That’s my apartment on the top floor (sort of center of picture with the AC units attached to the windows). It is two windows with the open curtains and YES that is snow!
Went to the Wu Mae yesterday (think Super Wal-Mart) it was about a 30 minute van ride (but they have a free red/white/blue bus you can catch across the street about every hour). We were lucky this time because our ZUFE Foreign Affairs office took us the first time. They were helping us to outfit our rooms, because no one had used them as apartments before. This building used to be a hotel so my apartment consists of 2 hotel rooms that have been converted into a 2 room apartment. One room is a sitting room with couch, coffee table, dinning table with 2 chairs, small 4 foot refrigerator, closet and the extra bathroom that was converted into a kitchen. The kitchen is supplied with a hotplate, microwave, toaster, coffee pot-like contraption that boils your water, a sink and a really, really small clothes washer. They also supplied a contraption that you can hang your clothes on to dry, an iron, ironing board and a mop. There is something else in another box – but I haven’t opened it up yet. My guess from the picture is either a rice cooker or a vacuum cleaner.
Even though the multilevel Wu Mae is located in a small suburb of Hangzhou it was PACKED. I have nothing to compare it to – to give you guys an idea of the crowd level. The crowd did not bother me but the level of scrutiny did. I know you guys are thinking store officials – nope. It was the other shoppers. I was everybody’s ‘double take’. I sort of expected some of them to look at my appearance but what was more unnerving was that they were soooo interested in what I was buying and what I had put in my cart. It was sort of like having a new conscience and decided that at least it kept me away from the candy aisle. I am hoping I will build up a level of immunity so I can have a candy bar once in a while. My sister who had also lived in China for a while had warned me but I had no idea how it would affect my people-pleasing and other personality insecurities. I have decided I would NEVER want to be a famous person. How do they stand it? All paparazzi should be punished by having to do shopping in this type of standout situation to give them a taste of what feelings they cause in others. I am sure I will be stronger and better when I learn to deal with lots of people looking over my shoulder but for right now I will get Nicole and Zac to sneak me a couple of candy bars in the next care package.
