Saturday 12^th May, 2018 0015

No idea why I am bothering starting an entry at this time other than I have spent most of my evening hopping between internet locations to get my BBC shows downloaded. I swear sometimes it takes longer to do it than to watch them.

It was a bad day today all things considered. Didn't sleep much and my first class decided to play dumb. There's a clue in the title of Oral English Class and guess what? Teacher speaks 10% and students 90%. Well I would be ecstatic if I could get even 50/50 but in China that's pie in the sky.

I know I was originally hired by and indeed some weight has been lent to my continued employment here by the little campus but my enthusiasm is waning rapidly. If things do not change I am seriously considering asking to only teach English majors on Peili Campus, unless next term there is a class destined for Cyprus – at least they will have a vested interest in actually being part of the class.

Well anyway, once again I simply terminated the class, went to my office and left them to it, I am not going to sit in silence at the front of the class for 50 minutes again. The “we're Chinese” excuse lost currency an awful long time ago because I am not Chinese, I never get angry or take the Mickey out of wrong answers so there is absolutely no excuse for the “I don't want to make a mistake” card. It simply doesn't wash with me and hasn't done for some time now. They don't seem to mind making the mistake of watching a film on their phone under the desk and getting caught so basically the loss of face thing is utter bull dung. I shall see what happens next time I have them – I don't care, I will simply do what I did today and go for an early breakfast, except if it happens again I will have to inform the management. I'd rather not as that would suggest I can't handle the situation. I can but I would rather not have to be unpleasant, far better I make them feel guilty for being arseholes.

Anyway, just to round off my day, I went to the school bus at 1650 and waited. When it was supposed to leave at 1700 the driver was still sitting in the passenger seat watching a film on his mobile. The dean came out and said something to him, then went back inside the school. Not a word to me, mind. By 1715 I had had enough. This was shaping up to be a repeat of the time we actually left an hour late. To hell with that, I decamped and went to take the public buses. Being a Friday night even that took forever and I have no idea if I got home earlier or later than had I waited but what really annoys me is that I finish work at 1620 and have to wait 40 minutes for the school bus even when it leaves on time. I could have gone straight after class and easily been home an hour earlier or more but nobody ever warns the laowei. I am thinking now of just taking public transport on Fridays because I never know when the meetings are called, for 2\ at least I would be on the move.

And they will expect me to turn up to their sports meetings next week....