Renting a Place

Perhaps this is the last month of my student life? I’ve arranged with HR to intern on July 3. The company where I’ll intern is more than 30 kilometers from my home; I start at 8:00 AM and finish at 5:30 PM. The commute takes about 50 minutes. Luckily, the subway goes straight there, but it requires transfers. That means I spend almost two hours on the daily commute. I have to wake up at 6:30 AM, and even when I finish work on time, I’ll get home around 7:00 PM.

Two classmates from the neighboring class work for the same company as me; we aren’t close, but they had invited me before to live together as three. I stubbornly refused at the time, thinking two hours of daily commuting would be enough to get by. Today I suddenly regret it. In Zhejiang, the hottest summers exceed 40 degrees, and there are usually two typhoons each year. Work is tiring and annoying, so I went back to politely ask them, only to find they had already found a place: two people in a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. Half a month ago they showed me a three-bedroom, one-living-room place, but I refused; I really regret it and am crying.

Finding a rental by yourself is really troublesome, I’m at a loss. After watching the rental guides on Bilibili, I suddenly realized there are many pitfalls. I’m afraid of shady agencies taking money and running away, and I’m afraid of second landlords on Xiaohongshu ripping people off. When choosing a place, you also have to consider location, orientation, miscellaneous fees, internet, appliances, water and electricity, contract, roommates, deposit, etc.

Licensed intermediaries charge too high fees; direct renting is also risky if the landlord isn’t capable or I can’t handle it myself—it's a minefield. The main issue is that I can’t find anything. I browsed Baidu Tieba, Weibo hot topics, posted on the confession wall to find a roommate, checked Xiaohongshu in-city listings as well. Either the fees are too high (over 1300), or they only rent to female roommates (really, 8 out of 10 posts are women looking for women). It’s too difficult, I’m really regretting.

Let’s wait and see; at worst I can go back home to live…

Feeling Lost

This month has felt especially fast, because the university is close to home, I often go back home for something or nothing. But this month I don’t really want to go back; I want to savor these last moments on campus. After all, if I don’t advance to a bachelor’s program next year, I won’t have such an opportunity to return to campus in my life.

I really envy classmates who have just finished Gaokao; everything is new—the new three-month summer vacation, the new university life. Now thinking back to when I first walked onto campus, the first class meeting, the first cafeteria meal, the last night of military training with a talent show—the scenes are vivid, as if it happened yesterday, the memories are very strong.

Now I’ll share a few photos; what’s past is past, the future should move boldly forward. When I have time, I’ll write a chapter called "My Campus," at least leave some notes of memory; this is the meaning of starting a blog.

June 23rd I must leave campus, there are ten days left; I’m really moved, may we meet again if fate allows.

TEXT_MARKDOWN