Wednesday 5th July, 2017                                           2040

I didn’t expect to be posting again quite so soon.

Today was the day I went to sign up for another contract to secure my employment until the end of next July.

No problems with the contract now Brenda has tidied it up (Mr Wei is still whereabouts unknown) and so I signed. There is still the problem of the school requiring boarding passes as well as receipts for flights though. I have made it quite plain that I expect to be reimbursed on production of an e-receipt though, either before end of contract or at end of next academic year. It may or may not be a fight I have to fight in the future.

In the meantime the battle over the 3,500y continues. Brenda showed me the submission they had made to Finance and which even at this point they have not countersigned. I sense strife ahead and have told her as much. I now need that cash because I have had to book flights for summer far earlier than intended but more on that later.

So we did the contract and then addressed the new residence/ID permit mullarkey. Of course with it being me, I never slotted into any of the categories on offer. No degree, ergo no major. What a fiasco. We put a load of old tosh in, including the dates I studied for my highest academic qualification. This was when I went out to have a smoke. The government system does not allow you to input dates manually!

Not with me? You have to click back through all the months to get where you need to. Not so bad if someone started studying for their BA in David Beckham (yes there is one) six years ago but poor old Brenda had to go back to 1973 for my start date and again to 1978 for my finish date! I’m not even sure I won’t be kicked out of China now!

After spending an extremely boring hour in Brenda’s office I decided to go for a chicken curry at I Koka. I took a taxi. He couldn’t understand Homwo (bloody huge black and white store on a crossroads) or Pizza Hut. So I used body language to indicate there was a charging bull statue there.

As the meter started to exceed 10y he phoned a friend who “spoke English”. I wish he hadn’t because the guy hadn’t a clue. Sure, he took me to a bull but it was the gold one the bus from the airport dropped us at. No, my bull is black, I said, tapping his dashboard. Two stops on the BRT from Peili Guanchan! I said. Ah!

Then we emerged from a side road and there was Homwo. Look! Homwo! Stop! No, he gestured that he needed to turn. Ok fine, just do a u-turn. But he didn’t. when he missed the final chance to do so before the turning for home I was almost ready to give up and go for noodles but I was so angry I shouted at him. “Peili Guanchan!” he indicated left. NO! I don’t want Peili, I want Homwo! Back there!

Bloody hell, a less than 10y journey cost me 20y. But I had my curry. It’s been a while since I went there. Since my last visit they have turned into a no-smoking establishment. Is nowhere sacred?

 Anyway, back to flights.

Overnight the prices for first class from here to Hefei plummeted. I booked myself in. expensive few glasses of wine admittedly but as I have no chance of taking anything on board, worth it. I then booked flights for Alice and me to Shenyang, more than I had bargained for but as the preferred flight was showing a mere three tickets left and I needed two of them, I had to do so. Still to book are my tickets to Shanghai after Shenyang and the final leg from Hefei home although the dates may change for that if I decide to tarry in Hefei. I may have enough IHG points to stay at Holiday Inn for nothing.