Hostel warden exchange in China: Travel report part 3

On their last evening in Kunming, Konstantina Tsanis and her companions were invited to dinner by the Managing Director of the Youth Hostel Association in China, Ms Yin Chen. Of course, there was plenty of delicious food and an interesting and informative exchange. But read for yourself!

„The first meeting was very warm and we were welcomed with a big hug. We immediately started chatting happily. Gifts were exchanged: my stollen was finally used.

We had a wide range of topics to talk about throughout the evening. The shortage of skilled labour is also a growing problem in China. We discussed possible solutions together. Mrs Chen was particularly interested in what motivated me to work for the youth hostels. I explained to her that when I chose my degree programme, I didn't dare to study something that suited my personal interests (e.g. literature) and instead opted for the „safe“ business studies course. However, I always missed the meaningful and communal element. But that's exactly what I found at the youth hostel! Mrs Chen then smiled at me and said that she felt the same way when she chose her degree course and that we shared the same motivation.
The food was delicious again, by the way. We had Peking duck, pumpkin in crispy breading, sweetened prawns, rice cakes (looked like a dessert, but served as a starter) and marinated lillia roots (this was by far the tastiest thing I've ever eaten!).

After dinner, we went up to the restaurant's roof terrace, from where we were able to enjoy a breathtaking view over Kunming. The many high-rise buildings and colourful lights were very impressive. The peace and quiet was particularly fascinating, as there were mainly electric cars on the roads.

That night we took a very turbulent flight, with a long delay, from Kunming to Beijing and from there back to Frankfurt to spend Christmas with my family again. The Christmas presents were very Chinese this year.

I am very grateful to have been able to do the exchange in Kunming. It was a unique experience that gave me a lot of new ideas for my work - from ideas for improvement to the experience of being able to stay overnight in a youth hostel as a long-term guest (where you develop different needs than during a weekend stay). I am looking forward to returning home with many new experiences and reporting on my trip. As well as my family and friends, I really missed Xanten Youth Hostel.“