I’m at a Spa getting a massage and start talking with the girl working there. A while into the conversation she asks: “Do you have a boyfriend?” I: “I do.” She: “Where is he from?” I: “He’s from Northeast China.” She: “Do your parents approve of your relationship?” I: “Of course, why wouldn’t they?” She: […]
Monthly Archives: March 2013
At Christmas 2012, my boyfriend and me had been together for less than two weeks. We hadn’t yet made our relationship public, so our colleagues did not know for sure if we were together or not. Some already guessed we were while some thought Y was chasing after me, without us being actually together yet. […]
The other day I get a message on QQ from the property agent who helped me find my flat. I haven’t really been speaking to him lately except for the occasional answer to the questions “how are you” and “how’s work”. This time is different. After he asks me these common questions, he says: “May […]
I’m at the hairdresser’s. When the hairdresser is almost done with cutting my hair, he says: “Your hair looks really creative now, doesn’t it?” I: “It does.” He: “You know, your hair looks good on you, but you should wear make-up and dress up, like for example wear more beautiful clothes and high-heels.” I: “I’m […]
More than a 100 years ago, over a million people took to the streets in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark to celebrate the first International Women’s Day in Europe and to demonstrate for women’s rights at the same time. Today, this holiday is almost forgotten in Austria. The same is the case with many other […]
One day in Shangri-La I decide to go to the grasslands after dinner. Twilight is progressing fast, but I don’t care. This evening the seemingly unboundedness of the grasslands is exerting its pull on me, luring me into the arms of its green meadows. With every step the school buildings on the outskirts of town […]
On the way to the subway there’s a small street restaurant that I like going to for lunch. When I finish with lunch the other day, the chef asks me if I’m studying in Shenzhen. I: “No, I’m working here.” He: “How old are you?” I: “I’m 25.” He: “You look much younger than that.” […]
China elevator stories 