We are still setting up. We have bought and built more IKEA furniture (easy until we got to aligning doors - urgh...). We now have dishes, glasses and towels. We are starting to settle in. We feel pretty fortunate that we like our apartment. The only bad things are the living room light that switches off as soon as you turn it on and our TV that goes blank whenever it feels like it. So far, the school has been fabulous in helping to get things set up and in fixing problems.
I am very impressed by the efficiency of the Chinese. In Kazakhstan, if you wanted internet, you might wait for a long time. You might not even have the service available. Here, you go to the Chinese Telecom office, fill out a form, pay, wait a couple of days while they check your line, and wallah, a guy comes - at the appointed time no less - to set up your connection. I asked for new cable stations on Thursday and we got them on Friday. No problem. At IKEA there was no pushing and shoving in the return line. You simply take a number and wait. Ah, organization. That has been missing in our last two countries.
People say that the Chinese are going to be the next superpower. I have no doubts that this is a very good possibility. They are organized and efficient, and there are so many people here. The place where we are living, Shekou, was created to absorb foreign investment. This city was nothing more than a fishing village 20 years ago. They filled in the bay and have built a city in that time span. Efficient. However, there is a price. We learned yesterday that the Chinese government burnt down the shanties of fishing families that refused to leave their homes. That was just a couple of years ago. Our director also told us yesterday that there used to be a spot on the coast where the locals would come to look through viewing glasses toward Hong Kong. They knew they would not be leaving China and coming to see the "West" ws the most they could hope for.
It will be interesting to observe how things work around here. We have just a few more days of vacation. Today, the nanny comes. I hope Sophia is good for her. I'm sure it's going to be a little frustrating for both since they won't understand each other at all. Sophia will be speaking Mandarin in no time, I bet. Joe and I are going on a peaceful trip to Walmart to pick up some more essentials. Will the shopping ever be finished?
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I am sooo jealous! I had no idea you were so close to Hong Kong. I love that city. There was a car park by the bay that turned into an open air restaurant in the evenings. Huge steaming plates of prawns and great San Miguel beer. Wonderful nights and good memories. Have fun guys! I will be visiting. (BTW- you'll get used to the humidity in no time. In Asia it usually took my body about a month to adjust to all that wet. But getting used to it and liking it were two very different things.)
Tom
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