So I live in China. That might be a surreal statement coming from a shy and anxious blue-eyed art dork, but it feels completely perfect and natural. Well, maybe not completely...but to say, 'I'm making a seamless transition' might be a more appropriate and accurate description.
Today marks my third week in Chengdu. I'm mostly settled. Classes are up and running - much to my under-qualified dismay. Friendships are developing - the people here are so helpful and excited to get to know you (Or, 'play with you' as they like to say). I'm a bit of a novelty around here as well - their idea of an American is, well, not short and thin and dark-haired like me.
Food is happily spicy and dairy-free; the meat-free meal is a little more difficult to come by, but with the help of friends, I've managed to eat a mostly vegetarian diet here. (A word for the wise: next time you are enjoying your spicy sichuan hot pot - beware of the 'sichuan specialty;' this mystery food is actually the lining of an ox's stomach. It's quite unpleasant. Also, do not say, "Hm, that was interesting" when your host asks your opinion of it, for another serving will quickly be tossed your way.)
My apartment is quite nice. I've had my little mishaps with it - but all in all it's been very comfortable for me. The biggest adjustments are with the bathroom, the kitchen, and the laundry situation.
My washing machine is in the kitchen, and until a few days ago, would flood the kitchen with every load. Wet kitchen floors are gross, just so ya know. Then there is the dryer issue - or rather, complete lack thereof. The air is so damp here, in fact, that I don't think my clothes ever dry out, and there has been many a load that I have begrudgingly decided to re-wash because the clothes had stayed wet for so long that they lost that 'freshness' I so snobbishly value. Now I've taken to placing a few items at a time in front of my electric heater to assist with the drying process. Not the most efficient, but effective nonetheless. Yay heater!
The kitchen is all cute and little, with a tiny fridge and hot plate as the primary appliances. It's working well for me though.
And my favorite part: Le Toilet. My shower is not really a shower. Ok well it is, but it's right beside my toilet (Yay!), which is to say that it is not separate from anything else in my bathroom, no curtain or divider, nothing. Thus, after each shower I have to squeegee down the walls and mirror, wipe off the sink and toilet surfaces, and mop up the floor. So it's a bit of a nuisance in all honesty, especially doing all of this wrapped in a towel. But hey, my bathroom is quite clean!
I'm also not allowed to flush my 'paper waste.' Luckily my apartment has a maintenance lady. So the days waste is thrown into the hallway each night before bed (it's in a bag, sicko), and the next morning she takes care of it. This is actually one of the most convenient things about this place, because really, who likes taking the trash out?
Then there is the issue of leakage. First, and still, it was the sink. I had the maintenance man come over to check it out. He decided that when I was using the mop basin (yes it's built in beside my sink), I splashed too much water onto the floor, and this was actually where the water was coming from. This is all, of course, explained to me over the phone by a translator. Ok, um, I've never used said mop basin. I tell this to the translator and again explain that the water is clearly coming from the sink. Phone is handed back to maintenance man. Loud voices, pointing at mop basin, more loud voices....finally the phone is handed back to me.
"Ok, the maintenance man will get you a special hose to twist onto the mop basin faucet so that you don't get water onto the floor anymore."
"Ok, but that's really not necessary because like I said, I've never used the mop basin, the water is leaking from the sink."
"Ok, so he will get the hose for you this week then ok?"
"Ok but that's not the problem. I don't use the mop basin, it's the sink."
"Oh I see. So when you use the mop basin it is leaking onto the floor and that is where the water is coming from, so he will get the hose for you this week, and then you won't have a problem anymore."
In frustrated resignation: "Right, sure, ok." Fast-forward two weeks: sink still leaks, meanwhile mop basin has extra-special hose to prevent my 'spillage.'
But the most exciting part: directly above my toilet is a pipe. This pipe belongs to the toilet in the apartment above mine. This pipe is mean and scary. It started leaking. I was frightened. I could not sleep the night I saw the first few drips, as I was seized with much anxiety - images of total pipe malfunction haunted my mind. The maintenance man and company came the next day. I tried to concentrate on grading papers, suppressing that previously mentioned fear, while they tinkered about in there. After some time a bucket was brought into the equation. Minutes later the foulest of foul stenches consumed my apartment. I thought I was either going to vomit or pass out, or both. It was quite wretched, but for now the problem seems to have been fixed. I hope the pipe behaves itself from now on. I'm very grateful, however, that things were not worse.
Contrary to what these last few paragraphs might suggest, I'm actually loving it here, and I can't wait to write more about it. For now, however, I'm off to bed.
Yours,
P.
