No time in Europe but news from Thailand

As I just stayed less than two weeks after coming back from the Balkan there wasn't much to write about. I had a really great seminar and time in Mostar which helped me to kind of sort out what to do and how decide with my lecturership. Another thing came up that I actually will do my MA in organisational studies so I've somemore things to regulary do back in China. The topics and lecturer we had have been really skilled and enthusiastic...

Beginning of February I flew back to China, again via Beijing. I had this weired feeling I never had before while landing in China, but it somehow was like coming back home...

As I just arrived Hefei downtown by nighttime I had to deal with no electricity or water because my landlord didn't pay the bills. Good to have a 24 hrs service though!

To get used to time (just because of this reason *lol*) I spent the night out and got to meet lots of the people I knew.

Next evening I flew to Guangzhou with more than 2 hrs delay which caused me to miss my connection with airasia to Bangkok. Stucked @ 11:10 pm not a nice thing I can tell now! No matter what for I got to coose between staying in China or leaving next day by paying a huge extra money... Guess what I chose?!

One day later I finally arrived after a nice overstay in Bangkok at Olli's place close to Ao Thalen in the north of Krabi town. I got to stay in really nice bamboo bungalow and met lots of nice people beside Wolf who I went to visit there... We had really good Thai food (*yummy*), Thai Rum and any other drinks we would like to have. All Thais working there, Olli the owner all try to make you feel home, no locks, no money you need, when you go to bad late you shut down the music and lights.

The first week came out to be quiet busy as we went canoeing, on a tour to some pool, lagoon and buddah on a mountain. My so much appriated stair climbing was this time offered for free... An other tour was bringing us to some islands with nice beaches or snorkeling grounds. Some nights we went to Aonang or Krabi to have a massage or drink. I love my motorbike here!

Now we left our cozy place to go to the nearby island Koh Yao Noi. So fare as I can tell and explored the island there is not too much tourism here, the beaches are not as the beach but still beautiful AND I was able to find one for my own. Noone there!!! I loved it...

How to find order in a disordered world?

Ok, as you see, the last post is without structure, but being back in China means as well that you only have restricted use of websites.

It has been quite a while I've been living in Hefei now, well it feels like, but I'll start telling about the last 6 weeks. After Hong Kong I got straight back to Hefei... As nothing worked out for me the easy way, even my arrival here was different. First I couldn’t find the person that was sent to pick up from train station, and then they showed me my flat on the new campus which was out of imagination. Didn't expect a lot but that was all over the ways, couldn’t shower or use the toilet for days, wouldn't enter the kitchen and so on. But they tried hard to clean and fix everything.

For now I'm only living in one room of the apartment because without heaters it's only possible to get one warm room with aircon and an oil radiator which I bought. Even if it's far from anything I got used to the "non-existing" life on campus. There are two places outside where I get my food from, local family ran restaurants. The so called spicy noodle lady and fried rice, noodle couple. They are always nice and interested...

Just few days after I tried to figure out my living situation, I had to start my classes. Actually it wasn't that hard to get used to. Preparation is getting quicker and the students surprise me every time. Having studied about 3 months they can keep up with German, show passion and have fun doing presentations, role-plays and games. I don't see my colleagues too often, but they are always nice. We had a comfortable and relaxed lunch to speak about the next weeks, got invited to their homes and so on.

Just before Christmas there was set up a big diner for all foreign teacher by the Department of foreign languages which gave me the possibility to meet more people, the dean, party secretary and so on. Seemed like most of them had heard about me somehow, just rushed on me in talking Chinese... Taff, but good practice though.

As Christmas arrived I was a bit moody, being a Newbie, there weren't too many options to hang out with people, and I cancelled Nanjing because I was tired of travels. So I spent the time on my own, cooking nice diner, reading and reflecting my situation. Christmas Day there was a party set up by a French teacher. Best thing about this evening is maybe that I met a Chinese who lived 15 years in Germany. That fact alone is not spectaculars but that he lived in Duisburg was too funny. Little world, little China and Hefei!

Days passing too fast, just few days later we went to a New Year’s Party at the German Department of another University here. Lots of other German teachers, nice Chinese people and self-made salads... Just before 0:00am we took a taxi downtown to the Revolutionary Bar. Not knowing who might be there, it turned out that lots of the expats where celebrating there. So good time to meet and greet...

For now I can't believe that the semester is basically over which means that I'm flying back to Europe in less than 4 days. I'm looking forward but somehow I feel like it's too early to leave. We will see how I feel like later...

Ok, hope to see lots of people back in Germany!