Right.... *clearing the voice*

Goodday ladies and gentlemen....

This is the first entry in my webbolg, and therefore, I think I am supposed to tell a bit about who I am, where I am from, what I am doing at the moment, why I started to write a webblog and above all, why the h**l I chose that title...

Right. I might get started with the question on "who I am?": I am the cockatoo. This is not to say that I am able to fly.. even though I have really tried hard and followed exactly the rules of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's Instructions on how to fly, or more precisely on "how to fall and miss the ground"... I can tell you for sure that so far I am not able to fly. But doing something means never stop trying... anyway.
I am the cockatoo. First, I love travelling, I am somehow more or less constantly on the move, I love flying and I love the idea of being free which for me is synonymous to being able to fly. So this is why I admire birds.
Over the years, I came to realize that a predatory bird would not quite resemble my character for the one or other reason. (But I do eat meat... espceially Argentine steak.... hmmmm)
So somehow I came to like cockatoos. the are intelligent, colourful, of extraordinary appearance, have wits, and above all, are funny and are loved by people and children.
I decided that a cockatoo resembles best what I am or at least, what I would love to be.

So, question 2: "Where am I from?" I am German, or, more precisely Franconian, born in Munich, raised close to Erlangen. I studied business administration near Wiesbaden for 4 years.

Question 3: "What am I doing at the moment?": I just graduated in July and decided that there is enough time left in my life to sit in an office. Beside, I am curious (as a cockatoo can be :-) ) and I would like to see the world and learn as long as I am free like I am now... So, this is in very short, why I decided to dive into the rabbit-hole...

...I went to China. One week ago, I first landed in east asia and moved into my dormitory room at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. I am going to participate in a programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which lasts for 1,5 years: 10 month of studying Chinese and 6 month of internship (I haven't found one yet, so if you read this blog and you are a corporate recruiter or headhunter and you are convinced, that you need exactly this cockatoo, I would be happy, if you let me know :-) )

Anyway, I am here in Beijing, and this leads us directly to question number 4: " Why am I writing a webblog?". It is mainly to keep my family and friends updated with what I am doing, what I have learned, what I have seen and experienced. It should give them a little glimse insode the rabbit-hole and by that let them participate a bit in my life and (hopefully) my adventures here. this is my way of telling them, that I keep them in my heart and that I carry them with me wherever I go.

So, last, but not least, question 5: "What is that title about?": A cockatoo's dive into the rabbit -hole...
I hope the thing about cockatoo is clear now. I have been talking about the rabbit-hole some times now in this post... For me, the whole thing I am doing here somehow feels like Alice tumbling down the rabbit-hole to wonderland...

I mean, hello, here is a German, who has only been to Asia as far as Turkey, who does hardly speak or understand a word of Chinese (so far!) and who just decided to go and live in China for 1,5 years. All that chinese characters, temples, chopsticks... it all looks like in wonderland to me a bit... I might still not have realised that I am in China now and that I am going to stay here a bit...
Anyway. "The cockatoo's dive into the rabbit-hole" is nothing else then my life here in China.

And so far, it feels good.

Be blessed, Yours Cockatoo

PS: Some First Impressions of Beijing: