So, I'm back in China.
And I can't breathe! It's the craziest thing, but I guess I got used to the fresh country air at home - where air pollution is basically all cow farts and nothing else - and then came back to the scummy air of Chengdu, air that you can very literally cut with a knife. Hooray! I've been short of breath since I came here, but I only "noticed" it yesterday. Dan has the same thing going, so it's not just me. Ick!
The rent. is. paid. The landlord came over yesterday and sat in our living room while we counted out 7800 kuai. Whose landlord comes to your house and sits in your living room to get your rent, anyway? And in cash? And then another 106 for gas and water. So he gets set to leave and goes, "Where's the 106 for the water and gas?" And of course, we say,"But we gave it to you!" So Dan wanders around the apartment looking in funny places looking for it, and I recount the money. 8000. What? He's got an extra 200 kuai! So Dan recounts it. 7900. He's got the extra 100 sitting right in that massive stack of hundreds. And then the landlord recounts it. 7800. It's also the magically shrinking massive stack of hundreds. So we recount it slowly while I go to get my purse to dig out another hundred, and lo and behold, Dan had set the money by the door. Now we get to go through that whole mess again with an even larger massive stack of hundreds - My tuition and Dan's for one semester will total more than 15000. I do not like carrying around large wads of cash; this is what the check was invented for. This is a literal chunk of change. And
And the landlord also informed us that the apartment complex is installing intercoms. This seems rather nonsensical to Dan and I, considering that there is no front door -- you just walk into the stairwell and go right up, so why bother? Well, it's China, so whatever. Except that we are both jetlagged right now and falling asleep at funny times, so we missed the knock on the door tonight. They'll be back tomorrow. Probably.
So, that's my week so far. Aside from getting used to some differences - they've landscaped and changed the pathways of the apartment complex, which I think are a great improvement - and things that have remained the same - it still ticks me off when people stare at me and whisper about the foreigner - I'm doing ok. How's it going in your world?
The rent. is. paid. The landlord came over yesterday and sat in our living room while we counted out 7800 kuai. Whose landlord comes to your house and sits in your living room to get your rent, anyway? And in cash? And then another 106 for gas and water. So he gets set to leave and goes, "Where's the 106 for the water and gas?" And of course, we say,"But we gave it to you!" So Dan wanders around the apartment looking in funny places looking for it, and I recount the money. 8000. What? He's got an extra 200 kuai! So Dan recounts it. 7900. He's got the extra 100 sitting right in that massive stack of hundreds. And then the landlord recounts it. 7800. It's also the magically shrinking massive stack of hundreds. So we recount it slowly while I go to get my purse to dig out another hundred, and lo and behold, Dan had set the money by the door. Now we get to go through that whole mess again with an even larger massive stack of hundreds - My tuition and Dan's for one semester will total more than 15000. I do not like carrying around large wads of cash; this is what the check was invented for. This is a literal chunk of change. And
And the landlord also informed us that the apartment complex is installing intercoms. This seems rather nonsensical to Dan and I, considering that there is no front door -- you just walk into the stairwell and go right up, so why bother? Well, it's China, so whatever. Except that we are both jetlagged right now and falling asleep at funny times, so we missed the knock on the door tonight. They'll be back tomorrow. Probably.
So, that's my week so far. Aside from getting used to some differences - they've landscaped and changed the pathways of the apartment complex, which I think are a great improvement - and things that have remained the same - it still ticks me off when people stare at me and whisper about the foreigner - I'm doing ok. How's it going in your world?