I found a home!

Another day of apartment hunting and work! My assistant (it’s fun having an assistant!) and I spent three hours looking for an apartment today. I found a one bedroom in a great area that I loved. It had everything I needed and was in the area that a lot of the foreigners live (they will most likely be my circle of friends, so it would have been great to be in their area). I was just about to pull the trigger when a coworker of mine called me. I have been looking for an apartment with another expat named Josey. She has lived in China for six year, so it will be great to live with someone that can help me get by. Part of me likes the idea of living with her for convenience. The other part of me would love to have my own place in the area that I was leaning towards, Josey wants to live a bit more downtown.  She called me so excited about a two bedroom that she had just found. I would have felt very guilty about bailing on her and finding my own place. In the end I decided to live with her. It’s much more economical! The single bedroom I found was 2,900 RMB ($467) Living with Josey, our rent is 4,000RMB (so I only pay $322). What can I say, my parents have taught me well… frugality is key.

 I taught three classes tonight then took a cab to our new place to meet the landlord. The apartment is really nice! It is very clean and modern and comes fully furnished; including three flat screen TV’s. I don’t personally need that many TV’s, but hey, I’m not complaining. All and all, I think it was a smart move.  Tomorrow morning I will move my bags into our new place and get settled. I then have to get ready for a big day at work. The Principal of the school will be observing one of my classes (no pressure). After that I can sign my contract as a full time teacher! That will be a huge sigh of relief. I’m so excited to star getting settled into my life here. It will take some time, but I’m excited to get into a routine and find my bearings.  The next major task will be to get an E-bike (basically an electronic Vespa/scooter)!