Moving in
It took a few days, but I found a nice apartment here. I moved in on Friday and all of my stuff was delivered there that day also. I spent all weekend unpacking and doing laundry. I have not had much time to explore the city yet, but I'm hoping to soon. I haven't had any time to take any pictures yet either, but will do that later.
While unpacking my things I found that not too much was broken... a wine glass, a tall glass, and a tea cup. The tea cup was strange since it was basically smashed into tiny little bits, but was surrounded by other fragile things that didn't even get a scratch. I was very careful about wrapping the tea set too since the cups are so beautiful. They have a blue glaze inside of them that makes them look like they have water in them even when they are empty.
There was only one box that was labeled as fragile, and that was my computer. The damage to my computer was even stranger than the tea cup. The computer was double wrapped in bubble wrap, then surrounded by a bunch of those little styrofoam packing peanuts. The damage to the computer appears to only have been to the computer case. It was as if someone had unpacked the computer, removed everything inside, drop-kicked the case a bunch of times, put it all back together, and then repacked it. When I saw the case I was really worried that all of the components inside had been damaged also, but everything seems fine. I tried to bend the case back into shape, but there are still some small openings, so it doesn't cool as well as it should. I hope I can find a good replacement here later.
One thing I discovered about ChengDu that is different from Dalian is the heat and humidity. I knew it would be warmer, but it is taking me awhile to get use to the heat. Usually by the end of the day I feel very drained. I think it is going to take me another week or two to get use to it. Another thing about ChengDu that is different than Dalian is that there are a lot less taxis in ChengDu. Sometimes it can take a long time to find a taxi. This morning it took me an hour to get a taxi to get to work. I got so hot and sweaty while standing outside waiting for a cab that by the time I did get into work I was ready to go home and take a shower!
When I get time I'll post more about the area I live in and the area I work in. I am hoping to have my internet hooked up later this week, so that will make things easier.
While unpacking my things I found that not too much was broken... a wine glass, a tall glass, and a tea cup. The tea cup was strange since it was basically smashed into tiny little bits, but was surrounded by other fragile things that didn't even get a scratch. I was very careful about wrapping the tea set too since the cups are so beautiful. They have a blue glaze inside of them that makes them look like they have water in them even when they are empty.
There was only one box that was labeled as fragile, and that was my computer. The damage to my computer was even stranger than the tea cup. The computer was double wrapped in bubble wrap, then surrounded by a bunch of those little styrofoam packing peanuts. The damage to the computer appears to only have been to the computer case. It was as if someone had unpacked the computer, removed everything inside, drop-kicked the case a bunch of times, put it all back together, and then repacked it. When I saw the case I was really worried that all of the components inside had been damaged also, but everything seems fine. I tried to bend the case back into shape, but there are still some small openings, so it doesn't cool as well as it should. I hope I can find a good replacement here later.
One thing I discovered about ChengDu that is different from Dalian is the heat and humidity. I knew it would be warmer, but it is taking me awhile to get use to the heat. Usually by the end of the day I feel very drained. I think it is going to take me another week or two to get use to it. Another thing about ChengDu that is different than Dalian is that there are a lot less taxis in ChengDu. Sometimes it can take a long time to find a taxi. This morning it took me an hour to get a taxi to get to work. I got so hot and sweaty while standing outside waiting for a cab that by the time I did get into work I was ready to go home and take a shower!
When I get time I'll post more about the area I live in and the area I work in. I am hoping to have my internet hooked up later this week, so that will make things easier.
posted by Steve Harms at
3:55 PM
3 Comments:
Hey there. This comment is going to seem to come out of nowhere since I haven't really commented before, but I have been reading your blog for a while now. I just wanted to see if you had any connections in getting other foreigners jobs at IBM? My fiance, Phil, who took a year off from computers to teach English with me is now looking for good computer jobs here in China. Since you are actually here in China, I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask. Also, does IBM pay halfway decent? I can't find any information on the web on what a starting salary might look like. Thanks a lot. Keep blogging! It is always nice to see into the lives of others.
By
Gabby Girl, at 10:32 PM
Sent Phil an email, and got his resume. HR here is kind of slow, but hope he'll find something he likes.
By
Steve Harms, at 3:42 PM
Thank you Steve. We are waiting for a call or an email from HR. We will keep our fingers crossed. Be sure to tell HR that Phil's super awesome. Heh. :)
By
Gabby Girl, at 11:22 PM
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