The first day

After a short time, it was clear to me: This country has to be written about. It also helps me to arrive here, to filter and sort the many impressions. 

On 9/9 I started in Frankfurt. The days before, I was haunted by a felt death grip of the flu. That's why packing was postponed to the last day and the morning of departure. Or I could use the summer flu as an excuse not to pack earlier. That could be discussed.

The farewell was quite easy. Gradually during the last week in Germany, I said goodbye to all the important people in the days before my departure. Here, I would also like to thank everyone who contacted me in the days before and after my departure. That was really nice and it made me very happy!

After Ehl, Michael Müller, had taken me to the airport, I flew from Frankfurt to Beijing. The flight on the second floor of an A380 of Lufthansa was really pleasant and especially the second floor is highly recommended. Since Beijing is the second largest airport in the world and there are organizational problems, all luggage, even when changing planes, has to be checked in again. That means I spent most of my time there waiting. First at the immigration station, then at the train platform that took me to the luggage claim, then at the luggage claim, then at the baggage screening, then at the baggage drop-off, followed by security checks, and finally at the gate. Well, that wasn't the end. In the airplane, we waited again on the runway because international flights almost always have priority. Domestic flights therefore often take off with delays - just like my flight. It landed in Hangzhou with almost 45 minutes delay. There I was picked up by my assistant, Ms. Xiaoyuan Wu. Her first name means full moon. As a noble Chinese petit bourgeois, she naturally adopted a European name. It's Sophie. From what I've seen so far, Chinese petit bourgeois are cool here. They drink mineral water instead of cola, swear by beef, and seek their individuality in their outward appearance. However, individual thinking does not belong to their strengths. So on the second day, I was admired for taking the bus station on the other side of the street on the way back from a bank branch to the university instead of continuing in the same direction. Expressing your own opinion is similarly difficult. During the drive from the airport to the university, I noticed that almost exclusively men drive cars. When I asked for the reason, the answer took a relatively long time. In the end it was: "Men usually can do it better." Oh, sure...

It should be noted that this behavior comes from a 21-year-old student who moved out a year ago. Certainly, this does not apply to all Chinese people. In the first three days alone, I met Chinese people who openly talked about internet censorship and ways to bypass it. However, they are all older and have experience abroad. Therefore, Sophie's behavior says a lot about the education system here and its goals. But only a small piece about society as a whole.

After we arrived at the university, I had to register at the caretaker's office to get the keys to my room. However, this felt like an endless struggle. On one side was the little Sophie, who translated, and on the other side was the caretaker, who could be related to the devil. At least that's how it seemed at first. I may have to adjust my opinion about the caretaker by now. But I'll wait until I can speak a little Chinese. After all, you don't like to open such a drawer. :D

The whole back and forth started because of 2000 yuan (about 250€). I was supposed to pay that as a deposit for the newly renovated apartment. However, I didn't know that until then. Of course, I didn't have that much money in cash with me and I couldn't withdraw it immediately from my credit card either. The caretaker didn't want to let me move in, but I wanted to. In addition, she simply didn't understand why I have the money but can't give it to her immediately. - So far, she apparently hasn't been able to get a glimpse into the world of credit cards. After a detailed written explanation that I would bring the money on Monday, I was allowed to move into my 2-room apartment. For Chinese standards, it is very nice but also equally dirty. The dirt even exceeds my tolerance threshold, which is actually quite high.

Once everything was settled with the apartment, I sent Sophie home. The day was exhausting and a big challenge for her. So there I was with my two suitcases, tired and mentally exhausted, in the newly renovated, dirty apartment without internet. After a second walk through the apartment, my mood worsened instead of improving. When I sat down exhausted on the bed, I felt like my spine had shrunk three centimeters. This degree of hardness probably only exists in stores for extremely overweight people in Germany. To lie on my bed without bed linen - I would have had to buy it with money that I didn't have in cash - broke me. During my entire time in Kyrgyzstan, I never felt so miserable, alone, and out of place as I did in that moment. If I had been offered a return flight, a battle of emotions would have broken out in me. I don't know if leaving or staying would have won, even though just 19 hours earlier, I left Germany with joy and anticipation. After crying for the first time, I wiped away the tears. Somewhere on campus there had to be an accessible Wi-Fi to send a sign of life to Sebastian and Sulzthal in the USA. After asking a lot and three more battles against the tears, I found one. After the most important information was communicated, I went back to the apartment. There, at 8 p.m., I lay down in my sleeping bag on the otherwise empty bed, ready to fall asleep physically and mentally exhausted. It still stirs me up completely inside when I write about it now, two full days later. And with that I'm ending the first report. A little suspense is also something, right? ;) But there will be a continuation.

Best regards, Lena