我到了中国 - First days in China

After a rollercoaster ride of emotions and organization in the last 8 days, I am now in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province. Until Tuesday it was not exactly clear whether I would take my booked Air China flight on Wednesday or not, but I finally got the green light and startet the 17 hours journey.

The route let me pass Dusseldorf, Munich and Beijing before arriving at Nanjing Airport, where my collegues Katja and Isabell picked me up. Right now I'm stay in Nanjing, with Katja and Gerald...

It's definetly not the way I imagined my start as lecturer in China but I'm enjoying these days. It's comfortable to have some spare time and to get used to the Chinese. I'm in between old memories and new developments. I couldn't believe how many western products made it to Chinese supermarkets, you can nearly get everything from German chocolat to deodorant and hairspray. Things I hardly could by in 2006/2007.

The next days I've to decide how to work on my project which basically aims to describe and portait the other lecturers in theirs universities and environments. It should give some detailed answers on the different German and Chinese pictures and stereotypes we as lecturers are confronted with. I guess a well illustrated brochure is useful for a lot of insitutions and people.

If I'm able to schedule my travels I'll be on my way to Xi'an, Kunming, Guilin and Xiamen really soon...

Finally moving to China...

Hours, days and months have been passing. It's end of October and I didn't settle in Hefei yet.
Seems like I wasn't lucky with the German and Chinese running systems.

4 days ago we decided to react on the newst development in China as they told me to wait an other 4 weeks. ***conclusion - move to China***

Hard to believe but I'm hopefully writing my last post from Germany sitting in my lovely little flat.

By thursdays I will be first in Nanjing which is home of two other Bosch-Lecturers who offered me their place. Therefore my start in China will not be that one with the status of a homeless...

Still in line

Ok, I thought I'd write my next entry from China but it came out differenty. I'm still spending my time in Germany waiting for my certificate.

In the beginning it felt quite comfotable to organise all my things without rushing through but know this feeling turnes; I'm more and more bored and uncomforatable with my situation, I want to start my new thing in China...

Anyways I got the chance for a little break with my Dad and his girlfriend. We spent a week on Amrum, one of the islands across the North Sea, which was really nice and restorative after all the discipline the months before. Actually there's nothing special except long, loney and windy beaches. The island counts 3 small villages with around 800 people living there.

After this sweet break, the every day life got me back, I restarted to enoy the student office to push them on my certificates. Yesterday for the first time I got a word: they will fix it till next week!!! :)

Hopefully that'll mean to be in China by beginning October!
Hefei there I come...

Ready for China

O.K. maybe I'll tell my little story and perspectives waiting in China for me.

Last year in December I started to track what I wanna do after graduation: working - phd thesis - trip around the world - post grad scholarship...

In the end I got the opportunity for a scholarship with the Robert Bosch Foundation (RBF). Starting in August I'm in the lecturer program founded by the RBF and will be giving German classes at the Anhui University in China's province Anhui. This program is not easy to explain but let me tell you something about it: it's kind of threefolded, first it's a scholarship to enhance my future visions, second it will provide me with international working experience, and finally it gives the opportunity for further education by the organizational studies master in cooperation with the University Hildesheim.

But to start this scholarship I had to graduate my diploma course in East Asian Studies at the University Duibuerg-Essen. Just to give the impression how I experienced the last months, I will always remember my diploma thesis as my "first project" to use the RBF slang :)

By mid of August I already had my results and graduation.

This is the path to leed me to China in a few weeks. The only things I'm waiting for are the docs I need for a working visa, I really hope German and Chinese bureaucracy don't need too long so I be able to start my Chinese adventure soon.

I'll keep you updated, promise!