Stories

  • Happy Western New Year everyone!

    This is a Chinese painting from my dear colleague Sherry. She has made it for me today, for my first New Year in China…. It says “To Sylvie, Happy Monkey Year, Sherry” This is the most beautiful gift I could ever get today…. Let’s stand all together in 2016, for peace & love & cultural…

  • Happy Holidays from China!!

    Happy Holidays from China!!

    Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to all of you!!! Am missing my precious “Orphan Christmas” in Montreal this year, with my dear friends cooking and drinking, laughing and singing… Vous me manquez les amis, je pense beaucoup à vous ces jours-ci!!! Joyeuses Fêtes xxxxxxx Some Xmas-photo-impressions of my last weeks… actually, Asia is not as…

  • Out of the smog… December in Beijing

    First of all: I am doing very well! No need to worry. I took the attached photos beginning of December in the first intense smog that Beijing has made us live now recently. Probably most of you have heard or seen images on TV, or read about it. It was nasty. I must admit, it…

  • Life in Beijing: Subway, a Sunday at Tian’anmen & other lovely details

    Life in Beijing: Subway, a Sunday at Tian’anmen & other lovely details

    In the morning, I am taking the subway to get to work. My plan with the scooter is not realized yet. But coming, at some point! 🙂 I might wait for next spring though. For now, Subway & taxi is doing the job. The subway works really well. It is full of people when you…

  • winter = heating = air pollution

    winter = heating = air pollution

    The air pollution and the mask days have arrived. First week of October was the National Holiday week, called “Golden Week”. The whole country is off from work, well, kind of. All offices, at least. While the first days had been very beautiful and sunny, the second half of the week was awfully polluted. When…

  • The Great Wall & insides on China’s society

    The Great Wall & insides on China’s society

    Last weekend, I went on a Sunday-trip to the Great Wall. Tommy, a Chinese guy I had met, proposed to go to Simatai Great Wall, in Gubei Water Town, about 2 hours north-east of Beijing. We met at 7h in the morning to drive off, and we hit the most beautiful autumn day of all times!…

  • My apartment… waiting for the heating..

    It’s end of October now, that means I have been here in Beijing now for more than 3 months. It feels short and it feels long at the same time… I am (still) enjoying it fully: every day is a little adventure, I feel like a child discovering the world. 🙂 I totally love China!! I…

  • Work life in China or the extension of my role

    Work life in China or the extension of my role

    Some of you might remember what a never-ending nightmare it was to get all the paperwork done to receive my work papers for China. I am proud of these documents now: In addition to the resident visa in my passport, I received this Alien Employment Permit. The bar code is actually me. Me as a…