The Digs

The apartment is on the 22nd floor of a skyscraper in a sea of skyscrapers. Look out the window! It's on the east side of Beijing in the Chaoyang District. Tiger picked this one because it's a few minutes walk to the subway, and the bathroom is relatively large. I won't get to see it in person for another week and a half, but I'm sharing my first photo glimpses, courtesy of Tiger =) It's a furnished apartment, so I'm not sure how much of the decor is Tiger's doing. Can you tell I'm referring to the Hello Kitty pillow? I haven't had the guts to ask what that's about. Haha!

Waiting on my Visa...

I'm a little frustrated with how long it is taking for me to receive my visa, but I am spending my time wisely. I have enjoyed many "last hurrahs," most of them with Mea =) Yesterday, Mea and I went to Colette's house to watch New Moon, and today, the three of us caught Eclipse at the theater. And to think I thought I'd have to play smart when I went to grad school. That's right, all three of us are MA students, and at least two of us are Twilight Saga crazy. Team Jake!!!

The Silver Plume is Sold!

The Silver Plume 2005-

I bid farewell to the Silver Plume today. And I learned that I should not give names to objects. And I deposited a nice wad of cash into my bank account. I now have the power to buy myself that one-way ticket! My visa could arrive any day. FIngers crossed faaaace!

I Got a Roof Over My Head

Tiger is all moved in to our new apartment! I haven't seen pictures yet because "the sky is gray, and it needs sunshine," but I know where it is. It's a few minutes walk from the line 1 subway; the stop is called Sihui. It's two stops east of a restaurant my aunt Margi and I ate at twice when we were in Beijing in January. We were craving western food and  Grandma's Kitchen didn't disappoint: cheese fries, salads with Ranch dressing... Now that I've taken my vegetarianism to the next step (I'm a vegan now), I'm not sure what Grandma's Kitchen has to offer, but it's comforting to know it's there =)

My stop is one station west of where the red line meets the gray line.

I Got a Couple Jobby-jobs Lined Up!

Job #1: Teacher
As planned, I will be teaching English. The school is called the Beijing International Studies University. My department is call the Beijing Hospitality Institute (BHI), and it's about an hour commute from my apartment in the city. I haven't seen it yet, but Tiger checked it out and says it's legit. Here are a few pics I swiped from their website: BHI

I hope to find a reason to be in the Wine-tasting room =)

Job #2: Professional Marketing Copy Writer
A friend of Tiger's asked him if he knew any native English speakers who would be interested in writing copy for his firm Beyondsoft Group. I just got off the phone with my future supervisor, Leon, and I'm excited. The firm does something technical, like computer software outsourcing or something. Ha! Maybe I should bone up on technical stuff. Naaaah, I wouldn't know where to begin. Here's a link to the company's website: Beyondsoft Group