Welcome to China!

Its been more than a week and this is my first post! Good old China loved me sooo much that they wanted me to stay away from the evil stuff in the internet. But finally (its a big secret how I finally got free access) I am online!

After an eleven hour flight I finally arrived at Shanghai Pudong Airport! On the plane I also met my fellow German volunteers who will be staying with me in Shanghai for the next nine month. Including me we are nine Germans but none of them will be working in my project.

The last week I spent practically just with having Chinese lessons on an university campus. We have three classes and I joined (after participating in a test that was actually an short interview) the "Intermediate-Class". The two other students in my class are REALLY good, and by REALLY GOOD I mean that good that it is very very hard to follow what they are doing during class. But I try my best and its getting better every day. In the afternoon I participate in some activities that are organized by my sending-organisation AFS and their cooperating agency "Jane Goodall Institute-Roots&Shoots". In those activities we have to use the learned stuff during thelessons... .... ....judgement prohibited;-)

After those activities I go back to the family I am living at. They live in the "Minhang District" in the south-west of Shanghai. Its about an hour away from downtown (its still very close for Shanghai-standard). This family is living in the so called "Vanke City Garden" - a place that is like a "usual" gated-community...except it is full of ten-story-buildings and has 25 000 citizens! Welcome to China! In my family are my host-mum Wendy, my host-dad I just call "Lao Ba" (old dad) and the dog Xiaopi. They are all very nice and relaxed and they really take good care of me. Nevertheless it is totally different to be in a chinese family, because we both have kinda different views of how life should be like, but they are still provide the enviroment for me to have a good life.

Next days I will upload some pictures that you can see how I am living.

The problem right now is that this is just my "welcome-family" and I gonna move to another one someday next week....hopefully! With my actual project I am working at its the same. Next week I will know more!

Till then I try to tell you as much as possible about how my life in the country of the dragon is like!

Holler

L.