Serious Progress

Apparently, all we needed was a minor emergency to get everything accomplished. The wet plaster has been scraped away, replaced and repainted. We can still see the spots, but not enough to care. We're only renters, right? The floor was scrubbed after all of the dust and drops of paint, although piles of plaster dust remain under furniture and in nooks and crannies throughout, along with a lingering smell. Lucky for us, the weather has jumped into the 60s and we can leave the doors and windows open.

Furthermore, the faucet has been replaced and the cabinets repaired.

I've no more complaints.

And, best of all, our ayi started today.

At exactly the price I sought, we have a lovely woman coming into our home 4 hours every afternoon. She also agreed to babysit one evening every week, bringing her weekly total to 25 hours. She's coming from 2:30 - 6:30 in the afternoons, time enough to clean for a while and then to play with the girls while I fix dinner.

Two hours in, and she seems lovely. More focused on cleaning then on playing with L--, but quite comfortable relating to her casually. She's quite good at finding things to do, and at working together with me or asking questions. She speaks no English and my Chinese is still horrible, but I think we'll get past that.

With all of my repairs completed, and a staff of two, I seem to be making some serious in-roads into a happy life as an expat in China.