Dear All:

would you know what to do here in China -- my housing is pretty sh-tty, and my school is not doing anything about it... for the last two months I've been leaving inside a very basic laundry room (yes, 1 room, no kitchen, no living room, no dining room, no bathroom, no furniture, just old school' tables and chairs), with my toilet located on the balcony, with the winds blowing thru -- no glass of any kind -- showerig in the cold, going to the toilet in the cold, etc...

Some of the e-mails that I've sent to my administration about the same issues are below...

I am pretty patient and tolerant of many situations, and some of you have seen my flat without furniture or too much heat in Shenyang -- so if I am telling you that this one is way worse... it means it can't be any worse... this remote location and housing could only be topped by some place the middle of a desert, where I'd be using goat droppings as study aids... :) There are no cabs in this "neck-of-the-woods", and taking a cab to town would be 60 RMB, to the city of Foshan, 200 RMB...

For obvious reasons, upon finding out that I stay in the city on week-ends, the school's administration is advising me that it's unreasonable to do so (oddly enough) and even "illegal" for foreigners to stay away from the campus where they teach. Interpreted any further, I am now a prisoner of this school.

Thanks for any and all advice,

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Dear Mr. Yang:
the issue of my housing in Gaoming is still OUTSTANDING... and is a problem which hasn't been resolved. I've shared this information with you two weeks ago and because of how busy your schedule is, and because of the New Year's holiday, and the exam schedule, my housing problem has been avoided.
Two weeks later, it's still the same -- I have no heat in my room, I still go to the toilet on the balcony, in the cold, taking a shower, in the cold, and still become sick while living like this, without heat, in the cold. I have no kitchen, I have no comfortable furniture, no living room that I am used to having while living in three other schools while teaching in China.
The housing in Gaoming is inconvenient, location and facilities are far away from everything... I have to wait for buses for 2-3 hours every Sunday when coming back to school from the week-end in Foshan, or any other normal city. I have to be on the bus for at least an hour, and wait for the bus 1/2 hour more, every time I go to the store. I waste at least 3 hours of my time, trying to get to, and from this campus. These issues can't be avoided ANY longer. Please assist as soon as possible.

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Dear Mr. Yang:
Attached please find pictures of my old apartment from a polytechnic in Shandong. I used to live in that flat 2010-2011, while teaching in China.

The situation with my housing in Gaoming has to be changed, I can't continue wearing a coat every time I go to the toilet or while taking a shower. I do not wish to catch bronchitis or pneumonia while leaving in the most southern province of China.
As to the salary issue that you've raised yesterday, my salary is only higher at your college due to my teaching twice, sometimes three times the amount of students that I used to teach at the other colleges. My classes there only had 35 students, and not 70 or 140 students, as they are here.

I could also understand that the costs of living/prices in Guangdong are much higher than those in the north, and that's the 2nd reason why my salary might be higher. For example, what used to cost me 3 RMB there, in Shandong, such as a piece of bread with chicken, now costs 8 or 9 RMB here in Guangdong.

Please assist with finding a suitable, furnished apartment as soon as possible.