Today was moving day. The mission was to pack the entire house and move everything from #96 to #100, four doors down the block.
This big project was way beyond the scope of one person, so I hired some help. Raymond, a colleague at work, arranged for eight guys to come with a van and two Chinese wheelbarrows. The guys were mostly pleasant and polite, though they did not bring enough boxes. When we ran out, they suggested that I go to house #100 and start unpacking so they could re-use the 25 boxes that they brought ! Instead I asked our driver to go out and buy 100 boxes, 85 of which we filled.
This big project was way beyond the scope of one person, so I hired some help. Raymond, a colleague at work, arranged for eight guys to come with a van and two Chinese wheelbarrows. The guys were mostly pleasant and polite, though they did not bring enough boxes. When we ran out, they suggested that I go to house #100 and start unpacking so they could re-use the 25 boxes that they brought ! Instead I asked our driver to go out and buy 100 boxes, 85 of which we filled.
Two of the best helpers today were our housekeeper and driver. The ayi, especially, did the work of three hired guys. She was a real trooper, packing up all of the kitchen, dining room, and storage room by herself.
The whole group marvelled at the amount of stuff there was was to move. Over and over again, I heard the Chinese phrases for "so many things", "too many things", and "still more things".
In the end, the work crew ran out of energy at about 5 PM. We still have the garage to pack and move plus a dozen random boxes, pieces of furniture, and large plants. The supervisor said they would come back on Wednesday morning, but in face-saving China that probably means he is never coming back.
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