Friday, August 1, 2008

7 Years Ago

I came to China 7 years ago, and that was the time when I heard that next Olympics will be held in Beijing in 2008.

Well finally it came true and I saw the celebrations so big that I thought Olympics has started now. I asked, where can I see swimming events? LOL

After that for all those years till now all the foreigners are gone deaf by hearing things about Beijing Olympics everyday all day by Chinese People. 7 Years ago, they started talking about it and it is going on.

I am sure Olympics is a very important and at the moment a critical event but just wanted to know, haven't Chinese people taken it over seriously? aren't they over reacting on this?

7 years, I am hearing Olympics Olympics Beijing Olympics, for 7 years if I ask a student where would you be 5 years from now? Answer comes, Olympics. God my ears are now bleeding and I am just hoping that Olympics finishes quietly nicely and quickly so that we can get rid of this torment :) LOL. ask any one, and first thing comes out, Beijing Olympics. Now its gone totally serious. Ask someone, where do you wanna go, Olympics LOL.

What else, life is so difficult due to this Olympics. You can't send packages, you can't send liquids. One of my friend is facing extreme losses because his company can't ship Textile machinery and ink due to this Olympics. Security is so tight that people can't breath.

In addition, Chinese people are basically rude in their tones. Specially in post offices, Train stations and other government offices like Police, their tone is so rude that foreigners feel offended. Their tone sometimes make you feel like you are the culprit.

I recently ordered a security camera equipment that uses a 2.4Ghz transmission and Receiver. Something went wrong. Company says, send it back, we will replace it. When I goto China Postal service, it was so terrible treatment. First they looked at me with scary eyes. like I was a terrorist and came to place a bomb there, after which bomb will fly itself to Beijing and ruin it.

Well then I told them I wanna send this parcel. The lady started opening it. She was carrying it in a way like it has a very powerful and sensitive bomb inside. GOd I wish I had made a video of that. She opened it by keeping distance. I was feeling embarrassed. She then looks inside, first thing she saw were some cables and she started yelling that they can't send it. Without even looking inside for other stuff, she wagered, impossible to send.

And Her tone GOd, made me feel like I am going to make a bomb out of that camera equipment and that could ruin the Beijing Olympics. I was in post office for 5 minutes and during these 5 minutes she mentioned Beijing Olympics for 20 times may be :(

I couldn't take it anymore and came back home with my stuff. You know what? I have to drive to Hubei Province in my car and send the products back to the company. And I am afraid they will check my car using dogs and other electronic stuff worrying that I will be carrying bomb making stuff or may be my car is stuffed with explosives.

GOD I am sick of this Beijing Olympics. It has become a torment instead of Entertainment and honor due to Chinese people's behavior and over reaction on this Honored event.

so I wanna ask myself or all the other people , what is the purpose of Olympics in Beijing? to make lives of other ordinary Chinese people and Chinese businessmen difficult or to be the no.1 country in the world? Will Beijing Olympics make China a no.1 country? Don't think so.

I believe Olympics is an honor and we should honor it by behaving sober and carry it out in a way that we don't make the lives of the citizen of that country a trouble.

I am now hoping that

1. Chinese people take this blog with open mind and don't start to hate me.
2. Beijing Olympics will finish nicely and safely
3. That for the coming 10 years I don't have to hear anything about "Our Beijing Olympics"

Yes last I forgot to mention, may be it's the language or may be it is people, but Chinese people are so possessive. "Our China, Our Chinese People, Our Beijing, Our Beijing Olympics blah blah blah"

So again it is a request to all Chinese people, I have worked very hard here in China educating and training Chinese Students for 7 years and I have won two awards from Chinese government, I love China, and I love beijing Olympics too, so please don't start to hate me for this blog.

What I wrote here is truth and is what majority of foreigners working in China since 2002 feel.

Well, hoping everything goes well and I don't have to delete this post.

All Chinese people Please Enjoy the honor of Beijing Olympics 2008 and keep it in memories, but learn that when you talk about something so often and for years, it is not pleasant any more, instead it becomes torment.

Cheers
I am open to discussions

alishanmoa