All posts filed under: Blog

Learning About Web Traffic

Published by Sula H.

Well, I’ve had my blog for almost a year now, so you might think I should know about web traffic and the likes. Wrong! Today, I’ve had quite the revelatory chat with my sister who got me all started on this blogging business, and I learned that MistyHilltops.com is experiencing quite some web traffic recently. So much so, in fact, that she had to shift things around to give me more allowance for web traffic. I guess that’s good news and bad news, but I sure learned today, that I should better do my homework first and know what I’m doing before embarking on an adventure like this. But as it is, I’m enjoying the ride with you all, and I hope that MistyHilltops.com will be able to stick around for quite some time to come still!

Sleep Well!

Published by Sula H.

So, for about three weeks I’ve been fighting this ugly cough that just won’t leave me alone. I’ve given up trying to see the doctor (at least for something so minor as this), because what usually happens is that they love to give you IVs, which in other places in the world are only given when you are seriously sick. I prefer the No-IV-route, so I had a friend of mine go and get me some medicine back when I was so sick a couple weeks ago. (Funny how without showing up with the patient here, they’ll give your friends plenty of medicine that will take care of whatever is bugging you.) Well, I started taking the pills my friend got me when I was still in bed all the time, and all they do is put you to sleep. So when I started feeling like getting up again, I stopped taking this medicine, because I didn’t want to sleep all day. I wanted to be up and able to get active again. But I …

Saturday Feature: Umbrella Weather

Published by Sula H.

Finally: It’s umbrella weather again. After two weeks of straight raining, it’s finally time to get those umbrellas out for the most important reason. When I first came to China, one thing I learned about the lifestyle here is that an umbrella on a sunny day is almost more vital than an umbrella on a rainy day. The reason: White skin. Everyone here prefers pale skin as that is considered more beautiful here, so on a sunny day like this, people prefer to hide in the shadows – or … have their umbrellas handy. One more thing I still need to adapt myself to, I’m sure!

Fun with Chinglish: No Noising

Published by Sula H.

I looked through my photo folders, and found another couple “Chinglish” examples. This one was installed at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai advising people who were standing in line for one of the exhibitions to only use “Polite language and no noising!” Note: When posting anything in the Fun with Chinglish section, I don’t mean to show disrespect towards anything or anyone in any way. I’m simply sharing the fun we get to have with all those great signs & documents!

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!

One Year Ago: Our Travels in China

Published by Sula H.

Today, exactly one year ago, my parents arrived in Shanghai for their first visit to China, and since at the time I didn’t have a blog to share about our experiences yet, I thought today would be a good opportunity to share some of the highlights of that trip. Day 1: Arrival in Shanghai I’m flying to Shanghai to meet my parents at the airport, and then we take the transrapid (highspeed train) into the city. Traveling up to 450 km/h (280 m/h).   Day 2: EXPO 2010 Getting up early, because we have one goal: The EXPO 2010 in Shanghai.   My parents want to visit the Africa exhibition, and then we check out Iceland, Norway, Canada, Holland, Finland, the Caribbean Islands, and of course Germany. Trying not to be biased here, but I have to say that the German pavilion indeed was the highlight of the day (even was awarded the best pavilion officially at the end of the EXPO). Also, word of the wise: Always check out, whether citizens of the respective …

Saturday Feature: Driving Me Crazy

Published by Sula H.

China is a noisy place. I learned that very soon after I got here. It’s something you just have to get used to. But sometimes the noise just drives me crazy. Like the other day when they opened up a new store somewhere across the street (at least I assume that this is what was going on, because they love to turn up the volume especially on such occasions). In any case, the noise (for it was more than music) that came into my home from the outside was louder than the volume of the music I listen to at home. As a matter of fact, I tried to turn on some of my own music just to drown out that nerve wrecking whoomm whoomm from the outside, but it was a hopeless case. I could hardly hear my own music, and I had the volume already up more than usual! Worst of all, the music outside was so loud that it constantly had the alarms of the cars that were parked around go off. …