane but all of a sudden another westerner arrived and she turned out to have booked the same trip. So we were in it together :)

In Kunming we were picked up and brought to the rest of the group who had arrived a bit earlier from Beijing and were waiting for lunch. Quite an international group: two French, two Italians, two Australians, two Germans, one Brit and me. Besides this crowd we had a guide from Beijing who would join us for the whole trip and a different local guide in every town. Loved this international touch.

After lunch we drove to Shilin (Naigu Stone Forest), a park with karst formations, since 2007 listed on UNESCO Worldheritage.
The legend tells that Shilin is the place of birth of Ashima, a pretty Yi (minority group) girl. Because she couldn't marry her loved one she turned into a stone...
In the clothes of some minority groups you can see what is the status of a woman. The girl in the photos below shows that she is single by the three triangles on her hat.

Some time to breathe: exploring Yunnan

2011-04-29T05:01:00.004+02:00

Ok, I think you cannot leave this country without knowing it at all so that's why I'm learning the language (at least making the effort lol), following cultural lessons, reading all those books, watching films, etc. And exploring. Lots of exploring.

Yunnan was on my list, top 5. I so wanted to go there. And the easiest way was joining a trip. I think you can do it on your own as well, but just need a lot more time to prepare and organize and to do it, because in China nothing ever will go as planned. So I looked for an organization that I would like and booked a week to Yunnan.
So there I was, at the airport waiting for my plane to Kunming. I was so excited, because it was my first group travel ever and Yunnan has a huge altitude which can also cause trouble.

But no worries. It was wonderful. I sooo enjoyed it! We had a lovely crowd of people and Yunnan truly is one of the most beautiful areas to travel around. So I had a great week. A week I will never forget!!

Yunnan is one of the most beautiful and interesting provinces in China. It has 25 different minority groups with each their own customs, clothes, food, languages, houses, etc. A beautiful scenery (altitudes till +6000m) and a lot of agriculture. It was a week of breathing deeply and being happy in all that fresh air :)

Will tell you all about the trip in the following entries, I will split it by location: the trip started in

Kunming (centre at 1900m) where we visited Shilin, Stone Forest, from there we flew to Dali (2200m), by bus we drove to Shaxi, Lijiang (2500m) and Shangri-La (3200m) and from there we took the airplane back to Kunming and then it was time again to fly back home to Shanghai...

Chinese knots: snake knot

2011-04-20T13:11:00.001+02:00

I guess even people who know me just a little bit will have noticed my arm full of friendship bracelets and other kind of 'strings'. Wherever I go I always look out for these thingies.

I do have some favourites, among them the Greek one (handmade by a monk from a monastery in the middle of nowhere at Peloponnesos where I was a few years ago) is very dear to me. And he did a great job, because it has been on my arm for quite a while already without breaking ;).

China is big in these bracelets. Chinese knotting is folk art. You will see it everywhere. They have a special one for Chinese New Years (apparently not easy to make) which people will hang on their doors and walls.

Since living here I wanted to do a workshop to learn more about it. It couldn't be too difficult to learn, could it. So I inscribed myself for a morning of snake knotting. Ah well. They said it was one the easiest knots. But still... it's quite a challenge not to let it look like a shoddy thing. But fun!! I went there feeling like crap and after a while of being totally focussed on what I was doing (you have to otherwise you will get lost in which string to take etc.) I felt so relaxed and satisfied :)

My next one will be the button knot. Already curious...

Tai Kang Lu

2011-04-16T01:00:00.000+02:00

For the trailing spouse (those who followed their partner for his/her job) in Shanghai Tai Kang Lu is a part often frequented. It just has a good feel about it I guess.

Old lanehouses where people still live their lives, combined with galeries, shops and restaurants... it's an interesting mix.

On weekend days it can get a little crowded with Chinese people and their camera's (and models) but I love to go there on a Monday morning when everything is still awakening.

I do have my favourite shops but I'm not a big shopper so most of the time I just wander a bit, have a coffee and relax.

At one of the doors - leading to a house I guess - I found this paper. Click on it to enlarge it and have a closer look. The owner wrote in French that it's his property so please don't disturb. Then a passerby reacts that he better should write it in Chinese sothat people actually will understand it. And so more people react. It all created a big smile on my face... love small discoveries like this :)

Old Shanghai

2011-04-15T00:59:00.008+02:00

One of my favourite parts in Shanghai is the old part. I love to wander through the alleys and just look at the world around me. People living their lives the way they always did. Like time stood still. Back to basic.
When I feel all rushed and restless, this is where I can find peace again...

Hong Kong

2011-04-10T00:58:00.000+02:00

As I visited Hong Kong about 10-12 years ago on a stopover to Australia I actually wasn't too impressed. I found it a little cold, not really Chinese and even uninteresting. The funny thing is, now that I'm living in China I love to go to Hong Kong. I love this vibrant city and cannot go there often enough. Hong Kong to me just feels good and accessible. How perspective can change ;)

This time I wanted to explore the city a bit more, go back to some favourite places and I wanted to meet up with my friend Margaret. So good to see her again and talk face to face.

What I like about Hong Kong?

The view from the peak, but also from the ferry, even if it's way more polluted than it used to be (the big industries in mainland China are to blame for that)... I love to walk the circle walk on the Peak and peeking down the harbour and skyscraper view.

The smell in Sheung Wan, so love the dried seafood. I think it's actually how I pictured the smells in China in the times I had never been there and my most Chinese experience would be the Chinese supermarkets in Rotterdam. Daily reality is different ;)

The foodstreets at night... (of course it's about food for me ;), I love to walk around, smell the food and have a noodle soup (my comfort food) here or snack there.
But also the great restaurants... ended up in two different Italian restaurants and *loved* the food. I'm still smiling when thinking back of the *good* mozzarella & pomodori I had. Yum!

Kowloon park. Lots of women gathering there on a Sunday morning, talking, praying, having lunch. Mostly southeast Asians I think. I loved wandering there.

Ah well, I could go on... I love the city :)

The wall

2011-03-27T04:11:00.001+02:00

enjoying St Patrick's Day with Sunshine

Internet is *very* annoying in China these days. Many websites aren't accessible or very slow, VPN's shut down and it's getting more and more difficult to keep 'my life line' open. When living abroad you just depend on internet *a lot* and it makes me a little sad that it's been made so difficult, not to say impossible to communicate this way.

Ah well, I guess that's life in China.... *sigh*

Anyway, if you don't hear from me for a while know that I will probably be studying or working out and doing ok. I will do my utmost to keep you updated and keep contact then and again though.

Exploring China: Suzhou

2011-03-15T03:53:00.002+01:00

Grotere kaart weergeven

I'm trying to explore as much as possible, as this is such an interesting country and I would like to get to know it better and better (guess this will take me some more years). So this time I left again, to Suzhou. It's a city close to Shanghai but I hadn't been there before. And of course I should see it!
Here in Shanghai we consider this 'a small city'. Still it has more than 6 million people. Suzhou (or Su-chou, Suchow of Soochow) even was a bigger city than Shanghai for ages and it is one of the oldest cities in China. It is called the Venice of the east, but I guess by people who were not in Venezia before.... it does have it's great spots and gardens though.

In Suzhou I wasn't the only westerner (in Nanjing I didn't meet too many) but it felt good. Even have been able to speak a little French (oooh so good and they didn't even believe I wasn't French hehe... I really hope *some day* my knowledge of Mandarin will be that good... *sigh*)

So I first ended up in Xuanmiao Guan, the temple of mystery. It used to be a bazaar and that's visible. So much tourist trash around it... it's a miracle people can be silent in the temple ;)

Xuanmiao temple ~ candles in their sad endings ~
huge incense ~ Chinglish is so interesting

Then my first garden for the trip: Zhuozheng Yuan, the Humble Administrator's Garden. This is the biggest garden of Suzhou and it *is* possible to get lost here. It's beautiful but a little too much of gardens and stones to my taste ;)

Humble Administrator's Garden
click to enlarge

In the LP they mentioned another garden, off the beaten paths and therefore not that popular but very interesting nonetheless. The funny thing was that the quarter had had a renovation and while I started exploring it I totally forgot about the garden lol. I did visit the Kunqu operamuseum. Very interesting. Suzhou is known for Kunqu opera.

ginger on the pavement

Pingjiang

Kunqu operamuseum

It is such a dreamy place. Loads of older Chinese people who spent an hour or two here having a chat, playing mahjong, taichi, knit a bit...

Ok... a cup of coffee. The young owner does look at me with a question mark in his eyes when I ask for espresso but this is quite a common thing. The menu can be very extended but that does not always mean it's available. But the owner nods, walks to the bar and looks at the espresso machine, a bit in desperation. He runs away and after a while arrives again with his girlfriend. She does have a look as well. Then she opens a cupboard and takes out a bag of coffee beans. She starts grinding the beans. It smells good. She then seems to doubt what button to push. I'm really interested what I will get to drink here. The boy starts looking for sugar, milk, spoon... and YES... there's my espresso. And it's great :D

the coffeeplace

I walk out the quarter, cross a busy street and walk into another. A bit more traditional and older but I see food!!! I love these small places with the smells of food. Long queues. The people waiting look at me and say "come here, buy something, it's very tasty!". I'm enjoying these little interactions. Too bad my Mandarin is still not good enough for a real conversation! I

yum!

bike repair

shoe repair

I am on my way to the smallest garden of the city, on my way to a little moment of zen ;). The evening sun, silence... I love it!

Wangshi Yuan

And then back to the center. Time flies!

The next morning I walk to Beisi Ta, the temple and pagoda in the north of the city. This is the first pagoda you can actually get inside. Most of the pagoda's I have seen have become too old and fragile.

pagoda

pagoda rooftop ~
a ♥ means the same everywhere ~
view from the top of the pagoda ~
Buddha

Suzhou is know for the quality of silk so I wanted to visit the silk museum. Quite interesting and they explain the whole process from a-z (even with a farm), the fabrics, clothes and they have some weaving looms where people are weaving as well.

silkmuseum

weaving loom

Exploring China: Nanjing

2011-03-15T03:48:00.003+01:00

Grotere kaart weergeven

On Sunday morning I left for Nanjing by highspeed train. Nanjing is the former capital of China. Even Beijing Duck, the famous Chinese dish originates from Nanjing (and not from Beijing ;).

So... I took the train to Nanjing. The huge screens mentioning the departures are all in Chinese characters. Fortunately my ticket (the office organized it for me) does have a train number which I can look up. But... there is no such number on the screens. Hmm, a great start. I suppose there is something like an information service so I start looking for that. Apparently I'm having a ticket with departure from Shanghai Railwaystation and not from Shanghai Honqiao Railwaystation where I am. Ah well. Fortunately it's possible to exchange it to the right one (and my knowledge of Mandarin is just enough hehe) and I still can leave.

station ~ gate B28 ~ time for departure ~ stop boarding

Everything is very smoothly organized at the station. The hall is enormous, the luggage is scanned and at the gate it is very clear when you are allowed to board (your train number will be coloured green) or when you are no longer allowed to board (it will become red) and your ticket won't allow you to board anymore. Very efficient.

In the train itself I have a great spot, in between two Chinese men. Fortunately they remain calm during the trip and don't smack, spit, scratch their throats or noses or whatever. These only sleep. The people in front of me are less happy. Their neighbours keep playing their shooting games on their laptops and DS's. Fortunately I did bring my own music (although I still hear the gamers while having my earphones on ;).

But before I know it I arrive in Nanjing. I start with figuring out how the metro system works and I go to my hotel to store my luggage. I'm enjoying myself... this is the traveling I love.

I take my Lonely Planet (the China version isn't for sale in this country because it contains untruthful information) and a map of the city and I start my walkabout. Nanjing still has old city walls and looks great. And nature! So much green :)

The weather is mysteriously foggy but I'm kind of used to that in China. I wonder whether the air will be cleaner here than in Shanghai though. In the Xuanwu Park it does give a nice view with the fog on the lake. There are three islands in the lake and I walk from island to island to the other side of the lake. A real Sunday outing apparently because I notice a lot of families.

entrance of Xuanwu park and lake

blossom

the ugliest building of Nanjing :)

From there I want to go to Purple Mountain (Ziji Shan) to take the cable car. When seeing the cable car I do have my doubts but I still decide to go. It's not the first cable car I take in China and most of the time it is worth it.

kites are hot

view from the cable car

It takes me 30min to get to the top. When arriving there... there's nothing. Nothing at all. Nature is nice but still very winterish and there's nothing to see, nothing to do. Yes, there is a Chinese tourist shop with cupnoodles and Chinese sausages (been there, done that... they are horrible ;) so nothing to get thrilled about. Oh yes and very smelly toilet facilities. Even at 10mtr distance you still smell it. Fortunately I don't need to go.

So I take the cable car to go down hill again. It's too late to walk anyway and as said there's not much to see. I try to keep warm but it's cold in the cable car. I'm happy to be in the valley again. And I walk back in the direction of the center, walking fast to get warm again.

on my way back: city walls

Nanjing by night

Back in 'my' quarter I walk through a nice food street. This is the China that I love: streetfood :)
Homemade on the spot and all very nice people. Such a lovely atmosphere. Whether it's all that healthy? Don't know. Not hygienically either I think, so you would have to be a little careful but until now I never got ill.

no food but flowers

meat on a stick

seafood on a stick

The next day the sun is waking me up! Love it! The city looks completely different!

I want to go to the mountain again but then another part. To the famous Sun Yatsen mausoleum. On my map it seems that the metro should get me in the right direction and I should be able to walk the rest. But the metro line still is 'under construction' on my map so I will see. When I arrive at the station where I think the mausoleum should be, the mausoleum even is mentioned on a sign so that sounds good. And all of a sudden I stumble on a parking area with several tourist vans. Huh? With help of my LP (the name of the mausoleum is written in characters in the LP... very practical) I ask whether they go to the mausoleum. Yes! As I don't know which way to walk myself anyway and how far it is I decide to get a single way ticket and to see where I end up and where I will go from there. I still have a whole day so plenty of time.
The Chinese people in the van ask me where I come from.
Me: Helan. The Netherlands.
Chinese: Helan. Ah. Is that of Siemens?
Me: No, that's Deguo. Germany.
Chinese: Oh oh. Hen hau. Very good.
I like conversations like this. Simple but yet the interaction is already special in itself. It doesn't happen often that people try but it's fun to make the effort.

all of a sudden it seems quite western ;)

And so I end up at the mausoleum. Apparently a tourist highlight because there are plenty of shops with tourist trash ;). Not really my cup of tea, because they sell the same stuff everywhere in China. Even at the temple in Tokyo they sold more or less the same thing. Produced in China as well I guess. It's very crowded with Chinese tourists. Even tour groups (all wearing the same baseball cap and the leader has a flag). And that while... the mausoleum is closed on a Monday (and the LP didn't tell me haha). I really don't wanna know how busy it will be there on a Sunday though.

the gateway

people I passed on my way up

the closed entrance

peeking through

another glimpse

the whole complex

So I take a few photos from the outside and that's it. I feel hungry and as I don't know where I will end up afterwards (you never know in this country) I decide to have a bite in one of the food places. It looks authentic. Xiaolongbao.. . love them.

xiaolongbao: steamed bun filled with meat and soup

the chef in her kitchen

To the next stop: the Ming Xiaoling tomb. Buried there is Zhu Yuanzhang, the only Ming emperor who was buried outside of Beijing. An enormous complex! But very interesting.

sign: please don't touch :D

Xiaoling hall

The LP did tell me that in this time of the year the Plum Blossom Festival is taking place. Blooming plum trees, beautiful. I start with wandering through the orchards. Everyone is taking pictures of each other. I try and error a bit with the self portrait modus of my camera. Eventually there is a friendly Chinese guy who is willing to take a pic of me in between the blossoms.
The festival is huge with all kinds of activities. Fun to walk through. I am so enjoying this walk.

picnic

back stage

concert @ the festival

At the end of the afternoon I slowly start walking back to the metro station. I pick up my luggage half way. I try to have the Beijing/Nanjing duck in a food place but although the place looks interesting from the outside it turns out to be so vague I give up and eventually I end up at Mai Don Lau (McDonalds) at the railway station. Ah well, when traveling you often just have to go with the flow (and what you have time for). Mai Don Lau by the way is a place to chill in China. People can sit here for hours and not even always *with* consumption (or: with a drink from some other place where they don't offer seating ;). Quite unpractical when you do want to eat your burger but it is very Chinese.

And so the CRH brought me back to my own city again.

China in the news

2011-03-06T02:11:00.009+01:00

Got some questions about the situation in China at the moment. Whether there are demonstrations like in the Middle East, whether security measures and control are getting stricter, whether it's still safe here.

To be honest: we hadn't really noticed anything different in daily life. Ok, we do read the western newspapers and we do have a few other news channels within China from where we get our news. They told us that there have been some tiny bits of of demonstrations but nothing too serious. That there were more press and security people than actual supporters.

We also checked with Chinese friends but they didn't really notice huge demonstrations going on either. Not in other cities or here.

Of course security measures are stricter. Government wouldn't want to repeat history.

The majority of the Chinese don't even seem interested in politics though. They seem quite satisfied with life as it is now. As long as there is food. Or with a little more money: the newest Iphone or Ipad.

Of course what isn't could still happen in the near future. But we do not really expect it. If so, I will keep you updated.

But of course I'm not a China expert either so for some more insight about one and other I would like to refer to what China correspondent Chan writes for Al Jazeera: article 1 and article 2. It seems rather accurate to us.

Cool buildings: the Peace Hotel

2011-03-04T10:26:00.000+01:00

The Peace Hotel at the Bund seen from SWFC (center)
click to enlarge and have a closer look

When you walk on the Bund (boulevard along the Huangpu River) in Shanghai you will see some lovely history in the buildings around you.

The Peace Hotel does have an interesting and long history of its own as it already opened for the first time in 1929. I enclosed the history webpage for you to read all about it if you want.

As we arrived in Shanghai to live here in 2009 it was closed due to renovations. But it was one of those buildings everyone was talking about so I really really wanted to see it. Of course I could have walked in there anytime but I wanted to wait for a special occasion to have that extra dimension to it.

So when one of my friends asked whether we were interested in having lunch in the Peace Hotel of course I was in for it at once. The Cathay Room on the 9th floor offers lunch with a view on the river so the location was perfect. And the food divine. I had such a great time!

Before having lunch I walked around to see the building. I was amazed to see all the details and the way it was renovated. It's beautiful! The photos in the slideshow don't even do it justice as it really feels special to walk around in such a building.

Cannot wait to have afternoon tea in the Jasmine lounge some time soon!

All over the place

2011-03-02T07:55:00.000+01:00

I'm already in my second week in China since my stay in the hometown. Last week flew so fast. I had plenty of get-togethers with my friends here and it was a great week. Of course it was good distraction too.

And this week I’m taking it a little easier with the social activities. Back to my studies again it is. I didn’t stop my studies during my stay in the Netherlands, even handed in an assignment (with good result: yay!), but it’s easier to study when having a more structured life.

My mornings are tough at the moment. It’s difficult to start up. It’s good that I’m so well disciplined, because procastinating is my middle name these last days. But I try to get myself going by having a strong espresso from across the road (I switched from Starbucks to Costa and it’s so much better) or I promise myself a treat like a head/shoulder massage in one of the spa’s here after a day of studying. That’s absolutely one of the great things of staying here: the many spa’s (10 within 100mtrs or so).

Life is good though. We still have some cold windy days but the sun is out more and more. I feel Spring in the air. Such a great feeling! Last Saturday we (power)walked for two hours. It was lovely to walk and look around in a Chinese neighborhood we hadn’t been before.

And it’s good to be back. And to make plans. I love making plans! It’s inspiring and exciting without actually having done anything at all yet.

While writing this entry I can see that I’m a bit all over the place…
Must be the mood I’m in I guess. I’m trying to get myself out of a funk. Not a real China funk though, or a ‘having a home too faraway from home’ kind of funk. Both situations don’t bother me too much right now. Just a regular funk. One of my friends called it transition time. That might be it. The transition from winter to spring. Or from one phase in life to another. Questioning life or myself. Not knowing whether I am on the right path. Or which path to choose. I guess we all go through funks from time to time.

So what do you generally do to get out of a funk? Pamper yourself a little here and there? With a new book or chocolate or a massage? Or do you go out for a walk? Or to gym? Are you brooding an awful lot? Do you work or study a little harder? Or do you just curl up under a blanket on the sofa and wait till it’s gone?
I’m curious, please tell me!

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

2011-02-27T10:37:00.001+01:00

I really hope I will never need to end up in a Chinese hospital, but zhōng yī, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is something very intriguing to me.

So when one of my friends asked me whether I felt like joining her and her teacher (as interpreter) to go to the TCM Museum I got interested right away.

What I find special in TCM is that it considers the body much more as a holistic unity and that also in daily life it is much more important than our western medicine is.
At the same time I get sometimes so tired of all the superstitious beliefs Chinese have and the thinking they often seem to be ingrained into.

For TCM the five elements (fire//water/earth/air and metal) and the well known Yin-Yang are very important. This is a big part of daily life which you will e.g. see in the food they eat: lamb only in winter, less dairy in summer, etc. Also the balance within a meal is essential. Every season does have food that is good or less good for your health.
Besides this they also work with the meridians and the flow of Qi = flow of energy within the body.

In the museum we saw many many Chinese medicines (where they used plants, human and animal parts and minerals), there was information about acupuncture (needles), moxibustion (they use warm energy to create a smoother flow of blood and Qi), cupping (kind of massage working with glasses), massage (which is more healing than relaxing here, sometimes also with clothes on), Tai chi (exercises that are considered healing), etc.

Of course one can discuss the use of the one and other and about the medicine itself. I do have mixed emotions about it all myself. On the other hand this is a huge part of Chinese culture and life and thinking. Also in our daily lives here we often get to hear things like "don't drink cold water, it's so bad for your health". It all made that I really wanted to learn more about it.

Still I think it's bizarre that at the same time Chinese with a tiny bit of fever already speed to hospital for an injection of antibiotics...

holistic thinking

history

herbal medicines

placenta and navel cord against infertility

natural viagra, popular for gift giving

ginseng

even the seed of a lychee is important

snake, to treat joint pain

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-21T13:49:00.000+01:00

This weekend was the end of the festivities for Chinese New Year's. The festivities always end with Lantern Festival but since this was on a Thursday it got extended into the weekend. And since it's very crowded here with all these rabbits I thought I'd show you some:

Back in the city ☺

2011-02-18T11:02:00.000+01:00

fireworks ~ tapas night ~ SWFC & Jinmao
(got cut off by the snapshot thingy though,
doesn't do the photo real justice
so I will repost it some other time) ~ xiao long bao

Yes, I’m back in Shanghai!

After an aborted take-off (back to the gate to change nose wheels) and therefore 3 hrs of delay I had a smooth flight and slept most of the ten hours so I felt quite fresh when arriving yesterday. It was interesting to see that while my emotions were going up and down in the last 24 hours prior to departure I felt like arriving 'at home' in Shanghai after all. It amazes me that a non-western culture that is so much different can do that to me. I somehow just have two homes: the one of my roots and a very smoggy one ;).

Apart from sleeping I managed to read quite an absorbing book by Sophie van der Stap. She’s such an impressive writer. She got cancer at 21 years old, it looked like she wouldn’t survive but she got cured eventually. I read her first book (about her illness, which has been translated in many languages already) in my first jetlagged weekend in NL and am now reading her second (about life after illness) and also bought her third (a novel) while being in NL. Very eager to read that one as well. Will write about those all in my book blog later.

Eventually I arrived 2.5 hours later than scheduled in Shanghai at 5.05 pm, back home at 6.05 pm and was welcomed by fireworks (Lantern Festival). I had just enough time to take a quick shower before going to my first event in Shanghai again. Some of the Dutch ladies living on this riverside had organized a tapas night in a restaurant nearby so about 25 Dutch ladies attended last night. I’m not a member of the Dutch club as I’m not that much into meeting Dutch people specifically (I really don’t mind which nationality people have) but these ladies’ events are quite fun and it felt familiar to extend talking Dutch for a little while longer. And of course it was great to be able to meet up with friends ☺.

This morning Ingo arrived back home in Shanghai as well (he was in NL just for Chinese New Year’s because all companies in China were closed for the week and he went to Finland for work reasons after that so he flew into China from there). Of course he was back to the office right after that.

And me… well I played the expat wife today and had lunch with a bunch of friends at my favourite dim sum restaurant. I love these xiao long bao (steamed buns filled with meat and soup) and it felt good to continue life here like that and to catch up with my friends!

And I’m starting up daily life again as well: going back to gym (I was too jetlagged this morning to get up early though) and continuing my studies (no worries I didn’t stop those for five weeks ;).
And I will try and catch up with my online life as well in the coming week!

Time flies

2011-02-15T12:08:00.000+01:00

photo: bigphoto
a very dear area, I do have loads
of pics of this myself but not accessible right now
I didn't take many photos these weeks,
I guess I just lived life ;)

Five weeks in my home country are over and I’m packing my bags again. Time flies! A time of many many meetings, often great, sometimes sad. I have seen so many people. So many beautiful moments, sometimes even through all the sadness. So many deep talks. And then again laughed so much. So many lunches and dinners and drinks with the people I care about. I had such a great time!

I walked hours and hours through my own city. Enjoyed the small things. Noticed the differences between here and China. And how wonderful to hear my own language again. To have those straight forward Dutchies around me again. No need to make so much effort for everything in daily life. Just walking a crossing without fear (although I still am hesitating, even after five weeks… I guess I’m used to Chinese traffic now). Dutch food, although after a while I felt like Asian food again (ok nasi goreng is not easy to get in Shanghai so I guess that’s allowed lol). To walk into a supermarket and hardly being able to make a choice, I love the huge assortment. Blue skies and taking deep breaths. Driving a car. People who pay attention for each other. Nature. Ok I could talk for an hour I guess. And I am aware that my view is a bit coloured ;)

And still… even in five weeks time I didn’t manage to meet up with each and everyone I wanted to see and wasn’t able to do everything I wanted to do. When I’m here I always notice how dear everyone and everything is to me again (everything as in this part of the world, not in materialistic things btw). And that’s why I do want to meet up with everyone so badly.
Fortunately I don’t feel this when being in China, when being there life just goes on and I somehow put feelings like that away in a box “not now”. I automatically switch like that. It is what it is. Just like that. And that’s ok.

Especially the last week was emotional by all means and I’m rather tired right now. I could sleep for days I think. Despite that I do have the feeling I’m refreshed. And I’m full of plans for the coming period. I am looking forward to Shanghai, China, Asia again. I still have so many things to do and see. Because also over there time flies!

Final goodbyes...

2011-02-11T15:49:00.005+01:00

to a very special lady

my cousin & me decided to make this heart to express our feelings

In loving memory: oma

2011-02-06T11:53:00.003+01:00

3 September 2004: figuring out a puzzle together

In the past night my grandma joined my granddad. Together again with him and with her son.

For many years already she lived in her own world. In her own way she enjoyed life and from time to time she still could be quick of mind even if she sometimes seemed inaccessible to many of us. She could totally surprise us with her reactions.

In her good days she loved to make crossword (or any kind of) puzzles and scrabble, she was fond of history and geography. She had a great vocabulary of her own (which we still cherish as her family!). She even managed to study French on high age when I had a French boyfriend. I had so much respect and admiration for her hunger for knowledge. And even as a child I already felt sad for her that she never had had more opportunity in life to study.

She made so many clothes… together with my mum (for example my famous Heidi-dress) or on her own at the dining table (a few weeks ago I so felt like some of her own knitted socks when I was looking for a nice pair of slob socks). Fortunately I still have a box full of doll clothes made by her: she knitted and crocheted and inspired me to sew doll clothes as well.

Only last week my cousin and me drove along the old house and had our own little trip down memory lane (without knowing what would happen) talking about the Saturday afternoons we spent together at grandma & granddad's. The paper airplanes we built and played with in the hall, the drawings we made again and again at the dining table. Playing with marbles and Lego which didn’t really stick. The chocolate milk and caramel waffles. The candies we got when leaving. Staying the night on the hard bed in the cold room, she ironed our beds so that it wasn’t too cold. Cumin cheese on our sandwiches and only *after* that one with chocolate sprinkles (it’s typical Dutch to have a sweet sandwich after a healthy one ;). And we also talked about the many walks we made through the village as children, we escaped the house and just wandered. Such lovely times!

Yesterday I met a totally different grandma. Still tough but at the same time so fragile. Silently I wished her the peace she so needed. She was so ready for it.

Although she hadn’t been the grandma she used to be for years already I do have so many warm memories which come and go all the time right now. And I’m so happy for that. She was so much more than her illness and so much more than the memory she no longer had. She will continue her life, but now in our hearts!

Grandma, 3 September 1916 – 6 February 2011.

Back in the hometown

2011-01-11T08:03:00.000+01:00

Chinese New Year is coming up - the Year of the Rabbit will start on 3 February next - and this is normally a time in the year people have their home leaves.

In China the national holiday of Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) means that companies are closed for the week and people can go to their hometowns. This is a big thing. For weeks before that people queue to buy train tickets and if you are fortunate enough to fly you'd better be quick to get tickets as well. Everybody goes home. And for a big city like Shanghai (+/- 20 mln people) where are living a lot of people that originally come from the provinces this means a lot. Most people go for that one week but I also know quite a few Chinese people who take the opportunity to go for a bit longer. So many things to do and organize, so many things to buy back home, celebrations, people to meet up with and of course to eat the goodies of your hometown.

Not that much different to my plans actually. I have come a little earlier than last year... because I have an awful lot of plans, my to do list is sooo long.
And of course the food. I have already been eating so many lovely things 'from back home' in this first weekend: haring (herring, which isn't comparable to any other in the world), pepernoten (a sweet 5 December treat which my mum put into the freezer for me ;), Greek yoghurt with honey (I soooo love that!), salads made of endive (I love the specific taste and my dad was so sweet to bring it for me), etc. etc. I'm so going to enjoy the European food again :).
And people to see, I'm extremely looking forward to meet up with my dear ones again :).

Of course it is raining... I sometimes have the feeling in the Netherlands it always is raining ;). And it's so dark in the mornings. I really miss the Shanghai mornings where I wake up with the light. Not that I struggle to wake up with that jetlag lol. Anyway. I'm enjoying my stay so far. I'm trying not to get too stressed out by my plans and to live the moment. We will see. Will try to take you on this journey as well and to blog as often as I can.

Fresh start

2011-01-06T08:41:00.002+01:00

I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions. But of course a new year gives the idea of a new start, it’s still blank and empty and it one way or the other makes you create fresh energy, new plans and ideas.

Life can be pretty overwhelming that's for sure. And with that, life abroad does bring a lot of mixed emotions as well. It's not always easy to keep up with life back home, life here and the friends all around the world at the same time. There's just not enough time and energy in a day and year.

When sad things happen and also when happy events take place back home you are never there to go through it together. There's always that long distance in between, even with internet.

And life in the here and now in China can ask a lot from a person too. A new culture and country you will never really belong to, which has so many different standards and values which can be super frustrating and then again refreshing or endearing. New people and new experiences all the time. Feeling the outsider very often. No work to distract or challenge you or making you feel you are somebody. Worries about basics as food safety and healthcare. Being temporary here and not permanent. Not knowing where to go next.

And at the same time there's this oh so special chance of getting to know a culture and country from so close by which is wonderful and is offering so many opportunities. There’s so much to learn from, to explore and go walkabout!

Living abroad is a huge life experience which will keep being amazing, will turn your life upside down and which will change you forever!

Somehow I have been longing for this new year, that fresh start! And I’m full of plans and ideas! Can’t wait to start with them! Let’s go for it J

In the park

2011-01-05T08:02:00.000+01:00

While walking in the parks in Beijing I decided to give you a closer look into the activities in the park by filming a little here and there.

So here's a park on a cold Sunday morning:

Happy New Year 2011

2010-12-31T16:59:00.004+01:00

2010 was not one of my easiest years so far,
but I guess there always are lessons in life to learn from.
I haven't been the most social gal either - especially not in the snailmail field - please don't think it was your fault though,
my life has been a little too overwhelming.
Hope to make it up to you in the new year!

Wish you all a wonderful 2011 with many many moments of joy, happiness, love and friendship!

Christmas 2010: The Wall & Beijing Duck

2010-12-30T12:43:00.040+01:00

When traveling all the way to China one should walk The Great Wall of course! So we decided to spend Christmas in Beijing.

We stayed in a traditional courtyard hotel in one of the hutongs (old quarters) and that in itself already was so special. Of course it's a little colder than in a normal house and maybe not as comfy but I think it's the most impressive way to enjoy and explore Beijing.

On Christmas day (or in NL we would say on 1st Christmas day ;) we drove to The Great Wall at Mutianyu. It was a perfect day, cold of course but with clear blue sky and sunshine so we weren't complaining. It was beautiful!

The Great Wall is very very impressive. We had been there before but it keeps being amazing to see the Wall circling through the landscape, even more when you think that it was handmade by so many Chinese people (and a lot of them lost their lives when working on it).

Another great must do in Beijing is going to one of the famous Beijing Duck restaurants. I think the Beijing Duck in their small pancakes (don't forget the fixings and sauce!!) is one of the most delicious dishes I know. We so enjoyed this special Christmas dinner!

The next day (2nd Christmas Day or Boxing Day or whatever you would call it) we spent at the Temple of Heaven and the surrounding gardens. One of the most joyful things to do in China is going to one of the parks early mornings to see the mostly older people doing their exercises. They dance (from ballroom to hip hop), do tai chi or some kind of slowmotion tennis, sing, or work out on the outdoor gyms. They all bring their teas and chat a little with the others. It's so relaxing.

Of course we also visited the Forbidden City. It's such a huge imperial palace, it's almost unbelievable how large it is (720,000 m²). It's very impressive because of that.

The weekend flew so fast... before we knew it was time to go back again! It was wonderful :)

courtyard

hutong

lovely lanes

The Great Wall

quite steep for those small legs

lovely

Temple of Heaven: dancing in the park

ballroom

latin american

and we leave our bags on the fence

and if you don't know how to dance: dance lessons

time for a break: have a cuppa

Wow!

impressive too

outdoor gym

'slow motion tennis'

lovely ball game

Temple of Heaven

Forbidden City seen from Tiananmen Square

Forbidden City seen from Prospect Hill

Shanghai & Friends

2010-12-30T12:42:00.002+01:00

Christmas is a time in the year that most foreigners/expats here leave for their hometowns or elsewhere in the world to celebrate the holidays. And so it really looks a little empty here (if that's even possible in a city with +/- 20 mln people). Some months ago our friends asked us if we would like it if they would spend the holidays with us in Shanghai. Of course we were happy to show them and their kids 'our world' here!!

With all the snow storms coming and going in Europe it eventually almost seemed impossible to get here... their flights got cancelled and they were stuck on the airport in Amsterdam not being able to fly to London. Somehow they managed to get seats on another plane and did get here - with delays and hours of queueing and waiting - after all. I was so extremely happy to pick them up at the airport... the people next to me in the arrivals hall must have grinned a lot seeing me so thrilled.

Of course we wanted to show them the highlights of Shanghai and surroundings and to give them a little glimpse into our daily lives here. From their side they gave us that newcomer's look on this Chinese world that already feels so familiar to us. It was so special to watch through the kids eyes to this world and everything around us too.

We really had a great time, the ten days flew so fast and I was sad to leave them at the airport again... in the car back home it was way too quiet without the singing of the kids (I tried singing on my own but that felt even more lonely) and our house felt so empty without our dear friends. I know I will meet them again soon but at moments like this it feels really awful to be so far away from the ones you love! It was a joy being able to spend this time with them though. It was such a special treat!!

Chinese love to be first with everything ;)

it wasn't allowed but the security guy wanted to take a pic of them himself ;)

lane in Zhujiajiao

love this canal

while the laundry is drying I'm knitting a vest

laundry time

little fish drying on old boat

fish

lovely house

greenhouse

just a window

enjoying our coffees

more fish

cracking fish

backyard

washing up

streetfood

love the light

nice balcony

outdoor crafting

keeping the water at temperature

temple

sweet goodbyes

Wonderful Christmas!

2010-12-23T14:53:00.001+01:00

Shanghai in snow

2010-12-18T02:55:00.000+01:00

I know I mentioned this before... the weather here can change from one day into the other.
It can be -5*C and +18*C in one and the same week ;)

And so we suddenly had snow! The forecasts did state it but as they did it last year it resulted in only one flake of snow so I didn't really think it would this time either. But... it *did* snow and lots too. It started around lunchtime and at night it still snowed.

But because the ground is so warm here it didn't hold. And the next morning it started melting away like crazy. But it was fun for a while. Especially for all those kids here (Chinese and foreign) who hadn't seen snow in their lives. I noticed a lot of snowball fights around the schools :).

We decided to have dinner in the Swiss restaurant to celebrate the snowy landscape and had Gluhwein (mulled wine). It felt like being in the Alps for a second or two.

So I enjoyed it a lot. But must say... it's great to have temperatures above 10*C again too!