Benjamin and I were given the keys to our new apartment a matter of hours ago! The school finally lowered the price so that we are now paying about $300 per month--a very reasonable fee, in our opinion--for either size apartment. (We chose the bigger one.) The lower price generated enough interest among the faculty that the plan was given the go-ahead. We already took a load over (meaning four or so bags that we could carry on our person) and checked it out.
Though the the place is furnished, it is still a little sparse, so I will have a lot of fun fixing it up. And there is some furniture we still want to buy, such as dressers, a china cabinet, and some shelves for Seth's toys. We're also considering buying an oven, though they are crazy expensive here in China. The cheapest I've found is one at IKEA that measures 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet (on the outside!) and costs $1,000. Then I will get to work decorating: hanging pictures on the walls, picking out curtains and carpets, arranging knickknacks, and so forth. It's going to be a busy but exciting couple of weeks, and I hope to have everything close to done by Thanksgiving so that we can invite a few people over.
