Du Fu Cottage When You Need the City to Soften

Hey — a longer note on Du Fu Cottage When You Need the City to Soften, as if you were moving onto my street next month.

Don't optimize this like a spreadsheet in week one. Get a workable version first. Polish after you've seen your real overtime pattern.

My blunt tip: One small outing beats a frantic checklist.

Also: Skip the audio guide when your brain wants quiet.

Please don't keep falling into noon panda runs. I've watched that one burn weekends and goodwill.

When you're here, you'll notice a temple courtyard before tours. Let that be your reminder this is a living city, not a packing list.

If you only do three things

• Decide a default you can repeat tired
• Write the Chinese names / pins / chats somewhere searchable
• Revisit in thirty days — not every evening

When in doubt, choose the option closer to home. Travel friction compounds quietly.

Save screenshots and chat records for anything involving money, housing, or legal status. Boredom is a strategy.

If it only works when you're energetic and the weather is perfect, it doesn't work.

Write me (or anyone further along) after you've tried one real version. Adjustments are easier with scars than with theory.

— someone a few mistakes ahead