Well that was fun.
I posted the last entry and then finally moved my backside to go and do the shower routine. I had a sit down in the bathroom, put toothpaste on the brush and then pzzzzt - electricity gone. I knew I wasn’t running too many appliances for the breaker to trip but nonetheless went outside in my bathrobe to check. Nope, the entire university and surrounds had a blackout. Marvellous. At least it didn’t happen when I had a face full of soap so I am thankful for small mercies.
For a couple of days now Anna has been complaining of toothache. I have given her painkillers but before the power cut she came to me saying the pain was intolerable. My advice was obvious - go to the dentist or the hospital. No, she was too frightened and would go in her hometown after her exams. Great logic, be unable to sleep, have excruciating dental pain and you have a great recipe for academic success. She did however later go to the campus “doctor” (I swear they are street cleaners who don white lab coats) who flogged her some Ibuprofen and told her she had too many teeth and needed to have one taken out to relieve the pain.
Again I told her to go to the dentist and again she refused, despite my reiterating the scenario of constant pain and sleeplessness interfering with her exams. I told her she would get no sympathy from me if she ignored my advice - after all, what could I do besides grab a pair of pliers and dose her up with jing jo? I got her to ring the dentist I have used in the past and she was told they don’t do extractions in the afternoons! Presumably you are only allowed to get toothache in the mornings in China!
After five she finally admitted defeat so I went with her on the number 28 bus and walked half a mile to the number one people’s hospital, the site of my three week sojourn three and a half years ago. We found the dentistry section just before seven only for her to be told the process would take too long and they couldn’t do anything tonight. We struck out there so I got her to call my dentist again and this time they said they would have a look - better than nothing I suppose and so we got a taxi.
It was well after seven when we arrived and at the risk of embarrassing Anna, I have to say she behaved like a small child - absolutely terrified of the dentist. I had my medical card and was quite prepared to pay for whatever procedure she required if only to stem the floodgates. There was ultimately no treatment per se, just something applied to one or two of her teeth to ease the pain and a request to return for the actual treatment.
In the taxi on the way back the truth emerged. She has never been to a dentist in her life and the problem is not that she has too many teeth (as the “campus doctor” stated) but that she has eight - yes eight - cavities that need filling! I suppose the only good thing to come out of this episode is that I also really need some dental work, teeth have been breaking and crowns falling off and therefore the only thing that separates me from Anna is the fact that I don’t actually have toothache, the roots have been burnt out decades before. It has prompted me - that and the fact that I can use my medical card, meaning I won’t actually have to use any of my own cash -to start taking Anna or Joan to interpret when I go and get my mouth sorted and hopefully have some dentures made that I may actually be able to wear. I have never worn the ones I got on the NHS before coming here because they have metal clips on them and were damned uncomfortable. I want ones you just pop in your trap and they stay there, no superglue or Blu-Tak or anything. In fact I will probably go for at least one extraction of a canine that has snapped off at the root during this holiday.
She seems to be relatively pain free now and hopefully it will remain that way for her exams. On our return I showed her how to make a vegetable frittata, something she pronounced tasteless, which of course it is even by western standards but we perked it up with sweet chilli sauce. The problem is, this being China, whenever I teach her how to cook a dish she has to take a picture on her phone at every stage! I am sure our cooking exploits are on display all over Chinese social media sites.
I am off to bed now and will wake early in the hope the salary is in the bank in the morning so I can go for breakfast and buy more food. It is actually quite fun cooking for Anna and Joan - especially when I can get Anna to do all the chopping!
1500
The internet was restored just after nine when the IT department turned up for work. It was too much to expect anyone to come and fix it for the 15,000 inhabitants last night of course.
I left early hoping to have been paid so I could get some cash, go for breakfast and get some shopping. No such luck but at least now I know it is everyone who hasn’t been paid and not just the foreigners which is normally the case. Nothing for it but to rape my UK account, something I don’t like doing because I can’t put it back.
Whilst shopping I decided to replace my trainers. The old ones were getting a bit thin on the sole and I found a pair of fur-lined ones which will do fine for winter as long as they last. I decided dinner for Anna, Joan and I tonight would be simple baguette with luncheon meat, tomato and Branston but if Anna has time tomorrow I will show her how to make cottage pie.
Once back I went to the office and was stunned by the volume of telephone and internet orders being prepared for delivery to campus. At a guess there were seventy and naturally I assumed there was a fair amount of profit being made. At least that was until the wife came back with a huge box containing at least half of what had gone out with her. The hapless husband got both barrels for at least forty minutes. I know not what had happened but it could only have been that he made a monumental cock up (which I doubt) or some students decided it would be rather jolly to have food sent to dormitories that didn’t want it. Whatever the reason, whoever is responsible should have been present to witness the aftermath - I would guess at least two day’s profit was wiped out. If I venture back there tonight in the cold and blustery wind I may try and find a steel helmet for protection.
1900
Had a kip and decided not to go out tonight. It’s still cold and very windy so the extent of my travels tonight will be Pepsi’s walk later.
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