April 2006 Archives

Today is weekend and also the next Monday will be one day holiday-Labor day ( Finnish:Vappu paiva)

Normally in China,people will work this weekend and then have one week vacation, in a good weather time.
Here is just one day holiday,and people will celebrate from today already,restaurant will be full,bars will be full. Then in the midnight can see lots lots of drunk people. In finland the may day holiday is also a student's celebration day. I think it is only in finland like this, other countries are more like for the working people.
Anyway,have a happy holiday!

Oh! Why there are so many different languages in the world? Why people can learn to speak different languages? Why there is not one language that people in Europe speak and one language spoken in Asia and one in Africa?

I think about all this not only because now I am studying one, and it is not a easy one. But also yesterday I tried to speak some dutch,it was not going that good since my level is still quite basic,even I can understand more than I can speak.
Do not know and can not imagine after 100 years, is there still will be this much different languages.Or to learn different language is just to install some software to your brain....
Well,speak is one of the unique ability that human have. Communicating is important! (of course not only through language)

Finally, spring is here! Welcome to Finland!
School goes good, like to go there because I can talk to people, not only practise Finnish speaking, also can meet some interesting people. Sometimes I am surprised by how they ask questions and how they think about the questions the teacher asked. Some of them really have a funny logic.
Ok, time really passed quick! another month will pass by soon. Then it will be the other half of the year!

Weather is good here, not so cold but little bit windy.

Today when I was waiting in the bus stop to get back home. I saw an asain girl, she smiled at me as if I knew her. Ah....I try to think. Yes! she is one of the classmate from the previous school, she is from vietnam and she is about 20yo. Such a young girl! I do not really remember her,because she does not speak English nor Finnish nor Chinese....She only speaks vietnamese. But one day she really shocked me, that she said she is 20yo, and her husband is 48yo finnish. (in Finnish, because this was one of the pratice that teacher wanted us to do)
God! Then I asked her what language they speak at home? She is very proudly replied " Suomea!" ( Finnish) . Well, for me she did not speak finnish that much....
But why is she here? why is she married a finnish man with such age difference? All the questions in my head. But I could not find the answer, since I can not talk to her in any languages I can.
Well, after that I heard alot things about asian girls here! Even one time one of the classmate asked me " Are you married to a Finnish, as the other young Thai girls, they are all married pretty old men here." What??? Why he asked me like this and this kinda question?
Ok,I know somethings like this before.But never think it is really related to me. But now it seems different.I feel sad about this! And feel sad about the girls if their goal is to come here then to marry any men here.

Ha...it is one month that I am writing my blog. Good! I should keep on doing....
Weather is really good today,even temperature is just 10 degrees, I am already very much appreciated it. Somewhere else in europe is already 20 something,that is summer here!

Ok, do not know what's more to write,just feel that the coming spring seems could bring more hope and new advanture!

It is definately spring here now! Sun is shining all the time and all the birds are returned from the south.Just still no green signs of the trees or grass. But I am satisfied with the warmth. And I am getting better and better.

Today the landload told us to prepare to move in the autumn, since they want to use the apartment for themselves. Ok, then I need to start the house hunting now. Do not know what to do first and where to start,but hope I will find one good and quick.
Tomorrow I will go to school again,since already had 2 days not being there. Not really miss it!

Today is a special day, not only because my sickness is entering the last stage ( I think), from throat hurt,fever to running nose and cough....I think it is enough and it will be over soon.
Today is a special person's birthday, he is not my father but he is just like my father (hij is mijn schoonvader). I can not say to him all the wishes in person but I can send all the best things through my blog:
Willem,
Happy birthday! All the happiness with you!
Hartelijk gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag!
Love you always my father!

Oh dear god! You give me the ability to speak, but now seems you wanted to take it away!
My throat is not that hurt any more, but my voice is changing, now it is sounds like a " male duck". Terrible! I had it happened long time before ( about 2 times). The voice is really terrible and can not imagine that I can make that kinda voice.
Hope I can get better,but anyway you will not hear it, since I do not need to record my voice in the blog.

Have a great day!

Today I am still sick,not feeling not very good. So I skip the class (not good),then I can not skip to write the blog.
I read some news that in some western countries' custom started to forbid entry of chinese people who wear or take fake famous brand things,or they will get a punishment fee up to 300,000 euros. And there were an example,a chinese man who took a fake addidas bag to France being stopped at the custom,he had to give the bag to the custom if he wanted to enter to France.

Ok,China is famous for making fake brand things, and the quality is really really bad.Since there are not much copy right protection here.Well one thing I feel confused is that if you go to the famous fake brand street in Beijing-Xiu shui street, most of the customers there are not yellow faces chinese,but white faces foreigners. What they are doing there? most of them you can see already bought several bags of things....
And now they are trying to stop chinese who take or wear fake brand things, do they say anything about their citizens who came to China and bought all these things back to their country?
Since I love to watch movies and I have lots of dvds.(most are bought from China,they are only cost about 70 euro cents per one) And the foreign people who worked or visited China,most of them had these kinda dvds. Well,I still feel it is good for movie lover like I am,since I can not afford 25 euros per dvd here, that is why videos are still popular here.
But lately China is trying to enhance copy right laws and trying to do lots of things to stop this fake produts to be made. It is needed sometime to stop all these things....

I was sick today. Throat hurt,fever....do not like.
It is the first time I am sick since moved to Finland. The weather is getting warmer but I am getting sick....
Hope everyone else have a good health! take care!

Today I read some articles or peoples' comments in one forum. It is held by some culture exchange organization in Finland, so most of the people who left comments or articles are foriegners in Finland.
But I have read so many negative things they said about living and finding jobs in this country. Are they all true? And the most they discussed is about racism here. This is a problem I have never experience and not think about that much before. Because most of my life I spent in my homecountry and there I do not feel or think about the racism.Now I moved to a new country and a developed country,there are this kinda problems exist or not? I asked myself, but I can not answer it very well.
Since in the forum,many people said that the reason they can not find a job or whatever is because this place is full of racism people. And people are conservertive here. Well, I do not really agree but.... One fact here is that there are not many colored people working in the public places. Therefore it seems that here is not quite open for people of different races.

Well try to survive in a foreign country is always a diffcult thing. There are culture difference,language difference.... and maybe also some problems like I said previous. How to face it? Complaining is absolutely no use. Who can give some good ideas?
I am a little bit lost and confused after I read comments in this forum....

Now it is really Easter! Well not really feel the difference, just happy that we can have days free and have some chocolate bunnies&eggs to eat.
The weather here is really finally getting better,feels like spring now.
Today we planed and arranged the summer trip-traveling in europe, just in France,Germany and Luxemberg. Not many countries but think I will experience quite different cultures....I would like to go to Italy and spain,but have to move them for the next time.
Ok,hope the weather keep on like this and the summer will come soon!

Tomorrow is the Easter holiday in most of the european countries, not in China.
I am here in Finalnd so will just enjoy the holidays here, like in China we have 7 days long vacations for the labor days,national days,chinese new year.....But Easter here is just 4 days(including weekend).
Anyway it is a holiday,no school and no work.Just do not like the shop is not open either,sounds little bit boring. Well if the weather is good,then I can go out (even still a littlbe bit cold and still ice,snow on the ground).
Happy Easter holiday!

Do not really know what to write today, just wish everyone has a good mood and have a good day!

Yesterday I was so busy that I did not write my blog. But today I continue and will continue to write it....(not giving up)
Yesterday was my first day in the new school,since I was in Finland I have been so many different language schools,this is the third one. And I have experienced 6 different Finnish language teachers (quite different from each other).
Well, now the new school has the best equipment, the teacher is quite professional,just she speaks quite fast ( in Finnish!). Amazing! I can understand 90% of it, but she said " ok, good! but I speak in written languages not the real oral language." Ok, I know I still have long way to go to understand the spoken language.
As for my classmate, before I always have quite young classmate(most of them are the same age as I am). This time I have 2 special classmate ( I feel special),one woman is from Agentina,she is about 62 years old,but she already can speak quite good Finnish. One man from Belgium,he is about 58 years old. Both of them can speak fairly good Finnish by now.
But this somewhat encouged me, if they can still study and not give up. Why can not me? I should or can study better than them. ( at least I could remember things easier than them)
These 2 days I am quite busy but happy! There are new goals for me now.

Yesterday I read some article about the average IQ scores around the world. As I remembered that the highest average IQ score is in North East Asia which is 105 ( Including people in countries like Japan,Korea and China),the sencond is in europe ( which is 100) and so on...

Ha...reading this research report made me happy! I am even one of the high IQ people! ( Well never expect that). I think all the things I got is through hard work.
But in a way, hard work is one of the custom in the north east asia,especially in Japan,China and Korea. As I compare where I live now,people seldom work over time and in the weekend.(well it is the living style here). But in Asia especially in Japan,people work long time and focus on quality and service more. That is why most of this famous quality and service theories are coming from Japan.

As for me, I think I am quite used to life in Asia-busy everyday! The first time when I was here I did not feel very comfortable for people walking so slow on the street during rush hours! I said to myself " Come on! it is rush hour, everybody needs to hurry to work and work hard!"
Well you can say that is a big culture difference. The culture here is more relax and less ambitious. (hope it does not mean life whithout a goal like all the drunks on the street) Now one year passed, I suited myself to the life style here,some Chinese people say " ok, you will slowly become lazy here!" Hope it is not getting lazy, just slow down a little bit.
Life is long and sweet,do not walk too fast to chase something, you might miss the beautiful scenes on the way!

The world is so beautiful! I just saw some photos that won the world photographer prize. They are all amazing and they all showed some special beauty of the nature.
Yes, I think to travelling around the world is lots of peoples' dream. To really do it is not that easy, it takes time,money,energy..... but just sit at home and watch tv or photos is not good enough, you can not really feel the beauty and can not really touch or smell the nature.
So if there is time and some other conditions are good, better just get out and enjoy the real nature. I plan to travel in Europe during this summer to see the different cultures in different countries.(maybe also learn some other languages as well, I do not get enough to study languages) After that I am sure you can read alot about my travel stories in my blog.
Ok,let's see then! Hope the summer comes soon ( well, I can skip the spring here!)

Today is a happy day! not only because there is a little sunshie and a little bit warmer,also this week is passed and new week will begin!
Today is the last day I study in this school and next week I will go to the new school and face the new challenge! ( Life needs changes and challenges!)
Also today I went to a korean friend's home with Lia ( the brazilian girl), he is my school mate.He and his family came to Finland about 4 monthes ago. And he has two lovely sons! The most exciting thing is I ate at his home the real korean food! Make me miss home very much! Since they look so familiar with chinese food and they taste very similar!(at least I think so now)
I MISS HOME! Just like the saying " East,west, home is the best!"
Well face the new challenge and enjoy my life here(that is the most important), then I shall never regret the time I have be living here!

Today is qing ming, that is one day in the chinese lunar calendar to remember the dead relatives or friends or.... Normally this day should be raining as to show that even the godess or god is crying for them.

I am not so supersititious,but I do wish that my grandma is happy in the faraway place called heaven. She already left me for about 6 years. I remember her this much because I have spent my childhood with her ( from 1yo to 11yo). I would say I grew up with my grandparents. So the feeling for her is quite strong,still remember the day that I heard she is dead.I do not know what to do and where to go....quite sad days!
Now time passes so quick,but I still miss her and will try to be in the cemetery to "see" her (since I am not living in Beijing for about 4 years).

Ok, tomorrow is a new day. There will be lots of new things happening and lots of new hope!

Frist I want to thanks all the people who has left comments for me.And also people who does not yet, I understand you are all quite busy. Thanks for all your support!
Actually I am getting better and better, even it is still snowing here.But it seems that it does not influence me that much any more.I can just ignore or enjoy it now....
Well, decition is always difficult to make. I decided to study Finnish language more,since I am here about 14 monthes already. After this course, I will have to attend the Finnish national test level 3 (which means that daily life conversation and so on should be no problem). The test will be held in the 20th month since I am here (29th,Oct 2006). If I can pass it, I will be proud of myself,since I know there will be not much people can pass this test whithin 3 years staying in Finland. So come on! I have to work hard!
Yes, like yesterday I said " life is beautiful!". I always think so, that life can give us so many different things. Like I am here in another country another culture, this is really good experiences for me and make me much easier to understand and to see another culture in another world.
So thanks to life and enjoy it, I hope you all can enjoy your life too!

Yesterday I mailed my blog link to my friends and family members, thanks for looking at it and if there is anything you want to say or any good link(including your own blog),pls just send me an email or write it in the comment.
Well, the weather is still not very good,just wonder if it will get better later. Or else I just have to get used to this. But there always is this song by Monty Python " Always look at the bright side of life!" around me and to cheer me up.
Life is not easy for everyone, that is 200% true! So everyone need to enjoy the beautiful life we can have!

The weekend passed so quick! The new week will start soon!
New week will have new plan.Have to make a decition wheather I want to become a Finnish language expert or do something else.

This week I will be all alone here.Have to get used to be alone. I am not very good at it.Thanks to someone give me this chance to let me to be alone. Far away from family and friends. Sounds not very good but I will have to accept it!
Ok, hope the new week will bring me new hope and new things.