After waking up today at about 6:30 AM (after going to bed at 3:30 AM the "night" before due to an ill placed 7 hour nap between the hours of 12:00 noon and 7 Pm that day), I set out do to the many things I had planned. "First things first," I said to myself, "where my dumplings at?" I trekked downstairs, and went from cart to cart along the streets and alleys using my flourishing Chinese to ask for "this one" and "that one". Did I have any idea what I was getting? no. Does it matter? maybe. Was it frightening? you betcha. But, did it taste good? oh man, did it taste good.
After my delicious, although, I'm beginning to realize, fattening breakfast (which, by the way, cost 5 RMB in total, or about 80 cents), it was time to get down to business. On the list for today: Register for classes, pay my tuition, get a foreign residence permit, and find an apartment. Spoiler alert: I didn't accomplish any of it. So, registration started at 8:30 - I was there at 8:00, although waiting in the wrong place, so i didn't even get a good spot in line. Turns out, you have to pay your tuition BEFORE you register. Oh, and they only accept cash. Oh, and chinese ATM's only let you take out about $350 dollars a day. So scratch that. I'll register on Wednesday. As for a foreign residence permit - that takes about a whole day and I'm not even sure where we're living yet, so scratch that too. Time to find that apartment.
Chessin and his friend from school Lin got some leads, and so we went to search. The first place we looked.... let's just say it didn't feel "right." The real estate agent was about 45 minutes late, and he arrived on bike, seemingly upset that we didn't have our own and had the nerve to inconvenience him by making him walk. We walked for about 15 minutes from the campus to an apartment complex. The agent took us up a dark flight of stairs to the sixth floor, where a group of people were hastily packing up their home, as if to escape some evil ghost (or asbestos). The real estate agent's clan was aslo a sketchy group who looked like they were out of some disney pixar movie. There was the tall skinny guy who talked a little too smoothly, the short fat guy who talked like everything was hilarious, and the medium height guy who just didn't talk. This group of sketchies tried to talk us into renting an apartment with peeling paint, basically no furniture, a dilapidated bathroom, etc. for way too much money. "Uh... we have to... go..." we said. "Zai jian!"
Next up we made our way to 77 Shanghai Lu (or "Shanghai road" for those of you who don't "shuo zhong wen"). This place was slightly better than the first - seemed less asbestos-ridden, had some furniture, was a bit bigger, AND, according to our new real estate agent (who was about my age), we were living right next door to a police officer! What could possibly go wrong?!?! When i asked whether they would supply the "things on top of the bed frames" (i don't know how to say "mattress"), I was giving the reassuring answer that this real estate company is "not a hotel, but maybe we could help you get some." Put this one in the maybe list.
So, we made our way back to the dorm we're staying in now, ready to compromise, when we ran into some friends we made earlier sent here from the Air Force academy. Ben, our new pengyou from Alaska, offered to take us to the legitimate real estate agent he and his friend used to find their relatively sweet apartment (new appliances, security, cable, and broadband). Luckily, Ben is clearly an ex boy scout, and walked us all the way from the dorm to this agency, and set us up with the guy he used. Here we got some leads on some nice places for good prices, and we're going to take a look tomorrow. phew.
Anyways, I don't think I can eat anymore ever again. The amount of dumplings I have been eating is both ungodly and unbelievable. It's hard to control yourself when they are so good, so cheap, and so available. Every so often there is a little thunderstorm in my stomach, and I'm a little afraid of what might happen. Chessin says this is my body "preparing." For what, only god knows; soon I will too. Hopefully we'll find an apartment tomorrow, and move in. Until then, though, everything is A-okay.
zai jian!
Charles
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