April Fool’s. 2017                                  1840

Way past the deadline of noon for any spoofs.

Do you know, all the time I have been here, whenever I have had to catch the early morning school bus there has been a  large group of teachers who get on a much bigger bus. In fact my first morning of teaching here I almost got on it in error but luckily spotted the number plate didn’t end in a 5

Well yesterday morning I was talking to a slightly built chap who always turns up with a teachers bag and speaks a little English to boot. When I asked which university they taught at (they are all reasonably well dressed) he looked highly confused. It turns out they all work at an electrical motor manufacturing plant! That would have been VERY interesting had I actually taken their bus that first day!

Having had no confirmation or denial from Janet up until yesterday afternoon I asked my final class of the day if they had classes today to make up for having next Monday off. They did. That meant another full day of classes hot on the heels of Friday. I can’t say I was pleased because getting home at 1830 and needing to go to bed by nine hardly gives much time to cook a dinner and relax a bit. In the event I crashed at ten and when I turned my phone on this morning, Janet had sent me a message at 2230 last night warning me of the Saturday working. Had I been a newcomer to China I would never have known about catch up days and if I was less than conscientious I could have avoided finding out myself and simply slept until I woke up, which is the routine on Saturday.

Personally I see no point in making up the lessons. The students don’t want to be there and of course my classes are not part of their degree so they have little inclination to attend at the best of times. Needless to say about a third had either “caught a cold” or in some cases were honest with me and simply said they wanted to go home for the holiday early. I sat through three screenings of Evan Almighty.

Well there’s no point having a proper lesson with loads missing, is there??

Needless to say I feel somewhat lethargic now although I did get a spare key cut on the way home. Bloody expensive at 40y but it is a relatively complex pattern. Whilst at the little kiosk getting it done I leant over the railings looking down at the steps to the basement market when what sounded like an alarm on a kid’s toy police car or fire engine sounded. This was immediately followed by a mass exodus of shoppers so as far as I could make out they had a fire alarm down there.

After the jing jo shop I spotted a roadside trolley manned by a woman flogging Qing Ming accoutrements. I took the opportunity of buying some spirit money to burn on Tuesday and no sooner had I paid than the police turned up and busted her, presumably for trading without a licence. Still, I have 10,000y in spirit money to send to the heavens.

I have no energy to cook properly or go out for dinner so tonight it will be cheese and home made ham quesadillas. Nice and easy!