84 Responses to “About Me”

1. Rufus Yao 10/08/05 02:57

   

   Hi, Sara, your passion for China really impress me. Wish your dream come true.Probably it’s coming true right now.

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2. Sara 10/08/10 03:42

   

   Thank you for your comment Rufus Yao. My dream was to come to China and that have already came true. Also another dream is coming true so I should find some new things to dream about.

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3. Autumn 10/10/03 03:55

   

   hello,sara.I found your blog via QQ,and I like your blog.I also want to know more about Finnish culture.And,could you tell me some famouse books written by Finnish?Thanks.
   I hope to you will reply me soon.

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4. Sara 10/10/04 09:39

   

   Hello Autumn and thanks for commenting. Maybe I could write sometime about Finnish culture and compare it to Chinese one.

   Your question about the books is little bit challenging because I usually read books from Chinese authors (but in English).

   If you want to read some classics check out these: Sinuhe Egyptian by Mika Waltari or Seven Brothers by Aleksis Kivi.

   But right now maybe the most spoken author is Sofi Oksanen with books Stalin’s Cows, Baby Jane and Purge. Purge was the best book in Finland in 2008.

   I have to say that I haven’t read the books I just mentioned. I would like to read Sofi’s books when I have the time.

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5. Autumn 10/10/05 08:51

   

   Hi.Sara.I’m coming again. How are you lately? The weather begins cool in Guangzhou.Take care of yourself.
   I have some questions.What kind of language do Finnish people use?Do they use English to talk to others?I felt puzzled about your other two blogs in Finnish: Xue opiskelee Paasykoeblogi.I have no idea about what kind of languages it is.

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6. Sara 10/10/05 10:25

   

   Nice to see you here again so soon Autumn! Yes the weather is cooler now and I love it!

   In Finland we speak Finnish. It is very different from English. Our second official language is Swedish, also very different from Finnish. I studied Swedish for 6 years because we all have to, but I forgot everything because I never used it. Almost everyone in Finland can also speak English. And it’s compulsory to study it.

   Those blogs you mentioned are written in Finnish. You can’t understand them without learning Enlish. Xue opiskelee means Xue studies and it’s about my life and my studies. Paasykoeblogi means Examblog and it’s about university entrance examinations and how to prepare for them.

   If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. I’m happy to answer. Take care!

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7. Kurt 10/10/05 13:53

   

   Sara,I found your blog via your comment on Speaking of China. I am a Chinese guy and like your blog.

   I am very impressed to what you said”Almost everyone in Finland can also speak English” . Because English is compulsory to study in China too,young generation began to study it in middle school,but after graduation of college,most of them still couldn’t speak it.I think the reason might be the difference between Mandarin and English is much bigger than the one between Finnish and English?
   Is Mandarin much difficult to learn than English to a Finnish girl?

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8. Sara 10/10/05 21:56

   

   Hi Kurt and thank you for commenting. Nice to hear that you like my blog.

   Sure English is closer to Finnish than Mandarin because the first two are both written with letters, not characters. And learning English is much easier for me than learning Chinese.

   I started learning English when I was 9 years old but some kids start at the age of 7 or even little bit earlier. We have extremely good education system in Finland so it might have something to do with our language skills.

   Chinese is difficult to learn because it is so different. But more than difficult it is hard work. Grammar is more simple than in European languages and it’s good for me because I hate learning grammar.

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9. Mohamed Burhan 10/10/10 11:11

   

   Hi Sara,

   Its nice meeting you here, I think i will be following your blog pretty closely since you are so passionate about the Chinese culture, I have been in China for two years, Study medicine at Jilin University, has been busy with School, didn’t bothered to immerse myself in their culture but i hope i may learn off from people like you. Its peculiar country for impractical people, like how they go about their stuff. Anyways keep ‘em coming.

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10. Sara 10/10/11 02:30

    

    Thank you for your comment Mohamed Burhan. Really nice to hear that you have enjoyed reading my blog. China really is interesting place and sometimes (often) hard to understand. I have 24/7 immersion because of my Chinese better half.

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11. Autumn 10/10/15 13:00

    

    Sara,today is Chinese tranditional fastival— Double Ninth Festival.Enjoy your time in Guangzhou.Maybe you can go climbing.(just tranditional custom) :)

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12. Sara 10/10/15 20:57

    

    Autumn, Thanks for reminding me! I would have totally forgotten this without you. Happy Double Ninth Festival to you!

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13. serena 10/11/04 07:43

    

    hi,sara!could you tell me how to make a blog like yours？your blog looks good

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14. Sara 10/11/04 08:21

    

    Thank you Serena. The easiest way is to go to http://www.wordpress.com and start a blog there.

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15. Gaby 10/11/05 10:32

    

    Oh,Sara,unbelievable! I found my hometown in your photo gallery! You have been on the street of my neighbourhood~~Haha

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16. Sara 10/11/05 21:41

    

    Thank you for commenting Gaby! Oh, that is a nice coincidence. Your neigbourhood seems interesting :) I also got your email and will reply when I have more time.

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17. Hanna 10/11/07 02:35

    

    hei Sara, tosi mielenkiintoinen blogi. Rupean seuraamaan.

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18. Hanna 10/11/07 02:35

    

    PS ja ihana layout, mistä sait nuo upeat kukat?

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19. Sara 10/11/07 07:10

    

    Moi Hanna. Kiitos, kiitos. Oma blogisikin on erittain mielenkiintoinen ja seuraan aina uusia merkintoja. Kunpa sita itsekin paasisi joskus kirjoittamaan millaista on julkaista esikoisromaani :) Tama layout on ihan WordPressin peruskokoelmaa, ainoastaan tuo bannerikuvan temppeli on oma valokuvani.

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20. Patrick 10/11/18 18:41

    

    To me Finnish is just as exotic and interesting as Chinese and I considered studying Finnish at university, but decided to study Chinese. It took so much effort that I balk at starting studying Finnish.

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21. Sara 10/11/18 20:53

    

    Thank you for commenting Patrick. It’s really a surprise for me that you considered studying Finnish. I have to say that the grammar is quite tricky :) Finnish is just maybe little bit too exotic and maybe pretty useless. You made a good choise to study Chinese.

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22. Angela 10/12/02 02:35

    

    Hi Sara, I just sent you a friend request on facebook and bookmarked your blog. Hope you are having fun in Guangzhou!

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    Sara Reply:
    December 3rd, 2010 at 3:15 am

    Thank you Angela. I’m having a lot of fun in Guangzhou. Really nice to hear that you enjoy reading my blog.

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23. Autumn 10/12/25 03:07

    

    Sara,Merry X’mas!

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    Sara Reply:
    December 26th, 2010 at 5:19 am

    Merry Christmas Autumn!

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24. Ning Ning 11/01/16 06:27

    

    Hei!
    Englanti ei ole suomessa pakollinen aine. Yksi vieras kieli ja ainakin 2011 vaaleihin asti toinen kotimainen ovat pakollisia. Lisäksi voi ottaa toisen ja kolmannenkin vieraan kielen. Nykysysteemissä ei oikein hyödynnetä kielten sukulaisuutta:( Ruotsin sijasta voisi opiskella pohjoismaisia kieliä (ok, islanti on hankalampi) ja valita kielet kokonaisuuksina: germaaniset (ruotsi, saksa, englanti, dutch), latinalaiset (espanja, italia, portugali, tagalog) seemiläiset (heprea, arabia) jne. Jos lapsi oppii koulussa yhden joka kieliryhmästä niin muiden oppiminen helpottuu. Ja pienenä kielten opiskelu käy ihan itsestään niin paras aloittaa päiväkodista. Minulle aikaanaan saksa ja englanti oli helppoja kun osasin ruotsia valmiiksi, joten olisi ollut enemmän hyötyä opetella venäjää tai kiinaa. Lapsena olisi joutanut paremmin pänttäämään hanzeja!:)

    And in english for non-finnish readers: English is NOT compulsory in Finland. It is only compulsory to study one foreign language + Swedish, at least until the parliamentary election in spring 2011. Note to foreigners: Swedish is not dearly loved by the Finnish schoolchildren because 1) it is deemed useless as it only has some 20 million speakers (who all speak English) if you count in Norwegians and Danes and the tiny Finnish minority 2) Finland was colonized by Sweden for centuries and as Swedish was the language of academia, civil servants and military, it caused unproportional socio-economic benefits for the Swedish-speaking population (already present in Finland since…the ice melt or something). Some still feel about the Swedish-speakers as the Malay or Filipino towards their succesfull Chinese minorities. So in the upcoming elections language teaching is a hot topic and most Finnish parents would gladly trade their kids’ Swedish lessons for Russian or Chinese, for example. In the current system it is possible to study two foreign languages from the lower primary school (starting at grade 2.-5.) and a third or even fourth in upper primary and upper secondary. Commonly chosen is German, Italian, Russian and Spanish. Japanese is booming in upper secondary due to the cultural invasion of manga&anime. The current system does not make enough use of the familiar ties of (european) languages. Instead of Swedish the kids could aswell learn Nordic languages, the subject their teachers studied in university (since they already love Norwegian hard-rock and wages & Danish beer). The germanian languages (German, English, Dutch) could be grouped, latinic (spanish, portuguese, italian, tagalog) also, as well as semitic (hebrew, arabic) and so on. Definitely one hanzi-based should be made available for everyone so we Finns wouldn’t be such illiterates in Asia. Let the kid choose one from every “language family” at an early age, when language studies are literally a childs’ play, and they can easily grasp the other languages of the group later, if they need them. Best to start learning in kindergarten when theres plenty of time to draw hanzi with crayons. In my times learning German and English was maybe too easy, since they are very related to Swedish, which I already spoke at home(no I’m not filthy rich, quite the opposite). Learning Russian or Chinese would have been way more useful.

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    Sara Reply:
    January 18th, 2011 at 1:28 am

    Ning Ning, Thanks for commenting and sharing this information! I have truly thought that English is compulsory to us and only now found out that it isn’t. But I can say that basically most of the Finnish people will learn English at school because there isn’t other options and English is quite useful language. When I started learning English at the age of 8 on 3rd grade we didn’t have any other options. Later on 5th grade I started German but never knew that I could have skipped English and just study German. No one ever talked about it. Only in the university it was a choise to study one foreign language and it could be almost any language.

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25. Rongwu 11/02/04 08:44

    

    I found your blog from your facebook link, and i am enjoy reading your writing. It is really fruitful. I was in Oulu 3 months last year, Finland is an amazing place.
    Nice to meet you on cyberspace.^.^

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    Sara Reply:
    February 5th, 2011 at 7:35 am

    Thank you for commenting Rongwu. Really nice to hear that you’re enjoying my blog and I’ll do my best to keep it interesting. I really appreciate yours and others opinions. Interesting to hear that you’ve been to Oulu. It must be quite different than in the southern Finland where I’ve lived. I think I have never been to Oulu. Nice to meet you too!

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26. SAM 11/03/20 10:03

    

    Hi Sara,

    You are an admin for an website about univeristy in Finland, So i hope you may be able to answer me few qurstions about applying Phd in Finland. My major is International relations, and got my Master degee from Renmin University, and Bachelor Degree at Deakin University. How can i apply for Phd in Finland? Is that any Phd Program in English? Which uni in Finland is specializing International relations, especially China?

    Thanks for your help

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    Sara Reply:
    March 21st, 2011 at 7:34 am

    Hi Sam, I will do my best to answer you. First you should check out this website: Study In Finland. There’s a lot of information about studying in Finland and also Phd programs. From here you can also do a search of ready-made doctoral programmes.

    But this is important: “In Finnish universities, Doctoral level studies can be available either as ready-made Doctoral programmes (please consult our Study Programmes Database) or as tailor-made Doctoral level study and research opportunities. Therefore, not all the Doctoral level study and research options are covered in our database. If you wish to work for a doctoral thesis in Finland, you should contact the institution concerned or relevant department directly and make sure that your own field of specialisation is represented there. The university can then assist you in questions regarding when and how to apply.”

    I’m not sure if there is anything that would combine international relations and China. There is international politics for example in the University of Helsinki (in the capital) and East Asian Studies in the same university. I think you should first check out the Study In Finland website and then look the websites of Finnish universities and when you find a place with your major then send email and ask more.

    Was this any help?

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27. elinikäinenoppiminen 11/04/03 03:51

    

    Moi Sara,
    Kiitos blogini kommentoinnista. Tuo About sivu olikin mulle ihan outo juttu, oon niin ensikertalainen blogin kirjottaja :) Oma blogisi on aivan mahtava, aihe liikuuttaa minua syvästi, sillä kiina on vetänyt minua puoleensa jo pitkään (mm. maon pieni punainen kirja on sisustusmielessä hyllyllä). Kerran siellä käyneenä, kanttonissa juuri ja hainanilla, ja hinku on kova päästä sitä enemmän ekplooraamaan. Oli hieno löytää blogisi, tästä sait itsellesi uuden vakiolukijan.
    Tsemppiä elämään.

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    Sara Reply:
    April 9th, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Kiva kun tulit kommentoimaan :) Ja onpa mielenkiintoista kuulla, etta Kiina kiinnostaa! Itse olen ollut aivan fani jo suhteellisen nuoresta lahtien. sen verran kiehtova ja outokin tama maa on. Kiitos!

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28. 青 11/04/11 14:25

    

    我看了一些你的文章，作为一个老外中国和作为一个老中在北欧所受的待遇实在太大了：中国人一般对外国人非常友好热情，特别是中国的大学生，他们很乐意与外国人比如博主这样的外国美女打交道；而作为一个生活在瑞典的老中，我不得不说，瑞典人民和芬兰人民太冷了！cold as stone!除非醉酒，否则大多数芬兰人瑞典人根本懒得搭理外国人，尤其非欧洲人，the words that uses one of my acquaintance say：They completely ignore you as if you never existed.

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    Sara Reply:
    April 20th, 2011 at 2:39 am

    Chinese people and including students, are really curious people. They have lot of questions and even they are shy, sometimes they have the courage to come to speak with as laowais. 哈哈 You are right! Finnish people can be quite quiet and some of us need a drink to begin a conversation. But I like that in Finland no one cares when I walk in the streets. No one is shouting hello, missy missy or buy a watch! In China I sometimes get way too much attention and it’s nice to go to Finland where people just let me be.

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    青 Reply:
    April 20th, 2011 at 10:09 am

    Well,that is the culture difference,Environment, as I see it, has a far-reaching influence on one personality. The Europe of the north is scarcely populated.It is colder in the north & Nordic.and Traffic was badly dislocated by the heavy fall of snow in winter.especailly that in Nodic,Winter is take most time of one year,therefor,Finnish have to stay alone in the past and now,As time passed, they got accustomed to being alone.in the past,Loneliness has fostered their religious feeling and their taste for meditation and recollection.
    I am afraid that if i stay here too long time, i will become too quiet and used to loneness.actually,i am already effect by Sweden………………

    but,In China you sometimes get way too much attention just because you are “Laowai”,because you have a white face looks totally different from each other，opposite attach，people always curious when they see something&someone different,whatever Chinese or Finnish,Swedish，for example,when i visit some small town in sweden where most people never see asian before, they do the same thing as you meet.
    and i found a very interesting point: althrough most swedish used to stay alone and quiet,but they are eager to conversation,they just always constrain own sentiment.that why there are many people here need the help of alcohol to release themself.

    Friends agree best at distance.for Chinese,too far;for swedish finnish,too close,sometimes i am really confused:may be most of swedish friends never look me as a friend. People tend to close their heart as the growing of age,especially to a foreigner.

    不管怎么样，祝你在中国能有一个开心的生活，莎拉

    APROPÅ： talar du Svenska eller Kinesiska?

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    Sara Reply:
    April 24th, 2011 at 8:09 am

    I hope you can learn to take good sides from both of the cultures, Chinese and Swedish. I like your idea about enviroment affecting cultures and people. I am sure there is a connection between dark rainy autumns plus cold long winters and a Finnish way of living and thinking.

    Making friends with people from another cultures isn’t always easy. You are worried that Swedish friend don’t consider you as a friend. I’m worried that to Chinese people are only interested having a foreign friend, not having me as a friend.

    I hope too that you will have good time in Sweden and when you go back to China, you will have nice memories from there.

    Jag talar inte svenska. I studied Swedish for over six years, but because I never used it I forgot almost everything. My Chinese is much better than my Swedish right now.

    

    ling Reply:
    August 23rd, 2011 at 2:16 am

    我同意你的看法，西欧也是的，这是一种文化的差异。中西文化各有各的优劣，求同存异吧

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29. Andrew 11/07/01 12:47

    

    really good blog. hope u have your chinese version someday

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    Sara Reply:
    July 4th, 2011 at 11:26 pm

    Thank you Andrew! When my Chinese improves maybe I’ll think about having a Chinese blog aswell. But then I would have three blogs, in Finnish, English and Chinese. That’s a lot of updating and writing!

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30. Aimee 11/07/04 23:14

    

    Hello Sara!

    I’ve really enjoyed taking a look round your blog and wondered if you’d be interested in doing a quick interview for the China Travel Blog (http://blog.chinatravel.net/)? It would be part of our China Blogger Spotlight series… Drop me a line if you are interested and I’ll send over more info.

    Best regards
    Aimee

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    Sara Reply:
    July 4th, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    Hi Aimee! Thank you for asking. I just sent you an email about the interview.

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31. Will Shim 11/07/08 12:36

    

    Hi Sara,
    i just wanted to tell you that you have a great blog. I stumbled upon it when I was procrastinating a bit from my work (not a recommended thing to do!).
    I was born in Guangzhou many years ago in a village in the Bai Yun district near the new airport (very close to the new subway station of Ren He). Now I reside in Canada. In the past few days, I’ve been feeling nostalgic about my past childhood in the village (I grew up in the west); I haven’t been back in years. I really miss the easy life in there. But tell you the truth, I never got to know the city proper very well and it’s still a mystery to me. Every time I was back (I’ve been back only twice since i left when i was a little kid), my cousins took me into town and I always felt so lost and unnerved by the masses of people and the traffic, but I would still like to figure this city out and get to know it better… maybe in my next trip there.
    Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you blog is helping me dissipate some of that mystery and helping me know the city a bit better. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.
    Good luck in your studies!
    Will

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    Sara Reply:
    July 9th, 2011 at 5:26 am

    Hi Will,

    Thank you very much! I can imagine that because you’ve been back only twice it must be hard to have an overall image of the city. And Guangzhou is huge! I know my way around in certain areas, but in others I’m lost. Metro system is easy to use to get around, but otherwise it’s quite hard to navigate in here. In my opinion Beijing is easier. Do you already have a plan for your next visit?

    Maybe I should introduce Guangzhou a little bit more in my future posts. And not just those tourist places, but the gems that are hidden in the small alleys.

    Thank you again for commenting Will! Comments like this especially give me inspiration to update and improve this blog.

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    Will Reply:
    July 10th, 2011 at 12:09 pm

    Thanks Sara for replying. I still don’t know for sure when I’ll be back, possibly by the end of this year, but probably not; just “someday” for sure. But I’ve been reading a lot about the city and I’ll definitely explore it myself the next time I’m in town by just walking around; that’s what I do every time I visit a new place anyway. And please do talk a bit more about the city itself; like you, I also like the traditional/historical parts of a city and its common people. I’d love to find out how’s like to live in the city.
    Thanks again and keep up the good work!
    Cheers!

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    Sara Reply:
    July 11th, 2011 at 10:46 am

    I will absolutely remember your wish and will write more about Guangzhou. I hope to buy a new camera soon so I could (learn to) take better photos to share with all of you. Many foreign expats living here seem not to be too fancy about Guangzhou. For example my cousin didn’t like it when she was living here few years ago. But I want to show that Guangzhou can be an interesting place to live.

32. summers 11/07/18 14:11

    

    hi, my name is summers, nice to meet u here, i am in norway now . i guess u r familiar with chinese culture . my purpose is to find a girlfriend . i prefer white girl . it seems u are a expert at interracial marriage. so could you give me some advice on that ?

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    Sara Reply:
    July 19th, 2011 at 1:45 am

    Nice to meet you Summers. Here are some tips for you. Don’t ever let the white girl know that you are looking for a white girl. Tell them that you are looking for the love of your life (if that’s what you want). We don’t want you to date us only because we are white, but because you love us no matter where we are from. Then do not ever comment the weight of a girl. Tell her she is beautiful, not that she shouldn’t eat french fries. Be interested in her backgroup but you don’t need to join the fan club for Finland for example. She doesn’t want to be one of your collectibles. Also don’t get a white girl just in order to improve your English.

    That’s about treating a white girl well. Then how to find her? Rely in your friends and ask them to introduce someone to you. Or look around at your university (join some club) or at work. Have a new hobby and meet new people there.

    Important thing is to be confident. Many Chinese guys are too shy and are afraid to make the first move. Don’t be too pushy, but make effort.

    Good luck!

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33. summers 11/07/18 14:16

    

    by the way, i was just back from helsinki, i like Suomenlinna Island, it is amazing.
    i found the people are very kind.
    and most youngsters are interested in china. it is a nice country . girls there are pretty

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    Sara Reply:
    July 19th, 2011 at 1:45 am

    Suomenlinna is a really nice place but unfortunately I’ve been there only once when I was a kid. Would love to go there again.

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34. Sarianna 11/07/27 12:14

    

    Your blog is great! It’s very encouraging to see that someone dares to do unexpected things like moving from Finland to China. What did your relatives and friends think?

    All the best to you and your boyfriend, and your cat too :)

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    Sara Reply:
    August 4th, 2011 at 7:42 am

    Thank you Sarianna! I’ve been a China fan as long as I can remember, so in a way it’s only been a matter of time when I move to China. Other reader also asked about this, so probably I should write a whole post about it soon!

    I noticed from your blog that you live in UK. It’s always interesting to follow blogs from other fellow ulkosuomalainen (Finn abroad)!

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35. Andie 11/08/07 04:06

    

    Hi. Thanks for commenting on my blog “China Buzz”. I have been reading through your website. It is really great. :) I will be studying Chinese, Buddhism, Chinese Economics, Chinese Ethics, and Chinese Business. What did you study while in China?

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    Sara Reply:
    August 8th, 2011 at 7:28 am

    Thank you Andie and nice to have you over :) First when I came to China I was an exchange student and studied only Chinese language. In September I will start a bachelor degree in Chinese as a foreign language, but I think we have some culture and history courses too. I guess I will find out when I register after four weeks. I’m not that into business, but Business culture in China is very interesting and I took a course in it when I was still in university back in Finland.

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36. Claire 11/08/19 09:40

    

    Hi Sara!

    I have been combing the web, looking to network with lots of people living and working in China, and I came across you!

    I’m due to move out to the Guangzhou area in a few weeks’ time. I’m keeping my website, just as you do, to blog about the China of now, and also to have some fun ^0^

    Looking forward to reading through your posts, best wishes,
    Claire x

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    Sara Reply:
    August 21st, 2011 at 2:41 am

    Hi Claire! So nice to hear from you! Welcome to Guangzhou. I have to check out your blog as soon as possible :)

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    Claire Reply:
    August 21st, 2011 at 7:09 am

    Awesome ^-^

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37. Harrist 11/08/22 01:39

    

    Sara, dont think too much about the western guys say you are ugly. As your good friend, I totally believe that you are a beautiful girl, both external and internal of yourself. Keep on writing more great post. My blog is still being not updated for a long time.

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    Sara Reply:
    September 3rd, 2011 at 1:37 am

    Don’t worry Harrist, I know my self well enough to not think too much what some random guy says about me online. Thank you!

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    maximus Reply:
    September 12th, 2011 at 10:36 am

    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha,I’d like to say ,u r pretty by the way,welcome to china,hope u have a romantic relationship in china!BTW I love finland,halloween.haha!

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38. asem 11/09/01 20:04

    

    hello sarhrai i am also foareigner live in guangzhou i hop u can sent me u email skype or any online chat thanks

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    Sara Reply:
    September 3rd, 2011 at 1:21 am

    You just left a comment to my About Me page. If you pay a little bit more attention you will also find my email address.

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39. Amy 11/10/11 16:54

    

    Hey Sara – I tried emailing you with the address on the about me page but it didn’t work…can you please email me with the correct address…I’m wondering if you still live in China.

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    Sara Reply:
    October 19th, 2011 at 11:36 pm

    I sent you an email! In my about page my email reads like this: sara(a)sarajaaksola.com. You just have to change that (a) to @. This is a little trick I do to prevent having too much spam.

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40. Jono 11/10/22 00:28

    

    你好 Sara

    I like reading your blog. Interesting very interesting. Also I am a bit envious that you can live and study in China. I don’t have that luxury. Looking forward to reading future posts. Jono
    http://chinesemandarinlearner.blogspot.com/

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    Sara Reply:
    October 22nd, 2011 at 3:27 am

    Hi Jono! Nice to hear that you like my blog. I just found yours today. Didn’t you wrote that you’re perhaps going to China for a student exchange, is that so?

    p.s. Your comments went to spam first because of the links. You don’t have to add the link yourself, I can find it when I click your name.

    [Reply]

    

    Jono Reply:
    October 22nd, 2011 at 4:04 am

    Indeed I am going to China. Firth three weeks of 2012 at Shaanxi Normal University. Really looking forward to it.

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    Jono Reply:
    October 22nd, 2011 at 4:07 am

    That should be ‘First’ three weeks of 2012…

    

    Sara Reply:
    October 22nd, 2011 at 4:20 am

    I hope you have a great trip and lots of opportunities to practice your Chinese.

41. Jack 11/10/25 21:46

    

    Hi, my dear Finnish friend.
    This is Jack. I come across your blog on the Internet. I am happy to hear that you are experiencing an authentic Chinese life in Guangzhou. It seems that you are enjoying every moment, be it happy or frustrated, in China. I wish you have a great trip in China. I am a staff from a Guilin-based tour online operator. I don’t know whether you have been to Guilin, a really charming place near Guangzhou. It is worthy to pay a visit for the fantastic mountails and rivers. May be, our kind trip advisors can offer you help if you ‘d like to visit Guilin, hehe. Here I have to confess that I am doing my job now, though i really want to read all your articles about your life in Guanghzou.The website:www.chinahighlights.com I work for is a great tour website. You can find a lot of information about major cities guide in China. May be it is helpful to you and your friends, and the visitors to your blog. I would kindly ask you whether can give us a link to http://www.chinahighlights.com/hotel/guangzhou-hotels/ on the sidebar of the homepage of your blog, I would appreciate if you doing so. In return, i can place your blog on our link page too if your are willing to. If you are not interested, that will be ok. It would not be a matter, and I will still wish you a great experience in China. Thank you, and Best regards.Please contact me via my email if you have any questions. I would glad to offer my help.

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    Sara Reply:
    October 26th, 2011 at 3:30 am

    Hi Jack!

    I’ve been to Gulin and I do like the city a lot. The Li-river area is so beautiful and peaceful.

    I will consider the link offer.

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    Jack Reply:
    October 26th, 2011 at 4:25 am

    Yeah! It seems you had a great trip in Guilin. The Li-river is quite drought now in Autumn. Luckly, my company is located on the bank of Li-river, and I often take a walk along the bank with my colleagues every day after lunch. That is really an enjoyment. From my company building, I can go to the famous Elephant Trunk Hill Park easily, and overlook the Shanhu Lake, the sun and the moon pagodas. May be you had visited these places. ^_^ Wish you happy every day in China!

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42. kimmou 11/10/27 15:24

    

    awesome you.. maybeti you go life in hong gong doing some work whit big clints lot of money like china they do :D

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    Jack Reply:
    October 27th, 2011 at 8:50 pm

    It seems that you think Chinese people are awesome, though I can not read the words you wrote. But I must tell you that most of Chinese people are kind-hearted, friendly, and curious to foreigners. Just very few people will be bad to foreigners. Maybe you think my behavior is not good, but I have to tell you that this is what my com require me to do, which makes me feel sick too. At least, I never conceal myself, unlike some others who . Actualy, I could directly choose to do business with the blogger, and buy a link from her. but i choose not to. I know the blogger will never allow any commercial purpose on her blog. So i choose to talk to her, but it seems that what i do is not so proper, which may arouse lots of misunderstandings. I confess it is my fault. I also feel what i do is not good, but it is not my original intention.

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    Sara Reply:
    November 2nd, 2011 at 2:34 am

    Don’t worry Jack. I do have some links on my sidebar and people ask me to do link exchange quite often. Sometimes I reply quickly, and sometimes I have other things to do and decide it later on if I want to add that link or not. You asked very nicely Jack, so don’t worry.

    I think China is awesome because it’s so interesting. It’s not about if China or Chinese people are good or not, it’s about observing a culture that is so different from mine. A culture that I have always felt a connection to. I have noticed that Chinese people are very curious about foreigners, sometimes it’s a good thing and sometimes I hope to be left alone. All those hello shouts and million questions can be tiring sometimes.

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43. Job 11/10/31 07:49

    

    Hi Sara,

    I have some personal questions that can not explain via comments.

    Will you let me mail to you plz?

    Looking forward to hearing from you.

    Job

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    Sara Reply:
    November 2nd, 2011 at 2:45 am

    Hi Job,

    You can find my email address from this About Me page. Here it is again: sara(a)sarajaaksola.com. You just have to change the (a) to @.

    [Reply]

44. Jeff Walkup 11/11/16 15:27

    

    Hello Sara,
    I’ve enjoyed your blog and your adventures in Guangzhou. My sister lives there with her American family and we are going to visit next week. They live at 203 Binjiang Dong Rd, so maybe we’ll see you at the park by the university and the river!

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    Sara Reply:
    November 24th, 2011 at 9:20 pm

    Hello Jeff.

    That must be right next to the north gate of the university. There’s always a lot happening every night, dancing and taiji. Are you still in Guangzhou and how have you liked your trip?

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45. The Mezzofanti Guild 12/01/08 19:11

    

    Hi Sara,

    Your experience with Chinese is fascinating. Really enjoying reading your blog.

    Keep up the great work!

    -Donovan-

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    Sara Reply:
    January 10th, 2012 at 12:31 am

    Thank you Donovan!

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46. Soham "Wrick" Datta 12/02/20 14:24

    

    hi sara… i loved reading your blog… chanced upon it while looking for the malaysian embassy in guangzhou n there was ur finnish independence day picture… itz been such a pleasure.. i hav been studying medicine in guangzhou for a little more than 4 years now… i would love to see you walking down beijing lu or pearl river someday..hahah… great job..:)..:P

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    Sara Reply:
    February 21st, 2012 at 12:21 pm

    Thank you for leaving a comment Wrick! Are you studying Chinese or Western medicine?

    Maybe we might meet accidentally at some point :)

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    Soham "Wrick" Datta Reply:
    February 21st, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    i am studying western medicine…:) in nanfang yi ke daxue.. southern medical university…:) i m sure we can meet accidentally somewhere someday… hahah..:)..:) u r welcome by the way… one of the most interesting and enlightening blogs i have come across..:)

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