but they're both free, so really it's win/win

There are a few housing options available for teachers here, my complex being a pretty decent option. It's also, if you teach on this campus, the most convenient. Just so we're clear, in all seriousness I HAVE A VERY NICE APARTMENT, AND I AM VERY FORTUNATE TO LIVE HERE, but there are a few things that I wouldn't mind saying goodbye to.

My office is on South Campus, a half hour commute door-to-door, so the original plan was for me to soon move into one of the university hotels, putting me about a block away from work. It's a pretty decent hotel but, you know, not the Chateau Marmont, and I'd be living in a single room with a communal kitchen. Sine I'd like to keep up my Chinese lessons and will probably be teaching on this campus anyway, I asked my coordinator if I could stay here. Long story short, it's still up in the air, proving to be much more complicated than expected (heeey, like everything else in China!). I don't care that much about the size of my living space; I just don't want to move because that means new annoyances to get over, and I am already quite used to my current annoyances, thank you. Such as:

1. No matter how frequently I dust, sweep, wipe, or mop, this place is still filthy. There are stains and scuffs everywhere, which I gave up trying to get rid of. Removing said stains only revealed how clean my walls could be, if I managed to wipe away the layers and layers of dust covering every inch. I have no idea where most of the marks came from, but I have reason to believe (and this has nothing to do with the new shoe print on my ceiling) that the mystery shoe prints on the walls are from killing bugs. Despite my best efforts, I'm pretty sure I'm just spreading the dirt around.

2. My air conditioning leaks into my living room. The constant dripping make me want to pee every 5 minutes, and it also makes my apartment smell more like mildew than it already does (see 6,7) (I realize I am very lucky to have air conditioning).

3. We have already discussed the explosive stove of death.

4. Below is my washing machine, though that title is a misnomer. I was considering renaming it Dirt Redistributer, but then I realized that might get confusing, because such a name could refer to pretty much all of my cleaning wares. Let's just call it my Clothing Shredder instead. It's multi-functional (I realize I am very lucky to have a washing machine).


5. Also in that picture, you can see my floor (also see below), which is covered in mystery stains that have withstood liters of bleach and Mr. Muscle, though I must say, it could be worse. At least the bathroom floor matches! You can also see that blue plastic tube which runs water from my washing machine to--


6. This drain. Why yes, that is standing water in there! Why no, it doesn't eventually drain away! Why yes, that rusted metal does keep the loose tubing in place by balancing on top of it! Also, it contributes to the mildew smell in my apartment. 1 day of smell per 2 loads laundry.


7. The smell in my bathroom is pretty amazing. Think dirty sock in the Rainforest. And thanks, but I'm pretty sure it has very little to do with me, since a) fresh out of the faucet, my hot water also smells and b) I smell like flowers (I realize I am very lucky to have hot water 24 hours a day (Seriously, I know someone who doesn't, and it pretty much dictates her entire schedule)).

Also, the hotel I'd move to is on a busy intersection, and I've been told it's a great place to watch car accidents.