Friday 8^th December, 2017 2340

Yup, it's late.

Did I expect to be awake at this time? No.

Having gone to English corner on Peili campus last night (and incidentally explaining to them that I was only a guest teacher on their campus plus the fact I hate English corners, theirs is now on the 7^th floor and the following day I need to rise at 0500 just maybe they now have the message). But yes I went because they had specifically asked me to go and Annie was elsewhere with the Peace Corps.

I am an east campus teacher drafted in for extra work to fill a gap on Peili campus because a Peace Corps volunteer decamped. If I was a Peili teacher I am sure my workload would be spread, particularly in light of my age.

As it is, all this term I have had three solid days of teaching. No days where I start early and finish at noon or start at 1430 and finish and 1620. Sounds a doddle doesn't it?

Well unless you have taught you have no idea. An hour and a half teaching is equivalent to 6 hours in an office or on a factory floor. Take my word for it, I have done all those things. It seems even longer when you are late to bed because of what I consider pointless student activities.

If they are fun then that's different but Peili simply go through the motions. People turn up, they are given topics and everyone is supposed to discuss them. Mind-numbing.

So then today I had a full day on east campus and then another corner and I was tired before I even started my day. All I wanted was to go home. But I had agreed to attend their corner and unless I am seriously incapacitated I keep my word.

And I did.

A boy from my class on Peili was guest MC, not an expert but at least he had some games for them to play – these are not English majors. Ok, one of the games was my Rolf Harris “Can you tell what it is yet?” job which was well received and at the end I was presented with a pair of slippers as a gift! I never wear slippers but as it is winter I may well do so with these.

Janet is the form teacher for the class. She now has ideas of making it fortnightly but she believes she needs to go to the leadership to get a budget for prizes and so forth and also, more importantly, to pay me extra. I won't refuse east campus, they have shown me nothing but kindness and if a little additional lucre is on offer then count me in!

Janet did show her colours though when she asserted that I was THEIR teacher and not Peili's! Campus rivalry obviously exists and yes, it is bloody hard teaching students with little English, even so I do prefer my little campus. Janet has really got the hump that Peili have nicked me for 40% of my workload.

When we finished at school she took me to her friend's place. I thought it was to be a restaurant but it was his apartment. Fine, I had eaten lunch so wasn't hungry (good job, he had prepared food perfectly acceptable to Chinese but not to my taste) but he did lay on red wine, French wine from Montrechet which he bought five years ago for eighty pounds a bottle! It was nice admittedly but not 40 times as good as the stuff I buy from BHG.

He and his childhood friend (his wife works in Shanghai as a doctor), they are both doctors of traditional Chinese medicine, sat and quaffed his home-made spirits. I sniffed them and declined in favour of beer and wine.

It was very definitely a two-sided evening because Janet is not the best translator I have known, in fact she struggles to understand me let alone translate. We understood each other nonetheless and I have a promise of another encounter playing Do Dizhou, a Chinese card game I love to play. I am an average player so normally hold my own but the two men bragged they could take my pay packet off me. With luck I shall put that to the test – just because our host won 1,000y at mahjong does not mean he can do likewise at Do Dizhou.

And so yes, I am utterly spent right now but it is now Saturday. I have been paid and I have nothing to do today unless I fancy going and clearing out the big China Tobacco store of all my cigars and hope they will replenish before I need more.

I am going to rest as much as I can because on Monday I start exams on the east campus students. That is going to be difficult. I already have four candidates who will undoubtedly fail because they speak no English at all. Ok, I have made it known to the school they should never have been put in the class in the first place and they must fail (how can you pass a language candidate who can't speak the language) but it will hurt because bugger me, they come to every class! Sure, they read other coursebooks in my class and I have told them they can stay home but still they come!

I can't pass them and I will feel like a shit for failing them. I have never, ever seen students who don't understand a word I say, whose results in my tests mean nothing in respect of their degree, come to every class.

They will not get grief from the Dean. I will ensure that. Fail them I will but I will make suitable comment.

Janet commented when two students came with a query that I was improving their English so much it put her to shame. Yes, the odd few students who come have improved. The majority just sit and say nothing. They will be found out starting Monday.