Wednesday 11th October, 2017                              1830

I never had the inclination to prepare a packed lunch for school today. The garlic bread had turned out rock hard (because the baguette was overcooked in the first place) and to be honest when previously I have made lunch the night before, the following day it has been tough and chewy. Oh for some Tesco Value sliced white! I could murder a salmon and cucumber sandwich…..

I decided instead I would simply not eat until this evening - nothing unusual, I do it most days.

So when lunchtime came around I went to my afternoon classroom. There were half a dozen students still in there and they stayed for half an hour catching up on homework - we’ve ALL done THAT!

When they were leaving, a couple of them asked me (one was Jessica the monitor) if I had eaten my lunch. I answered in the negative and explained that scaling seven floors twice in a day was beyond me so I had my crosswords, a bottle of sea salt and lemon drink and would camp out. When they voiced concern I told them my habit of eating dinner only and added the rider that even if I was starving I would not go down and back up again and for them not to worry about me.

I have seen the Peili students just the once before a fortnight ago so neither side “knows” the other. Imagine my feelings an hour later whilst I was sitting there at a desk pondering over 27 across when the two who had enquired returned.

The wind was completely knocked out of my foresail and I have to say I was extremely moved. They had only gone and ordered an online fast food delivery of chicken burger, spicy chicken wings and French fries! Then taken delivery, scaled 7 floors to bring it and then returned to Ground Zero to take a nap in their dormitory before once again making an assault on Everest!

I had met them once. They did all that unbidden.

In the nicest possible way (oh, and they wouldn’t countenance payment) I ensured they knew that I was immensely impressed, grateful and touched by their gesture but equally please don’t do it again, I cannot handle the feeling of guilt. They don’t know it yet but they just earnt their class a batch of bread pudding, probably next week.

Just when I thought I had experienced every act of kindness Chinese students can come out with, I got my heartstrings snapped.

And another unheard of thing happened today too. I have three classes. The first is all girls, there’s one boy in the second and two in the third. The usual make-up for English majors and the norm is for the boys to sit at the back and never do a bloody thing.

With them not yet having the book, today I had to ask for volunteers to come to the front of the class to read my copy and the dialogues - role play. I was surprised enough when the solo boy in Class 2 put his hand up but I was absolutely flabbergasted when the two lads in Class 3 volunteered!!!! Never in 7 years has that happened, with the notable exception of the lovely Norman who tried so hard not to always be bottom of the class - and long-term readers may recall that in his last term I gave him all his accrued credit for the sheer effort and willingness and he came slap bang in the middle. Those three boys don’t know it but they just did me an enormous favour.

From now on it will be plain sailing to get the girls to put their hands up - you can probably imagine me saying “Well the boys are obviously better etc……”

A tiring day but one on which I realised I have good classes on Peili (and the computers work!) and my only gripe has to be that there is no lift to the 7th floor.    

Talking of computers, on arriving home I spent over an hour rebooting, restoring and trying everything to get mine to connect to the wifi. I was a click of the fingers away from rushing out and buying the first one I could find. Crazy I know but it is my only link to news and the outside world. Even in pre-internet times there was always the TV but not for me here. Can’t even buy an English speaking newspaper.

My notion of delaying the purchase of a new model until summer is rapidly fading. I may go hunting tomorrow or at the weekend. But a new one I need along with an external hard drive so I don’t lose everything if this one decides to die completely.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water eh?