New Apartment!

I just moved into my new apartment. I am satisfied that I got a nice deal. It is on the 16th floor of a new building and nothing is between me and the Ocean, except for the lower level Olympic Regatta that is being built. I am right near JUSCO, which is the main shopping center here in Qingdao. The monthly cost is 3000 RMB/month (about $375.) The street that I am on is called Donghai Rd. This is the main road that goes along the waterfront. The last thing I need to do is get an internet connection in my apartment and I will be able to upload some pics.

I did not get the job with Maersk. I am a bit disappointed, but I must believe it is for the best. The lady that put my resume together stated that I had previous experience teaching Business English, which I had her delete, because I hadn’t. I had four students and one of them, a transportation manager, kept leaving to talk on the phone. It seems that he was the decision maker, and when he didn’t confirm my employment at the end I had a feeling he wasn’t for it. I like to think that, as a native English speaker, and more importantly, someone with a fair amount of high-level business experience, that I would have been a good fit. Oh well, I guess it will provide motivation for something else.

FYI - English teaching jobs are a dime a dozen here. I have been approached five or six times already. The going rate is about 120 RMB/hour to start (about $15) which is significantly more than the average local makes, so it is a good way to sustain yourself. My intent, if I do teach, is to do it no more than a few hours a week, so that it doesnt interfer with learning Chinese. That is why I was stoked about the Maersk job; three hours a week and in a company that would be good for networking.

Now that I have my apartment, I will be able to update more frequently. I got some good advice from a friend from the Netherlands, that I should make it more of a travel resource. So, that is what I will do. As I learn more Chinese, I will travel to other parts of China and will document my personal experiences there. I will also give good information on the best restaurants and hotels here in Qingdao. Qingdao is one of only two sites that is hosting the Olympic Games in 2008 - so, I think that it should be relevant for travelers.

Also, since the Olympics are coming - I will post information regarding that as well.