spoiled :)

I do admit that sometimes I feel spoiled here in Beijing. Here's my confession: right now there is someone else cleaning our house! This is actually the first time we've hired someone to come and clean, but boy am I excited. We haven't hired someone to come once a week like most people do, but we found out that there's a company you can call to have someone come whenever you need. This time of year is of course hectic. It's Saturday and I spent the morning at the school, just cleaning things up there, putting away the piles of things that accumulate, and trying to be organized. And the truth is, our place hasn't been thoroughly cleaned in awhile. Usually we just kinda do a surface clean. So this is a treat, especially since it's only about $2/hour!

I also feel spoiled with the health care I receive. I guess we pay it monthly on our paycheques, but I don't have to fork out cash in advance. The clinic I use has direct billing, and the doctor really is generous with anything we need :) Dry skin? He's got the solution! Their mentality is that we're paying for good health care, and he gets paid by our insurance company, so we might as well get all we're paying for! Did I mention I have a big gall stone? I don't have any symptoms because it's just one big one. As long as it doesn't bother me, which it hasn't, then it stays. And I'm not supposed to eat chinese food! Well, I haven't completely stopped, but I've definitely reduced the intake of the spicy, oily foods.

In two weeks we're heading to Shanghai for 2 days and then Manila for about 10 days! Should be a nice warm Christmas. Once we come back in January we teach for 3 weeks and then it's Chinese new year! But I don't think we'll go anywhere this time. It's too expensive and crazy to go anywhere that time of year. We'll just stay and experience the fireworks 24 hrs. a day for about 7 days :)

Happy December to all!