Friday 15th July, 2016                 1630

Yesterday was again raining but I went to town shopping, with a view to stocking up on medicine since my temporary medical/social insurance card was about to expire. It’s a pain (although free) to renew because it involves getting off the bus, walking a while to a building, doing it and then getting the same bus route to the shops afterwards.

Without purchasing two years supply I had no hope of exhausting the balance so I decided to wait and see where I end up. If it’s somewhere close enough to here for me to return during holidays to visit Joan then no matter, I can simply renew it (only lasts 3 months) and replenish my stocks. However, this being a large pharmacy, I wasn’t prepared for them to say “mayo” when I asked for allopurinol (common preventative medicine for gout). I know plenty of Chinese people suffer from it so I was as stunned as when the same happened a few months back when they had nothing for diabetes either.

Mind you, RT Mart hasn’t had any chicken breasts or breaded fish fillets for two days now either!

Miss Yin seems to be completely divorced from me now, not that we had that good a relationship in the first place. I needed a letter from her to support my application to the PSB (Bonnie) for my extension - a simple matter I assume of something signed by her and with the official stamp saying she was aware. Quite what it has to to do with the school since as of the 30th I am nothing to do with them is beyond me. Anthony was no help, suggesting I texted her as she can read English but not speak it. How does that work?

No reply after two days so now Anthony will be receiving an English version of what I think is required, which he can translate and get Yin to sign and stamp. I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies in that everything has been paid to me bar this month’s salary which is late but according to the website they are implementing new procedures and they have announced a delay for everyone. I just hope they remember me when they get around to it.

Today Joan and I went to get the other document Bonnie needs to issue my stay of execution, a residence form from my local police station where I have been registered for the last six years. We took the bike because I have no idea which bus goes there.

We found it eventually and of course not a soul spoke English, hence Joan was there. Now bless her cotton socks but Joan is not only Chinese (respect and blind obedience having been drummed into her from day one) but she is also very young and I of course don’t expect her to have the confidence to challenge “authority” (although she does with me and with regularity! But then I do encourage that in my students) .

So we ended up with no form, outside and with Joan telling me we had to go to another police station. Which one, I asked? I don’t know for sure but you need to take the number 7 bus and I can ask. Hold on, sounds suspiciously like the PSB and Bonnie, who told me to go to Maya - where we were!

Ok, back inside to tell them THEY sent us there in the first place. I don’t know whether there are too many regulations, they don’t deal much with foreigners or what but of the dozen or so officers (a dozen police in a village??) there I don’t think their collective knowledge extended to being able to pass the Gaokao (college entrance exam) between them. Andrei and Juliette did warn me after their encounter shortly before they left for Paris.

I decided it was time to call Bonnie, she would sort it out for me. Except her phone just rang and rang until I got the “no answer” time and again. Joan in fairness was getting pissed off, whether with the police or me at first I wasn’t sure - after all she never asked for all this aggravation. At one point she protested that I was getting angry with her but I wasn’t, I was fuming at the police who were absolute bloody idiots but I needed her to know I was reasonably sure of my ground and that I was where I should be for the paperwork.

Just when I had given up on Bonnie she returned my calls, she had been on another phone. Hallelujah! Hand the phone to Blofeld and suddenly things started happening! Twenty minutes later we left with the form I needed. I wanted to ask for a note stating no criminal convictions during my stay (CRB checks now becoming the norm here) but after that hassle I decided I would try and get one from Bonnie when the time came.

We rode back to school to get the bus to town, could have used the bike but this close to the end I really don’t want to chance it and of course I have to think of Joan. Anyway the buses always have seats now the students have gone.

Ke Bi Wang for lunch where even I ate something and Joan as always ate like a trencherman - she had earnt it and without her I would have gotten nowhere.

I am going to attempt chicken curry this evening (SHE can work the rice cooker!) and I hope it is better than my last effort - I have never used curry powder before and prefer to use the individual spices but they are not readily available here. I have some frozen paratha and will try them. Tomorrow I wanted to introduce Joan to fish and chips with bread and butter and salt and vinegar, hence my little rant at the start about the breaded fish. I did however get two cod fillets (at a cost) which I will bake. She has never had malt vinegar and knows not how our vinegar differs from Chinese versions, which are more suited for dipping your dumplings into.

And so the waiting game continues. We will both stay at Dong Rong Resort hotel for two nights, she is leaving in the small hours of the 3rd and I have booked a further week at another hotel in town. A “boutique” room (whatever that is) at a terrific price, costing me just 830y for 7 nights. If I don’t know my future by then I am in trouble.