The biggest changes are usually too eventful to leave much time for writing about them. The last two days have been spent wandering around the Shekou area in Nanshan District to get a feel for things, mapping out my surroundings, and unpacking and settling in.
Pictures of the room to come later – it’s a nicely furnished studio apartment, essentially, in the teacher’s dorm so stepping out into the hallway (which is outdoors) leads one to seeing a bunch of other teachers’ doors. The walls here are kind of stained and cracked, but it seems like every Chinese room wall is, so I just have to find some wall decorations to cover them up with soon.
I only have a microwave for a kitchen. Later I might try to sneak in a hot plate, but for now I’m exploring my options. Apparently you can do a lot with a microwave oven.
Lastly, here’s a map showing some updated landmarks.
View Shenzhen in a larger map
you can make a carrot cake in the microwave! let me know if you want the recipe : )
Hey Andrew. I love reading all of this. I hope you are doing well and you will settle in soon. As for news on my end, I moved in today. It was sad and weird. I was lonely for a while, but I’ve met some nice people and my roommate is a fun guy. Its different though, and I miss a lot of things and people already. Have fun and be safe. Love you.
Andrew, you’re blog is impeccably organized! I’m liking the layout very much. OK yes this is mundane commentary about the technicalities of your blog, but I do appreciate good formatting! Damn it Pouw! Where’s my snail mail? Haha I jest. Have fun and do something crazy, but don’t get arrested!
@ Preet: yes please! : )
@ Matthew: I heard about your move-in; Dad told me about it. He and Mom are pretty bummed. Hope you’re doing well though. Get out there and explore stuff; that’s the best way to avoid thinking too much about what you left behind. You have a lot of adventures ahead of you! Love you too, let me know how you’re doing every once in a while
@ Nhi: Something crazy? I’m too STUPID here to do anything crazy; little babies can speak better Mandarin than I can (seriously, there was this cute little guy at the bank today who was punching in numbers at a kiosk with more fluency than I was). As for the snail mail, I haven’t started sending any out because I still don’t know my permanent address – I just moved to my permanent residence two days ago. It’s coming though!
Suggestion for small appliances: a rice cooker, a George Foreman grill and a hot plate. Haha…