A new world opened up
by Jorgen
My native country, Denmark, is one of the smallest nations in Europe (area: ~2½ times bigger than Beijing, population: In Beijing live ~4 times as many people) so it was quite different to come here.
You might have heard of our famous fairy tale storyteller, Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote “The Ugly Duckling”, "The Little Mermaid " and "The Nightingale" -, of the statue of the Little Mermaid that will participate in Shanghai’s EXPO 2010, of the amusement park "Tivoli "in our capitol Copenhagen, of "Lego" playthings and of "Ecco" shoes.
At first I came here for shorter periods like a week or two but we soon realized that my presence here was needed for a much longer time and it was decided that I had to stay here for about a year in order to solve my job.
During my shorter visits here and the first 4 months I lived in a hotel near one of the embassy areas in Běijīng 北京. Here the staff was very kind and ready to help but knew only very little English.
However, I missed having a place of my own, a home, and I therefore found an apartment near Ring 4 where many nationalities are living side by side, most of them Chinese. I found this perfect as I very much wanted to meet China, to experience and to learn.
So far so good.
First things to do were to shop. I needed to buy mattresses, pillows, bed linen, quilts, and blankets so that I could sleep in my bed. But where could I buy these things? How did I get to such a store? How did I find the right sizes? The right materials? The right colours? The right amounts? And how did I explain this not knowing one word of the Chinese language? And how much to pay?
It is said that many people especially the young ones in Beijing speak English. To me is not correct.
I had to learn the Chinese language. My company let me study Chinese a couple times a week. It was very difficult for me to pronounce words, but my teacher, Shān Lǎoshī from TLIT, is an excellent teacher and has been a competent guide to both the language and the culture. Without her teaching and support it would not have been possible for me to manage everyday life.
Now when I know a few words and am able to make short sentences a new world is opened for me - the Chinese world.
Six months later I was able to travel to various provinces such as Yúnnán 云南, Jiāngsū 江苏 and Guǎngdōng 广东without having to call a Chinese friend - my life belt - for help. This was a great personal victory for me.
Although I have been here for one year only I have found Chinese friends for life.
I am really looking forward to come back here to solve new tasks and to meet and to be together with my new friends.
The key to a nice stay in China is the language and I therefore urgently recommend everybody who is to stay here for a shorter or longer period to learn the language. To speak a little Chinese will be a great help.
Thank you China!
We will soon meet again! |
