It had been two years since I had left the southwestern city of Kunming – the beautiful city of spring that had become my new home for one year of studying abroad. When I came back to China in the late spring of 2012, all I took with me was a backpack with clothes, the […]
Monthly Archives: November 2012
A young woman and her little three-year old daughter enter the elevator right after me. I press the button for the 18th floor, the little girl stands tiptoe to press the button for the 15th floor. The girl asks her mother: “Mum, why is the button for the 18th floor pressed?” Mother: “Auntie (referring to […]
I’m at Ikea buying stuff for my apartment. An elderly woman comes up to me, looking curiously at the things in my shopping cart. She points her finger at one thing and asks: “What is this?” I: “That’s a chair.” She: “Where do you find these chairs?” I: “Over there, right at the back.” She […]
My first trip to China was to Beijing in September 2005. I couldn’t speak a word of Chinese at that time, but I had already made up my mind to study this beautiful language. So far, my paths have led me to Beijing only twice in my life, and I remember it as a very […]
I took a cab to get to my new flat the other day. Cab driver: “Where are you from?” I: “Austria, and you?” Cd: “I’m Chinese!” I: “But where are you from in China?” Cd: “Hubei. How old are you? Twenty-something?” I: “Yes, I’m 25. How about you?” Cd: “I’m 32.” I: “You look younger […]
Einen Tag lang zu dritt am Moped durch die Stadt von Wohnung zu Wohnung gondeln. Sich durch ein riesengroßes Menschen- und Autolabyrinth durchwühlen. Welch Spaß! Blauer Himmel und Sonnenschein (aber keine 29° mehr). What are your experiences looking for a flat in a country other than your country of origin? Was the process of looking […]
A woman in her 40s starts talking to me in the elevator. Woman: “Your facial features are beautiful.” I: “Thanks.” W: “Are you Chinese?” I: “No, I’m Austrian.” W: “How come you speak Chinese fluently then?” Has anyone ever mistaken you for being from a country different from your country of origin because of your […]
China elevator stories 