Monday 14^th May, 2018 2010

I can't think of anything noteworthy that happened over the weekend besides the weather improving, in fact today it was 32C.

What with having to rustle up a halal meal due to inviting Jessica and Andy the cleaner coming at 1430 I had to get up sensibly (with an 0200 turn in that was 0945), sort myself out, go shopping, get back for the cleaner and then get cracking on dinner.

Before I even showered though, I received a call from Brenda. Lanzhou Foreign Affairs Bureau were organising a trip for selected “excellent” foreign teachers, am I free next Wednesday to Friday? Actually I teach each of those days and I said so, to which the reply was “can you reschedule classes?” I can do better than that, I can cancel them entirely but what for? I thought it might be a conference, seminar, contest or the like but apparently it is a jolly to Tianshui (Gansu's second largest city). Only for foreign teachers.

Being asked if I could reschedule, after 8 years here, really meant they wanted me to agree to be the sole representative of the university – they can only send one foreign teacher. Although far from convinced it will be my cup of tea (remember summer last year?) I agreed. I must be doing something right to be invited every time something like this comes up – there are other foreign teachers here after all.

I have had no reply from Delia on Peili yet (no surprise there, she checks her email about once a month) and after Janet on east campus asked if Mr Zhang knew about it and I responded by saying the invitation came via him, it was “Ok, remind me to tell the students next week”.

After that flurry of activity I was cutting things fine but still manged to produce king prawn and mushroom curry, rice, chapattis, apple crumble and custard. Alice hadn't told Jessica to be hungry and as a result she ate earlier in the cafeteria which was bloody annoying, especially as I had made everything halal in her honour. I wish these kids would realise the effort that goes in, my food is not ready-made, take out of the freezer and reheat or fry unlike a restaurant, it's made on the night and most times, as today, the ingredients are fresh on the day.

Anyway, nobody complained and three had seconds so it was presumably acceptable.

Just before I went shopping Annie emailed me, cock-a-hoop at having been told she doesn't have to go to the sports days. Neither do I but I do. However, having only this morning told Janet I wanted to bring Annie to the east campus opening ceremony, I was less than ecstatic. My diplomatic powers of persuasion were wheeled out along with copious ladlings of guilt and the reminder that I had promised a Japanese lunch complete with enormous cheesy prawn, prevailed. She will come, albeit late, to the main opening ceremony because workmen are coming at 0830 Wednesday to investigate her smelly toilet – or as I suspect, drain rather than toilet.