Apartment found!!!!

Since last deciding to move, I can already say that I’ve found a new place! It was easy easy easy… On Wednesday (the 30th) we heard that Ricky (new Irish teacher) was moving in. On the same day, I asked my boss if there was anywhere else vacant.

Here at EF (the company where we work) they have a few apartments on offer, for the foreign teachers – just like the apartment I’m in right now. But, seeing as though I want to have my own place, the only ‘downfall’ is that I’ll be paying extra rent each month, whereas in my current situation I’m not paying rent (because there’s 3 of us living there…). Anyhow, my boss gave me a choice between 2 apartments that will be vacant within the next 3 weeks. There both in prime locations and real modern, clean and homely, equipped with everything I’d need. The amount of rent I’d have to pay is almost nothing, when considering what I’d be getting in return.

So the choice was made on Saturday morning. I’d already seen one of the apartments and on Saturday morning I went round to other one, to get a bit of feel for the place. This particular apartment is Mike C’s… the teacher from England, who’s leaving China on the 24th of April. I went to have a look and instantly knew it was the place for me!

It’s so cool… the apartment complex is so central, in the middle of the city. The flat itself is quite big. It’s got 2 bedrooms, wooden floors, furniture, fully equipped kitchen… gorgeous sofa, king size bed and A PROPER DESK!!!!!!!!!!!!! There’s a feel to the apartment that it’s been lived in… And that’s what I was after… The kitchen also feels to have life inside… It’s really cute, authentic and not modern at all… and it happily reminded me of the Indian kitchens; so simple, basic, but homely environment to cook in… Just like the sitting room… (no telly!!! Yes yes yes!!!!) AND a big window I can sit in, that overlooks the market stalls and comings and goings of the little Chinese people, all day long. I’m just around the corner from huge market stalls where I can get fresh fruit and vegetables every day and in summer I’m just a stone’s throw from the night market… a huge market that fills a particular street every evening, with stalls, people, street vendors, corner side tea and coffee houses… Man… it’s so exciting!!!

I can’t wait to get there. It’s like I’ll be taking my China experience to a different level. I’ll be starting to live a life of my own, loose from my colleagues and unattached from the tendency most westerners have to ONLY hang out with the group of foreign teachers from this particular English school. I’ll be apart of Asian life, in this new apartment. Where I am now, Manhattan, it doesn’t feel to be apart of China. It’s a new area of town that’s only recently been built. I’ve heard that 5 years ago, on the same plot of land where there’s now such a luxurious piece of architecture, was farmland… Manhattan is luxury and westernized and that’s why it’s the perfect base from which to start a Chinese experience; you’re still adjusting to being in China, it’s safe and tranquil to have a place where you can totally withdraw from the world outside. You won’t hear a single thing that will remind you of where you are, once you’re inside the Manhattan apartment. And that was fine for me, for the first period here in Jinzhou. But if I were to stay there, I’d feel to be cheating!

And so… it’s the perfect time to move to a perfect apartment in a perfect location!