All posts filed under: News & Events

Lobby Disasters

Published by Sula H.

Eingangshallenkatastrophen   It’s been a while, but I decided to try another blog post again. Because I actually like blogging. Because I haven’t been around here to say “Hi!” in like forever. Because I actually have a couple of spare minutes, for one. And because of the disaster that is worthwhile sharing with you here today. I call it the lobby disaster, even though it didn’t even start in our lobby. It actually started in our dining hall. Right during lunch time. A murky brown liquid came streaming into our dining hall, and while we were waiting in the lunch line, we were all wondering what the substance was. Sewer stuff? It didn’t smell like it. But it definitely didn’t look like anything I want to get close to. While I was hurrying to finish up my lunch before the stuff would reach the spot where I was sitting, I didn’t even have a clue that what we were seeing in the dining hall was just the tip of the iceberg. Sure, someone had mentioned …

The Annual Wait

Published by Sula H.

Das jährliche Warten   It’s that time of the year again – the time when we’re asked to stand in line for hours just to get a nice little sticker in our passports saying we’re allowed to stay here for a year once more. But, since this nice little sticker is essential for our stay here, we gladly engage in line-ups, armed with cell phone games, kindle books, and other gadgets to keep our mood in check, and maybe, if we’ve been good, we might even reward ourselves with little ice-cream in the end!   Es ist mal wieder die Zeit gekommen. Die Zeit, in der wir gebeten werden, uns in die stundenlange Warteschlange einzureihen, nur damit wir einen hübschen kleinen Aufkleber in unserem Pass erhalten, der uns erlauben wird, ein weiteres Jahr hier zu verbringen. Aber, da dieser hübsche kleine Aufkleber ungemein wichtig für unseren Verbleib hier ist, reihen wir uns gerne ein – bewaffnet mit Handy-Spielen, Kindle Büchern und anderem Spielkram um uns bei Laune zu halten. Und vielleicht, wenn wir auch schön …

Busy Blogger

Published by Sula H.

I have some exciting news to share with you! (And it’s also a little excuse for why blogging has happened so sporadically lately …) You see, I’m currently working at maintaining two blogs. Or we could say, I’m doing a double version of MistyHilltops.com. You ask why? Well, that’s what’s so exciting! I’m getting a new blog!!! That is: we are giving my current blog a facelift. A real deal, big fat facelift. My expert sister has decided to set me up with a more professional theme (thanks, dearest expert sister, you’ve made someone halfway around the world really happy!), and these days, I’ve been kind of busy trying to figure out everything with how that new blog works, how we can simplify things, and how to set up everything exactly according to my preferences. (Still working at most of all of that!) And since I actually also have a real life, a job, and a very active social life, maintaining two blogs means it’s either one or the other. And these days, it has been …

Happy New Year!

Published by Sula H.

… at least in these parts of the world. It’s Spring Festival! Which means, little sleep, lots of fire crackers, and of course everything shuts down around here for basically two weeks (though I’m glad the big supermarkets will only be closed for about 2 days!). At any rate, I got myself prepared again, for the big fireworks display right in front of my building. And lo and behold, I wasn’t disappointed. Shortly before midnight, the guards began to set up their boxes with all the fireworks, which was my cue, too. This year, I was a little better prepared – all bundled up warmly, I seated myself on a stool on my balcony all ready to shoot away myself (shooting pictures, that is). The only disappointment: I didn’t expect the grand display to be over so soon. (Last year, it took them at least half an hour to fire up all that they had set up down there.) But this year, I was just getting warmed up with my photo shooting when it was …

Back in Business

Published by Sula H.

After the long delay, I’m quite excited to announce that: We are back in business! The move took a lot longer than we ever anticipated, but now I should be able to get back to the routine very quickly, I hope! Thanks for your patience in bearing with us.

Classes Begin

Published by Sula H.

As of today, the Fall Semester 2011 has finally begun for the freshman students. In order to make up for Thursday’s and Friday’s classes, teachers and students have to attend classes on Saturday and Sunday, a common practice in China.

Opening Ceremony for the New Students

Published by Sula H.

Tonight the Opening Ceremony will be held to welcome the new students at our university. Included in the event are a candle-light ceremony, lots of speeches, and of course the grand show performed mostly by the students from the artistic departments (music, dance, etc.). A full report will follow. Even though the freshman students have been here since the beginning of September, they’ve been involved in the military training so far, and no official welcome has taken place, so, tonight it’s time to say: Welcome Freshmen of 2011!