All posts filed under: Blog

Back to School …

Published by Sula H.

… it is. And that means me be busy, busy, busy for the next couple of weeks! But at least we ended up in this romantic lil’ ol’ town, with lots of Black Forest all around, and then there’s Switzerland and France waiting right in the neighborhood, wanting to be explored just as well. So, you see, there’s really lots to study around here – about life in the Black Forest, about European soccer, about French cuisine, and the Swiss way of mountain climbing. And now you know why school keeps me so busy! Off to study …

Change of Scene

Published by Sula H.

I’ve been on the road again. Halfway across the country.  To a tiny town in the far south-west corner of Germany my journey’s taken me. It’s basically the end of it. The end of the world, I mean. Or at least of Germany. Because France and Switzerland are both less than 20 min. away. In other words, going anywhere in these two countries is going to be closer than anything in Germany, really. So, welcome to the end of the world. And of course, welcome to Germany, Switzerland, and France …   P.S. Oh, and before I forget, I meant to ask this question: Why do oysters never give to charity? Answer: Because they’re shellfish, duh! P.P.S. If you think that’s just a silly joke, you can blame my friend for it. He just got it from his facebook, and I can’t take any responsibility for it, really.

Greetings from a Poppy Field

Published by Sula H.

  So, my mom (who loves photography by the way) had this grandiose idea the other day: let’s go find some poppies and try some pictures. And that’s what we did. We took our bikes, and off we went, on a 3-minute ride to find us some poppies for a nice little photo shoot. And this is what we got …        

Adjustments

Published by Sula H.

Being back requires some adjustments. Adjustment #1 | Weather Let’s take the weather, for example. When I left China, it was sizzling hot. I hadn’t worn socks in months, nor was any kind of sweater required since the beginning of May. Here, the weather’s been rather chilly lately, and a sweater is an absolute must. Still, what’s the first thing I get after returning home? A big fat cold! So NOT cool! Adjustment #2 | Money Have you ever gone to a foreign place where they use a different currency, and you constantly have to look at your money to make sure you pick the right amount? Well, I’m back home, but the money has become so unfamiliar that I’m having to do just that: flip over and double check every coin before I hand it to the cashier to make sure that I’m giving her what I think I’m giving her. Talking about some major readjustments here! Adjustment #3 | Language Usually, I try my best to stick with the language that I need …

Home Sweet Home

Published by Sula H.

I used to call it home. And now I’m back again. At least for this week, that is. And I had some nice surprises. Like my sister coming to the airport to pick me up when I thought her hundreds of miles away. Does it feel strange to be back after such a long time? Sure it does. And then, it actually doesn’t. Everything is still so familiar, it’s as if I just left yesterday. And yet, it’s all so strange as well. Anyhow, I’ll promise you something: I’ll try to make the most of my time back home. I’ll try to enjoy all the foods I haven’t had in such a long time, and I can’t wait to meet and greet so many of my friends that I haven’t seen in just as long a time!

Up in the Air …

Published by Sula H.

… that’s what was happening today: I was up in the air. For most of my 30-hour-day anyways. Up in the air, anywhere between Asia and Europe. But “up in the air” is how I’ve been feeling a little, too! Returning to your home-turf when you’ve been out for so long can be quite unsettling. What will home be like? Will it still feel like home? We’ll find out very soon, but at least while I was up in the air today, I had a pleasant time. Did you know that KLM has now officially made it to the top of the list of my favorite airlines? Now, you can disagree with me on that, but I have to say, I loved being spoilt with chocolate bars and stuffs whenever I felt like it. Not every airline offers such services. So, maybe, being up in the air today wasn’t all that bad after all!

A Rather Busy Day

Published by Sula H.

One of the fun things about my life in China is that sometimes you can have rather busy days. Like today. Today, I was invited to a wedding of two colleagues – so I was out this morning and for lunch. Today, I also had to do a lot of packing, since I’m moving, and I’ll be traveling, too. Today, I also wanted to go and play tennis for the last time in several months. Today, I went to the foreign-faculty-end-of-the-year banquet for dinner. And today, I have to go to bed early, since tomorrow I’ll have to head out at 6 am, and I’m planning to use my travel time to work on some more assignments – so no late night and sleeping on the airplane. Now, the fun about this is that it’s actually possible! I can do all of these things in one day, and not even feel stressed about it. I guess I could “blame” that on life in China as well, because I know at the end of the day …

How Things Change …

Published by Sula H.

Well, you know how dearly I love me that little mountain we get to go to every once in a while. I usually tell you all about it, whenever I’ve had another chance to get away from town. And we like this mountain for specific reasons. For example, the fact that only few people find their way there. Or that you don’t have to pay money to go for a hike. Or that the trails used to be all natural trails – no stairs, no pavements. Used to be … Because now, there are stairs. Now, there are paved walkways. Now there are more and more visitors crowding (and unfortunately littering) the place. And my little heart is broken. Because it looks like soon our mountain, the only place where we could actually find a little nature around town, will be just another tourist spot in China – overrun with people; occupied by sellers who want to make business; and with paved walkways that take away all the fun of hiking up rocky trails. Sometimes I simply …