Wednesday I arrived at work late. I hadn't slept well Tuesday night, my head filled with so many concerns.
The security guards at the gate had hooked me up with a landlord who showed me a studio apartment in the newest building of this complex. Actually, 50 yards from the storefront I want to rent. He was asking 1,500, the same I am now paying, for half the space. The studio had no sofa, no room for a sofa. Otherwise, it was really cute and brand new.
I should have clocked in at 10, but I knew my first class was at 11. I don't like to time it so closely; I walked in the door at 11:01. Grabbed the lesson and found the student. At the moment, the wall clocks in the school are reading slow, so for the student I was just about on time. Unless he looked at his cell phone, of course.
I gave him his 55 minutes, then went back to my desk. Rena came and sat next to me, all concerned. Not about my lateness..this is never an issue, if I get the job done. Rather, she had some bad news. Jane had decided that she just didn't have the confidence to go ahead with the coffee shop cum bakery. But she felt bad, and assured me that she would still lend me a three-year interest free loan of 100,000 rmb, and help me get the license. With this, plus my own money, I could afford to rent the 45 sq meter place near my flat, buy the equipment, and start a bakery.
After my long talk with Oliver Monday night, who is a long-time friend and business associate of Sophia's, I realized I had to send her an email to set her mind at ease. I had taken care of that Tuesday. She replied expressing great relief that we could still be friends, and admitted that Mike was miffed at her for botching our deal.
With this new wrinkle, it occurred to me to try once again to bring Mike back into the picture. I wrote an email which Rena is translating for me. I'll send it to both Mike and Sophia. I would love it if Mike came from Suzhou to spend the day in Changzhou on my next day off. I'd like to show him the location I'd decided on. I politely asked if anyone would mind my bringing my own interpreter to the meeting. What I am thinking is that I would love to finally sit down with Mike and pick his brain, without Sophia editorializing.
And my own thinking has matured. Now I don't care what Mike wants to do with the shop. All I want is a corner of my own in the kitchen, to work and experiment and develop my breads. I no longer envision creating a space for ex pats to gather. I'll ship the bread out to them, they don't need to come to me.
Wallace shared what he had done in Zhejiang, creating a restaurant using mostly student labor as he taught them how to create a business. He had people buy VIP membership, and set a schedule for English corners for them, in a space at the restaurant. I'll pitch that to Mike, if I get the chance to meet with him.
The security guards at the gate had hooked me up with a landlord who showed me a studio apartment in the newest building of this complex. Actually, 50 yards from the storefront I want to rent. He was asking 1,500, the same I am now paying, for half the space. The studio had no sofa, no room for a sofa. Otherwise, it was really cute and brand new.
I should have clocked in at 10, but I knew my first class was at 11. I don't like to time it so closely; I walked in the door at 11:01. Grabbed the lesson and found the student. At the moment, the wall clocks in the school are reading slow, so for the student I was just about on time. Unless he looked at his cell phone, of course.
I gave him his 55 minutes, then went back to my desk. Rena came and sat next to me, all concerned. Not about my lateness..this is never an issue, if I get the job done. Rather, she had some bad news. Jane had decided that she just didn't have the confidence to go ahead with the coffee shop cum bakery. But she felt bad, and assured me that she would still lend me a three-year interest free loan of 100,000 rmb, and help me get the license. With this, plus my own money, I could afford to rent the 45 sq meter place near my flat, buy the equipment, and start a bakery.
After my long talk with Oliver Monday night, who is a long-time friend and business associate of Sophia's, I realized I had to send her an email to set her mind at ease. I had taken care of that Tuesday. She replied expressing great relief that we could still be friends, and admitted that Mike was miffed at her for botching our deal.
With this new wrinkle, it occurred to me to try once again to bring Mike back into the picture. I wrote an email which Rena is translating for me. I'll send it to both Mike and Sophia. I would love it if Mike came from Suzhou to spend the day in Changzhou on my next day off. I'd like to show him the location I'd decided on. I politely asked if anyone would mind my bringing my own interpreter to the meeting. What I am thinking is that I would love to finally sit down with Mike and pick his brain, without Sophia editorializing.
And my own thinking has matured. Now I don't care what Mike wants to do with the shop. All I want is a corner of my own in the kitchen, to work and experiment and develop my breads. I no longer envision creating a space for ex pats to gather. I'll ship the bread out to them, they don't need to come to me.
Wallace shared what he had done in Zhejiang, creating a restaurant using mostly student labor as he taught them how to create a business. He had people buy VIP membership, and set a schedule for English corners for them, in a space at the restaurant. I'll pitch that to Mike, if I get the chance to meet with him.
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