The other half of the kitchen. A water heater hangs on the wall.

This is the kitchen. Basic and simple. I love the color of the cabinets, but I wish they were about a foot higher. In the left of the picture is one of my favorite things: a Hisense two-burner propane gas stove. This thing is a lot of fun to cook on! When I arrived to the space I noticed another item immediately: the wok. I remarked to my boss that I’ve always wanted a wok. It was my hope that for a housewarming present when I moved into my condo in 2008 that someone would buy me a wok. It never happened and I never owned a wok. I quipped to my boss that it was ironic that I finally have a wok, it just took coming to China to get it.

Entertainment center in the living room

The living room reminds me of the 60s.

A view looking toward the kitchen.

The bath room, unfortunately — lacks a bath. Floor to ceiling tiles and a drain in the floor transform this room into a large shower.

Don’t let this picture fool you: this bed is extremely hard. Simple. Basic. It gets the job done. Just out of frame is a large window that opens up to the drying room/balcony and out to the track/basketball court/downtown.

There is not a dryer in my apartment. After washing clothes they come to this room to dry. This is my drying room / balcony. There are two chrome retractable pipes on a pulley system where I hang wet clothes. This room is where I start and end my days. It’s a peaceful place.

Here’s the view I have from my southern-exposure living room window. A straight-out shot. Zibo’s “downtown district” is to the right of the frame. A lovely view to the city at night.