My home for the next two weeks

I moved into the company apartment this weekend sans Internet but with digital TV with one English channel. It’s called Pearl TV. Of course with one channel I’m at the mercy of the programming gods.

This place is amazing. It’s a gated community and I think it might be nicer than where I live in Canada. It’s got over 70 buildings. It’s beautifully landscaped with palm trees and yummy smelling flowers everywhere. The frangipanis remind me of Australia.

From the photos you can see a very nice man-made lake with four fountains, plenty of goldfish, and resident black swans. The gazebos offer shade and plenty of places to sit and read. Everything is clean and well maintained. I see ground maintenance and security everywhere.

There is an outdoor pool and an exercise room. From my window is a view of the soccer field. Must have a big tournament because they were playing all weekend.

When I was taking photos, there was this family out taking photos as well. You can see the little boy driving his truck, mum and grandma watching over him while dad snaps away with a rather expensive looking camera. Compared to the other kids I see around the hotel, or around the area at work, this kid is living a charmed live.

His parents must be quite well to do to live there. I passed by the sales office and saw the rent at this place ranges from 4000 to 5000 RMB. To put that in perspective, an operator at our China site makes 800RMB a month and lives in a dorm. A girl I work with (she is about my age and an university graduate) makes about 4000RMB a month and pays 450RMB for a place she shares with another girl.