You read that right, I or rather the cab driver drove around with my wheelchair in the open trunk! But I'll tell you more about that later in the article ^^
The beginning of the survey
The day before yesterday we created the questionnaire and today it was already time to use it. We started by asking people in the school and extended the area out into the street. Our Chinese partners seemed to be very shy, so we took the first step and showed them how we would approach strangers. Luckily there were quite a few young adults walking around, you may be wondering why luckily? I think it's no big secret that most Chinese people have problems with English. But the younger they are, the better their English is. To interview older people, we sent our exchange partners ahead. To my surprise, many people agreed to be interviewed and answered our questions.
Our questions
1) What does dating mean to you?
2) How many persons did you date?
a) None b) 1-3 c) 3-6 d) more than 6
3) If you have no disability, would you date someone with a disability?
a) No b) Yes c) …...
4) Would you kiss on the first date?
a) Yes b) No c) Would you get more intimate (sexual intercourse)
5) At which age are you allowed to go on dates?
a) 14-16 b) 16-18 c) 18-22 d) older than 22
6) Can you imagine having a “one-night-stand”?
a) Yes b) No c) Maybe
7) Do you have any advices or experiences regarding the topic “dating and partnership” which you want to share with us?
möchtest?
As already mentioned, many answered our questions. And I had the feeling that some of them really enjoyed talking about this topic. We met an older woman who happily told us how she met her husband. They married early and have lived together ever since.
A visit to a Chinese university
After we had collected a good amount of data, we sorted it to get an overview. It was already lunchtime, so we ate and then had the opportunity to visit a Chinese university. We walked around the campus while a friend showed and explained everything to us. The university was very large, it had small stores where you could buy everyday items as well as snacks and drinks, and apartments on campus.
A super delicious beef soup
We went to a small restaurant for dinner. To order food here, you tick the dish you want on a list and give it to the waiter. We all got a beef soup (unfortunately I can’t remember thee name :() and some side dishes, which we shared. These included spicy cucumber in soy sauce, wan tan (a type of dumpling) and fried eggs. This beef soup was just super tasty! I really liked the broth. It tasted like a familiar Vietnamese sauce, only in soup form. After dinner, we had to rush back to GETCH's Halloween party.
Jetting around with the trunk open
The driver did his best and drove at full speed making me worry about my wheelchair, which was in the trunk of the car, but the trunk itself was not closed. Actually, there never was a time, where my wheelchair fit into a taxi. I was always worried that it would get lost during the drive. But we reached the school safely with the wheelchair and so we could join the Halloween party.
No wheelchair-accessible bridge
Unfortunately the ferry doesn’t ride at night meaning we had to cross the river using the bridge. I can tell you, it was a shaky situation. That bridge was not wheelchair friendly, there were a lot of bumps. But we made it after all and got safe and sound back to the hotel.
Three things I learned today:
1) Taxis are not afraid to drive with the trunk open
2) You can order food by a checklist
3) GETCH students like to throw event-parties
