Saturday 1st September, 2012 1430
Contracts-wise today I commence year three and I must say the last two years have rocketed by. A multitude of experiences yet the time seems to have been jet propelled. When I think of the jobs I have done in the past which made hours stretch to eternity it causes me regret.
As indeed does my blessed neck. I think I may have to dig out the pillows I put away for being too big and hard. Really what I need is a bolster, I had one in the UK and I slept fine with head down but neck supported so I may see if I can get one from Taobao.
I had a call a while ago from Lynda. She was visiting campus today (she lives in the town) and had been given thirty text books which she needed to get to her dormitory. Even though she doesn’t sleep there she stores such things in it. Could she borrow my bike? I didn’t refuse, not least of all because in 33C walking several times a fair way with heavy books it would have been cruel. Anyway, she took one of my pups to live with her grandparents in the country.
I haven’t been out yet, in fact I won’t bother until about half past four. I can buy the few bits I need on campus and stow them on the bike, then Joanna is meeting me an hour later to go to dinner, I decided on the new BBQ place as not only is it their turn but it is cheaper than that new traditional place. I think it will be a tad more crowded today here, while tomorrow any thoughts of shopping on campus would be idiotic. Thousands of students will fill the supermarket to bursting as they buy toilet rolls, toothpaste, soap etc. If they don’t snaffle all the cold beers from my café I won’t have a problem though, I just help myself from the fridge and pay for however many I have had at the end. I may not be their best food customer but it is probable I spend more there than anyone else!
2300
Well the last thing I expected when I left home to buy a bottle of plonk and grab a beer whilst waiting for Joanna was high drama. For a race which places great stock in loss of face the Chinese are rather prone to exceptionally public and extremely loud arguments.
A male and a female, the former I would guess a septuagenarian, the latter in her sixties, were having the most violent row. What was it over? Rubbish!!
Yes, that’s right - garbage. My uninformed opinion is that there are two kinds of refuse collector on campus, one employed and issued with a handcart, the other the opportunist scratching a living. The first clearly supplements the income by selling cans, plastic and cardboard, the second simply sells said items in order to get some money. The old boy is the “official” dustman, the woman the interloper. Both I have seen many times and exchanged pleasantries with. However, when I arrived the row was in full swing and at maximum volume - dozens of students and shopkeepers watching and the pair tussling over the woman’s rubbish bag. Highly entertaining admittedly but it was tempting to go and try to resolve the dispute by giving the old man the bag and the woman 5y (50p) which was at least thrice what she could have sold the contents for. Why didn’t I? Not because of the money but because not only may they not have thanked me for it but it was a very Chinese thing. Also I may have looked stupid and anyway there were plenty of others watching who knew what the hell was going on. In fact one codger who simply HAD to be in his eighties DID separate them and proceed to take half the contents of the bag out for the fellow to have - most equitable I felt. I understand the man’s beef because it is his “patch” and his perks but equally I felt for the woman because she has no job and needs to live. I would like to say that was an end to it, but both parted only to resume a few minutes later. The silly thing is, the man knocks off at sixish and when I came back tonight the woman scavenged the bins with impunity. Perhaps it would be better if she confined herself to the evening shift.
Anyway, Joanna arrived and we set off for town on the bike. I’m not sure she was impressed by my shortcut but it does cut out a kilometre even if it is a bit bumpy. Before we left I relented and gave her the choice of the BBQ or the traditional place but she opted for the original plan. When we exited the lift all three restaurants were doing a roaring trade and annoyingly Bunny wasn’t working at the prawn place - I had my camera and wanted a photo. Another time then. Once again I found myself eating little but watching my companion, without an ounce of fat on her frame, tucking it away like a trencherman. It is all you can eat (not that it made a difference to me) so I was pleased she liked it. In fact she stated she loved the place. Unusually for China, we stayed just over two hours before heading back by which time it was dark.
Both ways she endured my rants about Chinese drivers, but then she probably agreed seeing as outbound as we went to turn left from the lake onto the main road a car turned left into our road on our side, causing me to have to perform an emergency stop to avoid us both being smacked to kingdom come. He stopped too - no choice unless he wanted to commit murder with other drivers as witnesses - and if I thought he would still be there after I put the bike on its stand I would have dismounted and done something most ungentlemanly. I did however treat Joanna to an unexpected English lesson on the correct and best use of a certain F word simply because I couldn’t stop myself.
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