china, more impressions

Coming back to Japan tomorrow. I went to 北京　and I'm in 天津 since the february 5th. I've been enjoying this a lot, but I probably would be enjoying it even more if I were more independent. I depend on my friends to go here and there and that kind of makes me feel bad. It was so good to see my friends back, I had some unexpected surprises and disappointments. When it comes to the disappointments, I'm not sure if it's me that has changed or the 向こう.

But anyway, China is great in a lot of ways. Food is great, commodity prices are great, people I know are great - not necessarily chinese in china, because I haven't really socialized with chinese in here, but overall, the chinese that approach us in english are very pleasant.

On the other hand, chinese toilets are degrading. and so is the smog&pollution and the attitude of some 服务员. And I also don't really like the way the chinese lie. They lie for everything. I'm not going to give examples, but this was a bit surprising. Lying around here it's kind of cultural. I know chinese from several parts of china, and I'm not sure if that differs from place to place but anyway, how are you supposed to trust a person if you are positive that that person lies frequently? Actually, I think this is one of the main problems of my relationships (friendship) with chinese.

The experience I've had with the japanese is that after just a while they seem to trust you and you have no problems connecting. But this is just me talking, and I don't have that many japanese and chinese to whom I can call friends.

A thing I noticed in my portuguese friends is that, when it comes to money they have all become quite somitic. I understand, and I myself have been using the money I left on the side during my university years to come here, but despite that, It's like I sometimes feel disrespected for that same reason.

This is probably going to sound natural, since I'm aware that I myself have changed considerably since I came to Japan, but, I get considerably irritated with the attitudes of some people more close to me to the point that I don't want to be near the persons involved. I don't know if this was the first time they acted like that or if I just didn't realized this when I was in Portugal.

And to some extent, I can't explain how, but the asian influence I'm exposed to in Japan has probably changes my way of thinking that I feel sometimes this kind of shock when exchanging opinions. I don't really know how to explain neither the occasion nor the "shock", but I felt this a few times.

I hope to come here and study chinese some time, not for now, for now, I'm still not sure on what I want to do but most likely I want to stay in Japan (if getting a scholarship happens to be possible). If not, I don't know.

I've come out of my now confort zone, Japan, and came to china, and I could say that I'm also in a confort zone since I have my friends with me. And this is the reason why I think they haven't changed that much. My portuguese friends get along mostly with the portuguese community here, ie, themselves. They have chinese and other foreigners as acquaintances but not as that kind of person you like, you want to be and spend time with, you want to share your feelings with (opinions are ok), a friend. I think I understand the chinese better than my friends who are studying here.

Coming back to Japan tomorrow, will have time to pack everything up again, and will leave to Portugal early in the morning of the 14th. The next few days are going to be so tiring I don't even want to think about it.

Coming back to portugal will be good in the sense I'll be able to look at the people I know with another eyes. My judging and evaluating senses are also likely to be different so I will probably reason differently. I'm looking forward to meet some friends and some new friends, and some old friends (got in contact with some friends from primary/middle school) and most importantly those who have inspired me and that I miss the most.

Despite all this, when I come back to portugal, I obviously want to meet those people, take my cheap breakfast at the cafe. Fortunately I'm not in China long enough to feel the price shock when compared with Japan, I will come back to portugal and feel that in portugal everything's cheap. This because we mostly eat out here in china and don't really go to the supermarket.

I'm used to my routine in Japan, and coming here forced to make different choices, this feels uconfortable, and there are times in which I whish I could be in Japan. But now I'm coming back to portugal and won't even have to to re enjoy Japan, so I think that this separation will do me good and will make me wish for Japan more than even during my stay in Portugal. I think I'm going to have problems with food, I like japanese rice so much that I'm not prepared to come back to portuguese style. And glad that I mentioned it, I think I'm taking some japanese rice with me.

Anyway, yesterday, I went, again to a japanese 居酒屋 here in 天津, and had a great time there. Actually my closest friend did not go, and I went with the people that have surprised them most positively here in china. I really, really enjoy going to this kind of place and have a nice talk, a nice laugh and overall just have a good time with friends. I really, really enjoy this. I do this, well, not often, but lately, relatively frequently in Japan. Going to Izakaya and to Cafes. Though I'm going to refrain from doing it from now on because I have no money to spend like this. And did that because I wanted to "improve" the human relations with the ones involved and just had a good time.
In this 居酒屋 we can actually order in japanese so that it even feels better, you know, that "home sweet home" kind of feeling. Besides, we went there two days ago, and because it was the end of the chinese year they gave us 饺子 for free. But the waitress and myseld are often confused because of the japanese/chinese mix that happens between all of us.

Today we are going tohave lunch (well, in like 2 hours time) and then we are going to this tower. I also need to spend the around 30 euros I have in chinese money in something.

 Speaking of money, I bough some training pants and boots here in china for prices I'd never see in portugal or in Japan. I also bought a smartphone because not only it was cheap - if compared with the average prices of phones with equal specs in Portugal and Japan, but also because my old smartphone is not working and couldn't use it in Japan. And I barely use my cellphone in Japan because it's like from stone age and 使う気がしない。But now everything will be different.