It has been awhile since I last blogged. We had our first houseguest, I got a cold, then we went to the convention in Kaohsiung, so I admittedly have been behind in my weekly blog.

With our first Seattle friend coming to visit I finally got around to putting up some decorations. I have been busy and caught up with school, so it was nice to have a due date to convince me to spend some time adding some finishing touches to our apartment. I took some before pictures the first few days we moved in to have something to mark my progress.

One thing about Taiwan that we have come to learn is there is no such thing as cleaning an apartment when you move out. If there is, then the definitions of clean in Taiwan are drastically different. There were a few items of furniture that we purchased from the teachers that lived here before us, but they also left a lot of random belongings behind that we definitely did not want (clothes, computer equipment, cat toys, etc…).

Here was the living room when we first got to Taiwan

The living room had decent furniture when we arrived and I already knew upon arrival that I wanted to add a shag rug. The problem was we had to decide on a color. If you know D you know that no decision is a quick decision. We must have been at the store for over two hours. I felt bad for our host parent who tried to be supportive as we discussed the pros and cons of all the rugs in the store. We finally settled on a reddish color, which I love. A few throw pillows, a wash of the love seat cover, and a swap of the coffee table to one that was left out on the balcony of the guest room adds finishing touches for now. Ultimately, I want to paint an accent wall to really bring some life to all of the white walls.

The room that needed the most work was the guest room that is right off the living room. It still has some drawers full of odds and ends that need to be dealt with, but I figure those batteries and screws can wait for now. We added curtains, a bedspread, rug and small wall decoration. It is vastly improved, but it still needs work. I added some extra furniture that was left in the master bedroom, which make this guest room seem more complete. There is a desk and mini-fridge in here which we stocked with bottled water and beer (read reason for you to come and visit us)😁.

The guest bathroom, yes you read that right there are two bathrooms in the apartment! This bathroom needed some updates, We’d like different sink fixtures, but it is amazing how much nicer it looks with a few pictures and a new shower curtain.

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Still lots to do to make this place seem homey, but if you take nothing away from this post take away the fact that it is guest ready… there is another guest room too, so more visitors will make us get that one ready for more visitors! Right now, it is a room for music instruments and art supplies. Hope to fill it with friends soon!