Beijing apartment life

Thought I might send a little information about our little apartment here in Beijing.  We are so spoiled with so many things which  the past BYU teachers have left us!  We have realized we don't need nearly as many rooms, clothes, decorations or pictures.  We are on the second floor of an eleven story building. Foreign teachers and foreign graduate students live in this building. The apartment we are in has been used by BYU China teachers for a few years. Our pics of the family on photo paper are our most prized possession on our walls!  We have been enjoying the bikes the Powells left us.  The water cooler  keeps us hydrated!  We can't drink any tap water, it isn't sanitary.  We boil water to wash dishes.  We wash our fruit and vegetables in vinegar.  We really love our three balconies, and there is a little window in the kitchen that looks out onto a courtyard, grass area in between two other high rise apartments where students live.  I  watch the children play with their grandparents and parents.  They make it fun to be Gladys Cravitts (from Bewitched)- wink, wink!!!  Maybe even a nose twinkle!!  I took some pictures to share.  I think the most important thing I have learned is that I need to simplify and not be so busy getting THINGS! 

This is the front door with our water cooler and the  cutest pictures of

our adorable family on the wall along with our family calendar JoAnn makes every

Christmas for me!!!  I spend a lot of time at the table doing power points

and preparing for class and emailing everyone

from our previous life!!!  

This is the living room with our favorite bikes!!! 

There is a balcony outside the window.

This is the humble washer!  A set of sheets is almost too much for it to

handle!!!  The inside is about 15 ''x 8",  don't be jealous!!! I don't have a dryer.

I won't ever complain in my mind again about folding all the laundry the comes out

soft and smells fresh again!!!  I have a drying rack!

This is the spacious really nice bathroom!  We like it and it is newly

remolded with a western toilet!  I am sooo thankful for it.  China uses squatty pottys. 

 You can just google that and look at the images-self explanatory!!

The kitchen with a two burner stove and 4 foot high fridge.

The oven is next to it!! Its the size of  a microwave.

The microwave is usually on top of the oven, but

the oven gets really hot so I put on top of the fridge

while I roasted veggies!!!

This is our bedroom with my favorite pillow case Karissa had

made for me just before we left with the cutest 7 grandkids I have

ever seen, and miss like crazy!!! Thank goodness for facetime!

Love this place and we are certainly blessed every day!!

Last but certainly not least the study.  Chris has his ball

and chain on in this room quite a bit.  He gets ready for 

his classes in here.  The former teachers have collected quite a library as you can see. 

It is a great storage area and quiet.It is always quiet!!! We are the only ones here!Ha ha!!

Tiananmen Square

Our great friends the Powells' (who were in our very apartment last year, with the BYU China teachers program) left us their bikes in their apartment.  So we were so excited to get out and bike around Beijing!
The President/ Chairman of the Party in China, Xi Jinping put on a huge parade today here.  The preparations were all around Tiananmen Square so we decided to make our maiden voyage there.  It was WONDERFUL!  We rode with all the crazy other bikers, scooters, little delivery scooter trucks, buses, cars & pedestrains!  We had the time of our life!! It was beautiful.  So many police and guards all preparing for the big day today.  Can't wait to get out again! I love to discover this big beautiful city.