NI HAO, SHENYANG! (LET ME SHOW YOU MY APARTMENT!)

Have you ever had that morning when you realized that A LOT of things have already changed…and even though those things were changing like right under your nose, you didn’t have enough time to really digest everything? That’s pretty much what dawned on me while I was having coffee and looking at the view from my bedroom the other day.

I’m in Shenyang, China right now!!! 

I have been living (alone) in this city for 14 days now. I know I have mentioned on my blog how I landed on my first job here in China, but let’s have a recap: So, I quit from my online teaching job in the Philippines, my last day there was the 24th of May 2013. I got on a (moving) plane for the first time in my life on June 1st 2013. I have experienced my first Autumn and Winter during the next few months, then, first Christmas outside my country. I also traveled to Beijing for the first time after 8 months of working in Tieling; I hiked the Great Wall on January 31st 2014, met awesome people, and kept coming back for more awesome moments. I have been to Beijing four times this year actually; I have visited more than 10 tourist spots within those trips. 

That day I arrived in Shenyang! (I took this photo while I was in the car)

This car picked me up from the train station and took me to my apartment!

This is my building!!! I live on the 32nd floor!

Before my last trip to Beijing though, I already quit from my fourth job. I broke my contract; I really can’t finish those two years. I’m sick of getting sick and tired and then sick again and I have always been so sensitive when it comes to my sleeping time. I quit from the job that I actually like (the online teaching job) just because the working schedule changed and I can’t get a decent sleep. If only they have given me back my original schedule when I requested for it, I never would have walked away from that job because for the first time in my life, I was getting paid doing two of the things I love the most – SIT AND TALK! But then again, had I not quit from that job, I would not be looking for a job abroad. I would not be here in China, I never would have lived in Tieling, I never would have been enchanted by Beijing and I would never have a chance to live ALONE for the first time in my life, here in Shenyang. 

How on earth did I end up here?! 

Ever heard of the saying “It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know”? I’m pretty sure how I ended up here has something to do with that. If I go into the details, I might invade a lot of people’s privacy, and I don’t think that’s cool. It’s my choice if I want to live my life like an open book, but it’s not for me to tell someone else’s story. So, I’ll just be focusing on how awesome and unbelievable my life has been during the last two weeks. 

Every time I wake up in MY apartment (yeah, I keep on emphasizing that, I just can’t help it!), I always tell myself 'THIS IS ALL TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.' In a way, I am thinking that I don’t deserve any of these. But then I would snap back and this egocentric voice in my head would yell out 'WHY NOT?' I finally have my OWN place, I can call my own shots, I can be weird like most of the time and I can be ugly and enjoy it! What’s not to like?

I can literally do whatever I want to do; I have so much free time in the mornings. I have spent my first few days here just cleaning up the entire place. The place was kind of a mess when I moved in, it was not ready for occupancy…but the place is actually nice. I started cleaning the main bedroom, then the living room, the bathroom, then the kitchen. There’s actually a spare room but I kinda turned it into a storage room for now. If I really make a final decision to live and work in this city next year, then I would seriously clean that spare room and turn it into a guest room.

So far, I enjoy getting out of my apartment because most people in this neighborhood are fond of foreigners. I’m actually enjoying the special treatment I get simply because I’m a foreigner! 

I actually know quite a few Chinese words and phrases and I’m getting along fine. But if I don’t want to answer or respond, I just smile and pretend like I don't understand them. (Most of the time, I really don't understand them! Haha!) There are also Koreans living around the area. I saw a Korean flag somewhere, so, I asked the lady who’s giving me a tour of the place why they have a Korean flag inside the compound. She said the architects and engineers who built the buildings were Koreans. There’s also a Korean grocery store which I have only visited once. 

I have no idea what I have done to deserve something like this. I never actually thought I can have my own place at this age. Yeah, this place is not under my name, but I get to live here for free for now. 

I love chilling on the rooftop in the evening after taking an evening stroll! 

I finally have my own space where I can live and breathe and be crazy as long as I want. I talk to myself out loud, I make French toast almost every day and I do laundry whenever I want. I got WIFI on my 6th day here, so, I have been having 2 Broke Girls marathon for more than a week now using the Chinese YouTube which is Youku. I watch FRIENDS when I feel like I have had enough of Max’s sarcasm for the day. 

At this point, everything feels great. Well, maybe except for the fact that I really feel like I’m going to gain more in the next few weeks. I mean, come on! I got my own kitchen! I’m free to cook whatever I want to cook! Urgh! I have been trying to squeeze in Zumba in my super loose schedule, but I feel like I need to workout even in my sleep.

Going out for a morning walk~

(These photos below this point were taken at the place where I work as a private tutor.)