China Romance
All About China => Your trip to China => Topic started by: Hajo on July 25, 2009, 02:06:35 pm
-
It is about to be my turn, hehe. Friday July 31st at 17:45 CET I will take off from Billund/Denmark. If everything goes as it is supposed to, I will be in Urumqi on August 1st at 18:30 Beijing time. The travel is estimated to take 20 hours.
I will give a short roundup for those who don’t know about our relationship.
***
April 13th – cupid note to Vicky, the adventure begins.
May 5th - first chat on QQ
May 8th – I have gotten my Chinese name ?? – Hao Jun – grand smart
May 17th – We agreed on marriage
May 19th – the first telephone contact
May 25th – We decided that Vicky should go to Denmark with me after my visit in August
May 27th – the last EMF
July 5th – Riots in Urumqi
July 7th – Internet blackout in Urumqi (by Chinese government), no contact possible
July 16th – Vicky is in Beijing for the weekend. Vi chat most of the weekend
July 20th – Vicky returns to Urumqi, no contact possible
August 1st - We meet in Urumqi
***
Well, as I will not be able to post from Urumqi I will give a short briefing on our plans so far.
Arrival 18.30 on Aug. 1st. From the airport we will take a taxi and go to Vicky’s apartment. That’s where I am going to stay. We will have home cooked dinner (yummi) and talk. On Sunday, we will go to translator offices to get some papers translated and to get them notarised. In the afternoon I will meet the elder sisters and their families. They are very sceptical about me. Since the riots they do not like my moustache. Chinese do not have beards; ok very few have a little. But the Uyghur, those who started the riots have. Now they think people with beards are bad.
On Monday, August 3rd we will get our marriage registered and after that we go to Beijing for the honeymoon, hehe! When we are in Beijing, I should be able to post again. On Tuesday we want to go to the Danish Embassy and apply for a tourist visa for Vicky. If she gets the visa she will be able to go to Denmark with me on August 15th. We will see.
-
Thanks Hajo , that makes it all clear for us . Yes , here comes the big " BUT " ... you left one thing out and I'm curious now . Are you going to shave your Mustache ???
-
Well Arnold, I am going to keep it! I told Vicky that she could tell the family I couldn't take it of. The borderpolice might not let me get into China if the there is a different in the passport picture and the real me, hehe.
I told her that I would shave it off if she feels uncomfortable when kissing :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Well Arnold, I told her that I would shave it off if she feels uncomfortable when kissing :icon_cheesygrin:
Okay , that might take about twelve day's before that happen's ( going by Scott's average ) , so that gives Vicky enough time to get used to it ... you know the cheek to cheek thing . :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Haj, You are welcome to contact me when you are in Beijing. I will be there from the evening of the 11th. So the 13-15th. We can have lunch or dinner. If interested PM me and I will give you a number to call. If not it is cool.
-
Well Arnold, I am going to keep it! I told Vicky that she could tell the family I couldn't take it of. The borderpolice might not let me get into China if the there is a different in the passport picture and the real me, hehe.
I told her that I would shave it off if she feels uncomfortable when kissing :icon_cheesygrin:
Hajo, that reminds me of when my sisters and me were little kids. My father started to grow a moustache but we wouldn't let him kiss us because it was all whiskery on our cheeks, so off it came *laughs*
-
Good luck with all Hajo and viele spass :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Haj, You are welcome to contact me when you are in Beijing. I will be there from the evening of the 11th. So the 13-15th. We can have lunch or dinner. If interested PM me and I will give you a number to call. If not it is cool.
Hi Jim, I would love to meet in Beijing, but we are leaving for Urumqi again on the 10th. On the 11th Vicky has some family business to attend to and on the 12th her son is celebrating his birthday. Maybe som other time. I won't be the last time that I go to China.
-
hey JIm, he just don't wanna meet you mate.........LOL only joking guy's:angel::icon_cheesygrin:
-
Hajo... You lucky man...Its happening soon.
For Aug. 03 your wedding day my best wishes. Believe me a few bottles of cold beer here going to be killed on that day, a toast to both of you. It shouldnt go wrong. I can hear even the wedding bells ringing...
Wishing Vicky and you...a wonderful wedding celebration.
Have a nice trip and Viel Glück.
-
Good luck and if you have any trouble in Beijing, let me know. Maybe my lady could help.
-
Rob , Hajo doesn't want to meet a Man with Hand Cuff's . Why do you think a German is living in Denmark ?:s
Ok , stopped laughing .
We are so restless about your up coming Trip Hajo , and have you join our Married Club .
-
Thanks for your support guys!
It's pure torture, the waiting time. Tomorrow it will be over. 2.30 pm I will leave for the airport. 1.5 hour drive and the take off is scheduled for 5.45 pm. Local danish time is Beijing time + 7 hours. 20 hours later I will arrive in Urumqi. I will try to write a little offline and post it Monday night when we get to Beijing.
BTW: 23 hours and 46 minutes until take off!!! :icon_cheesygrin: :heart: :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Best of luck Hajo, do keep us posted on your trip.
May the road rise to meet you (old Irish saying) and my wholehearted best wishes to you.
-
Hajo Hope you have a great time. I hope you can keep us up to date even with the problem of no internet.
-
It's really amazing , everytime one of us is going to meet THEE special Woman for the first time , it feels like a Family Member is going and it makes my Heart go into the next Gear .
Their are many Eyes and Ear's tuned to your Trip .
I guess , I can come out of the Medicine Cabinet for a while now ? NOBODY is Home .
-
Hajo , have a great time , we will all be waiting for your posts , regards Robert .
-
Hajo... I know that you will have a great time because you are a German guy living in Denmark.. The best of two worlds :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Hajo, I wish you a nice trip over there and I wish you all the best :)
Enjoy the Real Meeting face to face ^^
-
I wonder what Hajo is doing at this moment ? Is he with Vicky finally ... or did he take the wrong Plane ... or did he faint seeing Vicky in front of him and is at the ER now ... or he is having such a good time already , he has forgotten us already ? I might have to pull an all-nighter and wait for the first word from him ... oh wie schön ist die Liebe .. Lalalala .
-
aaahhh ... I did get some sleep Mike , and I also saw that a letter came in while I was asleep .
But not from Hajo , sorry ... no I'm not ... it was from my Sweetheart . In that case your so right , I did not think of HIM either .:icon_cheesygrin:
-
I guess you're right Mike.. As soon as he see Vicky all his other thoughts are gone with the wind (or Vicky).. Let us hope he gets his thoughts back when it is time to get back to Denmark...
Was ist Liebe ?????
-
Liebe = Love = Amore = Ai !!! ai ai ai Peter .. you did not know this ?
-
I hope Hajo made it through to china with that spoon of his. Good luck brother. Hope we hear from you soon.
-
Good luck, I can not imagine what you will go through, but remember stay focus
-
I'm surer he is having such a good time he will not even remember his own name until he returns home.
Welcome to the brotherhood Tommy x.
-
Arnold.. The quote is from a song by Marlene Ditrich a long time ago.. I guess that was her question from the start... I hope that Hajo soon will know what it is :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Ahhhhh Marlene....huh *(sighs) (lovestruck):angel:
The question I wanted to ask is, what spoon is Hajo using a teaspoon?, a soup spoon? or a tablespoon?
With the time he has been digging it sounds like a teaspoon....lol
Tommy welcome to the madhouse:angel: so now your here give us the lowdown on you and your lady:fi_lone_ranger:
-
Scottish I think it actually started out as a shovel. By the the time he reach Urumqi is was like a novelty spoon you see hanging on the wall.
I am happy he is there. I hope he is safe and having the time of his life.
Now if he has to dig his self back this poses a problem. Chopstix not a good digging tool.
-
But man can have 2 chopsticks, so he may can dig twice time faster :D
I wish Hajo a nice trip there anyway, and hope everythin's quiet in the streets by now.
-
Well I hope Hajo Is doing well since we have not heard from him.
-
Hi Guys. I know you have been waiting for while. Now I am in Beijing and living at cloud number seven. I wish you well!! :icon_cheesygrin:
I took of from Denmark July 31 at 17.45 local time. The flight to Amsterdam was no problem (1 hour). Two hours later I was on my plane to Beijing. There we had a yelling guy. After an hour or so they moved him, so I could not see him anymore. The flight to Beijing was an overnight flight (9 hours). After we had our meals they shut off the lights and we slept a little. All together I slept 6 hours I guess. Beside me was Italian guy. I had the feeling he was in a rollercoaster; he rolled from one side to other continuously.
Arrived in Beijing, I went through the health check and claimed my bag. There was a lady from China Southern Airlines to take us to Domestic Departures. Very positive impression on China Southern Airlines. Sunday the August 1. at 18.40 I arrived at Urumchi Airport. After the Bagage claim I went to the arrival hall. A few seconds later, somebody ticked my shoulder. There she was, I hugged her at once. She was a little shy, but she looked more beautiful then I expected. Then I found out she was not alone, her older sister and her brother in law were there too.
We drove from the airport through the city to her home. In the city they showed me some of the police/military guards. They are placed close to the most critical areas and others go patrol. As we arrived at her home I took a shower and rested a little. Vicky prepared some food. That was very delicious. After the meal we talked helped by a little translator without voice. She speaks a lot of Chinese to me as I have proven to understand a little. I am also anxious to learn, but it is not that easy to learn, hehe. Maybe I will go to China some day, you never know. But when we arrive in Denmark, Vicky will start learning Danish.
After a couple of hours I went to bed because I was tired. I felt asleep at once. I woke up at 8.30 in the morning, Vicky came up a little later. We had to go to the police station to get me registered. But we have to come again tomorrow. After that we went for breakfast. Noodles, a big bowl for 4 RMB each and it tasted very good. I could get used to it.
Then we went to the city to get me single certificate translated and took pictures for the “Red book”. Then we went to the bank to withdraw a little cash. I did not take to much cloth with me, because I figure we will need to carry a lot when travelling to Denmark. I did not take short trousers or T-shirts, just light shirts. Vicky did not like it because I will sweat to much. I agreed on buying some cloth for me. She took me to shop with Nike, addidas and brands. I told she should choose. I would like to know the type of cloth she would pick for me. Well, we found some pants and shirts. I saw the prices and told I only had withdrawn 1000 RMB. She said she would pay for it. I could not say much because of the language barrier. So, arguing was out of the question.
After that we went home again. Shortly after that Vicky received a call that the translation had been done. She is on her way to pick it up now. Yes, yes I know, you guys are curious about the affection and so on. We have touched each other a little but not more, and I will not push it. Tomorrow we will get married and we will see. I do not know for the rest of the day as it is very hot outside, 35 degrees Celcius.
Vicky takes some food home when she gets back and then we will see. But for now, I am a very happy chap and these are my holidays. So I do what I supposed too, RELAX!!! Hehe.
Well, after a while Vicky came home again. She brought some rice and salad (delicious). After the meal, she told me that her oldest sister had invited for dinner at 20.00 o’clock. That was 3 hours from now. Vicky took rested a little while I practiced my Chinese a little. Even so I just can say Zai Jian, ni hao, xie xie and mei you wenti (no problem), it gives great credit.
A little later we went to the restaurant. That was a new experience for me. Instead of one large room, the have smaller rooms with a table and TV, enough space for the family. Not bad, then you can dinner in private. When the family arrived, we exchanged greetings and they ordered food. We got many different things like duck, chicken, beef, noodles and hot pot like meal. Great taste. They talked a lot, I did not understand a half of it, but it was fun anyway.
After the meal, the family invited us to there home. As we arrived there, they served some tea, as Vicky has told them I like tea very much. It was Kong fu tea, probably a little expensive I think. It comes in a big box that contains three smaller tin boxes. These boxes contain ten small bags of tea with 20 or 30 grams each (I do not now how many ounces that is). But it is a very fine packaging and the tea has a wonderful flavour.
Today (Monday), we are invited for lunch after the registration and before we shall go to Beijing. I will try homemade Dumplings.
Well, as the most of you know, I think a lot! I did again, after two failed marriages I do not want to fail again. There was an incident at work that made think of work instead of Vicky while flying here. But these one and a half days I have been here, I have thought a lot. I cannot find any strange feelings and that was what I was mostly afraid of. I feel happy and relaxed when I am with Vicky. I believe, I have found the one!
About the affection, I know some are very interested in to know what happened so far, hehe. Even though we are getting married/registered today, there has been no kissing or anything. A little hug yesterday and soon today as we have made an agreement to start the day with a hug. When we sit on the sofa, we sit close and we touch each other once in a while. After dinner yesterday, Vicky took my arm. That’s it until now. And it doesn’t bother that hasn’t been more, because I am fallen in for her and that is the most important for me. Everything else will come by itself. To be honest, if I had met her on the street in real life without knowing her, I would never considered her as my partner. Getting to know Vicky through her letters, made me fall for her personality and I am very happy for that.
Ok, let’s get married!
The registration was no problem. Everything went smooth and Vicky’s oldest sister came by the registration office to say hello. But she left pretty fast again. She is not too happy with the situation it seems. She didn’t say much and left soon again. Time will tell.
After the registration to the notary office to get the documents translated and notarised. Vicky has done the preparations very well. She knew where to go, which papers we needed and so on. I was very pleased.
Then we went home to pack and then we went to her second sister (called the good sister). This time they had invited for lunch (homemade) dumplings. The good sister and her daughter are going to Beijing too. We are going on the same plane. Big sister is watching, hehe! Well, they are very nice people.
Arrived in Beijing, we get picked by a friend of the family. She takes us to small restaurant where we get some noodles. After that to the hotel and that was it for this Monday. Oh yes, there was wedding night, but you get no details here, hehe.
Tuesday morning we got up early. Vicky’s friend picks us up and takes us to embassy. Luckily Vicky had gathered the right information, so this process went almost smooth. I did not fill out the papers at home; therefore I stood there in the hot room with all the other applicants and filled out the papers. Then we hit for the hotel again. We came in late yesterday and early up again this morning. We needed some extra sleep.
In the afternoon, Vicky’s phone rang. It was the Danish Embassy, Vicky’s visa is granted. I am, no we are so happy. I consider myself what we call “A lucky potato” in Denmark. No we have to see if we can get tickets for Vicky for the same flights as I have. Hooray, my little wife is going home with me! I had feared that we had to stay at the airport and say good-bye there. Luckily we don’t.
In the afternoon the friend and the good sister came by and we went for some meal. A little tour to the park and that was it for that day.
-
GREAT NEWS HAJO!!! I am so very happy for you. Congratulations brother. It makes me smile so very much to have a wonderful thing like this happen and she gets to go home with you! How all of us wish that would happen for us. The intimate details need not be described, we can all use our imaginations. lol. Do not worry about the bad sister. She will come around once she knows you really love her sister and will take care of her. That is all she is probably worried about. Again this is great!!!! Good luck. i wish we could meet up in Beijing, but perhaps later. Again, if you need anything or help. Let me know.
Jim
-
Dun Dun Dun another on bites the dust and another one and another and another one bites the dust. Congrats Hajo!!! Your Trip has sounded like a dream. So dont pinch yourself you might wake up. I cant believe your immigration seamed so easy. Im happy for you brother. And dont worry about the bad sister, you have a great wife you should now be on cloud 9. I agree with Jim we dont need to know the intimates details. We all know your a married man. I hope the rest goes seamless for you.
-
Congrats brother, pass our regards to your lady wife:angel:
But just one little thing puzzles me?
What the hell did you do with the spoon???:icon_cheesygrin:
-
Congratulations! Now how do I become a citizen of Denmark so I can have it that easy too?
-
Thank you guys! The spoon got stuck in Denmark, therefore I had to take the plane over here. Well Vince, I wish it was that easy for everybody. I feel very, very lucky! BTW, will you update our status? Ok folks, I got to go again.
BTW, traffic in China is really exiting. Sometimes I wish I had time to cross the main road all day. It would be more exciting then the best rollercoaster ROFL :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Congradulations Hajo.Best wishes to you and Vicky.Like Josh says another one bites the dust.WOW
-
Congratulations to you and Vicky Hajo so nice to hear when things go smoothly!! Let us hope that for the rest of your lives each day will bring you as much joy as this one has.
Best wishes to both of you,
Brian
-
Hajo, this is another real nice story we all can read and it is really nice to see you realized another dream.
Well, I just congrat you and I'm very happy for both of you.
There's nothing best to see than a "happy lucky potato" :)
Best wishes to both of you :)
-
To Hajo and Vicky congratulations , it's great that everything has gone so smoothly for you , it is great that Vicky was so organised , this would have been a great help to you , all the best , Robert and Ying .:heart::heart:
-
Hajo.... it took a load off our mind. Killing two birds with one stone, the marriage and bringing her home at one go. You lucky you.
Congrats brother, wishing the lovely pair Vicky and you a ...... " happily ever after "
Take care of her and have a great time.
-
Hajo my German Buddy . As I was not in the best of Mood , due to Michael's Banning . But reading your Story of how well things are going for you and Vicky so far and get to take her home with you too . Put a smile on my Face that is as wide as your's . Hehe .
You are not only a Lucky Potato your a Lucky Kraut as well . I'm enjoying this almost as much as you are .
-
Arnold,
Your a bit of an old softy at heart aren't you? ... hahaha!!
David....
-
Arnold,
Your a bit of an old softy at heart aren't you? ... hahaha!!
David....
Hahaha , what ever gave you that Idea ?
-
Arnold,
Call it a fifth sense, or being able to read between the lines, ...... Nothing wrong wrong with being an old softy, Doesn't mean you can't hold your ground when you need too .... hahahaha!!
David...
-
Congradulations Hajo and vicky well happy for you both.
-
Congratulations to both of you Hajo. Just like me you are walking on clouds...When I miss my wife too much I might come sneaking for a visit with the next ferry.. Hopefully I can take her to Denmark sometime in the beginning of next year..
-
You are not only a Lucky Potato your a Lucky Kraut as well . I'm enjoying this almost as much as you are .
Yes great news Hajo and thanks for turning Arnold back from being a sour Kraut to a happy Kraut.
Best wishes Hajo for you and your wife. :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Hajo...after following your blog these past few months, I am thrilled to hear how it has all turned out for you. And she got her Visa already??? This has to be a new brotherhood record!
Congratulations to both of you.
-
Yes great news Hajo and thanks for turning Arnold back from being a sour Kraut to a happy Kraut.
Yes , it does take another Kraut to do this successfully .
-
Well folks here is another update. Wednesday morning was very calm, we took ourselves time to sleep a little longer. Get ready and then we studied a little English and Chinese.
Then we went to Vicky’s friend where here sister stays. The sister made fish in sweet and sour sauce (delicious!). After that we went to a shopping mall. I am impressed by all the security the have here. It is like they assume everybody is a criminal. It is very different at home in Denmark. I have been living in Denmark for over 20 years and the police has stopped me twice in all these years. Our police is seen once in a while, but not often. If a crime occurs they are not far.
Back to Beijing, I got to know that the sister’s friend would invite us for dinner. I didn’t it was another friend. Well, we came to a very nice restaurant. A lady came running to welcome the sister and we were invited inside. That was a very nice place.
Then the meal was served. Lobster! That looked very great, I did not ask to take a picture because I did not know the people and did want to embarrass the sister. Vicky’s English is not god enough that I could have asked her. But the lobster was served in a big long bowl. The head of the lobster in front and the tail placed at the end of the bowl. In the middle where lots of ice where the lobster flesh/meat was placed, the lobster flesh/meat was put into a sauce and stayed in the sauce a few seconds. My lovely wife put a piece in the sauce for me and I forgot it there. About 5 minutes later I took it and put it into my mouth. Wow, it made me almost shed some tears. It had soaked so much sauce that it was very hot.
That was also the first day when I tried chicken feet and duck tongue. The feet not so great, but the tongue was not to bad. But I still cannot understand how the Chinese people can eat that much and be so thin. After the meal we went back to the hotel.
-
Hajo,
The little buggers eat little and often, that's there trick, and why the restaurants are open all day and most of the evening too..... I'm with you on the chickens feet, and the ducks feet are just the same too...skin an grissel ...YUK!!
I can't stand anything spicy hot, it always seem to take the flavour away from what your eating. ...haha!!
As far as the police are concerned, you are in a troubled area aren't you ?? There on alert . Normally in all the big cities there are many still about, but will give you no cause for alarm.
One thing though, they don't muck about, they will and do get stuck-in, and sort whatever they see as a problem out in double quick time!!
Glad to hear everything's going to plan for you there!!
David.....
-
Yes, Hajo dont worry about security. The last two times I have been there, I have seen them all over the place and they have never given me a second glance. the first time I was a bit nervous too. I even asked if it was ok to take a picture here and there. My friends just laughed at me when I did that. But, that was the way I was brought up to think. China was this dark and mysterious place where Mao was the ultimate evil doer and no one could do anything without being arrested. I sure learned different quick. Let me as you something Haj. Did you get a marriage license or just the red book?
-
Let me as you something Haj. Did you get a marriage license or just the red book?
Jim, we got just the red books. But the are a little special I think. They are in Chinese and Uyghur language. The Uyghur are about half of the population in Xinjiang.
About the police, I am not worried. I just wondered that the are almost everywhere. And guards on almost every corner. Ok, I will catch up later again.
-
Hajo the eating thing yes it is ussualy a none stop eating thing.With my wife she just woke up from a nap and is eating a peach.Her metabalism is cranked up so high.That if she doesn't eat something every 2 hours it can make her in a real bad mood.
She has even lost a little weight after she came to the states.It just blows my mind.How high her metabilism is cranked up.If I ate like my wife does I would weigh 300 pounds.
-
Hi folks, thanks for your patience. Here is my latest update!!!
The airfare, Tianmen and the great Wall
Thursday was a usual morning. We went to Vicky’s sister and her friend, after we got ourselves ready. Then there came the delivery of the (travel) health insurance for Vicky. A little later Vicky received a phone call with the price of the ticket to Denmark. A little more then $2000, I paid half for my round trip ticket. I was pretty embarrassed, that the prices had jumped that much.
Well, it was not that did not want to pay for the flight; I think it is pretty big jump in pricing. I told Vicky she should order the ticket. There did not happen much anything this day, because of the ticket hunt.
In the Evening we went for dinner with her sister and daughter. We found a nice restaurant where they serve delicious fish and duck. That night I tried duck feet for the first time. They were not bad, but the sauce was a little too spicy.
On Friday we gathered at a very small restaurant and had breakfast together. Fish in hot sauce, noodles and rice, after that we hit for Tianmen square. We walked a little around there and the further on to the Egg, the new national theatre, a very impressive architecture.
After we had been going for while we went back to the Hotel. The good sister went with us as the friend was to some family gathering. After some rest we went out again and guess what? We should out and eat again. I can’t understand that they eat that much, but I am getting used to it.
That was Friday.
Saturday we had to get up early, at 5 o’clock. Today’s goal: The great Wall. When we arrived at the friends house, everybody was still asleep. So, we started a little later than planed. I was about 2 drive to Mutianyu. There it was, the Great Wall and all the souvenir salespeople. Well, after we got past the salespeople, we climbed the stairs to Great Wall. I think I have lost 2 kilo’s on this trip. The temperature was about 32 degrees Celsius. Cooler then in Urumqi, but very humid air that made me sweat a lot. I think we went a tour of 3 – 4 kilometre’s, which took about 4 hours. It was some up and down and we had two children with us. After the walk on the great Wall we returned to Beijing and visited a restaurant. After a very good meal we split, Vicky and I walked to the hotel and the sister returned to the friends home.
Sunday was resting day. I slept long and Vicky went shopping for some sewing stuff. Shortly after noontime the sister called. They invited to some “hot pot”. Well, change clothes and go eat (again, again). It is incredible which kind of food can be eaten. Some tasty, others are not. After meal we hit for the hotel again. Here we packed our suitcases and made everything ready for the leave next day.
Monday morning we got up early. After some breakfast we took the Subway to the Danish Embassy. Vicky had to deliver the health insurance police and needed a copy of her passport. The copy the passport was needed for her ticket to Denmark, which in turn is needed for her visa. I just hope everything falls into place. I have given up to ask. As many others have experienced, they don’t want to concern their husband with such things.
We had a little disagreement on the money thing. Vicky has paid for everything so far. I paid only for the visa (550 RMB). Vicky, her sister and the friend paid all the meals in Beijing. I told her it could not be right that she uses all her savings on me. Her answer was that she would tell me when she needs money from me. There is not much to say besides “Yes, Madam”. Well, it is not that bad. Vicky sees her most important task in keeping me happy. She seems not be used to that her husband cares about such things.
After we had been at the Embassy, we went to friends (who is actually some kind of family member) house. From there we took of to the Airport. The sister took some more pictures at the airport. A short while later, Vicky and her sister hugged and I saw tears in her sister’s face. Then I understood, they would not see each other for a while. The sister will not return to Urumchi before our departure for Denmark. After have said good-bye, we checked in for Urumchi. This night would be the night where things are getting serious. Vicky has told me that we will be picked up by her nephew and then we will go to a family dinner with the members of the family I have not met yet.
Vicky asked me if I was nervous. Well I wasn’t, I had a good feeling. As we arrived at the hotel, we received a warm welcome and a bouquet of roses. I thanked very much for that and shortly after we went to the table to eat. One of the nephews was pretty good at spoken English, he did translate. After a short while he told me that the oldest sister was called “Da Tjie” and second oldest sister was called “Er Tjie”. From now on, I might call them these names. Great, I have been accepted and welcomed as a member of the family. I was pretty happy.
After that, the nephew as a little more about how Vicky and I would communicate and how we would tackle the problems the communication difficulties would bring. I told him, we have had our struggles already and we had solved them peacefully and in harmony. I think he was pleased by my answer. Then he asked, what if Vicky does not like Denmark and she can’t adapt to the climate. Vicky and I have been talking about this issue too. When she can’t adapt to Denmark, we will go to China and settle there somewhere. But we will go to Denmark first. I have a son at the age of 19 and his mother lives in Germany. He likes it best in Denmark and therefore I have to stay until he finishes his education to become a baker. That will be in 2 years and 3 month. By then he should be old enough to take care of himself.
Tuesday was pretty relaxing. As Beijing was a sightseeing race, relaxing at home was what I needed. Vicky had to participate in some kind of ceremony to worship her deceased father. It was 3 years ago he left this world. When Vicky came home, she was accompanied by her nephew. He had bought a Chinese Windows XP CD for us. I have installed MS Virtual PC on my computer. Now I could make and Chinese installation on my PC too. And when we get home, I move the virtual machine to a stationary computer. Then we will install QQ and Webcam on it. After that I will take a backup of the Virtual PC file and Vicky can work with Chinese Version. If it gets infected by Virus, I just restore the backup-file and a few minutes later she is running again. In the evening we were out eating again, hehe.
Wednesday morning I called the Embassy, because we need the passport to be picked up. They can’t find the copy of the travel ticket we sent by fax. But the insurance police was enough to issue the visa. They could have issued it already on Monday then. I will never understand bureaucracy! We hope they will ring this afternoon and tell us that the visa is ready for pickup. Some family member from Beijing will get the passport and send it to Urumchi by courier. Things went pretty smooth until now, I just hope it continues that way.
Wednesday is also Ruo Fan’s (Vicky’s son) birthday. We go out and eat tonight to celebrate him. Besides that Ruo Fan has to choose his birthday cake at the bakery and we will go and pickup the travel ticket for Vicky. I do not think we will do many other things today; the temperatures will again be around 35 degrees Celsius today. Well, just stay where you are and sweat, hehe.
Well, as I said we have been out choosing the birthday cake and went thereafter picking up the Air ticket for Vicky. I got no chance to pay for that either. But there will be many other things to pay for when we arrive in Denmark. Now we just wait for message from the Danish Embassy. This day nothing special happened besides Ruo Fan’s birthday dinner.
Thursday morning, just after we woke up the telephone rang. After the conversation had ended, Vicky turned around with a very big smile on her face. The people from the Embassy have told her that her passport including the visa is ready to be picked up. The room was just a little suitable for my smile, hehe. We both were very happy. We will be on our way to Denmark in 48 hours. Life is just wonderful.
In the afternoon we will try to find a present for my son who stayed at home in Denmark this time. He does not have many wishes; sometimes it is very difficult to find something for him. We found some Kappa clothing for him. He likes those for the time being. I hope he can go with us the next time we go to Urumchi.
And I told Vicky I only go with her to China again if she teaches me Chinese. She says my pronunciation is good. But I cannot remember the meaning of many words and I do know the meaning of other words she tells me. I feel like a parrot sometimes. I repeat what she tells me and she tells me “Very good”, but I have no clue what I said, hehe. With a little patience, we will learn it. Both of us have improved both in English and Chinese. But we still depend a lot on the translator machine. Only time will show how we will make it.
My trip to China is over soon, but only for this time. I will be back, that is for sure! Luckily I do not have to think of a heartbreaking farewell. But I did not see much of China either. There was too much running to get papers done and it was also to hot outside to walk around, but I have eaten for five people while I was here, haha!
But I am still impressed about the security all over the places. I am not afraid of it; I am just not used to see so much security. At home, we can leave the house with the door unlocked without problems. But that is also about to change, as criminal people from Eastern Europe have found out that security is low at home. It is a shame, it is!
Friday, the last day in China. We are invited of the family this evening. The make dumplings, Vicky told me that when they have to say farewell to somebody, they celebrate it with dumplings. I look forward to the dumplings, but not to the farewell with the family. Even though I only have been here for some days, I feel very tight bound to them. Like my own family.
Vicky has to go to her work today and tell them that she will not return for the time being. She asked me yesterday, what she should do, extend her leave or resign. Well, I do not know the rules in China. In Denmark, we can take up to 2 years unpaid leave if you work for the government. Vicky will go her work place and find out.
As Vicky returned, she told me that she has quit the job. Ok why not, she won’t be able to work for them the next month or years.
In the meantime I think a lot of how it will go in Denmark. How will Vicky adopt to Denmark? The climate is milder. It is not as warm as in Urumchi and the winter is not as cold. Also some of the food will be different. We can buy many vegetables and meat, that’s no problem. Once a month we will go to a bigger city, about 1 hours drive from us. There are some Asian shops where she should be able to buy more special things.
When we return, I have one more week of leave. We will use the time to show Vicky some of Denmark and make her a little more familiar with the surroundings. But again, I am anxious how things will develop. Even though I am anxious, I believe in we will be all right.
Saturday, August 15th 2009 at 21:35, Vicky and I arrived in Denmark. Finally! We are very happy, because our adventure has just begun. The last two weeks have been a little tough, many new impressions, hot weather and some worries.
Well, Denmark is still the country where fairytales are made!
-
Good news Hajo. Glad you two arrived safely.
-
Hajo , what a great Story and a so far happy as can be Couple ... together ... not thousand of miles apart .
Congrat's again on your Marriage . May Vicky fall in Love with Denmark as well as with you .
By the way , did you close up that hole you made ? :icon_cheesygrin:
-
Hajo, me and a few of the lads were all over in China looking for you....we found the hole but nothing else...lol :angel:
Great update mate, may the two of you be blessed and have agreat life together, Vicky welcome to Europe;-)):angel::icon_cheesygrin::icon_cheesygrin:
-
Hajo nice story congradulations to you and Vicky.
-
To Hajo and Vicky CONGRATS on the wedding and a welcome to your new home Vicky
-
Bravo Hajo, you´ve done it. Yours is another success story. But dont sit on your laurels, your real but funny job has only just started... Hahaha! and because of that wish you and Vicky a happy everlasting living together.
-
Congratulations you made it. Now the real adventure begins.
-
Excellent write-up Hajo, thanks for sharing!
Congrats to you both too :)
-
Thank you folks!
Well, we are arrived savely and getting used to timezone in Denmark. But already now I miss China. I think we are leaving Denmark again in 2012 after my son has finished his education. It's not sure that we are going to Urumchi again. That will depend on how the situation in Xinjiang develops. The extra police forces will stay for more month or even years. But the problem is, it will never be completely peaceful I think.
But now we will take one step at a time. Vicky's son stays with her second oldest sister. I hope Vicky and her son will be alright with the partial seperation over the next 2.5 years. We have also been talking about the baby. Well, in a few month we can drop the prevention and get serious :angel:
For the time being we have some work to do. Vicky has come here on a tourist visa and is allowed to stay until November 15. Next week we will apply for a resident permit and that give her temporarily visa for 6 month. In this time the resident permit should be in place.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks again for your backup! :icon_biggrin:
Oh, I forgot the hole. No, I am not finished yet. I might use it to get supplies of Chinese food, hehe.
-
Hajo... It will be really tough for Vicky to be apart from her son for such a long time but it will be not that unusual if you can have a trip to China at least once a year?!
Doesnt she need to learn the language before she can get a permit?!
Hajo, to get all these stuffs in one place, its time to wander off to the Maxxs thread " the daily life of a married man " We are so curious to know your experiences as a married man, dealing with the challenges in your daily life from the start, you dont mind?
After some rest we went out again and guess what? We should out and eat again.
The lady im talking to said to me: " I enjoy making delicious Chinese food. Would you like to taste some? I know the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Hehe¡
Keep in mind, the more she feeds you the more she loves you. HAHAHA!!
Good Luck
-
Well, you are right Darius. I will continue in Maxx's thread and in my blog.
I hope we will be able to go to China at least once or twice a year. In two month we will talk about the future. Jin Yong (she doesen't like the name Vicky) has told me that it could be difficult to find work in China. But we will see how she adapts to Denmark over the next few month and then we talk about it again.
About the language. The Danish is very good concerning that. When you apply for the resident permit, you have to sign that you will attend to language courses. Thoses courses are free of charge and part of the integration program. That is no problem. It is like, if you are willing to do some effort for the community, the community helps you.
-
Im a little late to gratulate, so: "gratulerer til den blide danske".
hope things works out well for you in Denmark.