Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

Well, I am now officially in Suzhou, so if you have any questions about Hangzhou, I can't help you - - sorry!

Anyway, my new apartment is awesome. It's obviously an older building than where I was living and there's some clutter from the previous tenant that I have to get rid of, but all in all it's just swell. It's easily 2X the size of my old place with two air-conditioned bedrooms, a huge front room/dining area, a big ol' kitchen that I'll really be able to cook in. I was worried when my new FAO told me the washing machine would be in the bathroom. I was envisioning a cramped little space - - but no, plenty of room there as well!

My apartment building is in this big complex with hundreds of other units. Just a quick walk from my building is a nice sized shopping area with grocery stores, fruit stands, a smelly vegetable market, hair salons, a foot massage place, an internet bar (where I am now, I have yet to get my own PC hooked up), plenty of restaurants, etc. etc. This is exactly what I was missing in . . . what was the name of that place again? A chance to co-mingle with the natives.

I'm still quite a distance from the city center, but with all the amenities close at hand, I will only have to venture into town on the occasions I want to do some speciality shopping or to see the sights or whatever. So, everything seems peachy at the moment - - I even have a bathtub, by the way. Wonderful! Today's my b-day, so this makes a nice birthday gift for me.

[Susie]

Happy Birthday!

[carken]

[quote="kev7161"] - - I even have a bathtub, by the way. \quote]

The mention of a BATHTUB deserves more than a "by the way", I think. Congratulations, Kevin! Hope you enjoy Suzhou.

[nolefan]

yo Kev,

congratulations on your new pad and job. you deserve the best. I'll be down in Suzhou at some point in the next weeks so i'll holler at you for a drink.

P.S: if you hear of any flat for rent or sublease, let me know.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Good to hear your digs are looking ok.

Hope you settle in nicely and get accustomed to the change!

[profile]

Great news; all the best for the new job.

[woza17]

Happy Birthday Kev. Your apartment sounds great

[Babala]

Congrats Kev,
I am only an hour away by train and I stop by Suzhou every now and then. Next time I'm there, I'll call you out for a drink. By the way, I am sooooo jealous of your bathtub

[amewupp]

Hey Kev,

Welcome to Suzhou. Just wanted to let ya know, re: Mexican food thread,you can find taco shells-soft and hard-at the SGV Plaza on Shishan Lu. Just made tacos yesterday-yum!

[struelle]

Good for you Kev, and I think it was a smart call to make this move.

Have you looked into the transport / commuting situation? That's one of the first things I size up when moving into a new place. If I recall, you had less than pleasant experiences with the Hangzhou buses, let's hope you get smooth, fast, and non-crowded rides into town over here!

And speaking of buses and suburbs, looks like I'll have to face the commuting hassles all over again. I thought I escaped the commuting grind from Jiading to Shanghai once my contract expired last year. But come Sept, I'll be moving to a Vancouver suburb that's even farther from the city centre in comparison.

Thankfully there are air-con express buses to make this trip, and the traffic is far lighter than the daily mess in Shanghai, so it'll go smoother.

Still, there was something fun and challenging about navigating a complex bus system in Shanghai, here it's a little too easy.

Steve

[Alex_P]