11
Aug
2009
Gifts and Presents
you be careful:)
Some time ago as I was invited to the Christmas eve celebration of a German family and also experienced this kind of occasion for the very first time, I did feel so embarrassed at the scene of exchanging the Christmas gifts. This was not about how expensive or how cheap a present you sent (of course I would say a tin of cola is surely not acceptable^_^), but about the manners there. In China as invited to a feastful dinner or similar occasions, it’s quite frequent to hand over your present at the first moment you see the host to show your gratitude. That son lived with me together in an apartment so I wanted to give my gift to him who’s in my sense on behalf of his whole family. But he just refused and said I should save this until we were at his home. So I had to stuck it into my pocket again, which was embarrassing enough to have killed me.
And later as we arrived at his home, I remembered his words this time and just observed how things went on. But out of my expectation there came an American girl too who was also invited, and now I had a problem. I just prepared a good and “big” present package for the while family and this girl got some more small presents along with her so that she could also send them to others at presence. Surely you can image how enjoying I felt to receive her cute present with empty hands on my side. If this was in China, I could at least spare the following terrible scene, because we Chinese never open the gifts at once to express our happiness and thanks. But here in Germany I have to, like others do. So again I had to admire her gift to be so wonderful in front of her while not daring to see her face.
So this is my unforgettable experience and I would very much suggest my fellow countrymen to keep in mind^_^!
11
Aug
2009
Bureaucracy in China and Germany
Bureaucracy has a history!
Talking about this topic, people somehow always have to sigh. I was confronted with so many cases even before I left the university, let alone was could have happened when starting your career. In both countries there dominates a real funny word to describe this phenomenon, namely the “stamp country”. So in this sense if you want to get things down, you normally have to get well prepared for possible torturing and suffering. I almost did not got my graduation degree cause I missed the appointment with the chief for 10 minutes later due to a traffic jam as I came a far way from 2000 km to Beijing, yet the chief said “you have to come the next year for it!” And I don’t want to talk about how picky and tricky my visa inspection process had been.
Now I’m in Germany, people get caught in the same situation. For a bank card you have to deal with the clerks for like years and at last it turns out that you have to contact their head bosses from far away via telephone yourself. After that, there would normally be a long time for you to wait and get relaxed. And according to Hofstede’s theory which I recently am engaging in, this would be described as PDI, Power Distance Index, which says to which degree people perceive and accept the bureaucracy and privileges of powerful people. No wonder, in both countries the index is high.
So one very important tip for you to carry on your life in Germany and China is that you always prepare yourself enough time and try you best not to burst into rage, which only brings you more trouble and mess your life up easily.
C’est La vie!
13
Jul
2009
Eating manners
Our way of serving food^_^
Even before I came to Germany, I’ve already sensed the difference a lot concerning on the table manners. As I was receiving a German guy in Beijing and went out with him to visit the Great wall, we stopped for a break at noon and ate there for lunch. In China we order dishes for all people cause everyone can share and taste different flavors which we see as an advantage. So I ordered for him and as the dishes came onto the table, he grasped “his ” dish without any thought. I knew this guy got sick because he had to finish a whole plate of fatty pork leg himself^_^. Until now I still enjoyed our way of eating on this point because even if I am now in Germany, I still keep on getting confronted with embarrassed situations in which I totally disliked the food but out of politeness had to finish it without the possibility to turn to other dishes instead. (cause dishes are served one after another in sequences)! Dear god!
Other interesting things are also worth mentioning. My German friends who once lived in China for quite a while had more than once complained that he rarely could bear Chinese spit bones of whatever directly onto the table or the ground because according to him it was really disgusting. So I told him for Chinese it was even more unacceptable to do it onto the plate which is considered to be seen more easily. While Chinese eat loudly, Germans clean the nose in front of people’s face; while Chinese mess up the dinner table, Germans lick their fingers… So it’s really difficult to say which way is better and who’s going to make compromise to the other. Anyway, that is culture!^_^
13
Jul
2009
Sunday Taboos in Germany
In Germany shops get closed on sunday
Even before I came to Germany, I’ve already sensed the difference a lot concerning on the table manners. As I was receiving a German guy in Beijing and went out with him to visit the Great wall, we stopped for a break at noon and ate there for lunch. In China we order dishes for all people cause everyone can share and taste different flavors which we see as an advantage. So I ordered for him and as the dishes came onto the table, he grasped “his ” dish without any thought. I knew this guy got sick because he had to finish a whole plate of fatty pork leg himself^_^. Until now I still enjoyed our way of eating on this point because even if I am now in Germany, I still keep on getting confronted with embarrassed situations in which I totally disliked the food but out of politeness had to finish it without the possibility to turn to other dishes instead. (cause dishes are served one after another in sequences)! Dear god!
Other interesting things are also worth mentioning. My German friends who once lived in China for quite a while had more than once complained that he rarely could bear Chinese spit bones of whatever directly onto the table or the ground because according to him it was really disgusting. So I told him for Chinese it was even more unacceptable to do it onto the plate which is considered to be seen more easily. While Chinese eat loudly, Germans clean the nose in front of people’s face; while Chinese mess up the dinner table, Germans lick their fingers… So it’s really difficult to say which way is better and who’s going to make compromise to the other. Anyway, that is culture!^_^
3
Jul
2009
The land of automobiles
You don’t know nobody in the world, you should have to know the king!
If you ask a German what he’s proud of at most for his country, the answers would come out from their mouths in the first second like well prepared: ” We produce the best beer in the world and we make damn good automobiles!” While living here I’ve pretty much broadened my vision as I see numerous brand cars such as BMW and Mercedes roaring by, even trucks, police cars and taxis are in our sense luxury cars which not a common person in China can easily afford. The advanced technologies of car manufacturing are exactly the reason why. I was several times at some sales centres and auto exhibitions to enjoy this magnificent babies and you can never believe how cheap (of course a car won’t be too cheap but in comparison^_^) those cars are, on the average I would say twice as cheap as in China! So if somebody tells me of the crazing idea of driving a car from Germany back to his own country, I wound never doubt about it! German People love cars and love driving cars, not only because they make awesome ones, but also Germany is one of the only several countries in which there’re still no velocity limits on its many roads. Under this circumstance Germany has become the paradise for uncountable car-lovers all over the world as well. A German friend has ever told me the story of his grandfather that although he’s too old to see anything, he still won’t give up driving his own beloved car. This may sounds crazy but Germans are exactly the people who perhaps would rather die than living a world without automobiles!