The train station - all the sitting people in this hall will take the same train as me ...
This is was probably the longest sitting train session I ever had.
I took a seat place for 17€. This train journey was in a very crowded wagon with 5 seats in a row(2+2 left and 3+3 right). My seat in the 6 ppl arrangement was on the window. Left from me was a couple with a baby and in front of me also a couple with a small child and in front of me an old farmer. A lot of people had no seat and must stand in this narrow gangway, where all the time salesman had to come through with their small cabines in them they brought fruits, drinks, hot soup and ricedishes to the people (cost ~ 0,3€).
It was a night-trip from 17 pm to 11:30 am.
I was the only foreigner.
Well, and now you imagine that all of them interested watching you, most smiling. I think it was the most effective chinese language and culture training I ever had - very recommendable! Well you must get used to such travelling.
After a time we shared feelings, food and sweat. And the people stopped to star on me after they first checked my different appearance. Most of them see foreigners only in TV probably...
At midnight I had to stand up because the chinese couples been very tired and the childrens couldnt sleep and cried. So it came that I wandered from one person to another and talked to many many until I found a chinese Student who talked english and with who I could talk mor than just a better smalltalk. Oh and I should mention, that I needed really long to be able to understand a single word from those people dialect! But it was also for this student whose english was absolutely poor in the beginning but improved so much during our conversation...
All the chinese I met yet, seemed to be very open and flexible.
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