today I want to make up for not keeping this blog updated as regularly as I intended. In addition to creating some beautiful slideshows for all of you to watch, I also offer some description so that you actually know, what you’re watching.

Let’s start with the video of the road to China:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa7d6IE34xA

Music by Audioslave: “Shadow on the sun”

In this video you can see two pictures taken in Berlin in the vicinity of the Reichstag. After that you are taken directly to Moscow, where we took some nice pictures in the Moscow Metro,and on a boatcruise on the river Moskwa. The llast few pictures from Mosco were taken on the Red Square.
From there the actual Transsib Experience starts: With pictures of the four-day trainride, the Russian Taiga, trainride again, Lake Baikal, and Mongolia. The big building with the Mongolian flag is the Mongolian Parliament in Ulan Bataar. From there we entered the Mongolain wilderness to see heroes graves, cattle grazing without fences, eagles and nothingness as far as the eye can see.

In the end you will see the first pictures taken in China, namely in the Yiheyuan (Summer Palace) and Badachu in Beijing. After that there are some shots from our hikeon the Great Wall in Jinshanling. The streetshots are from Beijing and Changchun and the last pictures I took while watching the famous beijing opera.

Video number two mostly displays some sights in Beijing :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fepfHvU3lUU

Music: “小姑娘”

This video starts out with an acrobatic show and then moves to Beijing opera again. Then you can see me ans Sabrina on the Square of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen). Then is’s Great Wall ans Summer Palace again.

In the end you can see the view from my room and me and Olli watching the China Open.

The last Video I made from pictures that I took on our trip to Chengde, the summer residence of the Qing-Emperors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47pHSpZfJZY

Music: Some chinese song

The residence is basically a huge park-like area, with several building complexes in it. Around the Palace, there are twelve temples, representing several different religions or friendships with certain religious or worldy leaders. Especially beautiful is the small reproduction of the Summer Residence of the Dalai Lama in Lhasa.

Enjoy the impressions everyone and pleasant and merry holidays “und einen guten Rutsch” to all who know me!

My life here is way too exciting not to keep you updated! Weeklong vacations to Dalian,, Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang… Short vacation to Chengde…798 Art District…Model UN…Glühweinparty…live music events…attempted vacations to other places…crazy birthdayparties…Finnish Independence Day…Weihnachtsmarkt…Internopportunities; there is so much to tell! Please visit again I promise before Christmas you will all have a chance to get a deeper insight on what my life here has become like!

The customs at the Russian-Mongolian Border were torturing. The train stopped for 3 hours on the russian side. Only that the customs officials could take our passports and to barely have a look in our compartment. In the Russian bordertown, which seemed to be the end of the world, Sabrina and I went for a walk and bought some more water for the night. It was 10 o’clock at night when we finally crossed the border only to remain at the Mongolian side for another 3 hours. So it was after 1 when we could finally get some rest which we really needed since the train was to arrive at 8 in the morning.

We rose to a beautiful sunrise over the Mongolian Mountains. After being picked up again we were taken to the Terelj (read: „terelsch“) National Park. There we stayed in a Camp of „Jurtes“ or in Mongolian „Ger“ for two nights. On the first day we visited a Nomad family and saw the Turtle rock. A rock that looks like a giant turtle. But I found these activities to be very touristy. In the afternoon we had the chance to go horseriding which started out to be just as touristy because we couldn’t actually ride so the horses had to be led around. But after a while the horses got used to us and the leaders jumped on their backs and rode with us up a mountain from where we had a very pretty view of the Mongolian step.

The next day Sabrina and I decided that we want to climb a different mountain and have that breathtaking view one more time. We had some difficulties getting all the way up but all our efforts were well worth it: The view was even more astonishing than the day before.

The next morning we had to leave the countryside and go back to Ulan Bataar, the capital city of Mongolia. There we went for a walk and to the the Suche Bataar Square as well as the Museum Mongolain Historry as well as the Museum of fine arts. In between we had a coffebreak at the Café Sacher in Ulan Bataar to enjoy a piece of cheesecake and a cup of hot chocolate.

In the evening we went out to eat, which proved to be a very bad decision. The Mongolian Grill, that was recommended to us was closed to we went to an American style restaurant which gave us a food poisoning so that we could’t do anything but stay in bed the next day. I managed to get up and get some medicine in the morning, by walking to the next pharmacy and asking for help but nobody spoke English nor Chinese nor Russian. Instead the very kind lady at the pharmacy took a taxi together with me, took me to the hispital and found an English-speaking doctor who could help me. After taking the taxi back I in turn was very sick and Sabrina started to feel better. The story about my short trip to the Supermarket to buy food and water for the trainride I’ rather not tell. It involves me feeling dizzy in the Supermarket and „someone“ puking in front of the supermarket due to foodpoisoning. Because of our physical desastrous state we unfortunately didn’t manage to see the traditional Mongolian theatre in Ulan Bataar that was recommended to us.

The next morning we took the train to finally go to China. We were very excited that finally we would be able to communicate.

In Irkutsk we were picked up in the morning of the 17th and brought to Listvianka. A small village right at the Baikal lake. We dropped our stuff at the cosy little chalet and started walking.

After all the days aboard the train our feet and bones finally needed the excercise so we walked across the whole village which stretched for 5 kilimeters along the lakeside. On the way we stopped for lunch at a small café and had a very tasty russian style salad and fish chutney that looked exactly like a meatloaf but tasted like fish, much to our surprise.

At the other end of Lisvianka we climbed a mountain on top of which was supposed to be a beautiful scenic spot. On the way up we laughed at all the Japanese tourists who were too lazy and instead rode the skilift of this small skiresort to get to the mountaintop.

The view from the top was astonishing. At least it could have been were it not for the clouds which blocked the view to the opposite side of the lake. Right at the moment when it started to rain we met two guys from Switzerland, Dominic and Manuel, who we talked to for some time, while taking shelter from the rain. We then decided to walk down together and found out that they were also going to study in China for a year and literally stole our most used sentence during the voyage: „We are also taking the train to beijing – but we will stay there for a year.“

At the foot of the mountain Sabrina and I decided to visit the Ecological museum of the Baikal region. 5 Euro wasted on two rooms museum and a tiny Aquarium full of ordinary Seabass. The only thing worth seeing were the two Baikalseals. Sabrinas first real-life seals. We had recommended the restaurant that we had lunch at to Dominic and Manuel and because it was still raining we stopped there again for a cup of coffee where they were just having Dessert and talked some more about our expectations and hopes for the upcoming year. Finally they suggested that we should go hiking to Bolchy Coty the next day and take the boat back. A small village 20 kilometers from Listvianka. Bolchy Coty can only be reached by foot or by boat, there is no street suitable for cars but only a small hiking path trough the forrest.

Saturday 18th

On saturday we started right after breakfast excited about this little nest away from civilisation. We walked up and up the mountains in a foggy mist that kept us from enjoying any of the pretty views of the lake but instead gave everything, including us, a damp feel. When we passed the highest mountain on our route the grass became longer and because it was so wet our shoes and pants eventually were soaked with cold water and Sabrina started to feel cold. So after made it propably halfway to Bolchy Coty we gave up and arrived at our chalet around 4. After a long hot shower and some rest we decided to go see the fish market and try the lokal smoked Omul. It was delicious! We sat at the stony beach only with two smoked Omul, some flatbread and a pin of Schaschlik and enjoyed the view of the lake in the sun, which in that instant showed itself for the first time.

The next day, sunday the 19th. We got up and had a quick dip in the 16 degree cold Baikal before breakfast. After rich breakfast with cereal and fruit as well as bread with sausage and cheese we packed our things and waited to be picked up to take the ferry to Irkutsk.

Unfortunately our travel agency booked the wrong tour (Irkutsk to Bolchy Coty instead of Lisvianka to Irkutsk) so the captain of the boat refused to take us. I paniced and tried to call every number of travel agencies that I had both in Irkutsk and Moscow as well as in Germany but every number seemed to be busy. So we waited and the driver, even though he looked very idle arranged for us to be picked up by car and that way we finally reached Irkutsk in the afternoon and even mamanged to go see the city on a quick tour by car with a very nice German speaking guide who explained everything and had a good knowledge of the few sights of Irkutsk.

We were picked at 4:15 in the morning from our homestay to reach the train to Ulan Baatar in time. That meant getting up at 3:15. Obviously I was so sleepy that I forgot my p-jays int the bathroom.

We shared our small four-bed appartement with Alex and Jannis. Alex is a thirty year old escapist, looking for a place to stay in the future. He is of polish heritage and used to teach children of immigrants German before leaving for an uncertain future. Jannis was a french employee of a major German logistics company working in Moscow. He was the only one fluent in russian and helped us out on many occasions with our „beloved“ provinietza.

After settling in for quite some time and getting to know each other a little bit we went to sleep for the first time in our new home for the next four nights.

There is not much about a four-day trainride that can be put in words. There is a lot of landscape to see and many trainstations to buy tasty food from old matruschkas. We tried everything we could find: Starting from homemade traditional russian ravioli, to flatbread and filled waffles. Everything was very tasty and we had a good time with Alex, who knew some of the traditional stuff and recommended it to us. The only thing that we did not buy from at the stops was Vodka. The last evening we celebrated with two girls from the compartment next door and a bottle of Vodka from the restaurant car.

While the landscape quickly passed by it slowly changed its appearance from endless birchforrests to treeless wastelands and endless pineforrests until after a long time reading we finally reached Irkutsk, where at first we were diappointed by the industrial appearance of the city.

From there we went to have an expensive fastfood lunch (we dicided this would be our last italian fastfood) and then walked in the sun to the Cathedral which I found to be very impressive. After doing some shopping in the Mall Ochotny Riad  we went home to pack, have dinner and prepare for the long trainride into Siberia.

The walk to the next Metro station from there was longer as we were initially told but then we moved with the regular speed of the fantastic Metro through the Moscow underground. The next stop was supposed to be the rebuild Cathedral of the Savior but I wore shorts and was not let in. So Sabrina and I decided to Go see the Puschkin Museum of Arts across the street first and then come back when I had a chance to change into regular pants over at the museum. The museum was impressive. Strating with van Gogh to Matisse and Renior and some of the most famous pictures of Manet (white waterlillies and Haystacks) every classical modern painter was represented. Sabrina tought me about fauvismus and a lot about Metisse, whom she likes a lot.

Unfotunately after that the Cathedral was closed for the day. So we decided to head for the RamT Theatre where we had tickets for the ballett. They played „sleeping beauty“ (“Dornröschen”) and even though it was way too hot in the theatre and the play became longer and longer as even little red riding hood and the cat with the 7 mile boots (der gestiefelte Kater) had their appearances we both enjoyed this extraordinary form of arts very much

After spending a day in Berlin before joinig my girlfriend on the flight to Moscow we are finally here. On the way I met a very kind Russian lady called Natasha who gave me some good advice about this fantastic city.

Yesterday both Sabrina and I were too tired to go downtown by Metro, so we both decided to have a little picknick in the park and then check out were the next Metrostation actually is. After buying two metrotickets for the next day we returned to our hostfamily to rest for the next, tiring day.

Saturday we met with a friend of Sabrina’s early in the morning at the entrance to the kreml and were lucky to buy the last four available tickets for the armoury. After visiting every single building open to the public inside the kreml walls we quickly bought ourselves some money and then went on a boatcruise down the river moscow river. It was fantastic, sunny weather at approx. 30°C so it was a lot of fun passing all the famous moscowian sights and seeing them from the river.

After that we became a little hungry and used the amazing Metro to get to the Arbat, where we had a snack at about 1700. After that dinner our friends, who both work in Moscow returned home and Sabrina and I walked over to the Manege Shopping center and from there to the Red Square. It was a fantastic scene seeing the sun go down over this most famous spot in all of Russia. After the sunset we went through the GUM shopping centre and straight to the Metro. Unfortunaltely it was quite an odyssey to find the right line and that would take us to our station, Baumanskaia. From there we used the Tram to return to our room and after washing all the dirt of this long day off us quickly went to sleep.

Last week I had a blast with friends in my hometown in northern Germany playing sports and partying while at the same time saying goodbye.

I think I haven’t told you just until now: I won’t be flying into Bejing but instead ride the Transsiberean Railway. My girlfriend and I are going to spend some time in Moscow, Irkutsk and in Momgolia before starting our studies in Beijing at the beginning of september.

I will keep you up to date on the last preparations for the longest trainride of my life – for now I’m off to the beach!

I thought by writing this blog I would have the chance to share some of these experiences with you all: My family, friends, classmates, people I met on the long journey there, or just anyone who happens to stop by and to be curious about the lifestyle in an evolving society as the Chinese undoubtedly is.

What this blog is not:

A collection of stereotypes, first glance impressions and unreflected criticism of the unknown. Due to past experiences of mine I know that different people raised in different cultures may behave in a fashion that might seem totally strange and curious at the same time.

What this blog is:

So for those of you who care I will try and give you an insight into the current lifestyle of a German student staying in China and if at all possible also of Chinese students studying in the country’s capital.

My ultimate goal would be to create an equally meaningful Blog as my fellow student Matt did, whose insights I enjoyed during the last months that he himself stayed in Beijing .

Feel free to make up your own mind, build your own opinion and criticise me anytime that you feel that I bore the c%§@ out of you. But most of all: Enjoy!

Yours,

Jan-Ole