international - Bergische Universität Wuppertal

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bathroom or kitchen. My col-
league Guo laughed when I
asked him whether students
could do their own cooking.
He said they were all away
from home for the first time
and it would be far too dangerous
to let them loose in a kitchen.
Showers are available
in another building, and there
is also a common washroom
on every floor. Men’s and
women’s dormitories (halls)
are strictly separated and
visiting is not allowed. But
don’t let that put you off going
to China – international
exchange students are often
given more comfortable living
quarters.
China is simply different. The
culture, the people and the
language can’t be compared
with those in the west. Language,
of course, is the key
to a culture; but the idea of
learning sufficient Chinese
for daily use in the space of
a few weeks is rather utopian.
Not that it’s all that difficult
to construct sentences
in Chinese, but learning the
four different pitched tones
plus the neutral tone through
which a word can take on five
different meanings is another
matter. People for the most
part don’t understand you on
the street, even if you think
you’ve constructed a perfect
Chinese sentence, but that’s
not generally a problem. You
always manage in the end to
get something to eat or buy
what you want. often some
friendly person with a bit of
English will help, and waiters
in restaurants don’t mind
spending longer with you
when you’re ordering a meal.
Passers-by on the street quite
often take out their mobiles
for an ‘unobtrusive’ snapshot,
while you’re waiting for some-
one. It’s just not possible as
a European to remain unnoticed,
especially in a place like
Kaifeng, where foreigners
of any sort are rare. So how
should one behave as a foreigner
living and working for a
few months in China? Integration
is what everyone talks
about, but it really isn’t that
simple when you don’t speak
the language well. Nevertheless,
it can work, so long
as you are courageous and
open about it. You just have
to find people who share
that attitude. I took the step
of enrolling at the only fitness
studio in the town, where I
do aerobics with thirty Chinese
housewives once a week.
That’s pretty hilarious, but
also hard work. our trainer is
merciless. Integration is hard
work for both sides.
People rarely smile when you
make eye contact; it’s just
not part of their culture. But if
you smile at them in a friendly
way, they often greet you in
return, especially if you are a
foreigner. Whether in stores
or at street vendors and kitchens
the tone is fairly rough.
There are simply too many
people; everyone is just part
of the great whole, so no
one cares what others on the
street think of them. You often
see people walking in pajamas
in the evening, sometimes
even during the day,
and every Chinese person
seems to possess a pair of
fluffy slippers. They do a lot of
sports and fitness exercises
together in public spaces –
especially elderly people can
be seen doing yoga or relaxation
training in parks. The
general atmosphere is a bit
like on a campsite, with people
sitting on small folding
stools or strolling across the
street for a shower with toilet
bag in hand. Many Chinese
apartments have no shower
of their own, so people have
to use public facilities.
Transport for most people is
by bicycle (sometimes electric)
or scooter. There are also
hordes of taxis and tuk-tuks
on the streets. Very few Chinese,
even today, can afford
their own car. So the bicycle
and scooter are used to take
whatever is necessary from
A to B – sometimes impressive
loads, including dogs,
babies and old people. There
are traffic rules, but nobody
seems to take much notice of
them. Whether you drive on
the right or left depends on
which side is busier. But despite
the chaos I have rarely
seen an accident – not least
due to the fact that the horn
is used continuously as a warning
signal: “Watch out, I’m
coming!”
So what can I say now in the
end? I’ve had a great time in
China – a time I would not
want to miss and that I’ll
never forget. Every day in a
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