- According to Google Earth (which is just plain fun to fiddle around with), technically, Boston is further north than Beijing.
- Boston: 42°26'08.55 North
- Beijing: 40°00'33.33 North
- According to Weather.com, from October-March, the avg low temperatures for Beijing are colder than Boston. Avg high temps for Beijing are as-cold, or colder than Boston for November-February.
- From Weather.com info, Boston gets 13+ times mo
re total precipitation than Beijing for the months of October-March. I bet people in Beijing have never had a chance to cross-country ski to work! (I still remember the 2003 President's Day Weekend storm when 27.5" (or 69.9 cm) of snow got dropped on Boston.)
- In China, the government regulates when the heat gets turned on for the entire city! So in Beijing, you can curl up like an eskimo until November 15th - when the heat comes on. Then you return to your igloo on March 15th when the heat gets shut-off again. Whereas in Boston, you can jack-up the thermostat if you prefer tropical weather year-round.
- In Boston, most normal people don't have to use bicycles every day for transportation (unless you're an extreme sports enthusiast).
Since it's only late-October, perhaps it's a bit premature to assess what this winter is going to be like - but the mercury has dropped the last few days so it's got me thinking about what's to come. ..
Vulture Capitalists
With my family arriving at the end of this week, I forgot to mention my search for a (1 month) November sublet. With most apartments requiring a 6 month minimum commitment, and the upcoming Olympics next August, it was not easy to find places available (or willing) to sublet for 1 month. None of the reasonably priced hotels (for long-term stays) were large enough, and those that were far exceeded what I was willing to pay.
Having checked out some websites, word-of-mouth, and posting an ad or two...I spent a Saturday (a few weeks ago) checking out various apartments around the city. None of them were close to campus, and my search - at first, was very unpromising.
The first set of apartment complexes I looked at were in the Northeast part of the city. The kiwi guy who showed me the places was really sketchy, and his girlfriend was a sophomore at a local university.I didn't really trust him, so I spoke his girlfriend
in Chinese; I learned that he/they were renting out short-term apartments for "reasonable" rates now (a little high on price, IMHO) and then they were planning to hike the nightly rates up 20 times during the Olympics. (From 150 to 3000 rmb/night for a 2 bedroom!)Um yeah, good luck with that - since these apartments were far from most Olympic venues, and the entire road was constructing new apartment complexs from end-to-end. Even though these were new construction, they are FAR from the closest subway stop (15 minutes by bus) - and for me - the subway would add another 75+ minutes to where school is.
The 2nd apartment Mr. McSketchy showed me was okay, but the entire complex (pic
tured to the right w/ courtyard) seemed eerily empty and a bit sterile. Nice kitchen and bathroom, and more spacious (and clean) than the 1st place I saw. But the mere principle of this vulture capitalist getting any commission from my rent made me sick - plus, who wants to rent a place where 
they don't really look forward to going home at night? (especially when you have a toddler...) As a V
ERY last resort, I would have rented out that 2nd apartment...From there, I took the bus to the subway - to confirm how remote these apartments were from the subway...then I headed to the next apartment to check out.
Things can only get better...
It was like night and day - in every way. From the boondoggles to the heart of Beijing; from new and sterile, to established and inviting. As soon as I arrived outside the apartment compound - even the weather signaled that things were going to get much better.
Ok, I should first preface that this was a foreign diplomatic compound with a uniformed security guard at the front gate inspecting anyone & any bag/package coming in...
As soon as I saw this place I had a good feeling the search was
over. The location is REALLY amazing - aside from being a 1+ hour subway ride to campus. It's footsteps away from a subway stop, tucked away near the embassies, 2 (big city) blocks from the silk market, and a quick (1 rmb) ride to Tiananmen Square, Wang Fujing, and other great places too.It's a 1 bedroom flat with
great natural light, and hopefully enough room for my daughter to run all over the place! Outside there's a brand new playground and well-manicured courtyard - although it will probably see minimal usage as the weather turns colder.Speaking of cold, the good news is that the heat for the apartment
came on in mid-October! Apparently, the embassies and surrounding diplomatic housing neighborhoods have an exception from the limits placed on the rest of Beijing (an extra month at both ends...Oct 15 - April 15).So...I exchanged the rent for keys yesterday, and I'll be moving in on Thursday - the day before the family arrives. Even though it's a bit of a hike to campus, it will be totally worth it. Truth is, there is not so much to do with a family near campus (aside from the Summer Palace), and it will be really convenient for Kyla to explore the city from a central location. Considering we've been divided by the Atlantic and 2500+ miles of North America for 2 months, a 1 hour commute to school doesn't seem so bad.
Back to the mines...
This next week is going to be crunch-time. The good thing about having a semester crammed into a few short months is that you get a longer winter break...but the workload is far from being a cupcake just because each of my 6 classes are 2 credits (plus a one credit course). Before I head to the airport on Friday for pick-up, I've got a business plan due, a paper, an exam, a BIG final presentation, and a few of other small presentations...and a group paper due next Monday (which I will just need to crank through early).--Plus I'm moving on Thursday. GIDDY UP!!
----------------
Now playing: Barenaked Ladies - Everything Had Changed
via FoxyTunes
No comments:
Post a Comment