As you can see from the pictures posted below, this is a very interesting environment I’ve found myself in. But in the end they are very nice people, and happy to have me here, and have shown me nothing but hospitality.
This was supposed to be a 31-year old couple. I see no sign of the husband whatsoever, nor have I seen any sign that a man lives here even part time (no male clothing or shoes, etc.). Instead there’s the mom, a live-in Ayi (literally “Aunt” but generally used to refer to a nanny), and the 1 year old.
When I arrived, I realized that, consistent with many parents in China, the mom has the baby in split pants (i.e., no diapers). Within 30 minutes of being on the premises, the baby, which is not potty-trained, came jogging into my room….well you can fill in the blank with that one. Needless to say it contributed to my complete freak-out about my situation.
Oh, and did you see the picture of the bathroom? Yes, to the left of the Chinese squat-toilet (which I share with the Ayi and the baby – the mom has her own bathroom that has a western toilet, but in order to use it I’d have to go through her bedroom) is the shower. There’s a drain on the floor.
No one in the house but me speaks any English at all (the mom speaks a few words but that’s it.
The last few days have been exceedingly difficult mentally, but fortunately two different friends here in Beijing offered up their respective homes to me for Saturday night. It gave me a enough of a break from all the adjustments that I was able to come back here Sunday afternoon and get some perspective.
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