Living On Top

It was Saturday afternoon and having tromped around Saturday morning taking pictures, I was tired and decided to catch a short nap. When I woke up and started to function again, Jiajing’s mom asked me to go with her to see how a friend of hers is decorating their new home. I grabbed my light jacket and off we went to catch a bus. We rode for awhile, got off and caught a second bus. We rode for awhile, got off and walked for awhile and called about three times in order to find the place.

We finally found her friend – I really enjoy this friend as she in a bundle of energy and real fun to be with – and went to the entrance of the high rise where they will live. What a place over here. Their building is 26 stories and next to them are some going up 33 stories. They happen to be on the twenty-sixth floor, with a really great view. Here I am with no camera and little did I know that six hours would pass before I would hit the sack.

There were workers at work there and since I had built my last four houses, I found myself very interested in building techniques being used. In a high rise you buy a concrete frame space in which you have some freedom to form rooms to decorate as you desire and can afford. Because of the concrete walls, the lower priced apartments end up with mainly painted walls. But in the higher end ones, a lot of tile is used; tile that can actually look like wallpaper. This home would use a lot of tile and have some very nice appointments. – Don’t be too disappointed that I don’t have my camera. You will see why in a future blog entry.

A husband and wife team was putting on sheets of small tile in the area where the windows were that looked out across the city to the lake. In two other rooms, workers were trawling the walls to produce a very smooth paintable service. I looked the place over very carefully and watched how they were doing the work. By American standards this is not a large space, but the quality is real good. The tile work is some of the best I have seen. He is a real professional and his wife knows exactly what to do to support him. It is a joy to see the way they work together.

It was approaching the evening meal and we headed off to a restaurant. We walked and walked and stopped and waited for more family and friends to join us. Then we walked further to a very nice small restaurant and to a private room to be seated around a large round table. Food was ordered and started to appear on the table and we started to eat and talk some more. In the group were three English speaking students. We had one great time together. We ate and talked into the night and then decided it was time to go. Back to the street we walked to a bus stop so that Jiajing’s mom and I could catch a bus, to catch a bus and then walk some more to get home.

It was one marvelous time together. I really enjoy these family times when I get paired up with their English speaking children. Our conversation often continues by email after we go our separate ways.