Long Day

Today was a loooonnnnggggg day.

I was up at the crack of dawn and on a bus for my new school in Donggang. In the morning, I watched a couple of the foreign teachers' lessons. Then, I taught some classes so the administrator and principle could evaluate and critique. There will be much more of that throughout the training period. Chicken curry, rice, and cabbage soup for lunch provided by the school. Free lunch = awesome.

After lunch, I had to get pictures taken for the multitude of documents that will be processed in the following week or so. The first of which was the physical examination from today. Cost: two photos, $50USD, and a test tube of precious blood and plasma. Benefit: I got to do a little scouting and was impressed with the nursing staff, mostly young and cute. I hope they live in the city.

Afterwords, more paperwork at the school.

The day ended with apartment hunting. The school administrator also helps foreign teachers find housing in Donggang. Today, we looked at two housing options.

The first was a huge apartment. Three bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, two bathrooms, and two mini-balconies. It was somewhat furnished, ie., a couch, some chairs, a bed that looked like it came straight out of a telo, drawers, a refrigerator, and cabinets. I told Vivian that it was way too big for one person.

The apartment manager mentioned three Latter-day Saints living on the 4th floor interested in another roommate. I politely said, "No fucking way!" 

Next, I looked at option two, the suite. The suite is a dorm room. It had a bed. No kitchen, no refrigerator, and a shared bathroom. This is the more economical option, but frugal as I am, I don't want to live there for a year. It was dingy, even by my exceedingly low standards. 

Ideally, I'll find a studio or one bedroom apartment with a kitchen. Unfortunately, I get the impression that housing options are one extreme or the other.

I asked Vivian to call and ask about the rental rate of the first apartment. Hopefully I can justify the higher cost to avoid the suite and Mormons.