So here's a quick synopsis of what has happened since that first post oh so long ago...
Drew (the other Miami student studying at Beida) and I had secured a great apartment courtesy of the two students that went to Beida for the spring semester in early May. It was fully furnished, had a great living room with a new flat screen TV, clean bathrooms, basically everything we could have asked for. Not to mention it was on the 30 something floor in a fully "Beijing" neighborhood.
By this I mean that it wasn't a place where all the foreigners live, it was 100% Beijing, right from the landlord that didn't speak a word of English to the fact that Drew and I would most likely be the only two foreigners in the whole building. This was the best part about that place --- being fully immersed in Beijing culture and getting a real taste of living in China. But of course, it was too good to be true.
Around July, Drew and I got word from our Chinese counterpart that the landlord "didn't feel like leasing the apartment to us anymore." I think it was the combination of not wanting a 5 month lease coupled with the fact that he realized that he was charging Americans too less. Drew and I wanted the place so bad we even agreed to paying for an extra months rent just to secure the place. But no, Mr. landlord wanted to either rent out for 3 weeks during the Olympics or rent out for a full year. Neither of which fit mine and Drew's situation. Bye bye perfect apartment, hello to the major pain of apartment shopping in Beijing.
So all this took place during the heat of the summer, needless to say taking summer classes didn't allow me to devote much time to finding the 2nd best place in Beijing, since the best got away.
I do have a place now, it's in an area called Wudaoku in the Haidian district. It's about a 20 minute walk to the school or a short subway ride over (so I'm told). So it's nice and close to Beida but the area is exactly what our first place wasn't --- tourist city. Wudaoku is supposedly a very clean, friendly neighborhood but is host to hundreds of international students that are studying at one of the numerous universities around the area.
I guess I shouldn't complain after seeing what a pain it was to even get this place. And I can't even take credit for all the shopping that was done. Drew actually took the reigns on this and talked to numerous real estate agencies in Beijing until finally, through his own connections, secure this place --- mysteriously referred to as Apartment C.
Here's a look at Apartment C
As you can see, I don't know what's worse the bathroom or the kitchen. Both seem to an equally charming presence about them that just scream home. The best part about Apartment C is that my mom was very concerned about the absence of a stove in the kitchen, "how will you cook if you do not have a stove Abi??" Which my response was, "Mom, meals are $1 over there, I'm not planning on cooking even one day while I'm there." Maybe that's a little extreme, but if it really came down to it, how can you argue with a $1 dinner? Hopefully that's $1 isn't for the dog or crickets...
So this was my place up until yesterday when I get an email from Drew, who got to Beijing on Tuesday, saying that the place is absolutely disgusting. He said it was so bad that he felt dirtier after coming out of the shower then when he went in it! Thankfully he said one night was enough and the second day he was there he had found a nicer, better place in which we will spend our semester in.
No pictures of the new place yet, but will come as soon as I move in. And one last thing about this apartment business, we have another roommate that will be living with us: Marco from Texas. I believe he's a student at Texas A&M and is studying abroad for the semester as well. So we got together with him and we'll each prosper from the lower rent of a 3 bedroom apartment as opposed to a 2 bedroom apartment.
Besides all this apartment drama I've gone through, nothing else too big has happened. I leave on Sunday the 7th and will arrive in Beijing at 3 in the afternoon on the 8th. I'm still a little concerned on how I will get from the airport to my apartment seeing that I don't have a complete address, but I'll find it somehow. I'm sure that'll be the topic of discussion for my first post in Beijing.
As for now, it's time to get back to packing.
For my next post I'll write more about how I feel about leaving the place I call my home (Miami) and the people that are considered my second family.
Best.
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