The Big Things’ List

1.     LiLi’s school—Check [wired the tuition; it was received]

2.     My work---Check [signed the contract for contract work; it was received]

3.     Place to live---Still looking; realtor has gone silent on e-mail—where is she?; currently obsessed with subletting an apartment  listed on the Beijing Mamas yahoo group.  It’s in the wrong ‘hood but it has a roof deck.  The current owners want too long a commitment but it has a roof deck.  Also, it’s too expensive.  But it has a roof deck.  I can’t get the photos of the place and it’s wildly planted deck out of my mind.  It’s because otherwise BJ is so concrete and urban and lacking in outdoor space.  Anyway.  No place to live yet.  Been advised to just stay in a hotel or service apt. near school while looking.  

4.     Ayi---Still looking.  We are Skype interviewing (in Chinese; help!) a potential Ayi [babysitter, bus-meeter, homework helper, cleaner, shopper, cook] tomorrow afternoon.  Her current employers are moving out of BJ in January so the timing is perfect.  She has a high school diploma, too, which we were advised  by LiLi’s school was necessary in order to be a good homework helper.   The going rate is apparently around the equivalent of US$400/mo. for a 30 hour work week.  We likely won’t need that many hours but will probably pay for them anyway to secure a great, competent, reliable person, assuming we all click.   She’ll also need to be tremendously patient with me using a translator or the 8 year old to communicate through. 

5.     Renting our SF house—Still looking.  Last weekend I posted the house in several places and got a handful of queries.  Tomorrow, we have a pot’l tenant family coming over.  They’re renovating their own older home so we hope they’ll be patient with the many imperfections of our 111 year old house.  They’re also within our six degrees of separation since one parent teaches at a local law school and knows friends of ours.  Plus they have a daughter and so may love the glider, tunnel set, train set, doll house, etc, that we’re leaving behind.   I’m hopeful!

Unrelated to the Big Things’ List is this fun fact:  LiLi wore a tank top and skirt to pick out our Christmas tree yesterday.  Meanwhile, it was snowing in Beijing.