Wednesday 21st August, 2013         2130

The wages saga just gets better.

Finally today I was paid although I could have waited. Kevin landed in Hong Kong and we messaged online with me telling him Cinny and I were working on his salary. He hasn’t been paid for two months. He has hopefully enough cash to free his car so he can get back here but he has a credit card bill and rent on his flat downtown to pay - not to mention living expenses.

Anyway, had I known his middle name - begins with R so I guessed Reginald - it may have been sorted today as well but I was wrong so it wasn’t. Cinny now tells me she has been told it can’t be resolved until the new semester starts a week from Monday! He is not going to be happy and I predict we will both be laying siege to the accounts department within the next 48 hours. This entire mess is down to the school and yet the only person who seems to care is Cinny and she’s my assistant, not his. This is without a shadow of doubt the worst thing they have ever done/not done and my contempt for the administration of this place is now complete.

Friday 23rd       2030

Yesterday it rained all day - obviously Kevin brought it with him when he arrived and found himself penniless. Well not penniless exactly, he had enough to get his car back and get here. As he had obtained sewing paraphernalia and more mixed spice for me I treated him to a Japanese dinner.

This morning he went to the bank to ascertain exactly what name had to be used by anyone paying money into his account and this was relayed to Cinny, who is being a real brick seeing as she doesn’t have to do anything for him. As of this moment his balance is still zero so no hope of it being resolved until Monday now. And get this - I asked why, seeing as I was paid in July, was I not paid this month and it is because the foreign teachers are “tied”, meaning they either pay all of us or none. How comprehensively incompetent and ludicrous! So if one of us pegs out the others starve?

This morning the teacher timetables were put on the website for next term. I am highly pleased considering last term I was doing 22 lessons a week, this time I am down to 12. Mon/Tue/Wed I have an hour and a half after lunchtime, Thursday off and Friday will be the day I hate with lessons from 0820 solid until 1540. I noticed all my classes take place on the first or second floors with none at all on the third or fourth. I can’t help thinking that perhaps they have cut my stair climbing in order to ensure I remain alive for this year!

I went to town for pet food this afternoon and decided to eat in KFC. They are doing what looks like a hamburger (the same as in Qing’s workplace in Tongling) so I thought I would try it seeing as there seemed to be none of the ubiquitous coriander involved. It is neither hamburger nor beef burger. I have no idea what it is but it tastes like a frankurterburger! I must say that after the initial shock to the taste buds it isn’t that bad so at least there is now another item on the limited list of things I can eat there.

I had planned to visit Qing again this weekend but sadly she is working so it is postponed. Kiki had her operation today so hopefully in a couple of weeks she will be hobbling under her own steam, I believe she has another week in hospital ahead of her.