Friday 30^th October, 2020 2200

Well, you know nothing ever goes right for me at the start. No change there on Thursday. Whacked the USB into the malevolent computer and it instantly wiped the MP4 files and installed eight viruses. Jody tried to get the IT man to come at noon but he was already home for lunch.

So I buggered around with it, formatting to eradicate the viruses and in the process everything else I had loaded on it and after an hour of despair I discovered something by accident.

Two things actually. Firstly that the tiny symbol I had set the switch to thinking it was a padlock is in fact a key. The other symbol which still looks like a cassette tape was where it should have been set. Secondly, it doesn't have antivirus (God preserve me from language differences) but has “write protect”. That part I found out when my laptop refused to load anything on it after I formatted.

Now it was making sense. A couple of sentences of English instructions on the pack would have been handy. After lunch my films were bomb-proof. I might buy another one!

I have to confess that Thursdays are killing me. Getting a taxi from the gate is too hit and miss and even the new walk (as it is dark by then) is knackering when you are carrying books and a laptop. Worse, even though I had every intention of doing my weekly shop this and past Fridays, I have ended up doing absolutely nothing. That means a weekend trip.

Yesterday I was standing outside building four smoking before class. I watched as students, male and female, ran up and down steps and hurdled low walls with consummate ease. I used to do that. Now those elements represent a terrifying obstacle course!

My sister sent me a message asking how things were here with Covid-19 seeing as the UK and Europe seem to be heading into lockdown again, not to mention financial ruin. What else could I reply but “What Covid?”

Talking of the virus, I have been diligent with my green health code. I have been turning on the smartphone for a minute each day to update it. Except today. Investigation suggests that the 19¥ a month cheap deal China Unicom gave me isn't true. I have never used the internet, made one short call to the Xining hotel when I left my other phone there and that's it. It should have lasted until next March. The paperwork looks as though it expired on Wednesday. So basically I need to pay 40¥ a month for nothing more than to keep a phone active in order to travel. My other phone gets used for texts and calls and costs me 100 yuan a year!

 

Wednesday 28^th October, 2020 2010

Not enjoying this timetable. It's ruined what few eating habits I had and I am always tired. You would think I would be overjoyed at only having one early wake up but the problem is, I simply can't sleep late even though I can with impunity.

I thought today was going to be the fourth time a taxi driver took me to the wrong gate and it almost was. She turned into the route that is now blocked off and, because I had a problem explaining it, a security guard did. A bloke would have just dropped me off and left me to walk unless I objected but being a woman she went and found the right way. My fare for the journey is normally14-15¥ and when we got there in the end the meter read 19¥. I was quite happy to pay the extra because of her dedication but she absolutely refused to take anything more than 15¥. It restored my faith in humanity somewhat, it's the sort of thing I'd do.

Jody brought me the new virus-busting USB as I finished class. No bleeding instructions though. I decided tonight I would have a Big Mac because there's a Ronald's near the campus that I just discovered. Jody told me it's one stop on the 18 bus. Well I don't know where the 18 stops so I walked all the way (a different way to avoid the waste ground now it's dark when I leave) to where I expect to get a taxi and saw a bus ahead. It turned out to be a 46. Thinking it couldn't be far to McDonald's I thought sod it, I'll walk.

In fact it's not, except for me. But I got there. I saw four 18 buses going the other way and just ONE going my way, right before I crossed the junction to get to McDonald's! I'm not sure I will make a habit of doing that. Filled a hole but that's as far as it went.

I got home and plugged in my new Covid Weapon to instal something to show my classes tomorrow, got the laptop to scan the USB first and guess what? It found four viruses on the antivirus weapon itself! What????

God only knows what will happen tomorrow. As back up I have something that is proofed against this stuff, a documentary about the founder Rewi Alley but if Ice Age gets obliterated then Mr IT will be summoned.

 

Friday 23^rd October, 2020 1400

I am not enjoying this winter. I hate it at the best of times but couple it with freezing cold, the communal heating not coming on until next month, Monday to Thursday my classes finishing at 1830, the closure of the road to the bus from campus and a detour now over waste land and the sparsity of taxis near the gate at that time of night and you may get an idea.

And getting home at 1930 is not exactly conducive to cooking a dinner. As for Thursdays, well, teaching all day leaves me drained on Friday too. I was going to BHG today but can't be bothered, instead I will buy the makings of bubble and squeak locally for my dinner tonight (and probably Sunday too!). I really enjoyed it last week with a couple of badly poached eggs and for some reason it is “scoffing” food – stuff I can actually fill up properly on. If I do a roast dinner half of it goes in the bin, maybe Jody is turning me into a vegetarian!

This week was crunch week regarding the school computers. I may have said that last week all the MP4 films on my USB had been wiped and 18 viruses showed up on a scan I ran on the laptop.

I was hell-bent on finding out the culprit, after all, I only use three PCs this term. 3102 and 3302 were blameless, which left 4104 on Thursday. Bingo. First class and every MP4 was reduced to 665kb and 8 viruses installed. Rendered useless.

I got Jody to contact IT and the chap came at noon. I am in that classroom all day (I take my own lunches and don't leave except for a smoke) and I showed him the problem. Thursday is the only day I need to take my laptop so I can while away the two and a half hour lunch break so I was able to show him the results of the virus scan.

Jody showed up later to translate, ergo I remonstrated to the effect the school should instal free antivirus software on the devices seeing as teachers and students alike use them at will and are clearly infecting them. Except me of course!

I can't do it myself, they are all set up to delete anything – except bloody viruses! - someone instals the moment they are switched off. The reason they don't put antivirus software on? Because it will make them run slowly! They already do! They use Windows 7 believe it or not.

So I asked what the solution to my problem was? Well this was a revelation not only to me but Jody as well. To sort it out I need to buy another USB (128Gb costs about 160¥) that has its own antivirus built-in! Jody is going to order me one online tonight and it should be with me before Wednesday. If it works I will be very happy.

It's once again silly season with student majors. I have lost I think four who changed majors, the two who stick out went to study politics (I can't think of anything more boring) and early learning ie kindergarten on east campus. I have however gained eight new students. So I am in credit.

I really don't understand how this all happens. I do know that whatever score they achieve in the Gaokao or college entrance exam dictates which universities they are eligible to apply for (and this one is very much in the middle of the bunch) but they are also initially told what major they have to study. Yet a few weeks in they are given the opportunity to switch. Why not just let them choose their own major in the first place?

 

Sunday 18^th October, 2020 1540

Third day of doing absolutely bugger all (including shopping) other than making a simplified bubble and squeak of spuds, cabbage and poached eggs last night – which as it happens was the most substantial and satisfying meal I have had for over a week. I am gearing up to bake a load of sausage rolls now and praying they will taste as good as the last lot I made which were absolutely fabulous. I will probably shop after school on Tuesday and again on Friday, just to keep ahead of the wine situation – six bottles in a box leaves a deficit of one a week!

Alice (from Baiyin, not Wuhu) called yesterday. She is coming for a flying visit on Saturday at lunchtime “so she can tell me what has happened”. I am not sure whether I am expecting good news or a tale of misfortune, time will tell. She will leave here in the evening to go and see Mum so I will probably treat her to dinner, maybe at Charlie's Burger. If I do then we will eat downstairs, those stairs with no bannister terrify me now and I think there's a public loo close by if I need to go.

Now, you remember Jody was going for a family get-together? She was going from lunchtime Friday and wasn't going to be back here until tonight. The Friday meeting which was sprung at the eleventh hour? She couldn't duck it because in true Chinese fashion, sixteen of her students needed to submit applications for scholarships and the deadline is tomorrow. So, she turned up unexpectedly after nine on Friday night.

Those in China will undoubtedly know what I am talking about when I refer to “left-over women” but for my readers elsewhere, please allow me to elaborate. I believe 27 is the age after which, if a girl remains unmarried, she becomes one of the tainted. Same thing happens to boys but not to such an extent. There is a whole industry now where those afflicted can actually hire a boyfriend or girlfriend over the spring festival gathering just to shut the families' traps up and I find that immensely sad.

So, back to Jody, and I hope she doesn't read this. She hadn't seen her family since spring festival (so nine months) and she thought her niece's birthday when the family were converging on Lanzhou was as good a time as any to have a reunion.

Jody is well into her thirties and by all accounts her parents married simply to please their families and then did nothing but bicker from thereon in. she does not wish the same life to befall her and I don't blame her. She is a strong-willed woman – she certainly wastes no time in scolding me on the odd occasion, justified or otherwise.

Imagine my surprise when she returned last night after less than a day, saying she had a terrible time with her family pressuring her to marry. Almost immediately she started sweeping the floor and when I asked if she was hungry (there was and still is bubble and squeak sitting in the fridge) I suddenly realised she was crying.

I did what blokes do and held her and then it all came out. They had turned all their 18” guns on her (and I don't think just the parents) about her being single. For her to cry came as a shock, she never does.

And do you know what? She told me she couldn't wait to get on a study abroad programme to do a PhD and she came back here because it was her home now and I was her family. She said I understood and was the only one. It broke my heart. I tried to lighten her mood by telling her to inform her parents we were marrying today and she would have a 64 year old fat foreigner as a husband to keep them quiet but that didn't work. If she gets on that foreign programme I have a suspicion she may just leave China without even informing her family, and quite right too.

Until then, I am her Grandpa. So far today she hasn't left her bed. Not sure she likes sausage rolls......

 

Friday 16^th October, 2020 1730

Guess what? The water outage on Tuesday never happened for me! Sure, Jody got up extra early to take a shower and fill our buckets for toilet flushes throughout the day but when I got up at 1130 the water was still on! I had a nice shower at 1230 and later went to campus.

Now on Tuesdays my first class is the only one of the week not on the ground floor, it's on the 2^nd floor (3^rd to Americans). Pain in the derriere as I can not only no longer make it in one go and have to rest but also the bannister is on the left. I need something to hold so I don't topple and here of course they drive on the right so unless I am quite early, which I wasn't this week (taxis were sparse) then I encounter a wall of students coming down. They probably think I'm an idiot or just plain rude.

Also my classroom is next to Dean Liu's (the bully and snitch) shared office so when I have my smoke at the window I cannot avoid seeing her when she comes out to go to her own class. I am not certain why but she has actually been quite civil to me this term. I suspect perhaps she has been instructed not to piss the only foreigner off in case I leave! Long may it continue.

It's damned cold here now. Gone are the jumpers and thin jacket, now it's pullover and down jacket. And just to really make life difficult the road to the buses has now been closed off and the route is now across wasteland. My balance is shot and it is uneven terrain, plus I reckon before a fortnight is out, by the time I finish class it will be dark. I bought a torch ready for this but thinking it would be for spotting the potholes in the proper road. Next week, if I don't want to invite another tumble and bruised ribs, I think I need to take the long route to the main gate which is open again. I suppose at least there I will get a taxi quicker. Taxis are now my primary means of transport. And I don't need a mask.

Yesterday Brenda called me in class. I explained I couldn't really talk and wouldn't be free until 1830 so she said she would call back later. I am always concerned about calls from “assistants” or the foreign affairs department, often they relate to a complaint someone has made.

However this time she wanted my help. Today she needed to bunk off and didn't want to ask for leave so could I provide a reason for her to leave school? Unfortunately I rather stupidly sat on my glasses and couldn't wear them so could she come and help me by translating for me to get them repaired? She seemed quite happy with the request!

Jody won't be here now until Sunday night. It's her niece's birthday and the family were gathering for an afternoon party. No problem for her as she had no classes after 1000. Until that is, a meeting was called for 1430. Some student giving a talk about how she got a scholarship. She also messaged Maggie with the news and her reply was “Whaaat??? Why????”

I suggested Jody took her medicine to school today, the stuff she was given for her neck, and at around 1100 her neck should take a turn for the worse and she needed to go to the hospital again. She thought that to be a wizard plan although I know not yet whether she did or not. I hope she did, this school calls pointless meetings all the time (well at least my departments do), which thankfully I am excluded from, not being one of the gang. I wouldn't go anyway even if they wanted me.

I have done nothing today other than launder all the towels and my now rather tired, ten year old Hilton bathrobe (yes Steve, it's still in use!). I will do my shop tomorrow but over the weekend I really must make either that cheese and onion pie or a load of sausage rolls (or both) for my school lunches. With getting home after seven on four nights a week my diet, which wasn't that great before, has now become very hit and miss and “snacky”. It's hard to even contemplate cooking at eight at night.

The funny thing is, even with taking taxis every day I am still spending less than before.

 

Monday 12^th October, 2020 2100

There's nothing quite like getting back from classes at 1930 and opening an email informing you that tomorrow from 0630 to 2330 there will be no water. Fine if my classes tomorrow started at 0800 because I would be getting up at 0530 anyway but no, mine are 1430-1830. I am not getting up, taking a shower and going back to bed – purely because I wouldn't sleep again anyway. I honestly thought I had left these water cuts behind in Chizhou but no. Power cuts, mostly yes I admit but even so it is a pain in the whatnot. And this is a capital city.

So Saturday was Thursday with the catch-ups and damned hard going too. Still had the belly problems and for quite some time now I have felt tired all the time.

Yesterday the stomach eased somewhat but the lethargy persists. I had plans to either make a roast dinner (a proper dinner would be a real bonus right now!) or perhaps try a cheese and onion pie, one that I could freeze and use slices for my lunches on campus. I did neither. I was just too fatigued. Eventually I boiled up some tortellini I brought back from Shanghai. One day I will make my own ravioli and I just know it will be better than that packet stuff. Mind you, a tin of Heinz ravioli in tomato sauce from the UK would have gone down a treat.

So today I awoke early, far too early, four hours before I needed to. Couldn't nod off again. My rib pain from the hotel whoopsy is decreasing but hasn't entirely disappeared either. Got up and hallelujah, had a good “clear out”which improved my well-being. Didn't stop me being knackered though.

Before I left for class Jody texted to tell me she was in the hospital. Obviously I asked what was wrong and she said “cervical pain”. Now I consider myself a man of words and interpreted this as pain in the cervix. With smears and cancer running through my brain I Googled it, only to find it meant neck pain! She had complained yesterday about it and I gave her painkillers. I get it and so do most people, usually from sleeping badly but of course she being Chinese had to go to the hospital. Money-making institutions that they are, she had to pay for a consultation and two x-rays just to tell her it was nothing, flog her some (at least western) medicine and send her on her way. I could have given her some Ibuprofen and told her leave it for a few days for free but of course I know nothing.

Today's classes were both as dull as ditchwater. I really need that when I am feeling under par. I cannot be the showman every time even though I try. Mark my words, before this academic year is out I will have a fall in one of my classrooms and knowing my luck it will be a class of girls without the strength to lift me up! Might be fun though......

 

Friday 9^th October, 2020 2000

Breakfast ended up being a glass of orange juice. I had as you now set my mind to getting some baguette with pork bangers but lo and behold, just those misbegotten chicken ones were on offer. With not enough time to complain and wait for them to cook, I abandoned my mission. There has clearly been a change of leadership there and one for the worse. I think that's the last time they will see me.

And then I had yet another “first”. I checked out and got a taxi. Halfway to the station I had the awful realisation that perhaps I wouldn't be leaving a new TripAdvisor review after all. They would have charged my bank account for my cold burger but I didn't recall hearing an incoming text from the bank to notify me. Now I'm not someone who is glued to their phone every waking minute and the phone would cost little to replace. Oh I had the green code phone but not my Grandad one – and that was what struck terror. All my phone numbers are stored on it. I have never stored them on the laptop, basically because I have no idea how to do it. And I had left the phone in the room.

Luckily I had a hotel card and so I made the only call from the smartphone to date, alerting them that when I was home I would send them my address in Chinese to mail it to me. Well Jody sorted that out in the evening.

The slow train (yes I did get a bottom bunk although I had to turf a girl out of it to claim it) I discovered, despite my ticket being all the way downtown, also stopped at Lanzhou West! Additionally – and remember it was a slow train – it only took twelve minutes longer and I could easily get a cab home. I was in fact home by the time the train was due to arrive downtown.

I woke up on Thursday wondering if I was long for this world though. Nope, no virus indications but I was even more shakier on my feet than ever and symptoms somewhere approaching my little problem which required pipe cleaners being shoved down my duodenum a while back. Bunged up, weak and despite the heater I was frozen. I only moved from my office to take a leak all day.

Last night I never slept a wink until the sweepers had been outside in the courtyard, so it had to be after 0500 and I had the sweats. The weakness I put down to lack of food. Today I was still unsteady on my pins (nearly delayed BHG until Sunday) but persevered. As I am in school all day tomorrow I needed a lunch so made sandwiches for my evening mean and my lunch. Salmon and mayonnaise spread which turned out to be disgusting so thank God I had some of my sausage rolls in the freezer. I guess I had better make another batch on Sunday.

When I went to see Mr Jing Jo my phone hadn't arrived. Eeek -no idea how to set the alarm on the smartphone for the morning! All is now well, once he knew I was anxious to get it he brought it here for me and relieved me of the 24¥ P&P costs.

I will confess I am not relishing an entire day of teaching.

 

Tuesday 6^th October, 2020 1535

In a capital city of a province, located in a busy train station, how on earth can a fast food outlet fail to make a profit?

Yet that would seem to be what McDonald's and Burger King managed to do. They are not just closed but the premises are completely barren now. Packed up and left, lock stock and no smoking barrels.

Being starving I ended up at Dicos. Chicken is not something I associate with breakfast unless it is in a curry and comes with chips (I know it sounds weird but try it!) but it was that or KFC. KFC can do nothing wrong in China but burger joints for some reason struggle.

I ordered what I thought were nuggets (no English menu) but instead received what I believe they call “chicken popcorn” instead. Bloody awful but I had to eat something.

Everyone else on the train seemed to be able to get the green code for Xining except me but I simply flashed the Lanzhou screen as I entered the city and got away with it.

Club Millesime is closed and has been forever I think, it's about four doors down from here on the top floor. Free drinks are available to me in the lobby bar between six and eight but I will not be going there tonight.

Last night I was very well-behaved watching TV on my laptop, I had three (yes just three) small bottles of beer and decided to forego dinner so I would be hungry for breakfast.

I got up to leave and yes, you guessed it, my legs packed in and I was flat on my back. It took four strapping lads to get me up but I did shit myself (not literally) because my legs simply would not respond. I seriously thought I was suffering from a stroke. The lads did however get me to my room, where by the state of my king sized bed this morning I spent a restless night.

I have been too embarrassed to leave the room today so breakfast was out. I ordered a cheeseburger and chips on room service not long ago which took an hour to arrive and was probably ready 50 minutes earlier because the sodding thing (and chips) was stone cold. Trip Advisor here I come.

So really I should have stayed home. I am going down for breakfast in the morning (I hope I can get a segment of baguette with which I can fill with bangers for the train) but I shan't be going down to the bar this evening.

 

Monday 5^th October 2020 1400

Bit annoyed that it is apparent both McDonald's and Burger King have permanently shut up shop in Lanzhou West train station. How can you not get customers in a busy train station??

But this is China, where they absolutely adore KFC. I don't. I ended up having some dreadful chickeny thing in Dicos (nothing at all on offer with eggs for breakfast) and chicken is really the last thing I ever want to contemplate for breakfast or on a pizza except when it's a curry and chips.

But eat that crap I did because I was hungry and Mars bars are not to be seen.

On the train I had a kid in the aisle opposite. Brat was screaming and bawling. Now I am not cruel to children, well no more than the next person who doesn't have any and hates them. Do you know that being old and foreign in China is actually a huge plus? Forget about the extra help from cabbies, bellhops and the like, it's the absolute BEST for shutting up screaming kids. Worked with that one.

So now I am in the Xining Sotitel alone for two nights.

I got through all the checks with my Lanzhou health code so I am clear and dry because I will have the Lanzhou one on return. My smoking room has no ashtray so stuff it, I am using the bin and a coffee saucer.

Xining is like many cities the world over – ugly. As you approach all you can see are white and beige high-rise blocks that look like they were made from the Lego of my youth.

Why did I come?

For breakfast.

Sunday 4^th October 2020 1800

On Saturday I treated Andy (my cleaner last year) who was desperate to come and see me, to lunch. I ordered the wrong dish. I had wanted the dry prawn hotpot but we got an even bigger plateload of, yes prawns, but also squid. Well as I eat little anyway I was only ever going to eat half a dozen prawns (they are quite big) it was fine by me. And I didn't dare try the squid in case it was rubbery – not enough teeth left now.

Andy was the archetypal student. Complaining that he eats the same thing every day on campus – beef noodles for breakfast, noodles with vegetables for lunch and rice with vegetables for dinner – he thought Christmas had come early. The dish cost 88¥ (£10) plus rice and a couple of beers. I had told him I would only order one dish due to their size but if he needed more he was welcome.

Well he asked for seconds on the rice and apart from a small takeaway did a pretty decent job of demolishing the dinner and giving the impression he hadn't eaten for a week. He also confessed to being drunk after downing half a bottle of 3% ABV beer! Rather than abandon him to public transport I took pity and took him in my taxi before coming home myself. I believe I have a fan in that one.

Jody has let me down this weekend inasmuch as I really want her to get on a chair, take the lightbulb out of the kitchen and come with me to get replacements of much higher wattage. She has gone to school each day. She did however leave me her medical card to pay for my medicines this afternoon. I will collar her later in the week. No way am I getting up on a chair because I will fall off and kill myself and trying to explain in the market that instead of one candlepower (which is all I have in my kitchen right now – I need to use a torch) I want 100W or even more so I can actually see when I want to cook during the winter.

I just wasted 50¥ on a takeaway dinner. I had intended to buy some sashimi from the restaurant around the corner but it seems they only do it in summer and the enormous prawn platter costs twice that. So, going on the photos in the menu (invariably a mistake) I opted for what looked like sweet and maybe sour pork. It was pork all right (well mostly fat and skin) but it was awful. I am hoping BK or McD are open in the morning at the station. I really fancied sashimi and I have wasabi and soy at home.

I will leave early enough so I have an hour for any health code problems to be sorted by the police and still give myself time for some grub. Maybe the outlets were closed before because of the virus but now with an estimated half a billion people travelling this holiday I am hoping they will be doing business.

The case is packed, I think I have sorted the foul stink in the flat (pretty sure it's the mop so I have it soaking in a bucket with bleach) because Jody will insist on mopping the floor the Chinese way – just using plain water. Reminds me, must buy more bleach when I get back.

So unlike Shanghai where there is never any danger whatsoever of me using an executive lounge or rising in time for breakfast (I blame Roland) I fully intend to actually have two breakfasts in the capital of Qinghai province, Xining and possibly those may be the only times I leave my room. I may just do a Greta Garbo and order room service dinners. Either way, I intend to enjoy my mini-break.

 

Thursday 1^st October, 2020 1700

Mid-autumn festival, China's birthday and sadly the day my father died 37 years ago so a mixed bag for me.

Monday to Wednesday went reasonably well and I was gladdened to see that some students on Wednesday have already bought the course book I asked them to seeing as the school has been of absolutely no use in that regard. The Thursday English major classes found it on Taobao for sale at 9¥ or £1 so it's not as if I'm imposing a huge financial burden on them. In fact, I have told them all that if they are from a poor family to come and see me in confidence and I will gladly give them the money – after all, I came from a poor family and am proud.

The holidays have indeed taken into account the fact that mid-autumn in the lunar calendar coincides today with China's national day so they “gave us” an eight-day holiday. Which is absolute nonsense because it is actually six days when you take into account we worked on Sunday to cover Wednesday classes and next Saturday we make up this Thursday's classes. But the students are actually allowed to go home now so I have no argument with them extending the break for them to be with their families, especially as all but one of my classes consists of freshmen on their first period of being away from home. Anyone who went to boarding school will know how homesickness can affect you.

As for me, I've done stuff-all today, not even set foot outside. Dinner was part-baked rolls with cheese. Tomorrow I am meeting Andy for lunch near BHG. He contacted me last week wanting to come and see me at home. I cannot have that with Jody living here and her being a teacher on the same campus, we have kept it discreet throughout 2020 and I intend to keep it that way. Andy you may remember used to come and clean for me. He's not looking for his job back as it happens, just wants to see me and thank me for giving him the chance to earn some money in his first year. So I will treat him to a dry prawn hotpot tomorrow hopefully as long as the restaurant is still in business. I love a dry prawn hotpot, especially the rice cakes. Afterwards I can do my shopping.

Saturday if Jody actually plays ball, it will be a trip to the chemist (she has a card the uni puts money on each payday, like the one I had in Chizhou) so she can pay for my drugs and then now the nights are, to use the Scottish vernacular, “fair drawin' in” I have decided I need to get her on a chair to remove the kitchen lightbulb so we can replace it. I swear the one the maintenance men put in is 20W and a simple candle would allow me to see better at night. As my timetable will see me coming home in the dark until 2021 any cooking of dinner I need to do I would like to actually see.

I have failed to find a travelling companion for my Xining trip. Jody says she has to go to campus every night to check her group of international students so it will be a solo foray. No matter, I never had any intention of leaving the hotel, it will be purely two days of breakfast and dinner and complimentary VIP lounge (Sofitel call it Millesime) drinks and snacks with watching films in between or maybe even a nap or two.