Monday 24th September, 2012      1500

How to utterly confuse me in a few simple steps: give me classes I teach four lessons to one week and two the next and omit to tell me they are not interchangeable! I went to this afternoon’s room at two thirty to find no students. It’s not unusual to find freshmen classes are cancelled in the early days and the only one not told is the foreign teacher, but when I asked the class monitor she said I only teach them once for two lessons this week - on Wednesday! You would think they would arrange it so I had another of the classes doing alternate weeks instead but I am rapidly forming the impression I may well be teaching 20 lessons one week and only 12 the next! That’s great if I know which ones not to turn up to!!! Tomorrow morning I think I will text all the other monitors to try to make sense of it because it’s a pain in the proverbial going to the classroom only to have to go home again.

2245

I actually got to the bottom of my timetable conundrum this afternoon, I asked Cinny to explain it. I have 20/16 lessons depending on which week but at least now I know which two double periods not to bother turning up to. What a cock-eyed way of doing things, which wouldn’t be so bad if I was on QQ (Chinese instant messenger) and could read Mandarin because that’s how they tell all the locals - with a block message. Don’t bother telling the outsider!

I went downtown for dinner with Linda and she took me to a hotpot place (she seems to love her hotpots) in the commercial centre. It was very nice and despite my protestations she insisted on paying yet again, however there was an ulterior motive. She had brought along her draft speech for the upcoming competition and wanted me to amend it and offer suggestions for improvement.

Sadly - and most unfair on Linda - my mind was elsewhere. I won’t hide the fact that I care an awful lot about Joanna and last night I hardly slept for worrying about this job she is doing. I had visions of her being a “hostess” rather than waitress and the not knowing was eating me up. I knew where she worked was either in or near to the commercial centre so I asked Linda if there was a club there. Yes she said, do you want to go there? I told her I did and also the reason and asked her what the place was like. Dancing girls and not safe for young females alone was the response. Oh Jesus.

But we went, I think she wanted to but with the safety of my company. Definitely not my cup of tea even thirty years ago with loud music, flashing lights and fake smoke and after she made enquiries of one of the waiters it was ascertained Joanna didn’t work there. I suggested we leave as I knew the drinks would cost an arm and a leg but Linda was determined to stay awhile and sneaked off to pay 300y for a table, some fruit and nibbles and a pitcher of beer which had less alcohol in it than rainwater. I saw at least a dozen scantily and provocatively dressed girls, guessed what they were and found out the price is 500y for the night with one of them. Of  Joanna there was no sign and I was relieved but resigned to checking out where she did work by visiting other bars on different nights. Call it stalking if you will, but Chinese girls even at 21 are still not mentally adults and my concern is genuine. Linda enjoyed bopping to some mindless music for a time while I drank the jug of bathwater and then I suggested  we leave. She went to the loo so I waited in the lobby.

Then Joanna saw me, extremely surprised, and asked me what I was doing there. I could have lied but I told the truth - that I was looking for her. She enquired how I knew where she was working and I told her I didn’t, I would have looked in every bar until I found out. I think (and hope) she was taken aback in a good way by my display of care for her well-being. She says she will do the job for one or two months but no longer and after a fashion I can rest easier now. She works as a greeter on the door sometimes coupled with taking drinks to the private rooms where the wealthy sing karaoke and Sod’s law stated that when we went in she had to be doing something else so we missed her. I am not happy she works there or the hours she works but at least she is not in the thick of it and of course it is her life. If I could find her another job with better hours I would and although she is my favourite student I have taught I would feel the same about any of them. Maybe I’m becoming a grandfather to them all…….

Tuesday 25th      1315

Heavy day today with still four lessons to teach after lunch. Joanna sent me messages about the national speaking competition as she seems to be the last person to hear about it. She wants - and should - enter it so she came here an hour ago to discuss her speech. Unfortunately I am busy all day tomorrow but I have told her she can have my undivided attention for as long as she wants after her morning classes on Thursday to polish her up for the first heat on Friday.

Of course, we also discussed her job. It was the only one she could find and although she doesn’t need the money she wants to earn so as not to be too much of a burden on her family. Admirable of course, and now that she has explained she has three days free of lessons each week this semester I am happier knowing she shouldn’t neglect her studies. I would still rather she worked somewhere else but I can’t interfere.

2300

I had wanted a quiet evening but it saw Kevin, Olivier, Monsieur (the Chinese French teacher) and me going slightly off campus to the bar which has been opened by a teacher. Another free night as the owner gave the drinks gratis but somewhere we may use occasionally in future. The prices are a bit high at present and if the chap has any acumen he will lower them to attract more students because he could make a killing. Especially if he invests in a large fridge to be able to serve cold beer and an ice maker for the spirits he is stocking. No gin sadly but brandy, vodka and scotch were present. There are also half a dozen pool tables on which England trounced France five-nil despite them being almost the size of snooker tables, not level and with cushions it was impossible to get any angle off bar ninety degrees. Sadly we didn’t go until nearly nine so we stayed for ninety minutes and left - we all need sleep and I need to eat something today.

I want to be less tired tomorrow as I have baguettes to bake at lunchtime and then a meal to cook in the evening. So, lasagne shortly and bed by twelve thirty - I would hate to screw up Olivier’s first western Wednesday!