Saturday 14th May, 2016                     0215

Yes Wednesday was certainly one hell of a day. One that left me with an unwanted legacy.

On Tuesday all I had eaten was one slice of vegetarian pizza. No malevolence there. Yet at the graduation dinner I consumed two chunks of cucumber and a chopstick full of cabbage. Nothing untoward there either. I did though have one king prawn and a small mouthful of fish that I did mention blew my head off.

Thursday morning I awoke late and felt a bit iffy. By the time I got to my classes my stomach was painful, so much so that I envisaged having to depart in haste at some point to go home to the refuge of my western toilet. There is no way in the world I could ever use the squat ones without being either covered in excrement or having to roll around in other peoples’ crap. If they installed straining bars I would at least have a chance…

I got through it and even managed to go to the office, albeit gradually feeling worse by the quarter hour but I thought I would perk up.. By the time I got home I was really dreading the evening. I had promised Alice I would make her omelette and chips and to finish off a film we had been watching. I got as far as peeling and chopping enough chips for her (there was no way I was going to be able to eat anything) and then I just gave up. I sent her a message apologising and asking if we could cancel. She got it just as she got to my door.

She was very understanding and it has to be said very concerned to hear me when she was washing my dishes. I was next door leaning over the toilet emulating a bull elephant in musk. God I felt awful.

Not a thing passed my lips that day and all I wanted was to sleep but I couldn’t because later both intake and exhaust were expelling my innards - and they are surprised that I cook western food for myself when I know it has been cooked properly!

When I did finally get to kip it was fitful both because I had to get up regularly to visit the loo and also because I must have had a temperature. You know when your temperature is up you get nightmares? I must have had thirty of them. I stayed put until almost midday yesterday and when I got up I had to text the people running the English Corner to warn them that it was a distinct possibility I may not be able to come and even if I did I might need to scarper in a hurry.

I hate letting the students down and have been to every one of their functions this year. I am the only one to do so and yet I have been sacked for being old. The panic that ensued via messages from the organisers was unprecedented. If I didn’t go they wouldn’t even have any teacher at all there, Chinese or foreign. Marvellous, and the class in question wasn’t even mine, it was Richard’s. As I said, I hate to let them down but I felt weak and generally uurrgghh so I said if I could, I would make it but if I had to leave urgently they had to understand. I went back to bed.

Luckily after a huge evacuation prior to leaving, I actually managed to stay the course even though I felt dreadful. Once again duty prevailed over adverse circumstances. Of course it was straight in the loo when I got back!

I could have made myself a plate of chips to at least eat something but I couldn’t face it. Thankfully I found some cornflakes and had a bowl of them later on. They are currently gurgling away below but hopefully another night’s sleep will see me at least able to go to  town to shop. Whether or not to make jacket potatoes with chilli con carne for dinner is a sage move remains to be seen.

In the meantime I seriously need to go for that medical although I am trying to get permission to have it done here rather than Anqing. At least that way I don’t need to fast for so long and I can get Joan or another to come and walk me through it.

I wish for once my life wasn’t quite as “varied”!!!