On the 20^th of March 2018 I arrived in Suzhou and stayed at the FX Hotel at Leqiao in the west of the SIP. I was only there for two days as I just wanted somewhere to rest after my flight. This hotel is near to the metro station and so it was easy to get there. It is a three star hotel and a little bit tired but at least I could rest my weary bones.

My next plan of attack was to find more permanent accommodation and so for that I needed more time, so I got a place on Airbnb and because of this my world changed forever. On the 22^nd of March I booked an Airbnb with Sissi for a week. She met me near one of the stations and took me through the labyrinth of the old city to my digs for the next few days. First impressions were of a lovely young bubbly girl with so much enthusiasm and she was so friendly. We hit it off and we talked and talked as if we had known each other for years.

Sissi asked me how long I intended staying in Suzhou and I told her I was not sure but maybe as long as two years and then she asked me would I like to share an apartment with her in the SIP, which is the city centre of Suzhou and the apartment would be 5 mins from Central Park………I said “YES”.

Sissi wanted to set up a new Airbnb apartment in the SIP, which for most people is a better location. We moved into Orchard Manors which is one of the most sought after addresses in Suzhou. A four bedroom apartment, about 170 m2 and on the 4^th floor. It was absolutely brilliant and I still had to pinch myself because I could not believe my luck. I had only been in Suzhou for three days and one of my biggest headaches had been cured by this wonderful young lady called Sissi. The only downside that I could see was that I was now living in an Airbnb house and to be honest some of the people that walked through the front door were certainly challenging and I have had many times where I have been unhappy with this situation especially in the early days of living here while Sissi and I were still getting to know each other. But on the other hand I have also met some really wonderful and inspiring young people too, far more than the guests that have been a complete and utter pain in the arse which I would have happily thrown over the balcony without hesitation. It has been an insight to the behaviours of everyday Chinese folk and the ignorance of foreigners which have been culturally inept and some of them have had very dubious behaviours.

Over the last two years Sissi has become a great friend and confidant and I have great love and respect for this tenacious young lady that has had to deal with many ups and downs over the last two years and yet she always has a smile for her guests and everyone for that matter and she always tries to do the right thing, however some of the guests have been complete and utter bastards and have taken advantage of her kind nature which would make my blood boil. I just wish that my level of Chinese had been higher so that I could tell them to Fuck off in no uncertain terms, but then again, saying it in English gets the desired effect too sometimes.

It turns out that we are both similar creatures in many ways even although we are separated by culture and age and I find that quite interesting. I admire and respect what she does to build a future for herself and I know for a fact that I would never take on three Airbnb houses, and after seeing the amount of work involved and some of the bullshit she has had to deal with, I know it’s not for me.

And so tomorrow I have a flight back to Australia and in a few weeks time Sissi will move to Nanjing to start a new chapter of life. Our time together has come to an end for now which is sad, but we are both ready to move on to something else. I don’t know what that is yet but Sissi has plans to go into the Hotel business with a young guy and I wish her all the best and I know that I will see her when I return to China, but maybe not in Suzhou. But I know one thing for sure my life was changed for the better on that day two years ago when I met the amazing and wonderful Sissi.