Differences between China and "the West"

I just want to share this blogpost which I recently read about things which could shock people when they come first to China. I can agree on every single point on this list and although they didn't shock me I definitely recognized that there was a difference.
For example how much relationships matter in China. It's unbelievable how fast you can make connections and also how many people want to make a connection with you.
Anyways, check this out:

http://whenonearth.net/10-things-china-shock-first-time-visitors/

Chinese breakfast

You might wonder: What's on the breakfast table in China?
Having stayed with a Chinese family for two months I can tell you: Basically everything.
A lot of times I had rice porridge with vegetables, etc. or a fantastic noodlesoup. If you are on a hurry and didn't manage to prepare breakfast at home, you can always grab some baozi or jiaozi on the way!

Take a look at this lovely lonely planet article about breakfast in China!

Video of our Guilin trip

Holiday Trip to Guilin

Last week we had a one week break from work, as it was Golden Week National Holiday. Basically everyone in China got seven days off, which means that a lot of people will travel somewhere to visit their family, etc.
We decided to take a sleeping bus from Zhuhai to scenic Guilin, to explore something new.

 

Was a great time. Guilin is a big city (very pretty at night) with many scenic spots closeby.

Yangshuo

Rice terraces of Longji

CHINA!!

Hey world! 
A little bit late, but here we go:
About 3 weeks ago I arrived in China, in Hong Kong to be precise. Had a great time there, roaming around with my host from couchsurfing. Gonna write a bit more about this soon.
From Hong Kong I took the ferry to Zhuhai and what should I say? I absolutely love it! It's a nice, relaxed and really green city located right on the seaside. Chinese also call it "the romantic city".

The fishergirl of Zhuhai

I am going to stay here for the next six months, doing my internship at the Internchina Office.

Internchina volunteers at the Come Together Charity Event

For the first two months I will stay at my hostfamily's place and then move into a shared apartment.
My hostfamily takes great care of me, cooking the most delicious meals, taking me to places, going with me to parties, etc.

My lovely hostfamily and my two fellow interns :)

Impressions of Thailand

Here are some impressions of my semester abroad in Phuket, Thailand. My former house mate Josy made it.
I hope you'll enjoy it :)

Cultural Awareness

Long time no post!
I am quite busy writing my bachelor thesis at the moment, so when I get home I am pretty done and tired of writing or reading stuff...
During my stay in the Philippines, I discovered my interest in Intercultural Communication and fortunately I was able to take a course in Intercultural Communication at the Prince of Songkla University in Thailand. Back in Germany, I decided to write my thesis about Intercultural Communication, to be precise about the communication problems among Chinese and Germans in economic cooperations.
While reading all kinds of literature, especially how-to books on what to consider when being in China, i've come across a lot of stereotypes. Apparently a lot of people lack cultural awareness, even when they go abroad or do business with foreign clients.
In order to show you some of those stereotypes in a humorous way, I want to share this video I  found on Buzzfeed:

Recipes I Jiaozi - Chinese Dumplings

I wonder why I didn't come across those delicious dumplings earlier... Actually the first time that I tried Jiaozi was in Thailand :D Then I had to discover that they are the favorite food of a good friend of mine in Germany. So luckily I was able to enjoy those yummy dumplings in Germany as well.
As I will be heading to China soon, I decided to try making my own Jiaozi. I promise you, it's not that hard, it just takes some time :)

Here's the recipe:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumdumplings/r/jiaozi.htm

Fry your Jiaozi after cooking, so that they will taste even better

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花より男子 Hana Yori Dango

 As I got addicted to Japanese romantic dramas some time ago (I hope my guy friends don't read that. haha), I want to post something about the newest series I've been watching.

It's called Hana Yori Dango - Boys over Flowers. The story is centered around Makino Tsukushi, a middle class girl, which attends the extraordinary Eitoku Highshool. At this highschool mostly all of the students come from wealthy family. So do the 4Fs, 4 boys who rule the school. Domyoji Tsukasa, the leader and heir of the Domyoji World Finance Group; Hanazawa Rui, the introverted son of a large company; Nishikado Sojiro, a player who is the heir of a tea ceremony school; and Mimasaka Akira, a madam killer with ties to the underground.

Makino decides to stand up against them and the trouble begins....

It's truely a sweet series, with a nice story and a great cast.

Watch it on youtube!

Food Review I Chicken Sweet&Sour

It's time for another food review.
As I dodn't have much time to cook at the moment, cause I am working, I really depend on some ready made food. That's why I decided to try the Chicken Sweet&Sour with rice from Aldi Nord.

+ good taste
+ cheap price (about 1,60€)

- thin sauce
- not a lot of vegetables







Overall I would rate this dish as okay. If you need something to eat really quick, it's good and you will be satisfied. BUT I do prefer my chicken sweet&sour at the asian restaurant down the street.

Trying to learn Mandarin

As I got an internship in China, I am trying to learn Mandarin somehow.
The easiest way is to watch youtube videos, as you can watch them at home and learn as much in one day as you want. I take it as a first approach. In April I will join a Chinese language course and continue my language studies in China:)

Anyways, a friend of mine showed me this lovely video from some English guys singing in Chinese.

Thai Prison Fights

I just stumbled across this documentary about prisoners in Thailand getting trained in Muay Thai, in order to maybe gain a place at the olympic team.
Enjoy watching!

Food Review I Supermarket Sushi

Strolling through the supermarket this afternoon something caught my eye, inbetween stacks of fresh pasta, pizza dough and the likes was a little pack with SUSHI!!!

As I love sushi, I decided to give it a try.

Supermarket: Aldi Nord
Brand: Asia Green Garden
Name: Sushi Box Sunakku
Costs: 2,59€

+ perfect taste
+ box included pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi
+ good size
+ great price

- no chopsticks
- a tag on the back indicated that the shrimp was caught in September 2013...that's 5 months ago!
Please Aldi, leave me the imagination of eating fresh fish :D
- I personally prefer fresh fish in sushi, not tuna flakes (anyways, it tasted good)



Overall, I would highly recommend this sushi. Great value for money!:)

Back in Germany

"Home is wherever I'm with you"

After 5 months in Thailand, I am back in Germany. Am I sad to be back? No, not really.... I get to see my friends again, walk those streets that I've walked for years, do things I've done most of my live and eat the food of my mom again.

Now, after a few weeks I feel this little sweet pain -the want to travel- again. So I started seeking internships abroad.

Anyways, to maintain this blog I will still post a few hints of what to do and where to go in Thailand/ Philippines/Vietnam. BUT, I will also post things about Asian food in Germany, recent issues in Asia, etc. :)

Traveling through Thailand

Sorry for not posting a lot recently. Jana and I are enjoying the rest of our stay in Thailand and are traveling around. At the moment we are in Chiang Mai, more details later:)

Beautiful Koh Tao

From Chumphon to Bangkok by train

Short stop and off we go to Chiang Mai

Finally got a bike again:)

Asia Exchange Role Model

Weeeew!
Our farewell dinner came with a big surprise for me. Apparently my fellow students put my name on the list for the Asia Exchange role model grant. So at the end of our lovely dinner, I received a certificate from my sweet teacher Aj. Pim.

At the start of the dinner, wondering why Aj. Nu and Aj. Pim want to take a pic...

Thanks a lot PSU and Asia Exchange for awarding me:) And of course thank you guys (my fellow students) for everything!

Favorite Places: Caffeine I Kathu

If you are craving for good coffee and italian food, this is the place to be!

CAFFEINE is located right on road 4020, running through Kathu, just about 5 minutes away from Prince of Songkla University.
They got a nice patio with wooden, white-painted furniture, from which you can look at the mountains and the traffic passing by. If you prefer a cooler spot, sit inside the aircon room, which is lovely decorated and smells after freshly grinded coffee beans.

Of course they also got Wifi ;)

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I am sorry that I didn't update my blog a lot during the past weeks, as I was traveling a bit and now my mum and her friend are visiting and final exams are coming up!
Anyways, to all of you a happy new year, I hope you all had an awesome celebration and the hangover wasn't too bad :D

Last pic in 2013

In memories of the past year, my favorite websites and blogs from 2013:

Buzzfeed - news and entertainment from all over the world; they got hilarious gifs!

My Korean Husband - blog of an Australian girl, who draws comics about her live with her Korean husband; adorable!

Phuket101 - blog about what to do and where to go in Phuket; very useful