Sunday 5^th November, 2017 1400

Friday, it transpired, was to be one very long day indeed.

With my alarm set for 0500 I managed to get off to a great start by waking far too early at 0345. I was at least relieved to find the school bus had enough room left for me and my suitcase.

All day teaching, marred by the fact that despite being told the computer in my classroom had been replaced, it had changed nothing – I would have thought it would be elementary practice to actually check it before declaring it fit for purpose but not it seems, here.

The final class was curtailed early as Miss Xu was coming to collect me to take me to the university of arts and science ahead of the judges meeting. “Nearby” took on a different meaning because it took forty minutes to drive the distance, exacerbated a little by the newness of the enormous Nissan SUV we were in and, I suspect, the novelty of Miss Xu's driving licence – she still steered the way you are taught, no crossing over of hands!

I checked into the hotel (first time I have been in a Greentree Inn) and then off to the meeting. Said meeting got a tad heated when I asked if we could have the speeches numbered in appearance order so we could prepare and was told that in no way should our questions be readied in advance. For part two this was no problem – that's the section where they are all given different impromptu topics but section one the topic was the same for all.

Imagine trying to come up with meaningful questions for 40 homogenous speeches, most of which mentioned the Belt and Road initiative, on the hoof! Clearly that edict was going to be steadfastly ignored by both me and my compadre for the contest, Dariush. Despite his name suggesting he was a middle-easterner he was in fact from the windy city, Chicago. His lineage has elements of German and Iranian if I recall correctly and you will see from thee photo of him that he is rather infuriatingly handsome and young!

He is however an extremely affable and well-educated fellow and I took rather a liking to him despite a four-decade age difference. We shall certainly meet again socially – probably over one of my home cooked lasagnes (when my new cheese arrives).

As the numbering of the speeches was not possible until Saturday morning, it was plain that despite only having to question half of the contestants, we needed to prepare questions for all forty in order to cover all eventualities. After the meeting and a rather nice dinner in a decent restaurant, I retired to the hotel, opened a bottle of hong jo and spent the remaining time until midnight dreaming up my interrogations and endeavouring to keep them uniformly difficult.

I did offer Dariush the opportunity to share my wine while he worked but he declined, saying he was just going to go to bed early. I found out last night that he lied through his teeth because he went out clubbing until past 0400! He could easily just have told me that and I wouldn't have been offended. I prefer honesty to the Chinese way of being oblique in the mistaken belief it is less “cruel”. I did give him some good-natured stick over it!

Yesterday went as I had envisaged, very similar to the format adopted in the local school finals with the exception that Dariush and I had requested we should not pose questions to our own students in order to head off any possible suggestion of collusion beforehand. That part at least was flawless.

I thought my questions were all reasonable but nonetheless I inadvertently managed to skewer two girls, something which in the past would have haunted me but I now know is a hazard of the job, it washes off easily. Dariush of course was the clean-cut all-American Ivy Leaguer who could do no wrong.

Until that is, he crucified one girl who all but left the stage wailing and sobbing! I confess to a moment of schadenfreude and did rib him over it! But it's a speaking competition, they were competing to represent their province and needed to handle any question posed.

In addition to those duties, I had to make a summing-up speech at the close of part one, Dariush at the very end. Basically it is to fill in time while the results are being collated.

When we went for lunch I made the mistake of turning on my phone. BIG mistake. No sooner had I obtained a plate of fodder from the buffet than my screen said “Where are you? Contact me immediately – emergency!”

What bloody emergency?

I didn't realise until later the sender was the Foreign Affairs director but when I called he told me I must go home immediately, the flat above mine had suffered a burst pipe and water would have destroyed my bathroom. Well I am sorry but I was at least an hour away, by now it was destroyed and any further water would go down the drain anyway – whatever damage was already done.

I refused. Probably not the best response to the person who ultimately makes the decision when it comes to contract renewal time but I believed continuing with the contest and representing my institution was more important than a few ceiling panels which were probably already done for. I did however tell him where to access my spare key to go and let the repair people in himself. Now I need another hiding place! This incident was of course completely in keeping with my chaotic life. In fact there was no damage, I have some panelling missing but that was removed by the plumber so the “panic” was entirely unnecessary.

Damned odd though that he reacted instantly to this problem yet has studiously ignored for a week my email concerning the air fare I still await reimbursement for!

The post-contest dinner (we never finished prize-giving until 2000) took place and I was approached by a girl from Lanzhou university, a 2^nd prize winner who I felt deserved better, and asked if she could come with me. I was told by an organiser it was for judges only, so no she could not come. We went anyway and the chairman of the judging panel insisted she join the gathering. Adriana was then officially my translator.

After dinner we went to a bar, Dariush, Adriana and me. Dariush was joined by Stephanie (they are both Peace Corps) and we stayed awhile. So much awhile that ultimately we were turfed out as they were closing! I was horrified when I got home to notice it was by then 0400 this morning!

Needless to say, I surfaced after noon feeling decidedly the worse for wear. Also slightly richer, having been rewarded financially and Dariush is probably highly delighted as to him it represents about three weeks of his monthly subsistence allowance from the PC.

A gruelling time to be sure but a memorable one for so many reasons!