Saturday 16^th May, 2020 2100

There are times in life when you just feel like giving up and today is one of them.

Having cleared all my work yesterday I decided a double cheeseburger from Burger King was on the cards, followed by a quick trip to Metro to restock on cheddar.

After the “free” chicken nuggets the past couple of times, this time I did my best to prevent being given them or indeed paying for them. Pointing at pictures and saying in Chinese yes and no seemed beyond the comprehension of the server and so she called a manager who spoke English. It took a little while and not a small amount of patience to get over the fact that even if they were free I didn't want them and as nobody would take them from me they would just go in the bin. She understood.

Sadly the message never got through to the burger flippers because I still got nuggets. I wouldn't mind so much if they were nice but they taste awful. I love BK but McD's nuggets are actually much better. They went in the bin.

In Metro I tried to buy strawberry turnovers for Jody. There were two packs left, I inspected them and the writing looked the same as strawberry that I had pulled up on the computer before. I either had two strawberry or two apple. There was nobody there to practise my new Chinese word “how mei” either. You can guess what I bought.

I did have a bit of luck on the way home though, my taxi already had a customer. Normally I hate that because they charge everyone full price and I have to put my foot down to actually get taken all the way home but this chap was quite ethical – after dropping off the first lady he picked up another and we were all charged the basic 10¥ fee. I was taken home and paid 10¥ when normally it is 15¥ so well done that chap. If only he had spoken English I would have taken his phone number to use him for future airport runs.

And then whilst relaxing watching old episodes of “Millionaire”, at about eight, two classes of homework pinged into my inbox!!! and then another which I hope is a single student whose file failed to open. But I mean, late on Saturday night?

Well they had better change soon because I have officially been told my classes restart on 1^st June, presumably without the foreign students as the ban is still in place. That will give me one or two lessons with classes (some I am rostered to teach every other week) before I start exams.

Which will take some working out. We have Dragon Boat holiday in June so with some classes not being every week and possibly being on holiday when I need to test them, not only do I have to prepare the tests but make sure they are done (and marked and returned) in time. Rest assured I will ensure I finish bloody early, this term has been sodding hard work and I don't think they will get another western native speaker before the restart after summer so doubtless it will be piled on me.

But. Unlike many, I am not sitting wondering if I still have a job and being paid on a Government handout scheme (well I am paid by the government anyway) so I count my decision not to scarper when everyone else did as the pandemic hit as one of the absolute best decisions of my life. I'd have been stuffed if I had, same as Kevin and Nordine. Not so crazy after all eh?

Brenda has instructed me to wear a mask on the way to and from work on the bus (really?), entering campus, in the library and canteen (right, I go to those two places regularly! I don't even know where the library is and once in the canteen was quite enough) and in public places.

It is going to be very interesting to see if they expect me to wear a mask up at the front of the class. I may well get taken to task over that but to be honest after 10 minutes of wearing one it's like being waterboarded! I hate the bloody things!