Green Guizhou, Health check and lots of other (work-related) things

My last day I am a 20-something guy. Tomorrow it will be my 30th birthday and we will celebrate it with a traditional Dutch party at home. I’m looking forward to it. I came back from my ten day holiday to Guizhou last Monday afternoon, but since then I hardly left the computer screen. There are many things I have to get straight because my flight to Holland. During my month in the Netherlands every week there will be some event I (co)-host, so that needs a lot preparation from a ‘distance’ already. I’m trying to squeeze out my neglected network in the Netherlands. I’m happy to find that most people didn’t forget about me. The first event on the 20th of August is a strategy meeting on “Dutch entrepreneurship in Shanghai” has been totally arranged and already enough people applied, so that’s a good start.

Next to this I have to re-write my proposal for a Shanghai brochure we want to release on
the 9th of September. It is almost like writing an academic university paper under time pressure. Since it will be my last week in Shanghai with Angie, I also want to spend some time with her. We cannot see each other for some weeks after next week. She will have started with her Master in Beijing when I return to Shanghai.

Next to all my working activities I have good news about my Work permit developments. It was quite some paper work, but I already when through 3 of the 6 steps of the procedure. The steps are: 1. Foreigner Employment License, 2. Vision Notification document, 3. Medical Check, 4. Return to home country, 5. Alain Employment Permit, and 6. Resident Permit. The first two documents I have successfully obtained and yesterday I went to do a health check, which was a special new experience again. First I waited for an hour in the lobby and the second hour I did a blood test, eye test, ultrasound, heart test even an X-ray photo of my back. It was surely efficient, beginning quickly sent from doctor to doctor. I bummed into a friend at the Health test (this city is getting smaller and smaller).

Now I would like to think back of my beautiful holiday in Guizhou. It was definitely the most beautiful province in China I have seen so far. It is so green, with beautiful waterfalls everywhere. Guizhou is definitely undervalued, if you look at the amount of foreign tourists that go there. However, the Chinese tourists have no problem to find their way to Guizhou. During the week there we went to the second biggest waterfall in the world, did a boat ride between the mountains, visit a village of a local minority group (called the ‘Miao’ people), hike in the mountains, eat the most delicious food and did a lot of shopping. I loved every second of it.

I was a little nervous to meet Angie’s parents, but they turned out to be the very lovely people. Although the Guizhou-accent is a little different from the Madarin, I have been studying so hard last year, I still could communicate with them quite well. My sister was totally lost, and could only say “Xiexie” (thank you) the whole time. Next to Angie’s parents I met the whole family (uncles, aunts, grandparents) and friends. It was very nice to meet the people Angie has been talking about. Everyday we were invited for dinners – very delicious, but I gained 5 kg. I promised myself to start to go to the gym, when I come back from the Netherlands.

Just a few more hours before 30, the bottle of champagne is already in the refrigerator!