a long day ~~

Do you know those times when you are sick, laying in your bed… and even not able anymore to watch a dvd? Well, yesterday I got flu and fever at the same time, making me as weak as a scrap (expression literally translated from Dutch). Today I only could sleep and drink water， laying in my bed... doing nothing. I felt really miserable and asked why my family couldn't be here for me? I get off from the idea by telling myself I am a big girl now and need to take care of myself. So I looked to my belly: somewhere inside my good bacteries are attacking the bad viruses, so I only needed to wait. Suddenly my two hands started talking to each other:
Left hand: “I’m sick”
Right hand: “How come?”
”That’s a stupid question!”
“Yeah, that’s true… so… does it hurt?”
“Yes, of course, don’t you feel it?”
“Yeah, that’s true, now I can feel it too!”
“That was AGAIN a stupid question!”
“Oh, I'm sorry...mmm”
My hands stopped the conversation and I realized how long a day could be…

祝大家圣诞节快乐~~~

I was wrong telling there is no Christmas in China. Actually there is. The streets are full of Christmas lights and since a few weeks ago, I saw all people working in the service having a Santa Claus hat on. But I think most of them don’t know what they are celebrating… hehe~
Today we had a Christmas ceremony in school. Every class had to perform a little thing. I got a role in a very last notice. I played “snow”. =D so I needed to run over the stage throwing little pieces of paper in the air. When I told my friends, one said to me: “Yalai, I know you are learning reading and writing, but I didn’t expect you to get your mind back to the primary school.” ^^ Well, we performed really well and the audience really liked us. The Christmas ceremony was a success. We all had a very nice time and some classes performed really well, others were just really crazy! =D

Somehow, after the event, I got overwhelmed with homesickness. Christmas is a family-event, right? I knew going back to Belgium three weeks ago, would make my stay here more difficult… It’s the first Christmas period that I’m not in the restaurant, together with my family, covered with sweat, running, to give a nice time to our customers. If you are used to work your ass off at Christmas and New Year, you feel quite bored without. How weird is that? ^^

We ordered Japanese food and watched several good movies. We bought “Borat” on DVD, because in my short stay in Belgium, everybody told me to watch that movie. But they cut all the extreme scenes. So it was not "borat" anymore, it was "boring"... After all, we had a very pleasant evening, me with my friends, Japanese food, popcorn and great wall red wine…
And it’s like that how I learned to enjoy a Christmas-eve without working my ass off.

ten different ways to say~~

Today I learned 10 different ways to say “to die” in Chinese. I was wondering why Chinese people need so many different expressions for one and the same thing. I guess because China is so big and has not less than 1.3 billion individuals having their own idea on what “dying” means. The best example was: “he is going to see Karl Marx”
I couldn’t stay concentrated in class today. Studying 84 new vocabulary items in one single evening had its consequences for the next day. And while I’m trying to figure out my future steps, all students in here are getting prepared for the Christmas ceremony. Every class has to perform a 15 minutes-something. It looks like a roll call in AIESEC, but then longer. Our class is performing a play based on a Japanese cartoon mixed with Santa Claus.
This performance emphasizes again the cultural differences between me and the Asian cultures. I’m really wondering how “Chinese” I could turn! I love Chinese culture, history, philosophy but maybe “looking-to-it” is enough?
In this very international environment, sometimes I’m still in this identity crisis. Most people in here, they see me as a foreigner, but to be honest, I don’t want to be seen as a foreigner, neither do I want to be seen as a traditional Chinese (coz I’m not!)
People told me that if I wanted to know which nationality I would be more connected with, I needed to think which nationality I would support when watching sports. But I would support Belgium in soccer, because they are simply better. And in athletics I definitely would support the Chinese.

Merry Christmas and... a happy New year!

It’s cold in Beijing and I guess I need to buy a new jacket to get through the winter. I’m already wearing those ear-warmers which give me quite a silly look, but without …my ears would fell off from my head! And I cannot live anymore without my ugly underwear… the temperature difference between inside and outside is so big that the temperature outside is getting too cold to bear. I really don’t know what to expect of Harbin where I’m going in the end of January.

Today we went shopping and in the end we’ve got our nails polished and paint. For no money, these Chinese people turned my nails into art objects. I looked to it and I think: this is wrong…
Tomorrow, I have a test again, still need to excercise my new chinese characters (with my art nails)… I really wonder how I did on the Chinese proficiency test two weeks ago. It will matter a lot.

The Christmas period is coming closer and closer. I wish that everybody could make use of this peaceful period to slow their busy lifes down and take a break. I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy Newyear.

yali

Big your pardon? ~~

Ok, I take back everything I said about the severity in this school. I'm really happy with the freedom I got here. It seemed that 4 years ago, the boys and girls lived in separated buildings and girls had to shower themselves between 7pm and 8:30 (otherwise no hot water) and to sleep at 10:30 (electricity cut off). There was a responsible checking the rooms every night at 10PM, chasing away all the boys and yelling that the girls had to sleep. Oh my god, I couldn’t bear this at all I think… On Friday or Saturday going-out was allowed but when you got back to school, you had to wake up the “a Yi” = aunty to open the front door. Only she had the key. .. you really don't know the value of freedom till they restrict it. :)

... I’m glad I’m born later.

Chinese management~~

Today I heard suddenly that all the people on the 6th floor needed to move to the 7th floor this weekend. Why? They don’t tell. Probably they are going to fix new doors in the rooms. (Remember the cheap wood). They are already fixing it on the 7th and 9th floor. I didn’t know if this gossip was true or not, coz people are also gossiping about ghosts in this dormitory (this place seemed to be a cemetery before). But at 11PM I found a notice at the elevators with the message that we had to move indeed. I was in shock. How could they just tell us about it two days before we have to move? I am thinking to all that cleaning again, and after all, I feel very comfortable in this room that I used for such a long time. Btw, why don’t they renew the place in February when everybody is gone??

I used to do my laundry on the 7th floor, only there are washing machines. But every time I go alone, I am a little bit scared. It’s desolated and quiet…maybe there are really ghosts in there…

“Beijing welcomes you”: China part II ~

It was good to be back in Belgium. I saw my family and friends back … and it reminded me of all the things I will be missing while being in Beijing. I’m leaving behind again lots of values. My family, my friends and all the people I love… I also love Brussels, especially when it is cold weather. In Beijing in winter, it all seems grey and dark, in Brussels on the contrary it is pleasant, most probably because the city is smaller and the houses are smaller and cuter.

In Brussels it’s already Christmas: I’ve been on the very early installed Christmas Market in Brussels and I loved it…. Colorful Christmas trees, red boots and golden bells, Gluhwine and cheese, and other typical Christmas things make me feel so comfortable. I loved the light show on the Grand Place btw. For everybody who wants to watch it, I recommend it, but make sure you put a lot of clothes on! =D In China we don’t have Christmas, but we have Chinese New Year =D

Since yesterday I’m back in Beijing, back in my school, back in my room. Quite a weird feeling … after spending almost two weeks in Belgium… The first thing I did was searching each of my friends, having a little talk with them. For others, it seemed they haven’t noticed that I was missing. =D damned, need to build up the discipline again for studying Chinese. =)

In the airport corridors on my way to the customs there was a big commercial of Coke Cola with the Chinese Characters: “Beijing welcomes you”. Couldn’t help to smile…did I start to love the city? The slogan also reminded me of the 5 little Friendlies of the Olympic Games in 2008: They are called Beibei, Jingjing, Huanhuan, Yingying and Nini. In fact it’s “Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni”, means “Beijing welcomes you”!
I was glad that I was picked up by a very good friend. I got lots of stuff with me, if I needed to get back alone, it wasn’t that simple. She reminded me of the typical young Chinese in the cities. “Where do you want to eat?” was the first question.

At the customs in Belgium they have taken two big bottles of beer from me. “No liquids in hand luggage.” they said. “Couldn’t they have told me at the check-in?” I asked. “They should,” was the answer. There was no other way than just giving away those bottles, an extra for the customs. No Belgian beer for my Chinese friends anymore.

When I got back, Ah Xiang was laying in the hospital. He had a hole in his stomach. I went immediately for a visit. When I saw him, I felt so sorry for him... the poor dear.