Apartment

=__Apartment Life__= You will be receiving more detailed information about housing in the summer when apartment placements are finalized. At that time you should also get a floor plan for your apartment. In the past, families have typically been placed at Green Court I, Green Court II, and occasionally at Shimao Lakeside. Couples typically live at Green Court II, Shimao Lakeside, or Orient Green. Singles tend to live at Orient Green, Phoenix Mansion or Shimao Lakeside. The school strives to provide the best quality housing that it can afford within close proximity to the school. There is rudimentary cable for your TV, it varies from complex to complex. The most basic cable (free) is CNN, HBO and Discovery. You will have a lot of Chinese channels, and two English channels through the local networks, ICS and CCTV.

Buying Furniture

 * [|Elm Workshop]
 * [|Hu & Hu]
 * [|IKEA] and Ashley Furniture are popular places to buy furniture. They will deliver and assemble (if needed) everything you buy for an additional fee. You must be home when they deliver. You can also arrange a taxi truck. Please go down to the basement for a taxi truck with a meter. Do **not** negotiate with drivers who approach you in the store. You will **not** get a cheap deal! If you go on a weekend, get there early. IKEA can be VERY crowded.
 * Check out the **Stuff for sale!** page on this site and watch the Community Bulletin that is published on Thursday afternoons for items from Concordia families that are moving.

**Green Court I and II:**
Most family housing is inand. of both Green Court I and Green Court II complexes. Note that some of these photos show apartments that are fully furnished, but these apartments are only equipped with appliances (stove, refrigerator, washer, dryer, and sometimes a dishwasher). The school will make an effort to rent beds, a sofa set, and dining table for the first month but you should plan on purchasing these items quickly upon arrival. The first week of orientation focuses on getting your homes set-up.


 * [[image:http://www.shanghaifinder.com/images/GreenCourt/GreenCourt_outside_200x150.jpg caption="Picture of Green Court I"]] || [[image:concordiachina/Green_Court_2.jpg width="201" height="157"]] ||

**Green Court Apts:**
These two bedroom units are used for both single teachers and couples. These apartments are fully furnished but does not allow pets or removal of provided furnishings. Residents can use the health club which includes a pool, workout facility, and clay tennis courts.

The complex:

**Orient Green:**
Many single teachers are currently being housed in furnished apartments in the Orient Green complex. Just to let you know what comes in the Orient Green Apartments: They are furnished with the basics. I have a 3 bedroom place (this holds true for the majority of the singles who are living there). Two of the bedrooms contained beds and night stands. Each bedroom also contains a television. In the main part of the apartment, we received furniture for the living room, which includes another television, and you will also receive a dining room table.

Please note that each apartment is different and all are privately owned so the quality and amount of furniture depends upon what the landlord provides. There is no way of telling exactly what you will get until we get closer to your arrival date, but you will typically get what is listed above. You will have to buy pots and pans, towels, sheets, dishes, and things like that. If you want DVD players or stereos, you will also have to provide that. See photos.

The complex:

**Phoenix Mansion:**
Phoenix Mansion is two blocks from school and is primarily used to house single teachers in two bedroom units that are fully furnished and offer 24 hour service staff. Furniture can be removed at the tenants request. This complex includes an outdoor pool. See Phoenix Mansion for details. Floor plan

Diamond Court is a serviced apartment one block from the school that is used for some of our single teachers. There is a main lobby which can provide residents with assistance. there is a pool and fitness facilty on site. Apartments are 2 bedroom with an additional study room. They are fully-furnished with all furniture, TV and even dishes, towels, sheets, etc. Utilitiy costs, other than phone are also included as is, limited maid service. They do not allow pets. See [|Diamond Court] for details.
 * Diamond Court:** (currently under renovation and not available)

**Shimao Lakeside:**
Some single teachers and families will be housed in the Shimao Lakeside complex. Shimao Lakeside is located on the same street as Concordia (Mingyue Lu), though it is approximately one kilometer west of the school. The apartments are spacious and pre-furnished. Given all of the challenges of moving overseas, my family found the reality of a pre-furnished apartment to be a godsend. They are furnished with the basics: bedrooms contained beds and night stands; master bedroom also contained a television; furniture for the living room, which includes another television, and a dining room table. Please note that each apartment is privately owned so the quality and amount of furniture depends upon what the landlord provides. There is no way of telling exactly what you will get until we get closer to your arrival date, but you will typically get what is listed above. You will have to buy pots and pans, towels, sheets, dishes, and things like that. If you want DVD players or stereos you will also have to provide that.

Below is the floor plan of a three-bedroom Shimao apartment: Other pros and cons to Shimao--Pros, there are amenities on-site like a gym with pool (for an about $700 a year for singles), an ATM, a man-made lake with canoes for rental, a small Lawson's convenience store, hair salon, restaurant and pricey massage services. The service department has a good English-speaking staff dedicated to taking bill payments and repairs. There are usually taxis available if you call the guard station. Cons are the location as it is a longer distance from the school (which might be a pro if you're looking for exercise) and the array of restaurants closer to Orient Green and the new facilities being built across from there. Cabs are often difficult to get after school to get back home.

Pictures and information can be found at:[|Shimao Lakeside]

=Questions:=
 * How far will I be living from the school? Is there an area map? ** All of the apartments rented by Concordia are a short distance away from the school. Currently they are all within a 15 minute walk or a short bike ride from the school. Look at the maps provided in the Faculty Handbook located at the [|Staff Website] . We will be renegotiating a number of our leases this summer and I will not be able to confirm where housing will be for the fall until that process is completed.


 * What sort of conveniences (shops etc) are in the area I am living? **The area around our neighborhood is growing very quickly. There are a number of restaurants, including Chinese, American, Mexican, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Brazilian. There is a large supermarket/"Walmart" type store called Carrefour where many people do their shopping, as well as western supermarkets (The Pines & City Shop) which import many items from overseas. Not far from our neighborhood is a membership store called "Metro" where you can also buy a variety of food and other items. The school can help you with the membership. For those who enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables, there are many markets scattered throughout our area. In addition to the gym and weight facilities at the school (no pool), we also have a large gym called Mega Fit (with a pool) - you need to pay a yearly membership to join, and some staff have taken advantage of this convenience. There are bicycle shops, DVD shops, and a wide variety of other conveniences for us! Also click [] for more information.


 * Will I need to buy a transformer to switch from 220V to 110V? ** China, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries use 220V electricity; the U.S. uses 110V. A transformer is the 'something' you use to change power from 220V (110V) to 110V (220V). Most newer laptops and desktops can operate on either 220V or 110V. Check the user manual or power adapter that came with your computer to be sure (you can ruin the computer if it does not work on 220V and you plug it in here). It is possible that some other equipment from the US might have problems even if the voltage is transformed because China uses 50 cycle power verses 60 cycle power in the U.S. If you are coming from Australia or New Zealand, you will not have to worry about voltage, as China uses the same standards. You can purchase a transformer before you come, but they are also available once you get here. Most Australian/New Zealand plugs will fit into the wall sockets here; however, if they do not, it is very easy to get adapters that will fit. US plugs may or may not work in China, but, as previously mentioned, you can purchase plug adapters here.


 * Should I buy a laptop for myself? **You will not need to buy a laptop as a teacher as the school provides one for your use. The school has its own Authorized Apple Service Center. See the Teacher Handbook in the [|HR Website] for more details. Families with MS/HS aged students will need to provide a laptop for students in grade 7 and above. Contact Tom Reed at <span class="wiki_link_ext">tom.reed@concordiashanghai.org <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;"> if you have questions.

<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">Currently, all apartments include an oven. In some cases this may be a counter top convection ovens. There can be some issues with maintaining a constant temperature so I would recommend that you bring along an oven thermometer. The apartments all include both cooling and heating. In some apartments this is a centralized system and in others there are individual room units. All apartments currently include both a clothes washer. Some also include a dryer or a combination washer/dryer. In some cases teachers have purchased separate dryers. If you decide to do this the school can assist you if you like.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 15px;">Do you know if the apartments have ovens (I'm a big baker)? How about a/c and heating? And finally, clothes dryers? **

Apartments may not be finalized until June.
 * When might it be possible to get an idea of the size and layout of our apartment? The reason I'm asking is that we have a pretty big L-shaped sofa that we would love to bring with us, but we are concerned that it may not fit into our living room. If it's too big, we'll work on selling it before we move. **

Currently there are only a couple of expat teachers who have a car. I think you will find it fairly easy to get around here without one. It is also quite expensive in regard to getting the initial license. let me know if you would like to know more and I can put you in contact with one of them regarding their experience with purchasing and maintaining a car here in Shanghai.
 * Is it possible to purchase a car in Shanghai? If so, would it be best to buy one from a departing teacher? **

Your will find beds similar in size to the US. fitted sheets can be difficult to find but they are becoming more common.
 * We have a king-size bed here. What size beds are available in Shanghai? No big deal - just want to bring the correct sized fitted sheets! **