Monday 26th November, 2012 1830
Thought I would make a start before heading off out in search of food. I have just been researching flights for next summer (if I ever make it!) and it appears that without a credit or Visa debit card with enough money I have a problem. The UnionPay Chinese card I have is fine for paying for things online in mainland China but all the good websites for flights only take Visa, Mastercard or occasionally PayPal. Booking directly with a Chinese airline is possible for me but at vastly inflated prices which are nearly double the reimbursement I would get from the university. Annoying would be an understatement.
Today was to yesterday what chalk is to cheese - just into double figures and lovely and sunny, although now of course it is a bit parky. I was idly checking the school calendar earlier trying to work out when I should start exams. We normally commence or oral ones a fortnight before the other written ones so we are finished in good time, however as they start their other ones on the 7th January (meaning we should start on Christmas eve) this year Xmas and New Years days fall on Tuesday when we will be off. With three classes on a Tuesday it presents a problem in that to get them out of the way in good time I need to make a start in just a fortnight. I don’t think Kevin has noticed that so will discuss it with him when I see him next.
Tuesday 27th 2230
A heavy day and one on which I was informed after asking for clarification that despite my being told before coming here that Christmas day is a holiday for the foreign teachers, we can indeed have it off but we need to make up the lessons another day, meaning it isn’t a damned holiday at all. It doesn’t really bother me and indeed I will probably end up working it after all, but I will dig out the info I was sent and make a point of showing it to the upper echelon simply to show that we are neither pushovers nor stupid. I have worked many Christmas and new year days in my time and in fairness with the amount of holidays I get here it is insignificant - I am hardly going to church that day!
Six lessons today, all of which were pleasant and although it was chilly at 12C it was nice and sunny. Then it was off for a really nice few hours with Joanna. Too cold for the bike for her I thought, so the plan was to bus it in and take a cab back. No bus in sight when we left but by chance a taxi pulled up and I said we should grab it - at 30y one way it’s expensive but convenient.
This time I took my camera and we had a no-expense spared meal consisting of rice cakes, slices of beef and pork, sweet pork with apple chunks, scallops, sushi, chicken wings and prawns. A veritable feast and one which, despite the best efforts of my companion we could not demolish, meaning she took some sushi home and I took pork and beef for the animals. But a really nice meal and a lovely occasion considering it is so long since we went out together. Damned expensive too at 210y (£21) but I left feeling I had eaten too much, something I don’t experience often here.
When we came out I suggested we wait for the first bus that came and saw if it was crowded or not. It was, so I said to hell with it, another taxi it would be, and having encountered another of my ex students at the bus stop I told her to come with us. Her comment that I was so rich was met with the response that I wasn’t but I wasn’t standing for half an hour on a bus either.
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