Long breaks between blogs are becoming a habit but purely because of late I have been finding it difficult to make time.
On Tuesday as I said, we had Joanna’s class graduation dinner. To my intense disappointment, early in the day the final class of my three that are leaving also invited me to their dinner. They had all been defending their theses throughout the day and it appeared Joanna’s class would start their bash later than the other so I really tried to arrange it so I could go to Vivian’s party, take some snaps and have a quick beer before heading on to Joanna’s. Sadly it was not to be, for when I collected Joanna at south gate, students from both dinners were either boarding buses or waiting for one, meaning they would take place simultaneously. I couldn’t be in two places at once so only attended Joanna’s.
Being a Wednesday’s child I am used to bad luck and the moment we set off on the bike it started spitting with rain. The cape I carry only shelters one but thankfully the rain stayed light and although I got a bit damp, due to my bulk Joanna was shielded from it.
I thought I had been to most places in town to eat lavish feasts but clearly not, for I never even knew this one existed. I asked Joanna how many teachers they had invited. The norm is that all the teachers sit on one table and the students elsewhere but I don’t like that arrangement and normally fly in the face of convention. I want to be with my students - they pay for it, they are the ones leaving and I can see the teachers every day at work. To my astonishment she told me they had only invited two, me and their form teacher. From memory, they have eight teachers in total so I felt touched and honoured indeed to have been invited.
The form teacher (Ivy) sat on “my” table - there were three in all - and at one point confided to me that she felt very sad. I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was. Because I never see the Chinese teachers displaying any emotion at these dos whilst I always choke down boulders in my throat (especially when all the girls start singing), I had thought perhaps they were immune. Plainly not all of them.
The food itself was the usual fare, consisting of about thirty dishes, most of which I didn’t like or were too fiery for consumption by a soft western palate. I am accustomed to that now. There was one dish however that intrigued me. It looked like a platter of chips or perhaps roast turnips. On enquiring I was told with a giggle it was “pigs skin”. It was their turn to be amazed when I immediately grasped one with my kwai-zer (chopsticks) and popped it into my mouth. I love crackling. It could have been good had they added salt but it was perfectly edible nonetheless.
Although I possess a small appetite I wasn’t eating enough to satisfy and I confess I had decided to pop to McDonald’s when it was over to get some “proper” food before riding home. However, very late on in the meal, a dish arrived which instantly piqued my interest. Joanna had, unbeknown to me, perused the menu, and mindful of my tastes, ordered it especially for me. The only thing missing from what was very nearly a perfect sweet and sour pork was pineapple. No McDonald’s for me that night after all!
Despite my terrible melancholy at the impending departure of the best of my first intake and all they had done to teach me to be a teacher, it was a very good evening. I shall always remember them all.
On Thursday Ollivier took me in his car shopping, which was a good opportunity to stock up on bottles of cheaper wine than I can buy on campus. I never have room on the bike after I have bought the food. We also went to McD for lunch when I sank to the lowest depths of the gourmand scale - I got a McDonald’s discount card! Friday was the normal heavy day with me vowing to get an early night because I was scheduled for 0830 with the kids downtown. Before my morning class here though I was asked to be present for Vivian’s class graduation photo, which made me slightly late for my class and saw me creased by the time I went to another building and scaled five floors. Downtown on Saturday I was due to finish at 1110 but when I got there the owner begged me to do another lesson at 1550. One of the Chinese teachers had quit. After much cajoling I caved in but because of Pepsi I had to ride all the way home, let her out, recharge the bike for a few hours and then go back again. Thankfully the forecast rain stayed away but when I finished at 1110 the owner hurried to me to beg me to do yet another class finishing at noon because Kerry (another teacher) had taken ill. This time I refused on the grounds it would be insufficient time for the bike to get enough juice for a second round trip.
I was shattered last night as a result but thankfully Ollivier had borrowed my pizza trays and together with two of his students knocked up half a dozen. I’m not quite certain of the toppings other than pineapple and black olives, it may have been tinned tuna as well. I was given one to cook at my leisure and although better than his first attempt it was still too wet and too cheesy. Ollivier reads this so I should hasten to add that he is our resident Michelin chef for desserts! I also think he never used yeast for his dough (possibly because I mentioned the first one was too thick) but all you have to do Ollie is roll it thinner! You will get there in time. It did though save me from cooking for myself and I struggled to finish a 9-incher, being stuffed to the gunwales when I did.
Before that my delivery from Jinkou arrived (it was only shipped out on Friday) and now my freezer is replete with steak & kidney pies, Cornish pasties, sausage rolls and beef burgers. Expensive treats but complete necessities for me.
Last night I cashed in some survey vouchers to buy an instant download of Master and Commander to show to my students over the coming fortnight. We have just two weeks left before we start examining. Remember I mentioned earlier I am a Wednesday’s child? The bloody thing won’t download because I don’t have a compatible device and even trying to just watch it on my laptop there is no sound! Kevin has been in Shanghai this weekend but I am praying he can do his Bob the Builder act on it. He has very kindly located Get Carter with English subtitles for me (gratis) but everything I try to do that has anything to do with computers always seems to go disastrously wrong!
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