I have not been writing much lately, because I've had a horrible time of late.

Working and studying -- especially doing both in different parts of town -- has been wearing on me and eating up my time. I've had a lot of pressure at work lately too, but that's for another post.

I've also, as of today, moved out of my apartment and into Fanfan's family's house. Her parents have been doing everything short of begging me to move there. I'm really overwhelmed by their hospitality and willingness to let someone who doesn't even speak their language come and live in their house.

This is certainly going to help my Chinese (and my Taiwanese, for that matter).

This also means no more psychotic neighbor and no more leaks. Both of which have been driving me insane. This morning, as the movers were leaving my apartment, my neighbor got home. He was already drunk (as he had been the night before when he stopped me on the stairwell, with crumbs of vomitus around his mouth and on his hands -- which he had grabbed my arm with). He decided it was now the appropriate time to tell me that he was in the army (he was also, allegedly, a kung fu instructor in the U.S. though he speaks almost no English), then to tell me he'll miss me, and hug me....and not let go. I finally pushed him off, not even angry, since I knew this was the last time I'd ever see him.

As for the leaks, they're still there too, plopping away in the emptiness of my apartment. What was once one single, tolerable leak (above, click for huge size), became dozens of leaks in the kitchen and bathroom. The paint started to fall off the ceiling onto my food, looked like powdered sugar everywhere.

The water stained the floor all sorts of colors. One day recently, I poured a glass of water, then started making breakfast. When I took a sip from the glass, I watched a drop fall directly where I had left the glass.

A new leak, dripping water tainted with God knows what that's probably busy shutting down one of my vital organs or encouraging cells to multiply too quickly as we speak.

These leaks were all confined to the bathroom and the kitchen, until recently. The wall in the living room is now start to discolor and crumble (see last picture).

All of that is behind me now. Now, I live in a giant house, with a family who forces me to speak Chinese. Good food, good people, and a playstation 2.

Life is good....Except that I will be subbing for two teachers for two weeks, so I'll be going from Xinjhuang to Banciao to TaiDa to Banciao to Xinjhuang, every single day, from eight in the morning until about 10 at night