A Day in the Life...

A question I'm often asked is "What is a typical day like for you?" Well, nothing here is super typical (see the accident post). But generally speaking, I have a set schedule in terms of work. Since I work at a training center, our busiest times are nights and weekends. My "weekend" is usually Wednesday/Thursday. It's actually nice for me because then things aren't as crowded as they are on the real weekends.

Monday/Tuesday/Friday I don't have to be at work until 1:30 PM. Usually I'm there til 8 or 9, depending on the day and what's going on. Saturdays are my long day--I work 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM. Sundays I'm lucky because I don't come in until 12, but I stay til 9ish.

Mondays are fun days because my coworkers and I have ladies night. Right now it has consisted of going over to my (only) male coworkers apartment and watching movies with his wife. We like their apartment because they have a legit couch (read: cloth covered and padded, not wooden) and an energetic pug. It's an added bonus for me that they live in the same building, so it is just an elevator ride away.

To get to work, I walk about 10ish minutes to the bus stop, take it 3 stops, then walk another 8ish minutes to work. The first 10ish minute walk gets me to the nearest mall, which has a Wal-Mart. That's usually where I go grocery shopping since it is so close. Sometimes I'll go other places since Wal-Mart isn't the cheapest, but I'm all about convenience.

Laundry is another "fun" difference over here. First of all, my washing machine is super tiny--it holds a maximum of 42 liters of water. I can fit maybe 4 pairs of pants in a wash. And I don't have a dryer. They are virtually nonexistent. Since Nanjing has been so cold, it has been taking 2-4 days to get things dry. I am lucky that I have an enclosed balcony to hang stuff, but it still stinks to have to plan so far in advance.

Nanjing does have a metro system, we have two lines (Shanghai has like 14 I think). The closest stop to me is about 20 minutes walk. (Notice the trend--I don't really live that close to anything!)

Another thing that's different is heating/air conditioning. I may have mentioned it before, but most places don't have central heating and air. Each room has its own unit (if you're lucky). My apartment only has one unit, in my room. Therefore, my apartment is always cold. I usually only run it for an hour or so before bed, then it is off rest of the time. I sleep with lots of blankets to stay warm. I haven't had to pay my electric bill yet, but I hear it is paid 3 months at a time, and I have no idea how much it will cost.

I think I have finally started to settle into a routine here, so not a whole lot of interesting things have been going on. Once I get back from Chinese New Year, I will be travelling more often so things should pick up again :)

...so the lack of communication over the past week has been an internet issue. Since I pay in cash for the internet, once it runs out they just shut it off. No warning, no bill, no nothing. Today I went to the place armed with my phrasebook to pay more money, and once I pointed out the phrase, the lady says (in English) "You must pay at least 200." Oh, that was easier than I thought...