Blue Skies Again

After a miserable start to the day - grey dense fog/smog, alone in Beijing. Uninspired breakfast, unsatisfying and grossly overpriced lunch, unsettled living arrangements.

I spent the morning on the phone with family and friends. Skype ROCKS. They deserve some kind of medal for making international voice communication free, user-friendly and high-quality.

At 3:30, I stepped outside the hotel lobby to meet our relocation specialist. A stiff wind was blowing. I looked up, through the yellow scafolding of the cranes - BLUE SKIES. It IS possible to see the sky in Beijing! I wanted to take a picture of the skyline to contrast with those I took on Saturday, but the charger for my camera is buried in the luggage somewhere. . .

We have an apartment. See the little room off the kitchen? The one with the bed in it? That's the laundry room. The bed is pictured to indicate that's where the maid ("ayi") sleeps. It's, like, so nineteeth century. (We won't have a maid, but we will have housekeeping twice a week. This apartment will be cleaner than my house ever was!)

Other mood enhancers: I found an electric toothbrush. (Yes, it really is the little things that keep you from going bonkers.) I used an ATM. (It is true that China Construction Bank does not charge a fee for using a Bank of America ATM card.) I had a fabulous meal in a little restaurant down a hutong (alley) for $2.50. All by myself. The nice Chinese lady sitting at the table next to me congralutated me on my dexerity with chopsticks.

We'll be moving in next week. In the meantime, I start chinese lessons tomorrow.