May 4
Shirley is one of my favorite Web students. Thin as a stick, always expensively and tastefully dressed in soft pale colors, clomping down the hall with determined energy on spiked heals that look so uncomfortable.
She and her husband have built a successful trading company. Their son is an adorable 6 year old. She is a Fujian native, and had a successful business career in Shenzhen but gave it up to be a housewife and mother. Her husband loves it when she spends his money on a lavish lifestyle. They had a week's vacation in the Maldives, NOT traveling with a Chinese group. He threw her a birthday party at a tony restaurant. A table of ten for the women, another for the men. The dishes served were exquisite, including a large dish five deep in whole crabs, a lobster platter, and a floral center piece of chopped ice attractively arranged with slices of sashimi. I recognized salmon and tuna, but there was more. When the meal was finished and we were saying goodbyes, she pressed a huge bouquet of pink roses on me. She said she already had two at home.
The way they do these bouquets here is clever. The stems are encased in a plastic water-filled sack. A paper cuff is artfully wrapped around the large bouquet. The effect is that they stand alone, you don't need a vase.
She is always disposed to grant my favors. I try not to take advantage, but in a pinch she can be a lifesaver. I pulled a frozen loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread from the freezer, and called her.
I had collected four phone numbers from the doors of the empty storefronts adjoining my complex, and facing the busy intersection. She called each one for me. She hit paydirt, and that is the 45 sq m place I now have my eye on.
English corner can be a trial, or a pleasure. More often it's the latter. Especially on slow afternoons, when only the old faithful show up. This handful of students doesn't expect a dog-and-pony show. They are content to just sit and chat about whatever is on our minds. Too often, whatever is on MY mind.
One day like that, Shirley was there as was also Lisa. Lisa is a little older than Shirley, but otherwise a similar story. Personalities, though, are different. Where Shirley is energetic and bubbly, self-deprecating and always quick with a smile, Lisa is more serious. Her eyes are deep with thought and observation. While her wardrobe obviously doesn't come off the discount rack, the colors and styles are subdued. We were talking about my business dream, and they were offering solid advice from their own experience being business owners in Changzhou. I brought up the dilemma of having to move out of my flat at such an awkward time, when I want to quit Web and just bake. Lisa, whose English is not nearly as good as Shirley's, turned to Shirley and said something. Shirley translated. Lisa has a townhouse she's not using. I could bake on the ground floor, and live on the second floor.
A townhouse? While the government has a plan to move 800 million people off the land, out of their one-family farm homes and into the life of a high-rise city dweller, the wealthy are building and buying these estate homes in gated communities. They are jammed in close together, but they are one-family free-standing homes elegant.
Yesterday I ran into Shirley in the hallway. She came and sat down with me. 'What do you need?' she asked. What a dear. It felt good to say 'nothing'. I just wanted to bring her up to date, and also satisfy my curiosity as to why she seemed so busy lately, spending so little time with us.
A couple of weeks ago she had told me that her husband had given her permission to take a vacation with some of her old classmates. Now she tells me that the other ladies are 'letting' her do all the travel arrangements, from booking the flights and hotels, to planning the touring itinerary in Yunnan. And what's worse, the group of five has now grown to nine! More keep asking to join them, too. But Shirley has put her foot down; it already feels like she'll be traveling with a crowd.
I showed her the brochure from the Yunnan coffee company that will probably be supplying my coffee shop, if ever I have one, and suggested she contact them to inquire about a tour. Her ladies would enjoy that, I think. I mean, coffee is so IN, so trendy and hip.
As we chatted, she reminded me about Lisa's offer. I asked if she thought Lisa was serious about it, and whether I could afford it. Shirley assured me that the offer was good, and I would be a guest not a renter.
I saw Lisa shortly after that, and talked with her about it. We made a date to see the place after work on Friday. That's today!
I mulled it over some more, and realized it would not be practical to put the professional baking equipment in her home. It would require rewiring! But it is not that far from where I live now, and where my desired location is, so I began to think about going ahead and renting the space right now, and beginning the remodeling of wiring and plumbing. But I will hold off at least until I hear back from Mike.
So, maybe now my living situation is resolved. Of course, her house is unfurnished, probably not even air conditioning. But I'll deal with that when I have to.
Shirley is one of my favorite Web students. Thin as a stick, always expensively and tastefully dressed in soft pale colors, clomping down the hall with determined energy on spiked heals that look so uncomfortable.
She and her husband have built a successful trading company. Their son is an adorable 6 year old. She is a Fujian native, and had a successful business career in Shenzhen but gave it up to be a housewife and mother. Her husband loves it when she spends his money on a lavish lifestyle. They had a week's vacation in the Maldives, NOT traveling with a Chinese group. He threw her a birthday party at a tony restaurant. A table of ten for the women, another for the men. The dishes served were exquisite, including a large dish five deep in whole crabs, a lobster platter, and a floral center piece of chopped ice attractively arranged with slices of sashimi. I recognized salmon and tuna, but there was more. When the meal was finished and we were saying goodbyes, she pressed a huge bouquet of pink roses on me. She said she already had two at home.
The way they do these bouquets here is clever. The stems are encased in a plastic water-filled sack. A paper cuff is artfully wrapped around the large bouquet. The effect is that they stand alone, you don't need a vase.
She is always disposed to grant my favors. I try not to take advantage, but in a pinch she can be a lifesaver. I pulled a frozen loaf of whole wheat sandwich bread from the freezer, and called her.
I had collected four phone numbers from the doors of the empty storefronts adjoining my complex, and facing the busy intersection. She called each one for me. She hit paydirt, and that is the 45 sq m place I now have my eye on.
English corner can be a trial, or a pleasure. More often it's the latter. Especially on slow afternoons, when only the old faithful show up. This handful of students doesn't expect a dog-and-pony show. They are content to just sit and chat about whatever is on our minds. Too often, whatever is on MY mind.
One day like that, Shirley was there as was also Lisa. Lisa is a little older than Shirley, but otherwise a similar story. Personalities, though, are different. Where Shirley is energetic and bubbly, self-deprecating and always quick with a smile, Lisa is more serious. Her eyes are deep with thought and observation. While her wardrobe obviously doesn't come off the discount rack, the colors and styles are subdued. We were talking about my business dream, and they were offering solid advice from their own experience being business owners in Changzhou. I brought up the dilemma of having to move out of my flat at such an awkward time, when I want to quit Web and just bake. Lisa, whose English is not nearly as good as Shirley's, turned to Shirley and said something. Shirley translated. Lisa has a townhouse she's not using. I could bake on the ground floor, and live on the second floor.
A townhouse? While the government has a plan to move 800 million people off the land, out of their one-family farm homes and into the life of a high-rise city dweller, the wealthy are building and buying these estate homes in gated communities. They are jammed in close together, but they are one-family free-standing homes elegant.
Yesterday I ran into Shirley in the hallway. She came and sat down with me. 'What do you need?' she asked. What a dear. It felt good to say 'nothing'. I just wanted to bring her up to date, and also satisfy my curiosity as to why she seemed so busy lately, spending so little time with us.
A couple of weeks ago she had told me that her husband had given her permission to take a vacation with some of her old classmates. Now she tells me that the other ladies are 'letting' her do all the travel arrangements, from booking the flights and hotels, to planning the touring itinerary in Yunnan. And what's worse, the group of five has now grown to nine! More keep asking to join them, too. But Shirley has put her foot down; it already feels like she'll be traveling with a crowd.
I showed her the brochure from the Yunnan coffee company that will probably be supplying my coffee shop, if ever I have one, and suggested she contact them to inquire about a tour. Her ladies would enjoy that, I think. I mean, coffee is so IN, so trendy and hip.
As we chatted, she reminded me about Lisa's offer. I asked if she thought Lisa was serious about it, and whether I could afford it. Shirley assured me that the offer was good, and I would be a guest not a renter.
I saw Lisa shortly after that, and talked with her about it. We made a date to see the place after work on Friday. That's today!
I mulled it over some more, and realized it would not be practical to put the professional baking equipment in her home. It would require rewiring! But it is not that far from where I live now, and where my desired location is, so I began to think about going ahead and renting the space right now, and beginning the remodeling of wiring and plumbing. But I will hold off at least until I hear back from Mike.
So, maybe now my living situation is resolved. Of course, her house is unfurnished, probably not even air conditioning. But I'll deal with that when I have to.
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