"Beijing Days"

...my friend's term for when things seem to go sideways.   Had many such days this past week:

1. Service apartment double booked our little one bedroom so they moved us into a two bedroom abruptly.  We had stuff in every drawer and cubby so the re-packing to move down the hall took a frenzied few hours one night.  We couldn't do it in the morning since we have to leave at 6:45 to make the school bus and I've started working already.  
2. Had to go to a hospital for some urgent issues.  Had really excellent care and am fine.  It was good to learn the ropes of that but wish maybe it hadn't had to happen so early in our stay.  
3. Neighborhood banks couldn't let me withdraw from home so spent several mornings going from bank to bank [brings to mind:  my niece and daughter did a clapping game all summer as we traveled in China:  down by the banks of the yangtze yanks/ where the bullfrogs jump from bank to bank/ and the monkeys in the trees go whoo-whoo-whoo/their song means I love you/where the beep bop soda pop/hey mr. lilypad went kurplop!]  and sitting, waiting for my number to be called, then sitting with the bank worker, waiting for who knows what,  only to be told I needed to go to another branch.  In all, I visited five banks in three days.  The longest such visit was nearly 2 hours.  And I didn't get all the $$ I need.  Luckily I have friends at home willing to do the wire transfers to the new landlords, if necessary.  
4. New cell phone sent from home got hung up in Fedex.  Apparently I am to pay the Fedex'er some huge amount of cash for the duty tax when s/he delivers the package.  Folks at the office says that means I will probably actually receive the package.  If it was disappeared, Fedex would never have emailed or called me back, they say.  
5. And finally:  Our apartment deal fell through and went sideways in a way that didn't make sense so I am signing on the unfurnished one tomorrow at 2 (I hope), today bought a sofa, shelf unit and vacuum from a very sweet couple (Chinese-Malay-English and Chinese) who are leaving BJ soon, and tomorrow we are bed shopping.  

In spite of it all, or because of it all, LiLi and I are in good spirits.  It was great fun to meet the sofa couple today and we can imagine knowing them a very long time.   LiLi's latest plan is to stay in Beijing for three years and then move to Paris.  [She's been watching the service apartments TV ads and has decided that where their other branches are (Paris; Bangkok) are where we need to be.]   So we joked with that couple that maybe they'll end up in Paris too and recognize their old blue sofa bed in our Parisian apartment.  Who knows.  I love that LiLi's version of her life is global.  After only two weeks here.