Well it’s all go here. The huge government inspection is tomorrow through until Wednesday so suddenly the administration has gone into the mode it should be in all the time but isn’t. However, that isn’t to say that it is being applied to every aspect of university life, just the bits that matter for the inspection!
I have been told not to ride my e-bike too fast (as if!) and to ensure when at class it is parked in a marked bay. I normally hide it in the basement and I can’t see the inspectors going there but what the hell. All teachers are expected to dress formally, preferably in a suit. That presented me with a bit of a problem as I only have one suit and the trousers are too small around the waist. I have settled on the following ensemble tomorrow: the black trousers from my dinner dress with the dark navy suit jacket, blue shirt, rugby world cup tie and my MN medal. The latter is simply because they won’t know what it is and will assume I am some sort of war hero and also because I don’t want to leave holes in the jacket.
We will apparently be pre-warned if our class will be observed and will be informed by 2200 the night before. As I only have a class tomorrow morning and then nothing until Thursday, in theory at ten o’clock tonight if nothing has been said I am home free.
Last night I took four of my wives plus Anna to the Sichuan restaurant. I also had another student, Nancy, who was the second mistake I have made because I have three Nancys! As it happened the one I wanted to come was unable anyway as she was going to be busy with the student union. Having booked the best table in the house for the Mongolian show, and armed with camera this time, I was looking forward to giving the girls a night to remember. I wasn’t looking forward to the food though, because on Friday I never ate a thing all day and so yesterday morning in town I ate two McBreakfasts and I was still full to the gunwales by evening.
As the appointed time came and passed for the show to start I became a little concerned and paid a visit to the loo in the hope of seeing the performers outside their changing room. As time wore on it became apparent there would be no show. Disappointed would be too mild a word to use for how I felt and when I got the girls to ask why there was no show, we were told they were no good so they had been dispensed with. I liked the show! The girls seemed to enjoy the food although a couple commented that it was expensive. At 288y for seven people I don’t consider that outrageous, especially as I was given 40y in discount vouchers for the next time. I can’t go there unaccompanied now though because since last week they have changed the menu. The last one was a book in Chinese and English with photos. The new one is a plastic card with just Chinese and no photos. It would have been nice if they had kept one copy of the old one for the foreigners so at least we could try to order but then, this is China.
When we left it was raining and only one of our number had taken a brolly. I had no intention of taking a bus back anyway and every intention of paying for two taxis but of course when it rains all the taxis are occupied. We did however get two within seconds of each other eventually and returned in a small convoy. I knew I could get one cab through security but two had never been tried before. In order to ensure success I had raided the complimentary mandarins in the restaurant to give the guard but needn’t have bothered in the end. He tried to refuse them but I insisted seeing as he was happy to let both through. At least the girls and I got dropped off outside our homes.
I was going to go downtown today shopping as all I have in the freezer for the furry ones is a chicken and I wanted to get the stuff for Wednesday evening. In the morning I had shopped but got my cigars and just a couple of bits, not wanting to laden myself too much on the bus. However, Kevin is out of ink for his printer and I was told I had to take printouts of some paperwork with me to class. Neither Ollivier nor I have a printer so it meant putting the stuff on a memory stick and getting them done at the library. I had thought I would also have to iron a shirt but my luck was in, the one I wanted was already done from last year! We are all being expected to jump through hoops for this inspection but I am stepping carefully through them instead. My days of “jump” and asking “how high?” are long gone. It will be just my luck to be inspected in the only class I have during the three day headless chicken event though. I can shop tomorrow afternoon or Tuesday anyway and the beasts can have two packets of Chinese “chorizo“ sausages, it will save me cooking.
I have also taken delivery of thirteen assorted Aussie pies and some sea salt (for curing ham) which cost me just over 500y but should last me a couple of months. In the picture I took last night in which all the girls appear they are from left to right Caroline, Dumpling, Nancy, Joan, Anna and Rita.
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