11/16 Thursday

Today I emailed more resumes out to people who were interested in my ads, and received another call about being interviewed. I retooled my resume to sound more appealing to English schools and people wanting an English tutor.

I went to Xue Yuan Lu by bike to get some more clothing (underwear, socks, gloves) for the steadily cooling weather, as well as a soccer ball and two belts. I managed to get a Chinese brand soccer ball for only 20 yuan, and it was quite good quality. The clothing was quite cheap as well, and I got 4 pairs of underwear, 3 pairs of socks, and a pair of heavy gloves for 50 yuan. The belts were more expensive at 70 for both.

Anywhere I ride my bike, I can usually find a safe place to secure it, and at most shopping areas there are “bike guards”. These people watch over shoppers’ bikes in exchange for .5 yuan when you leave. I do have a lock for the bike, and always lock it even if there is a guard looking after it. When I return to my apartment, I always bring my bike in the elevator up to my room and put it on my screened in “porch”.

Upon returning home from my shopping, I went to my bike repairman on the corner and had him inflate my new soccer ball. He did it for free and said I could come back for anything I needed help with.

In the evening, I took my soccer ball and cleats to the small Astroturf soccer pitch the music school has and practiced my juggling, dribbling, and shooting in preparation for my upcoming weekend match.

I was invited to go on a weekend excursion with my friends Lac, Caroline, Terry, and Ali to Da Tong in the Shan Xi province, from Friday to Sunday by train, but had declined because they said I wouldn’t be able to make it back in time for my soccer game. I had also scheduled to have a sushi lunch with my Malaysian next door neighbor on Saturday. I told them to take some good pictures to show me.

In my apartment, I found that there is something leaking from under the counter in my kitchen. It is sort of a brown liquid and I have no clue where it’s coming from. I am hoping that it will just dry up overnight, and that it’s nothing toxic.