ontemplative. never had i thought about such questions before. nor have i realized that chinese is so fantastic, and difficult to learn! we really should be happy that we were born chinese so that we don't need to learn languages from outside.

    of course there are times when my friend and i have a difference in opinions. we diverge especially with regard to life-style. generally chinese students spend more time studying, while german (or western) students spend less. the former stay in the library, while the latter are drinking and having fun in clubs. the former think that they should work hard in order to win a place in a competitive society, while the latter think that they should have a rest after some intense work and enjoy life. i am a relatively traditional chinese person, which means i favor the former attitude; but my friend is doubtlessly leading the latter life. anyway, we won't impose our own opinions on the other because we know that china and germany are two totally different societies. interestingly, one of the german boys once said, "we can expect that china will become the superpower in the world while germany will decay after some time. why? because you are studying when we are drinking!" it is just a joke and he apparently has no intent to work harder in order to save germany from this supposed "decadence".