Postmodernist Witches

I started a new job today, nothing big just earning some money to eat more than just noodles with salt and pepper. The job is not that interesting, I mean pretty straightforward market research BS. Its about interviewing small and medium sized Dutch enterprises and their interest in "Managed Voice and Data Appliances" (in regular English that is phone and Internet!). The only reason for the company hiring a quasi Marxist and semi postmodernist (i.e. me) is because I speak that unspeakable language.... DUTCH!

Anyways, I am concurrently studying my butt off at uni. I started today on a postmodern perspective of money and the financial domain. Don't worry, I will not bore you with all kinds of post structuralist, historically discontinuous analysis of what normal people refer to as "CASH"! However, I do want to stay with postmodernism, in a very different matter though, namely.... through witches!

I came across of this documentary, made in 1922, which is about....

Plot: the history of witchcraft, told in a variety of styles, from illustrated sideshow to dramatised events of alleged real-life events, right up to the early twentieth century (when the film was made). Fans of "The Blair Witch Project" should take notice, especially considering that the Danish title of this film is "Haxan", also the name of the movie company that created "Blair Witch".

Häxan (allow the movie some time to load)


Note: "Yes, yes I will continue my hitchhiking stories soon enough!"

Work

A bit later than anticipated, but here is finally my new post :). The last weeks we (all of the Eco City Staff) organised our concluding symposium. The event was a great success; we received between 200 and 300 guests, most of which were government officials from different Municipal and Provincial State Bureaus.

There were a range of presentations from national and international experts, which had/ have been involved in the Programme's activities. I reckon that everybody had a great time and I was lucky enough to have an interesting discussion with a representative from the German Embassy (you never know J ).

Last Thursday we had another meeting, this time more a kind of an evaluation workshop. However, this time it was my turn to present my findings on the Focus Group discussions I held among the residents/ end- beneficiaries of our Eco City Programme. Although, both these events were interesting and stimulating I am happy that all is over now.

The Chinese "Golden Week" is coming closer, which means that I will be enjoying a well-deserved one-week holiday! I am leaving with two friends to Xiamen, which according to an Indian friend I met in Harbin is the most relaxing city in China. I am very much looking forward to being there and I will definitely inform all of you on my experiences in the next posting!

Before I leave you to your own " Koninginnedag " I attached some photos of the old city of Yangzhou. The old city of Yangzhou has been restored with the help of the Programme and was for its preservation efforts rewarded with the UN Habitat Award.

I give you a lot of love and hope that everybody is looking forward to a beautiful summer!

Marijn

The houses have been restored in their traditional condition (i.e. original bricks, newly paved streets and doors restored to their original color/ shape etc)

Trees/ Plants have been planted to make the old city more liveable and prettier.

Beautiful Yangzhou

New job, Gambei!

Right ok, I did not have a lot of time the last few days to explain that I switched jobs. Well... I took on a job as an advisor for the German Development Cooperation (GTZ) in Changzhou. The GTZ runs a special programme, which promotes harmonious urban planning in Yangzhou and Changzhou (Jiangu province). The company's programme aids the local municipalities of Yangzhou and Changzhou to become so-called Eco- Cities.

An Eco- City is a city, which develops its urban planning on the basis of a harmonious relationships between the economy, the natural environment and civil society. It is certain that such a concept sounds pretentious, however the programme very much tries to put things into practise through its many initiatives (http://www.ecocity-programme.org).

Enough of marketing and PR now. The job is not only interesting in terms of my diverse set of tasks, it also involves the ability to drink as much as the company's partners (i.e. local Party members) demand of you, the "laowei". Sometimes, its hard to imagine that people can guzzle an entire wine bottle in less than a minute. Gambei!

Party Member 7: "Let us guzzle this good wine for German- Chinese relationship"

Me: "The whole glass? I am not even German!"

Party Member laughs and shouts "Gambei"!

Spending a night/ afternoon drinking with Chinese Party members is like running a marathon. You need a certain strategy to keep from loosing face. One needs to be tactful and concurrently diplomatic, as their aim is to get you drunker than Oliver Reed.

Party Member 5: Let's drink this glass to the beautiful football that the Dutch have brought to the world!

Me: "Thanks, but I can't anymore"!

The Party member looks shocked and responds:

"You must understand Chinese culture, if you are my friend, you must drink this full cup together with me. We are friends!".

*no choice, no choice....* "Gambei!"

And after doing this for a certain amount of time one becomes dizzy and starts feeling ill...

One consequently needs to time his/ her "reverse peristalsis" for the right moment (during a short toilet visit in between the drinking sessions or afterwards, on one's way back home). How much I am learning at present!


Gambei!