After a week of rest (but really not, since I had to help my cousin move into her new apartment,  as well as accompany her while she traveling around the city making plans for her wedding) at my uncle’s house, my aunt and uncle helped me transport all my luggage to my [maternal] grandparent’s house, where I will be staying for the remainder of my time in Beijing. My aunt and I joked that we had done so much moving this week that would should start a family business.

My grandparents live just inside the third ring on the city’s east side, a fairly convenient location as far as commuting goes. Traveling to CITIC, where I start working next Monday, is a mere 20 minutes away by bus. Grandpa and grandma live in a two bedroom apartment not too far away from the Beijing Lufthansa Shopping Center (Yan Sha). About five years ago, they decided to purchase the adjacent one bedroom suite and connect it to the original suite, so now, the place is pretty spacious. It is also more convenient for my grandparents, since they can accommodate guests more easily. Recently, due to my grandpa’s health problems, my grandma has “moved in” with him to the newer suite. As a matter of habit, however, I am still staying in the guest room on the apartment’s older side. Truth be told, I’ve stayed at my grandparent’s so often over the past few summers that aside from Lawrenceville, their apartment, and the guest room in particular, has become my home away from home. The only downside is that in this age of rapid technological growth, the apartment is still without internet connection. However, I’m not going to complain too much, since it gives me more time to read, write (offline) blog entries, and other more productive activities. Besides, I’ll most likely be able to access the internet during weekdays while I’m at CITIC.

My only major concern at the moment is mosquitoes. In the past, I’ve had some nasty encounters while staying in Beijing. This year, I’ve only been bitten once, and I hope to keep it that way. If things start to get bad, I may have to start burning incense every night, a measure I have resorted to in years past.