[xxSparkOfLifexx]

Originally Posted by ~FreT~

Hey, I-don't-know-what-your-name-is!

Is it 4 weeks already? How are things going?

Call me Spark

Is it?? lol, I don't realize it. Busy packing up my things, going to China.

[Mara]

I want to go to China. Can I go, too?

[~FreT~]

Originally Posted by Mara

I want to go to China. Can I go, too?

I've heard you've never been outside the U.S. before?

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

Of course you can go too. I don't own China

---

WARNING: Long entry ahead

15 Feb 2006
08:35 Arrived at Baiyun airport
I'm amazed by the amount of people entering Guangzhou (duh! we're talking about China here). They said that Baiyun airport was huge, but I didn't have the chance to take a look around since I was overwhelmed with the fact that I was alone and had to get into the university as soon as I could. I couldn't even take a pee, lol (I had no one to take care of my baggage if I had to go to the bathroom, so I went straight outside)

The school didn't organize things quite well. There's no picking-up crews, although there's someone waiting at the airport like they said. He gave us this piece of paper showing us how to get to the university using public transportation. I didn't bother to look at the paper since it's almost impossible to carry my luggage all over the place without even knowing the place nor the language. I asked him to get me a cab instead. It cost 130RMB (around €15) for a 45 minutes ride. I'm glad I took the cab.

10:00 Arrived at the university
I didn't know where to go or what to do. They didn't put signs where international students should go, so I had to improvise a.k.a. asked people around. I aimed at the young ones, hoping they could speak english. I got me two high school students considering entering this university. I don't know whether I should feel lucky or unfortunate because they.. well you know, not really familiar with the big campus, but they helped me found the place where I should be (after the whole carrying-heavy-stuff-all-around-campus stuff).

There are two international student dormitories, the old and the new one. I was placed in the old one. The university administration is a mess. They got me into the wrong room.

12:00 Opening a bank account
Opening a bank account is a complicated process.... probably because they still do most of the process manually?? I had to fill in a lot of forms which basically contain the same information, you know like your name, address, telephone number, passport and visa number, etc etc.

14:30 Registering for class
Someone showed me where the international student office was and so the registering process began. And yes, the word bureaucracy appears in screen . Like opening a bank account, I had to fill in the same information over and over again. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining or anything, but I just can't understand the way they work. If one has to fill in the same information over and over again (with little variation in it)... why don't make a form such that all information they need will be on one paper instead? I'm not complaining, I just think that there're other "simpler" ways to do things. But I guess that's how things work here. Anyway, I'm thankful that I manage to take care of things in one day.

Sometime between registering and dinner
A senior (I'll call him from now on: M) took me to Beijing Road, the famous, long and wide road for shoppers. A paradise to some people and a hell to the others... which too bad... the later applies to me. Not to mention the fact that I haven't slept for almost 36 hours by that time. Anyway, there're only 2 ways to overcome jet-lag. Sleep until the next day or do not sleep at all. I choose the later.

19:00 Dinner
M introduced us (the just-arrived-students) to the other seniors. We had dinner in a chinese shabu-shabu restaurant located deep in the dark area near campus.

00:30 Zzzzzzz
Zzzzz...

[~FreT~]

Hey you posted!!! Keep posting!!!


It's been so long.. too long.. that I've forgotten what you're staying in China for. I looked around this blog but I couldn't find where you specified what you were going to do, if you did specify. ??

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

Originally Posted by ~FreT~

Hey you posted!!! Keep posting!!!


It's been so long.. too long.. that I've forgotten what you're staying in China for. I looked around this blog but I couldn't find where you specified what you were going to do, if you did specify. ??

I'm taking a break from school work and go to China to learn chinese.

---

Privacy...
I realize how important it is now. I've lost it. Living together with someone else in the same room is a bad idea. It's not that I don't like the girl. She's nice, but sometimes I just need to be alone. Alone.. so I can pray out loud, raise my voice to the Lord and do all the things I used to do in my room. I wish I didn't have the same class schedule with her so I can be alone when she's having class. I really hope we'll have different class schedule for the next level.

Food...
I miss cooking. We practically never cook here. First of all, there's no kitchen here. Second of all, there's no fridge. If you want to cook, you have to buy exactly the right amount of the things you want to make, not to mention the ingredients. Buy exactly the right amount and eat them right away. Left overs will go to trash. Basically this will make cooking your own food more expensive than eating outside.

Eating outside has its own disadvantages. They use lots of oil... when I say "lots", it really means a LOT! If you don't drink a lot of water or eat fruits, you'll definitely get sick. I know because I've been through it :P

[~FreT~]

Originally Posted by xxSparkOfLifexx

I'm taking a break from school work and go to China to learn chinese.

---

Privacy...
I realize how important it is now. I've lost it. Living together with someone else in the same room is a bad idea. It's not that I don't like the girl. She's nice, but sometimes I just need to be alone. Alone.. so I can pray out loud, raise my voice to the Lord and do all the things I used to do in my room. I wish I didn't have the same class schedule with her so I can be alone when she's having class. I really hope we'll have different class schedule for the next level.

Food...
I miss cooking. We practically never cook here. First of all, there's no kitchen here. Second of all, there's no fridge. If you want to cook, you have to buy exactly the right amount of the things you want to make, not to mention the ingredients. Buy exactly the right amount and eat them right away. Left overs will go to trash. Basically this will make cooking your own food more expensive than eating outside.

Eating outside has its own disadvantages. They use lots of oil... when I say "lots", it really means a LOT! If you don't drink a lot of water or eat fruits, you'll definitely get sick. I know because I've been through it :P

Is your room mate not a Christian? Why are you fearful of what your room mate might think?

No fridge and no kitchen? That's just crazy! Yeah... drink a lot of water and eat a lot of fruits.

God bless.

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

She's not a Christian. I'm not fearful of what she might think but I'm just not used to do it if people staring watching.

Yes no fridge and no kitchen, so I eat outside all the time (or eat instant noodle). Eating outside is not so expensive compare what I spend in Holland. It costs approximately 8 RMB (around $1) for one meal.

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

Man, I need to rant!

Today some i**** I just know opened my school bag and took every single thing out of it without my permission. When I said why the hect he did that, he said, "I was just curious about what's inside". Gosh, I swear I wanna punch him in the face but there're people watching, so.... too bad. I wish I did. Does his mother never tell him that it's called trespassing a holy ground? Sometimes there are "dangerous" thing inside like underwear and maxi pad for you-know-what. I mean why in the world will a guy open a girl's school bag for? and he's not even a teacher, just some stupid classmate. I think there's something loose deep inside his head.

You should also hear how details he asks things.

Number one, it's not polite to ask someone's size. What makes it worse is when he asks you that after staring at you from top to bottom and stops a while when looking at your boops.

Number two, it's very annoying to ask why over and over again, when the girl already told you the reason why. Por ejemplo...
Him: "How much do you weigh?"
Me: "You know what? It's not polite to ask how much a girl weighs."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "Because girls are sensitive about those kinds of things."
Him: "Why?"
Me: "Because I'm a girl and it disturbs me."
Him: "Why?
Me: "......"

Number three, cruel comments are cruel. Por ejemplo...
Ejemplo een
Him: "How old are you?"
Me: "Why do you want to know?"
Him: "Just curious. How old are you?"
Me: "Older than you."
Him: "Then I'll call you auntie."

Ejemplo twee
Him: "What kind of pants is that? You look like an old woman."
Me: "I am old, stop buggin' me." (and it's called pajama moron)

I still can't believe my roommate even let him in, I'm sure I've given her a lot of hints. Oh well, she didn't get my hints and the next thing happened was... the joke was on her. He opened her drawers and her make-up bag without her permission and then continued to my drawers, which is full with underwears

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

Maybe I've chosen the wrong city. Guangzhou... a mess. Too many people like I've expected it to be, BUT! I didn't expect them to be so rude. People treat each others like trash. If you don't stand up or speak up, they'll definitely walk all over you. Being polite or nice will take you nowhere.

Withdrawing money from ATM
Picture this. You nicely stand in the line. You've waited patiently for 10 minutes. You're the last person in line. When it's your turn, someone coming out of nowhere grabs your hands while you're trying to insert your card to the machine and insert his. How rude is that?
Lesson learned: insert your card as fast as you can

or

learn how to scold people.. but it probably won't work since... I'm just a girl and life is not fair

Traffic
The green light for pedestrian is on. It's okay to walk now... so you thought.
Lesson learned: traffic lights are street decorations, ignore them.

Getting a cab
It's a war out there. You open the door, someone else comes in. The taxi driver doesn't care.
Lesson learned: it's a jungle out there baby.

Buying meals coupon
Me: "I want a $3 coupon." (I have $10)
Cashier: "Buy $5 coupon."
Me: "No, I want $3."
Cashier: (with annoyed face and high voice) "Just buy $5, will you?!?"
Me: "Whatever, give me $5."
Cashier: (smile like an angel)
Me:
Lesson learned: always pay with the exact amount.

4 months to go. Wish me luck everyone (if people do read these things)

[SieSie]

Hey Babe I do read these things and all the luck to you girl!
I know what you mean about going to a new country. When I went to India everything was total compleate cayuse... hmmm is that how you spell that word? I don't know but that's OK.
I have nothin' else to say at the moment but I will check up on you latter
peace

[~FreT~]

Stay cool but don't freeze.

[SieSie]

Exactly... I hope that your doing all right irl

[xxSparkOfLifexx]

I'm getting a bit used to this country now, but sometimes I miss Rotterdam

[SieSie]

I am sorry. Is hard being without you friends?