My Apartment

(First, a little note - I've figured out how to go back and add photos to previous posts, and have added a few precious babe shots to the last one, and will try to add some apartment photos to this one too.)

Well my apartment here is quite spacious by Chinese standards. It's a pink, 17 floor apartment and we are on the 12th floor. And they have an elevator, two in fact.

It has two bedrooms. I have the larger and my flat mate, and her various sweet girlfriends occupy the other. I have only had to share my bed twice to date, quite luck, really.
One wall of my room is a curtain that divides it from a glassed in porch where we hang the laundry. I can hardly wait for weather warm enough to open those windows. My window faces west and I'm thinking that is the direction for my prayers... the shortest distance to the Holy Land. There is a closet like structure that we share to hang our clothes and above my bed... a heater!! It makes all the difference between life and freezing. i put it on before undressing or dressing and other times when the shivering is just too much.My bed has no bamboo mat like last year but I have to say the softness (or should I say hardness) is about the same. Some would call it extra firm. But it is a queen size so I'm not cramped. I have two weighty quilts for the chill of night that are so heavy it's a real effort just to turn over. Sure am glad I have them... them and my two pairs of jammies that I wear at the same time. And Nonie, it took a week until I remembered the hot water bottles! For those who don't know, you can make yourself a hot water bottle from an empty water or pop bottle. It feels real good against a shivering body.

The living room/dining room area is large with some pretend leather furniture and an actual table and chairs that we never use. All our meals are eaten on the coffee table in front of the TV... sound familiar to anyone?

And yes, a TV. There is an english language station with international news that seems mostly about China... but that's great cause that's what I'm here for. I might also say the TV is not on all the time, but when it is, I nearly rupture my eardrums as I strive so hard to hear any chinese sounds that I can make into a word. I know one day it will happen. I'm starting to hear words in conversations around me... but really, how useful is hearing "OK, OK?"

We have a walk in, back out kitchen but have been known to have two people productively cooking in it. There are some really grim areas in it that even I won't venture to scrub... I just keep the cupboard doors closed. There is a gas stove, one burner works... and that makes one wok just the right amount of pots. Since this is cold weather time, I hardly ever see any bugs... another perk I'd say.

Our final room, the bathroom, so glad we have one and with a toilet bowl, not a squat toilet... joy upon joy. We have a hot water when we turn on the tank and for me I keep it always at least warm, cause with this cold, I can't manage freezing water too. The floor doesn't slope to the drain, but how many do, really? and the toilet flushes most of the time as long as you don't put anything in it but liquid. The floor feels like an ice rink so we need wear plastic shoes when we shower but other than that, it fits all our needs.