Checking in . . .

I haven't posted since Beijing so here's a little update.

We've been busy weekdays and weekends getting odds and ends for Joe's office. The grand opening is on the 16th and he's frantically been trying to get the office done. Not without some major ups and downs though. TIC

After waiting weeks for his office furniture to arrive, the day finally came. Disappointment soon set in as Joe quickly discovered that most of the pieces had some kind of damage on them. Knowing Joe as most of you do, this did not go over well with him. Some boxes looked like they had been thrown from the truck! Two wood filing cabinets were completely smashed in their boxes. Other pieces were dented, chipped or scratched. For new furniture, this was totally unacceptable. They have promised the replacement pieces will be here by the end of this week, so we remain hopeful.

I have been helping him with purchasing things for the office. We spent one whole Saturday looking at safes, coffee machines, water dispensers, getting office supplies, you name it, we were looking for it. Delivery arrangements were made and by the end of last week things were looking better. On Friday I met with companies to pick out plants for the office and they came today. They make the office look much better.

Pixie, recommended by a friend here, has been working for Joe as a temp for the past month. She is a grad student with wonderful English and has helped Joe out tremendously. She has been his translator for anything he has needed, has helped us out on our shopping ventures around the city to get things for the office and has set up appointments for Joe in the office. If she wasn't a student at this time, Joe and I both agree that Pixie would have been a huge asset to the office. She is very conscientious and always willing to lend a hand. Joe has now hired Lillian who will start in a couple of weeks, but I know he will miss Pixie. Lillian actually works for the relocation company here in Chengdu that we have been dealing with and has been helping us with the house. She has great English speaking and writing skills and will be a great help to Joe in the office.

Tom, our driver has also been a great help. Whenever we haven't had Pixie with us to translate, Tom has been there to help. On Saturday, we went to see a framer to pick out frames for various prints of planes for the office. I'm not sure Joe and I could have done it without Tom there to make sure all of our ideas and selections were done as we specified. He's also good about pointing out points of interest around the city and explaining various things that we don't quite understand. He's from Chengdu and knows the city well and always throws in a little "tourist" information while in route to wherever we might be going.

Joe and I went out with friends last Friday (yes, Friday Date Night is still alive) and he dismissed Tom for the evening after he dropped us off at our meeting point. We were going to a hot pot restaurant in the Tibetan area of the city. Not long after we got to the restaurant Tom called Joe concerned because there was a possibility of bad weather blowing in. Joe reassured him we would be OK but he told Joe, as he has on past occasions, that his job was to wait for him. We still don't know if he actually waited for a call that night. We left the restaurant with another couple that had their car and were fine, no bad weather.

After we left the restaurant that night, we ended up at a place called Shamrocks, a regular meeting spot for westerners in the city. Wouldn't you know, when we walked into the patio area to get a table, Joe said he saw someone he knew. Sure enough, he talked with someone that he has known for over 20 years from the company that now works for another company out of Shanghai. He had lived in Chengdu for several years and wanted to get back to China. When the company didn't have anything for him, he took a job in Shanghai that brings him to Chengdu on a regular basis. It was not unusual for Joe and I to go out to dinner back home and see someone from the company that he knew. That's been going on for years. But who would have thought that we could come all the way to China, go out on Friday night and see someone we knew from Texas!

On another note, we have finally received shipments from Joe's Texas office that we have been trying to get cleared by customs for almost a month. This shipment also contained our prescription medicine so we were very anxious to get the boxes cleared. Thank God for Chinese speaking friends that could help us deal with the bureaucracy! We're now in the same battle with customs with items for the grand opening that may or may not reach here by the 16th. TIC

Here's the latest on our house. The lease has been signed by all parties, money has been transferred but as of yesterday, had not reached the landlord's account. Our keys will not be released until he has his money. Today we actually went to see the house again. Unfortunately they have now torn up the downstairs bathroom because of a leak and the master bath shower is under repair. They have said that it may be another ten days before it is ready for move in. Meanwhile, our shipment from Texas is now in customs here, waiting to be cleared, and we should have it shortly!

Can things finally be looking up for us? As of today, we have been "roughing it" in a hotel suite for over 50 days! Everyone knows us when they see us coming and going, signaling our driver when he's waiting. Even the workers in the business center know I like cappuccino for breakfast or whenever I go down for a change of scenery from our room. I'll miss everyone here; they have taken great care of us, and are the most gracious people you will ever meet. I know their doing their job but they seem to be genuinely good people and I'll miss them all. It's time to get settled into our new home. I won't feel like I have actually made this move until I am able to set up a place to call our home for the next few years. Believe it or not, I think I miss cooking!

News . . . All paperwork has been completed and we are now officially residents of China.

Love to all.