Paint Adventures

Painting adventures in Beijing

When we moved into our apartment last year, we knew we would need to paint the walls. Although their white color provided brightness, the marks and scrapes on the walls detracted from the décor. So finally when this February rolled around and I had no school, we decided now was a good time to tackle the job. So far either both or I have made four trips to B&Q.

First Trip:

We took time on one of our Tuesdays to buy paint supplies. However, since we were out, we also decided to stop by a bank and open a bank account for BBC to pay rent to the German Centre. “Stop by” isn’t a concept here. We entered Bank of China, talked to the helpful ladies at the front desk, showed them our passports, filled out the paperwork and moved on to the waiting area. Oh yeah, I forgot, don’t do bank business the Friday before Chinese New Year. After waiting about an hour, the teller called us to the window. No closed door rooms in Chinese banks. Everyone hears everyone else’s business. Upon reaching the teller window, we hand over the paperwork and our passports. We notice the word ‘intern’ on the teller’s name tag. She calls over an associate and they look at our passports, discuss something and then proceed to tell us something in Chinese. After about 15 minutes we discover that she’s telling us that we don’t have enough time left on our visa to open a bank account.  Why, after waiting an hour and 15 minutes do they tell us that? Couldn’t the front desk ladies have shared that stipulation? As we related this incident to other friends, they confirmed that we needed at least six months left on a visa to open an account. You would think that bank employees know that and could tell us at the beginning.  So began our day to buy paint.

On to B&Q, which is a Home Depot/Lowe’s type of store. We had already measured walls and carefully calculated how much paint we thought we needed so now all we needed was to buy the supplies. Not knowing which bus stopped nearby, we traveled by taxi which turned out to cost about ¥50 each way. A bit expensive but we knew we couldn’t carry paint and supplies home. We arrive at B&Q, bought two 5L buckets of paint, a 9” roller kit, a brush, plastic sheeting, 1 3-pack of masking tape, a step stool, and a few other miscellaneous household items. All in Chinese because none of the employees spoke passable English. SUCCESS!! Let the painting begin!

We calculated for 2 5L buckets of paint thinking we would paint the living/dining area, hallways and the master bedroom. We figured that we could skip the spare room if we didn’t have enough paint.

In addition, we looked around at other items we needed, like a new kitchen ceiling light fixture, but decided to wait to purchase it. From that point, B&Q closed until a few days after Chinese New Year.

Second Trip:

After taping all the woodwork around the living/dining area and main hall, I ran out of tape. Just the small entry hall and master bedroom remained. Back to B&Q. In addition, since I had waited several days to finish the paint job, I tossed out the roller cover rather than clean it. Therefore, I intended to buy a fresh one. Although I originally bought a 9” (yes, inches) roller kit, all the replacement roller covers came in 8” or 10”. Go figure! We also purchased the light fixture then.

Third Trip:

Ran out of tape again! Back to B&Q again for 2 more 3-packs of tape and another roller cover! However, this time I went alone by bus. Mark & I studied the bus map, determined the nearest stop, and which buses went to that stop from ours. No problem getting there, just a little over an hour one way. However, reversing direction to come home presented a slight challenge. Where do I take the bus for the return trip? It looked like the bus route made a loop. No, instead I had to cross the main road to find the bus stop on the other side.

Fourth Trip – Today:

With only one wall left in the master bedroom, I had only a little bit of paint left, not enough to finish the last wall. UGH. Back to B&Q again! We calculated that about 2L should finish that one wall. I grabbed ¥300 and checked my backpack where I keep small bills, thinking I have plenty of cash. Once again I rode the bus. Before going, I brushed up on the Chinese sentence I need to ask for more paint. I took one 5L empty paint bucket to show what I want, but I want a smaller bucket. They don’t have smaller buckets, only 5L buckets. But I only have one wall to finish. Only 5L buckets. OK, I’ll take it, knowing I can use it for the spare room. As the paint employee started to write the formula on top of the can, I say, Wait. I checked my cash. A 5L bucket costs ¥308. OK, I have ¥338 - enough. But I also need a small appliance light bulb for above the stove. They don’t carry that. OK. So I left B&Q with a 5L bucket of paint to carry to the bus stop. I’m sure everyone I passed on the street looked at me strange. People carry anything and everything here – toilet paper, mops, groceries, etc. So what’s the deal carrying a heavy, large 5L bucket of paint with both hands, walking 15 minutes or so to the bus stop? (The empty bucket fit in my backpack, sight unseen.)

When I arrived at the bus stop, I recognized numbers that I always see at our own bus stop so I took the first bus of those numbers that comes along. Since it was the same number that I took going to B&Q, I assumed it also reversed direction. Bad assumption. Always read the sign. After about 2 stops, everyone else exited the bus except me. The driver called something from her enclosed driver’s seat, something I didn’t understand. Then I realized everyone else has gotten off. Oh, that happens at the end of a line. So I got off the bus. Where was I? Would the next 114 come along for me to catch back to our stop. No, according to the bus sign, 114 ended there. No other numbers went to our stop. By this time I had enough money on my subway/bus card for one more bus ride. There I stood in the middle of nowhere, with ¥30 cash and no buses my direction. ¥30 wouldn’t pay for a taxi ride. I saw another bus that could take me home. I watched it pass by, it didn’t stop, but does it stop further down where I could walk to another bus stop? No bus stops down that direction. Oh, there’s a bus stop around the corner. I have no choice; I walked to it, read the signs and tried to figure out if any of those buses go close to home. Ahh, a stop I recognized. That means I take 425 to a familiar stop and transfer to another bus. I get off, but by then I only had a 20 and a 10 in cash. Bus cash costs 2 and most don’t give change. OK. I asked a couple of people nearby if they had change for a 10. One had two 5s. Better than one 10 so I paid 5 instead of 2, but at least I was on my way.

In the meantime, Mark called me to tell me to meet him at the haircutter’s. Once I settled on a familiar route, I called him back, only to discover my phone needed a money reload. I can’t call him back. Instead I just met him at the haircutter’s carrying a 5L bucket of paint.

Ahh, the adventures of living in Beijing. Paint, language, buses, money, phones. But at least I now have freshly painted walls.