Tuesday 29th September, 2015 1715
I forgot to mention this in the last entry. Whilst I was in Hefei I received several text messages in Chinese. Normally I simply delete them because they are either advertising or from my mobile pone provider promising me hundreds of yuan if I put hundreds more on in credit, then in two years the “free” money will be credited. I fell for that one with the free bike I got for a freshman in my first year and yes, eventually I did get the credit but 18 months later.
For some reason I kept this one and got Mulan to translate it. Her translation has been confirmed since by Joan. All these texts were sent on Saturday and concerned a credit card debt of mine which HAD to be repaid to the Agricultural Bank of China by 2100 that night in the sum of 1,280 yuan.
When I first arrived I had an account with them which the university opened for me. Unlike elsewhere, schools (and for all I know, companies) have their own “pet” bank and anyone attending or working for them has to have an account there to either pay monies in or receive their salary. No such thing as simply opening your own account and they pay into another bank. Pain in the ’arris when after two years they switched banks (bigger kickback probably) to the China Construction Bank.
Well with ABC all I had was a book so when I wanted money I had to go to a branch when they were open. When I became friendly with Sonya who worked there and over dinner I complained I couldn’t use a cash point, she suggested I get a bank card. Just a debit card but one that I could use out of hours at the ATM. I had to pay 20y for it but it was convenient.
When the school changed banks Kevin and I spent an endless hour opening new accounts with CCB but I still used to pop into ABC on the occasional lunchtime to chat with Sonya. I mentioned that I would keep my ABC account open just in case but she advised me to close it because even if I didn’t use it the bank would charge me (I think) 15y a month just for having an account. Bowing to her expert knowledge, I surrendered my card, was given back the remaining cash in the account and Sonya closed it down.
For three years I have not had an account with them and I have never, ever had a Chinese credit card.
Quite how this is happening I know not, but I told Mulan the story and asked her to call them and explain it. The answer was that they would call back. To date they haven’t and I have received no more texts. It does make you wonder though.
Because of Hefei I never prepared an activity for the second lesson for each class, so lazybones is showing half a film to them with the remainder to be screened after the golden week holiday. Anyway, with no class Thursday it seemed pointless spending time and effort inventing yet another TV game show. Yesterday and tomorrow they have Ice Age Continental Drift but Dumpling’s class today got out of sync last term and they had to have the second half last week, some three months after the first instalment!
Anyway I had to show them something different and I gave them a choice - old English sailing men-o-war or a prostitute. With more than a few raised eyebrows the little sods (an all girl class) opted for the prostitute film. Before anyone thinks I am corrupting them I am not, the ship film is Master and Commander and the one they picked is Pretty Woman. Made before they were even born but they loved Julia Roberts and her antics and I suspect they will be looking forward eagerly to the second part after their holiday, doubtless with a few tears shed when Gere climbs the fire escape to “rescue“ her.
Joan is coming for a shower and dinner tonight and on the menu is ham, egg, chips and pineapple. The ham has good texture but for me it could have been a touch more salty. Andrei just left with a lump for him and Juliette and he thought more salt was unnecessary. Everyone’s tastes are different. The main thing is it is good to go as the Mercans say.
Last night I received a gift in a parcel from Ollivier. Inside were two Tsingtao beer glasses (heavy duty too) with mini rugby balls for the World Cup. One is destined for Kevin and it was a nice thought. I think Ollivier and his family and parents may well now be five miles high en route to France and I wish him a safe flight.
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Monday, 28 September 2015
Monday 28th September, 2015 1230
Well there’s nothing quite like being impulsive, is there?
As the weekend was mid-autumn festival I decided to mark the occasion, I can’t really go anywhere during the golden week starting on Thursday because Kevin will arrive back then and we have arranged to go out for dinner on Friday.
So on a whim I decided to go to Hefei. I made what could be considered a somewhat odd choice of travelling companion in that I invited Mulan. My reasoning however was sound, it was to pay her back for her and her siblings looking after me when I had my most recent accident.
We were forced to take the bus there as there were no train tickets left. Fine by me because the bus takes three hours and the train five but Mulan feels queasy in cars and buses, yet surprisingly not on trains.
Again I was offered an upgrade of either a superior room or buffet dinner package and again I opted for the better room as I planned to have dinner at Bitburger. Sadly Vivian couldn’t meet us this time as she had a prior birthday dinner to attend. Nonetheless we had an enjoyable dinner with escargot to start, she a steak and I a pizza which I deliberately ordered too large so there was some left for the train back yesterday.
This time I never took my laptop but I was able to watch the Italy v Canada game on TV and was asleep by the time the other two matches were played. Annoyingly, not one of the sports or news channels reported the results the next morning so I had no idea until Ollivier ruined everything by sending a text whilst I was on the train. Given that I was in a news blackout I had intended to watch the game on iPlayer as if it was live last night but being informed we had lost rather put the kibosh on that plan.
At breakfast we were presented with a huge plate of French toast (I had taken my maple syrup) and as a result the leftovers also got taken on the train. A nice relaxing weekend except for the travelling.
Still no sign of the South African teacher and as far as I know still no hint of a job for Andrei, although I haven’t spoken to either him or Juliette for a few days.
And it would seem I have found out the truth about the number 29 buses, thanks to my students. It appears the vehicles were all actually owned by the Hunan provincial government and they wanted them back! The local buses are all government owned and from what I can gather the Anhui government racked up a debt of seven million yuan to Hunan, hence they “repossessed” them. An incredible state of affairs when the government of a province which is slightly larger in area than England cannot pay a bill the equivalent of £700,000. I am being told that we will be getting nice new comfortable buses in due course. I suspect that will please the drivers because the ride on the others is rough and they are manual, the other type are hybrid automatics.
I must remember I have food defrosting in the kitchen before I leave for class at 1330. Last night I went into my freezer to get a pie from the bottom and on top there were three baking trays, one with macaroni cheese, on top of that a cottage pie and atop that, leftover macaroni. All three are frozen solidly together! A lesson learnt there!!
Tomorrow I will boil what will hopefully prove to have turned into ham. It’s been curing now for ten days, the longest I have left it, usually a week is fine. Fingers crossed.
Well there’s nothing quite like being impulsive, is there?
As the weekend was mid-autumn festival I decided to mark the occasion, I can’t really go anywhere during the golden week starting on Thursday because Kevin will arrive back then and we have arranged to go out for dinner on Friday.
So on a whim I decided to go to Hefei. I made what could be considered a somewhat odd choice of travelling companion in that I invited Mulan. My reasoning however was sound, it was to pay her back for her and her siblings looking after me when I had my most recent accident.
We were forced to take the bus there as there were no train tickets left. Fine by me because the bus takes three hours and the train five but Mulan feels queasy in cars and buses, yet surprisingly not on trains.
Again I was offered an upgrade of either a superior room or buffet dinner package and again I opted for the better room as I planned to have dinner at Bitburger. Sadly Vivian couldn’t meet us this time as she had a prior birthday dinner to attend. Nonetheless we had an enjoyable dinner with escargot to start, she a steak and I a pizza which I deliberately ordered too large so there was some left for the train back yesterday.
This time I never took my laptop but I was able to watch the Italy v Canada game on TV and was asleep by the time the other two matches were played. Annoyingly, not one of the sports or news channels reported the results the next morning so I had no idea until Ollivier ruined everything by sending a text whilst I was on the train. Given that I was in a news blackout I had intended to watch the game on iPlayer as if it was live last night but being informed we had lost rather put the kibosh on that plan.
At breakfast we were presented with a huge plate of French toast (I had taken my maple syrup) and as a result the leftovers also got taken on the train. A nice relaxing weekend except for the travelling.
Still no sign of the South African teacher and as far as I know still no hint of a job for Andrei, although I haven’t spoken to either him or Juliette for a few days.
And it would seem I have found out the truth about the number 29 buses, thanks to my students. It appears the vehicles were all actually owned by the Hunan provincial government and they wanted them back! The local buses are all government owned and from what I can gather the Anhui government racked up a debt of seven million yuan to Hunan, hence they “repossessed” them. An incredible state of affairs when the government of a province which is slightly larger in area than England cannot pay a bill the equivalent of £700,000. I am being told that we will be getting nice new comfortable buses in due course. I suspect that will please the drivers because the ride on the others is rough and they are manual, the other type are hybrid automatics.
I must remember I have food defrosting in the kitchen before I leave for class at 1330. Last night I went into my freezer to get a pie from the bottom and on top there were three baking trays, one with macaroni cheese, on top of that a cottage pie and atop that, leftover macaroni. All three are frozen solidly together! A lesson learnt there!!
Tomorrow I will boil what will hopefully prove to have turned into ham. It’s been curing now for ten days, the longest I have left it, usually a week is fine. Fingers crossed.
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Thursday 24th September, 2015 1400
Oh yes, I have been busy, too tired or just downright too lazy to post since Sunday.
What has happened?
Well for starters the majority of the 29 buses seem to have disappeared and been replaced with ex 7 (small) buses or old 29s that are equally as rickety and uncomfortable. They have hard plastic seats, the suspension is virtually non-existent and I had to wonder why, on the busiest bus route in the city, they had put smaller, obsolete buses which instead of being green are now a garish yellow.
I may or may not have had my answer this lunchtime, for whilst setting off to get the bus for some shopping I encountered Tina (my very first Chinese helper when I arrived straight out of teachers’ kindergarten five years ago). She assured me in a short time all will be back to normal and the hybrid buses with the comfortable seats and ride will return. From that I can only deduce a fault has been found with the vehicles. Personally I blame Volkswagen!
Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at 0200 just after I had dropped off to sleep I was rudely awoken by what sounded like World War Three in my main room. Genuinely thinking all my cats were ripping each others’ throats out, I got up and went to investigate. The four big ones were on the windowsill screaming so loud the sound-sensitive stair lights were on. It was a feral cat that had come upstairs but faced with this naked and unrestrained display of sheer brutal aggression, it slunk off down again, leaving peace to reign once again.
The school has introduced a dynamic new innovation on their website for accessing information/inputting marks etc whereby you only need one username and password and only log in once per visit. That would be great but apart from the fact that lately for me any URL with a suffix of .cn is normally unavailable, when I did finally manage to get in and try to access the data it told me in Chinese that my teacher number didn’t exist! Anthony (my new helper) insists that using my details he can log in, so why can’t I?
Anyway before all this happened I searched the teachers rotas basically to do Andrei a favour because as far as I know they have no log-in details as yet and their computer cannot translate the Chinese. I would have told him his class details.
Only he was still not on the teacher list. There is however a Richard - the mythical South African everyone has been talking about. Well on Monday Richard’s freshmen students will be rested from the mid-autumn “holiday” (some holiday - Saturday and Sunday!!!) and be arriving bright tailed and bushy eyed for their first foreign teacher class. Except he isn’t even here yet. Cutting it fine if he is coming.
Yesterday Andrei had his interview with the new boss of our department (I think I mentioned Prof Fang has moved upwards even though she insists it is sideways) to decide whether he is good enough to teach. The sceptic in me, and after a lustrum here, strongly suspects that Andrei is a back-up in case of a no-show by Richard and also a means of getting Juliette to agree to come. Why do I think this? Because I have five classes and there are five scheduled for Richard so where are the rest to employ Andrei coming from? I honestly hope that Richard fails to show, not out of malice towards someone I have never met but for Andrei’s sake because otherwise he is in no-man’s land. Juliette can earn money but because he is on a tourist visa he is prohibited from working. Ok he derives a certain income from his Spanish restaurant but even so.
I suppose he could (if he has the money) always open a business - western restaurant - and obtain a different visa and I am sure if he kept his prices in the middle range certainly for a while he would be a novelty and coin it in.
In the meantime I hate him.
Last night he cooked dinner, again I was relegated yet again to simply bringing a guest (Amy) and a couple of bottles of the red stuff. He produced a salad and a moussaka, my first (yes, believe it!). I was relieved he hadn’t found minced lamb as I am not keen on it but he used pork instead. I ate rather a lot of it I must say. It would be interesting to see what it tastes like with the addition of cinnamon. For dessert he concocted crème brulee which for both he and myself was slightly too sweet, just as Ollivier’s mousse au chocolat was but it was good nonetheless. I really hate him and as I type am plotting my revenge.
They also found a tiny kitten outside two days ago, if anything slightly smaller than Bristle was when I got her. The feral cats don’t seem to suckle their young for very long and this little mite could in no way fend for herself (at least the general consensus is that’s the gender). They plan to grow her until she is big enough to be released but I think they will be the same as me and keep her in comfort.
Mind you, it’s probably as well that the France v Romania game didn’t kick off until 0200 here or there may have been friction upstairs after I left!
Sadly, because my upstairs neighbours are currently borrowing all my cooking equipment including using my oven, I couldn’t bake a bread pudding to give Amy slices of for her dormitory. I have a loaf of bread I must use tonight before it starts turning blue so I may rectify that and deliver some to her later.
We are currently basking in 28C with the forecast authoritatively informing us it will rain tomorrow, although yesterday it predicted a washout and today it says it will be something I wouldn’t even bother taking an umbrella for. I hope the latter is true because tomorrow morning is the freshman passing out parade and even though it is as buttock-numbingly boring as a Budget Speech, I try to go to support the new students - even if none of them will be mine.
So an early morning will be had, followed by another shopping trip. If I go in again at the weekend I will have to suppress my fears and take the bike, albeit taking an evasive route to bypass the “pelvis roundabout”. I can get a guaranteed seat going but not back at the weekend.
In the meantime I may well have to slap Andrei around the chops by cooking my world famous chicken wings plus another course to be decided. Watch this space.
Oh yes, I have been busy, too tired or just downright too lazy to post since Sunday.
What has happened?
Well for starters the majority of the 29 buses seem to have disappeared and been replaced with ex 7 (small) buses or old 29s that are equally as rickety and uncomfortable. They have hard plastic seats, the suspension is virtually non-existent and I had to wonder why, on the busiest bus route in the city, they had put smaller, obsolete buses which instead of being green are now a garish yellow.
I may or may not have had my answer this lunchtime, for whilst setting off to get the bus for some shopping I encountered Tina (my very first Chinese helper when I arrived straight out of teachers’ kindergarten five years ago). She assured me in a short time all will be back to normal and the hybrid buses with the comfortable seats and ride will return. From that I can only deduce a fault has been found with the vehicles. Personally I blame Volkswagen!
Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at 0200 just after I had dropped off to sleep I was rudely awoken by what sounded like World War Three in my main room. Genuinely thinking all my cats were ripping each others’ throats out, I got up and went to investigate. The four big ones were on the windowsill screaming so loud the sound-sensitive stair lights were on. It was a feral cat that had come upstairs but faced with this naked and unrestrained display of sheer brutal aggression, it slunk off down again, leaving peace to reign once again.
The school has introduced a dynamic new innovation on their website for accessing information/inputting marks etc whereby you only need one username and password and only log in once per visit. That would be great but apart from the fact that lately for me any URL with a suffix of .cn is normally unavailable, when I did finally manage to get in and try to access the data it told me in Chinese that my teacher number didn’t exist! Anthony (my new helper) insists that using my details he can log in, so why can’t I?
Anyway before all this happened I searched the teachers rotas basically to do Andrei a favour because as far as I know they have no log-in details as yet and their computer cannot translate the Chinese. I would have told him his class details.
Only he was still not on the teacher list. There is however a Richard - the mythical South African everyone has been talking about. Well on Monday Richard’s freshmen students will be rested from the mid-autumn “holiday” (some holiday - Saturday and Sunday!!!) and be arriving bright tailed and bushy eyed for their first foreign teacher class. Except he isn’t even here yet. Cutting it fine if he is coming.
Yesterday Andrei had his interview with the new boss of our department (I think I mentioned Prof Fang has moved upwards even though she insists it is sideways) to decide whether he is good enough to teach. The sceptic in me, and after a lustrum here, strongly suspects that Andrei is a back-up in case of a no-show by Richard and also a means of getting Juliette to agree to come. Why do I think this? Because I have five classes and there are five scheduled for Richard so where are the rest to employ Andrei coming from? I honestly hope that Richard fails to show, not out of malice towards someone I have never met but for Andrei’s sake because otherwise he is in no-man’s land. Juliette can earn money but because he is on a tourist visa he is prohibited from working. Ok he derives a certain income from his Spanish restaurant but even so.
I suppose he could (if he has the money) always open a business - western restaurant - and obtain a different visa and I am sure if he kept his prices in the middle range certainly for a while he would be a novelty and coin it in.
In the meantime I hate him.
Last night he cooked dinner, again I was relegated yet again to simply bringing a guest (Amy) and a couple of bottles of the red stuff. He produced a salad and a moussaka, my first (yes, believe it!). I was relieved he hadn’t found minced lamb as I am not keen on it but he used pork instead. I ate rather a lot of it I must say. It would be interesting to see what it tastes like with the addition of cinnamon. For dessert he concocted crème brulee which for both he and myself was slightly too sweet, just as Ollivier’s mousse au chocolat was but it was good nonetheless. I really hate him and as I type am plotting my revenge.
They also found a tiny kitten outside two days ago, if anything slightly smaller than Bristle was when I got her. The feral cats don’t seem to suckle their young for very long and this little mite could in no way fend for herself (at least the general consensus is that’s the gender). They plan to grow her until she is big enough to be released but I think they will be the same as me and keep her in comfort.
Mind you, it’s probably as well that the France v Romania game didn’t kick off until 0200 here or there may have been friction upstairs after I left!
Sadly, because my upstairs neighbours are currently borrowing all my cooking equipment including using my oven, I couldn’t bake a bread pudding to give Amy slices of for her dormitory. I have a loaf of bread I must use tonight before it starts turning blue so I may rectify that and deliver some to her later.
We are currently basking in 28C with the forecast authoritatively informing us it will rain tomorrow, although yesterday it predicted a washout and today it says it will be something I wouldn’t even bother taking an umbrella for. I hope the latter is true because tomorrow morning is the freshman passing out parade and even though it is as buttock-numbingly boring as a Budget Speech, I try to go to support the new students - even if none of them will be mine.
So an early morning will be had, followed by another shopping trip. If I go in again at the weekend I will have to suppress my fears and take the bike, albeit taking an evasive route to bypass the “pelvis roundabout”. I can get a guaranteed seat going but not back at the weekend.
In the meantime I may well have to slap Andrei around the chops by cooking my world famous chicken wings plus another course to be decided. Watch this space.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
Sunday 20th September, 2015 0220
I know. Watching the opening match of the world cup yesterday morning and flopping onto the mattress at five wasn’t so wise at my age, and no I am not watching the final match of today to repeat the mistake. I woke up at midday and only because Mulan arrived and eventually made so much noise clearing her things she had stored from the spare bedroom I was roused. I strongly suspect it was a deliberate attempt to waken me (she could have simply hammered on my bedroom door!) because the moment I groggily staggered out to the bathroom she announced “Finally you woke up!” and immediately proceeded to go through my bedroom to the balcony and stuff her laundry in my washing machine. I have no idea how long she had been there but she left straight away and asked for a text when her washing was done. The night before Joan came and shoved her clothes in the machine, showered and left saying she would come back for them another day because she knew I would hang them up to dry! I should start charging…..
Anyway, it is with regret that I have to report that a state of war now exists between England and Romania.
A few hours ago for the first time in China I had the unusual chance of taking the delectable Dumpling (but not my camera - sorry) for a western meal at which I was a Kevin. Didn’t have to cook, just buy some wine, what a luxury. Andrei cooked what I can categorically say was the worst paella I have ever had, it was also the best I have ever had because it was my first and even with ersatz saffron it was very tasty. For my part I took a bottle of my cheap plonk plus one I paid 98y for - a first for me, even port is less than that including delivery online. Give me the cheap one any day, I really didn’t like the one that cost eight times more.
Dessert was a team affair with Andrei making the crepe mix and Juliette actually frying them and showing off with her tossing abilities, at one point she almost ended up with a pancake between her cleavage. Absolutely great pancakes, nice and thin and honey or jam to put on them or in my case, I took my newly arrived maple syrup.
There is something wrong with Andrei and Juliette because so far every time I have stayed much longer than intended, they haven’t yet kicked me out and indeed Joan found herself locked out of her dorm once and this time Dumpling had to wake the “Auntie” to let her in. But a really lovely evening which saw me have to declare kitchen hostilities.
Andrei fired first. As for me, I simply made good old fashioned English grub but he had to get all fancy pants - now he tells me on Monday he’s making moussaka! Swine.
I can’t compete with a trained chef but I will give it a bloody good try! Western Wednesdays look set to become very interesting indeed.
1900
I watched a bit of the France game but it seemed obvious they would win against Italy so I retired earlier. Still late but I had no ideas about going anywhere. All I have done is go to the office for an hour and am now cooking bread pudding for dumpling and her roommates.
That started badly because I had bought six eggs a couple of days ago, three for the pudding and three for my dinner tonight of scrambled eggs on toast. I had cracked two of the eggs into a bowl but when the third went in it was rank. The smell of a rotten egg makes me feel nauseous so all the eggs were dumped and I had to nip out and buy some more, this time from the campus shop - he sells enough so they don’t have time to go off.
I shall post this now and go back to trying to watch Samoa v USA - annoying because the internet is deathly slow at this time of night. At 0300 of course it works perfectly but of course I wouldn’t be later in the day when I have classes!
I know. Watching the opening match of the world cup yesterday morning and flopping onto the mattress at five wasn’t so wise at my age, and no I am not watching the final match of today to repeat the mistake. I woke up at midday and only because Mulan arrived and eventually made so much noise clearing her things she had stored from the spare bedroom I was roused. I strongly suspect it was a deliberate attempt to waken me (she could have simply hammered on my bedroom door!) because the moment I groggily staggered out to the bathroom she announced “Finally you woke up!” and immediately proceeded to go through my bedroom to the balcony and stuff her laundry in my washing machine. I have no idea how long she had been there but she left straight away and asked for a text when her washing was done. The night before Joan came and shoved her clothes in the machine, showered and left saying she would come back for them another day because she knew I would hang them up to dry! I should start charging…..
Anyway, it is with regret that I have to report that a state of war now exists between England and Romania.
A few hours ago for the first time in China I had the unusual chance of taking the delectable Dumpling (but not my camera - sorry) for a western meal at which I was a Kevin. Didn’t have to cook, just buy some wine, what a luxury. Andrei cooked what I can categorically say was the worst paella I have ever had, it was also the best I have ever had because it was my first and even with ersatz saffron it was very tasty. For my part I took a bottle of my cheap plonk plus one I paid 98y for - a first for me, even port is less than that including delivery online. Give me the cheap one any day, I really didn’t like the one that cost eight times more.
Dessert was a team affair with Andrei making the crepe mix and Juliette actually frying them and showing off with her tossing abilities, at one point she almost ended up with a pancake between her cleavage. Absolutely great pancakes, nice and thin and honey or jam to put on them or in my case, I took my newly arrived maple syrup.
There is something wrong with Andrei and Juliette because so far every time I have stayed much longer than intended, they haven’t yet kicked me out and indeed Joan found herself locked out of her dorm once and this time Dumpling had to wake the “Auntie” to let her in. But a really lovely evening which saw me have to declare kitchen hostilities.
Andrei fired first. As for me, I simply made good old fashioned English grub but he had to get all fancy pants - now he tells me on Monday he’s making moussaka! Swine.
I can’t compete with a trained chef but I will give it a bloody good try! Western Wednesdays look set to become very interesting indeed.
1900
I watched a bit of the France game but it seemed obvious they would win against Italy so I retired earlier. Still late but I had no ideas about going anywhere. All I have done is go to the office for an hour and am now cooking bread pudding for dumpling and her roommates.
That started badly because I had bought six eggs a couple of days ago, three for the pudding and three for my dinner tonight of scrambled eggs on toast. I had cracked two of the eggs into a bowl but when the third went in it was rank. The smell of a rotten egg makes me feel nauseous so all the eggs were dumped and I had to nip out and buy some more, this time from the campus shop - he sells enough so they don’t have time to go off.
I shall post this now and go back to trying to watch Samoa v USA - annoying because the internet is deathly slow at this time of night. At 0300 of course it works perfectly but of course I wouldn’t be later in the day when I have classes!
Saturday, 19 September 2015
Saturday 19th September, 2015 0145
I know the time but I did have a nap this afternoon and as getting a bus to town is great now I am riding two kilometres to the terminus, coming back at weekends is not good at all seeing as I have to stand so tomorrow I am going nowhere.
I never realised it was so long since I posted.
Ok, so trying to keep it in chronological order, I collected my watch on Tuesday. To my horror the chap had completely replaced the gubbins inside and initially I worried if the price was going to be more than the watch was worth (I got it, a Bulova, doing online surveys). How much was it? Forty yuan or £4!!!! Unbelievable. I left happy.
That evening when I left the business street there was a police car parked with its blues flashing. Not an unfamiliar sight down there and hasn’t been for at least a year because they are discouraging the street food vendors from taking trade away from the restaurants that pay taxes and rent. That wasn’t what caught my attention, it was live music out in the open being performed by a girl on a zither and a band with guitar, drums etc. Yes it was Chinese but it sounded good so I parked the bike, lit a cigar and sat back. A girl was dispensing leaflets to passers-by (pointless me getting one) and I wondered if they were doing a concert and were advertising. I wish I knew for I would have gone.
Joan has deserted me of late, she has a job with a classmate recruiting students who have to decide on their second foreign language (sophomores) and they can elect to take French (well all the boys will pick that now Juliette is on the scene), Korean or Japanese. Joan needs to convince them to take Japanese. From what I can gather between the two of them they have recruited one each. Could there be such a thing as the Juliette Factor?
Can’t recall which day it was but I made my pork cottage pie and struggled to find a student to come, seeing as all mine had evening classes but eventually got the nod from Flora, one of my old three year students who is back for another two years to boost her diploma to a BA. Anyway, as usual I made two baking dishes and stuffed one in the freezer for another day, after all there were only four of us. One should be enough, yes? The two piggies Kevin and Ollivier are gone. Plus I had also made a big bread pudding, mainly with the idea of giving Flora a takeaway for her roommates, which she did.
To my surprise, we each ate a quarter of the baking dish of pie, an even bigger surprise was that I did too. I actually felt guilty about not cooking the second dish but salved my conscience with the fact they had plenty of bread pudding.
I have also, since Bus Plan B came into effect, had problems with two bus drivers, one male the other female and both on the same day. I went to the terminus, parked up and went to knock on the bus door. Spotting it said No 6 on the side I was confused and so went to the front to look at the illuminated sign. It was blank. Miseryguts behind the wheel looked at me and I made the Chinese sign for six (clenched fist with thumb and pinkie extended upward) and used body language to ask the question.
From inside his cab he batted me away as you would a fly and stupidly I thought perhaps he was taking a crafty break - the only bus that goes there is the 29 - and so went to the next bus. The other driver, being helpful, pointed across the road to the official stop. Well yes, they may have a stop there 30 yards away but seeing as you are parked where I can leave my bike why should I go and wait in the heat when you are in plain sight and sitting behind the wheel?
So, a bit moody, I started walking only to for the first driver to halt at the stop for a millisecond and then piss off. I don’t run for buses any more and so went back to Mr Nice Bus Driver and sat in the back of his one. When I came back it was a woman driver and she stopped the bus just short of the ramp to the terminus compound. I had two heavy shopping bags and indicated she should carry on, after all there is no official bus stop and surely she knew that as a foreigner I belong to the university.
Bloody hell, did she give me some lip after parking up! You would have thought I had hijacked her vehicle! In disbelief at how precious some people can get (two in a day) I simply smiled and shouted Xi Xie (thank you) to her. If I worked to rule in my job I would have been out of here before my probation period was up five years ago.
Anyway, Andrei is cooking tonight. No idea what he is doing (God I hope it’s not something I hate!) but by chance on my ride home this evening I saw my co-teacher Anthony and was chatting with him when Dumpling came out of her dorm building with a couple of friends. Ah! You saved me a text, what are you doing tomorrow night?
So she is my partner later but her roommate told me she is sad because she has broken up with her boyfriend, another of my students. I never thought it would work as it happens, regardless of the fact he got up on stage to profess his undying love but Dumpling started crying.
You may call me all sorts of things but the fact is I can’t handle girls who are crying. I could hardly hug her to my bosom in the middle of a public place so I simply told her and her friends I didn’t like to witness it and to go, which they did. Heartless it may sound but all I wanted to do was let her cry on my shoulder and in that location it would have been reputational suicide. I hope Andrei, Juliette and I can lift her spirits in about sixteen hours time.
I know the time but I did have a nap this afternoon and as getting a bus to town is great now I am riding two kilometres to the terminus, coming back at weekends is not good at all seeing as I have to stand so tomorrow I am going nowhere.
I never realised it was so long since I posted.
Ok, so trying to keep it in chronological order, I collected my watch on Tuesday. To my horror the chap had completely replaced the gubbins inside and initially I worried if the price was going to be more than the watch was worth (I got it, a Bulova, doing online surveys). How much was it? Forty yuan or £4!!!! Unbelievable. I left happy.
That evening when I left the business street there was a police car parked with its blues flashing. Not an unfamiliar sight down there and hasn’t been for at least a year because they are discouraging the street food vendors from taking trade away from the restaurants that pay taxes and rent. That wasn’t what caught my attention, it was live music out in the open being performed by a girl on a zither and a band with guitar, drums etc. Yes it was Chinese but it sounded good so I parked the bike, lit a cigar and sat back. A girl was dispensing leaflets to passers-by (pointless me getting one) and I wondered if they were doing a concert and were advertising. I wish I knew for I would have gone.
Joan has deserted me of late, she has a job with a classmate recruiting students who have to decide on their second foreign language (sophomores) and they can elect to take French (well all the boys will pick that now Juliette is on the scene), Korean or Japanese. Joan needs to convince them to take Japanese. From what I can gather between the two of them they have recruited one each. Could there be such a thing as the Juliette Factor?
Can’t recall which day it was but I made my pork cottage pie and struggled to find a student to come, seeing as all mine had evening classes but eventually got the nod from Flora, one of my old three year students who is back for another two years to boost her diploma to a BA. Anyway, as usual I made two baking dishes and stuffed one in the freezer for another day, after all there were only four of us. One should be enough, yes? The two piggies Kevin and Ollivier are gone. Plus I had also made a big bread pudding, mainly with the idea of giving Flora a takeaway for her roommates, which she did.
To my surprise, we each ate a quarter of the baking dish of pie, an even bigger surprise was that I did too. I actually felt guilty about not cooking the second dish but salved my conscience with the fact they had plenty of bread pudding.
I have also, since Bus Plan B came into effect, had problems with two bus drivers, one male the other female and both on the same day. I went to the terminus, parked up and went to knock on the bus door. Spotting it said No 6 on the side I was confused and so went to the front to look at the illuminated sign. It was blank. Miseryguts behind the wheel looked at me and I made the Chinese sign for six (clenched fist with thumb and pinkie extended upward) and used body language to ask the question.
From inside his cab he batted me away as you would a fly and stupidly I thought perhaps he was taking a crafty break - the only bus that goes there is the 29 - and so went to the next bus. The other driver, being helpful, pointed across the road to the official stop. Well yes, they may have a stop there 30 yards away but seeing as you are parked where I can leave my bike why should I go and wait in the heat when you are in plain sight and sitting behind the wheel?
So, a bit moody, I started walking only to for the first driver to halt at the stop for a millisecond and then piss off. I don’t run for buses any more and so went back to Mr Nice Bus Driver and sat in the back of his one. When I came back it was a woman driver and she stopped the bus just short of the ramp to the terminus compound. I had two heavy shopping bags and indicated she should carry on, after all there is no official bus stop and surely she knew that as a foreigner I belong to the university.
Bloody hell, did she give me some lip after parking up! You would have thought I had hijacked her vehicle! In disbelief at how precious some people can get (two in a day) I simply smiled and shouted Xi Xie (thank you) to her. If I worked to rule in my job I would have been out of here before my probation period was up five years ago.
Anyway, Andrei is cooking tonight. No idea what he is doing (God I hope it’s not something I hate!) but by chance on my ride home this evening I saw my co-teacher Anthony and was chatting with him when Dumpling came out of her dorm building with a couple of friends. Ah! You saved me a text, what are you doing tomorrow night?
So she is my partner later but her roommate told me she is sad because she has broken up with her boyfriend, another of my students. I never thought it would work as it happens, regardless of the fact he got up on stage to profess his undying love but Dumpling started crying.
You may call me all sorts of things but the fact is I can’t handle girls who are crying. I could hardly hug her to my bosom in the middle of a public place so I simply told her and her friends I didn’t like to witness it and to go, which they did. Heartless it may sound but all I wanted to do was let her cry on my shoulder and in that location it would have been reputational suicide. I hope Andrei, Juliette and I can lift her spirits in about sixteen hours time.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Sunday 13th September, 2015 1700
Well high praise indeed for the enchiladas and only two left over from a dozen - the lightweights on the evening being Joan and me. It suited me fine because it meant last night’s dinner was sorted for me as well. Just as good was the fact that on the third attempt my bread pudding achieved the right consistency, just like Mama used to make! The answer? More eggs. the recipe I first followed stipulated just the one but tripling that did the trick, along with a little more sugar and spice.
It was a great night on which Joan suddenly found herself stranded because by the time she realised, her dormitory was locked. Fine by me, that’s what my spare room is for. I stayed in Andrei and Juliettes probably far later than perhaps they wanted me to but we did finish both their bottles of wine and I polished off one of my own I had opened earlier.
By the time I left I found myself wide awake so watched some internet and by the time the clock struck four I decided that as I was sure Joan had said she had to get up just after five to prepare to greet the freshmen who poured in this weekend (4,200 of them) that I would stay awake and make her breakfast when she woke. At 0515 I gave it up as a lost cause. She swears she never said she was getting up that early so maybe I misheard.
Plan B on the bus is an absolute must now, the bloody thing is chock-a-block all day at the weekends and of course I get a seat going but coming back is another matter entirely. The buses are already full by the time they get to RT Mart and then you either have the bus driver stopping short of the stop so all the young ones rush to board or it stops in the right place and the only way I am going to get on first is by committing genocide. Today for instance it happened twice so when the third bus arrived I used my weight. I still had to sit on the shelf at the back and inadvertently putting my carrier bag in some liquid sloshing around on the floor which I swiftly realised was from the infant sitting on the woman in the next seat - she had let the bloody thing piss all over the bus. I think I will either not go to town at weekends or start taking the bike again - 30y for a taxi every time would make a big dent in the wallet.
Last night Joan was coming for dinner (me with leftovers, her with shop pizza) and she said she would come at seven but would only stay an hour. No problem, it was only quarter past four. I was in the office having a bottle or two and chatting with freshmen and lost track of time. I then looked out of the window and thought to myself that it had gone dark rather early. I looked at my watch and it was showing quarter to five. That couldn’t be right! My watch had stopped and it was ten to seven! Panic stations to get home and cook for her before she had to go to her dorm. In the end she took the pizza away and it was overdone because she spent ages opening a Taobao account for Andrei.
Those two found a huge glass display case discarded by the campus supermarket, I think it was used for nuts and snacks but they thought it would make a good aquarium. They bought two baby turtles and some goldfish and the first time they put water in it, it leaked all over the floor. Andrei bought a silicone gun and hopefully has made it watertight - too late for the fish (which have been replaced) because they jumped out of the overnight quarters and were beyond redemption by the time they got up.
The other night Andrei suggested I stick my watch in a bag of rice to eradicate the condensation inside. Being hygroscopic I assume that would work but I found a better way. As the battery had run out I took it to a street stall for a new one and the chap dried it out with tissue and a hand pump. Sadly the inside gubbins exhibited much verdigris and after working for all of two minutes it stopped again, meaning I had to take it back. He has kept it and I will go on Tuesday to hopefully collect it. It never cost me anything, it’s a Bulova I redeemed through doing surveys but it has been a damned good timekeeper so I don’t mind spending a bit on having it repaired. I might even take my Cartier special edition Ferrari watch to him to see if he has the right batteries - Kevin couldn’t find them anywhere.
Anyway, two nights on the trot of eating spicy food have had a detrimental effect on my digestive tract so tonight I am playing safe and just having a cheese and onion baguette - haute cuisine indeed!
Nearly forgot. Prof Fang is no longer the dean of our department. She tells me it isn’t a promotion but a sideways move, however she is now director of personnel among other things and also deputy head of some literature thing for the entire province - which is the size of England. If that isn’t a promotion then I don’t know what is but quite how that affects my job prospects for next year remain to be seen.
Well high praise indeed for the enchiladas and only two left over from a dozen - the lightweights on the evening being Joan and me. It suited me fine because it meant last night’s dinner was sorted for me as well. Just as good was the fact that on the third attempt my bread pudding achieved the right consistency, just like Mama used to make! The answer? More eggs. the recipe I first followed stipulated just the one but tripling that did the trick, along with a little more sugar and spice.
It was a great night on which Joan suddenly found herself stranded because by the time she realised, her dormitory was locked. Fine by me, that’s what my spare room is for. I stayed in Andrei and Juliettes probably far later than perhaps they wanted me to but we did finish both their bottles of wine and I polished off one of my own I had opened earlier.
By the time I left I found myself wide awake so watched some internet and by the time the clock struck four I decided that as I was sure Joan had said she had to get up just after five to prepare to greet the freshmen who poured in this weekend (4,200 of them) that I would stay awake and make her breakfast when she woke. At 0515 I gave it up as a lost cause. She swears she never said she was getting up that early so maybe I misheard.
Plan B on the bus is an absolute must now, the bloody thing is chock-a-block all day at the weekends and of course I get a seat going but coming back is another matter entirely. The buses are already full by the time they get to RT Mart and then you either have the bus driver stopping short of the stop so all the young ones rush to board or it stops in the right place and the only way I am going to get on first is by committing genocide. Today for instance it happened twice so when the third bus arrived I used my weight. I still had to sit on the shelf at the back and inadvertently putting my carrier bag in some liquid sloshing around on the floor which I swiftly realised was from the infant sitting on the woman in the next seat - she had let the bloody thing piss all over the bus. I think I will either not go to town at weekends or start taking the bike again - 30y for a taxi every time would make a big dent in the wallet.
Last night Joan was coming for dinner (me with leftovers, her with shop pizza) and she said she would come at seven but would only stay an hour. No problem, it was only quarter past four. I was in the office having a bottle or two and chatting with freshmen and lost track of time. I then looked out of the window and thought to myself that it had gone dark rather early. I looked at my watch and it was showing quarter to five. That couldn’t be right! My watch had stopped and it was ten to seven! Panic stations to get home and cook for her before she had to go to her dorm. In the end she took the pizza away and it was overdone because she spent ages opening a Taobao account for Andrei.
Those two found a huge glass display case discarded by the campus supermarket, I think it was used for nuts and snacks but they thought it would make a good aquarium. They bought two baby turtles and some goldfish and the first time they put water in it, it leaked all over the floor. Andrei bought a silicone gun and hopefully has made it watertight - too late for the fish (which have been replaced) because they jumped out of the overnight quarters and were beyond redemption by the time they got up.
The other night Andrei suggested I stick my watch in a bag of rice to eradicate the condensation inside. Being hygroscopic I assume that would work but I found a better way. As the battery had run out I took it to a street stall for a new one and the chap dried it out with tissue and a hand pump. Sadly the inside gubbins exhibited much verdigris and after working for all of two minutes it stopped again, meaning I had to take it back. He has kept it and I will go on Tuesday to hopefully collect it. It never cost me anything, it’s a Bulova I redeemed through doing surveys but it has been a damned good timekeeper so I don’t mind spending a bit on having it repaired. I might even take my Cartier special edition Ferrari watch to him to see if he has the right batteries - Kevin couldn’t find them anywhere.
Anyway, two nights on the trot of eating spicy food have had a detrimental effect on my digestive tract so tonight I am playing safe and just having a cheese and onion baguette - haute cuisine indeed!
Nearly forgot. Prof Fang is no longer the dean of our department. She tells me it isn’t a promotion but a sideways move, however she is now director of personnel among other things and also deputy head of some literature thing for the entire province - which is the size of England. If that isn’t a promotion then I don’t know what is but quite how that affects my job prospects for next year remain to be seen.
Friday, 11 September 2015
Thursday 10th September, 2015 1530
And so endeth my fist week of this academic year. This time though it has been tough to restart, entirely self-inflicted due to not disciplining myself to go to bed early enough but in mitigation, at the times I should have called it a day I simply wasn’t tired. I certainly was when the alarm went off though!
It was no different this morning but I was buoyed by the fact it is teachers day. With the prospect of being showered with gifts and fat red envelopes by my students, I joyously ascended the stairs to the fourth floor of the Bocai building.
What did I get?
Good morning class!
Good morning! Happy teachers day!
Not even an apple.
In all honesty I don’t want students spending money on buying me things (unless perhaps a group want to take me out for dinner, that’s different) and apart from that a year ago it was made illegal for teachers to take gratuities from students or parents. I am sure it still goes on in return for good marks but I don’t play by those rules. Instead I simply asked my class how they could say happy teachers day when I don’t even get a day off to celebrate it? They appeared to see the funny side of it.
Today and yesterday I managed to actually stand for the first period, something I haven’t been able to do since breaking my pelvis so despite my fears that I may never fully recover, I now believe I will at least eventually get back to somewhere approaching normality.
After class I was riding off on my bike from under the building when I heard a voice shouting “be careful!” I stopped and looked around. It had come from the rather dapper Chinese teacher who in colder months always sports a jacket and tie. Really nice guy. Before riding off I quipped back that I am always careful, it’s the others I worry about (and with good reason).
Then it was time to go to town. Again I rode all the way to the terminus, hoping that there would be a horde of students boarding when the bus stopped at the university instead of just a few as was the case last time. On this occasion Plan B worked. I had my favourite seat and on arrival at south gate the bus instantly filled with both teachers and pupils. If only I could do the same for the return journey.
It seems odd to travel half an our each way simply to spend twenty minutes in the supermarket only to come straight back but money is tight until payday and with it falling on Saturday if I am lucky we will be paid early on Friday or more likely it will be Monday. So pennies must be watched.
Plus of course I am low on so many things I need from Taobao online now that I reckon Joan will have to order at least 500y of stuff ranging from Branston to mustard to kidney beans. There will be no new e-bike this year. Next year for sure if I am not thrown away for being too old.
Joan is coming for dinner tomorrow and I don’t know what to cook (I will go shopping again in the morning and possibly have McBreakfast) - she is of no help as when I asked her what she wanted to eat the answer was “anything”. I did have plans to make myself breakfast tonight but now I may have to do that tomorrow, in which case tonight will be possibly tuna/mayo/cucumber wraps. Or of course I could actually go out and eat Chinese for a change!
2400
Haha!
Just seen on the university website that for teachers day the leaders visited all the teachers. Not a soul came to my classroom! The internet very often presents a utopia, as I have found to my disgust when booking hotels.
Time for bed now, I intend to get up early for a McBreakfast. Joan is staying tonight because her lazy dormitory “auntie” closed the building early. I have elected to make enchiladas tomorrow night for Joan, Andrei, Juliette and I. As always, if I am providing the food, the others have to provide the wine! Maybe one day I will be able to do bugger all and just buy a couple of bottles but for now I do make the best chilli enchiladas in Chizhou. The only ones I think…..
Friday 11th 1230
Well my dinner last night was French toast and honey. Not quite the same without bacon, tomatoes and eggs though! Still, I had my breakfast in town and bought the gubbins for tonight’s enchiladas.
I am getting weary (pardon the pun) of going to bed leaving myself seven hours to sleep before the alarm and then waking up an hour earlier still tired and unable to drop off again. Were I retired then I really wouldn’t give a flying fox but even on a day off it is annoying because it means this afternoon I will need to take a nap. I hate feeling awful twice a day - and I always do when I have been sleeping.
On the ride down to the bus I couldn’t help but notice the freshman influx has begun in earnest. Many of them are accompanied by their parents driving their little darlings to big school for the first time. Nothing wrong with that of course but the parents in large part seem to be completely gormless. They drive their cars gawping at the surrounding buildings paying no attention to their driving (which is on the wrong side of the road) and completely oblivious to the fact they are reducing my life expectancy to mere seconds. If they are not doing that they are blocking entire roads whilst they offload the progeny of their loins along with luggage, and stuff anyone who wants to actually negotiate that particular road. I foresee some e-bike rage over the coming weekend when the immigration becomes a tidal wave - if they don’t wipe me out first.
TIC!!!!
And so endeth my fist week of this academic year. This time though it has been tough to restart, entirely self-inflicted due to not disciplining myself to go to bed early enough but in mitigation, at the times I should have called it a day I simply wasn’t tired. I certainly was when the alarm went off though!
It was no different this morning but I was buoyed by the fact it is teachers day. With the prospect of being showered with gifts and fat red envelopes by my students, I joyously ascended the stairs to the fourth floor of the Bocai building.
What did I get?
Good morning class!
Good morning! Happy teachers day!
Not even an apple.
In all honesty I don’t want students spending money on buying me things (unless perhaps a group want to take me out for dinner, that’s different) and apart from that a year ago it was made illegal for teachers to take gratuities from students or parents. I am sure it still goes on in return for good marks but I don’t play by those rules. Instead I simply asked my class how they could say happy teachers day when I don’t even get a day off to celebrate it? They appeared to see the funny side of it.
Today and yesterday I managed to actually stand for the first period, something I haven’t been able to do since breaking my pelvis so despite my fears that I may never fully recover, I now believe I will at least eventually get back to somewhere approaching normality.
After class I was riding off on my bike from under the building when I heard a voice shouting “be careful!” I stopped and looked around. It had come from the rather dapper Chinese teacher who in colder months always sports a jacket and tie. Really nice guy. Before riding off I quipped back that I am always careful, it’s the others I worry about (and with good reason).
Then it was time to go to town. Again I rode all the way to the terminus, hoping that there would be a horde of students boarding when the bus stopped at the university instead of just a few as was the case last time. On this occasion Plan B worked. I had my favourite seat and on arrival at south gate the bus instantly filled with both teachers and pupils. If only I could do the same for the return journey.
It seems odd to travel half an our each way simply to spend twenty minutes in the supermarket only to come straight back but money is tight until payday and with it falling on Saturday if I am lucky we will be paid early on Friday or more likely it will be Monday. So pennies must be watched.
Plus of course I am low on so many things I need from Taobao online now that I reckon Joan will have to order at least 500y of stuff ranging from Branston to mustard to kidney beans. There will be no new e-bike this year. Next year for sure if I am not thrown away for being too old.
Joan is coming for dinner tomorrow and I don’t know what to cook (I will go shopping again in the morning and possibly have McBreakfast) - she is of no help as when I asked her what she wanted to eat the answer was “anything”. I did have plans to make myself breakfast tonight but now I may have to do that tomorrow, in which case tonight will be possibly tuna/mayo/cucumber wraps. Or of course I could actually go out and eat Chinese for a change!
2400
Haha!
Just seen on the university website that for teachers day the leaders visited all the teachers. Not a soul came to my classroom! The internet very often presents a utopia, as I have found to my disgust when booking hotels.
Time for bed now, I intend to get up early for a McBreakfast. Joan is staying tonight because her lazy dormitory “auntie” closed the building early. I have elected to make enchiladas tomorrow night for Joan, Andrei, Juliette and I. As always, if I am providing the food, the others have to provide the wine! Maybe one day I will be able to do bugger all and just buy a couple of bottles but for now I do make the best chilli enchiladas in Chizhou. The only ones I think…..
Friday 11th 1230
Well my dinner last night was French toast and honey. Not quite the same without bacon, tomatoes and eggs though! Still, I had my breakfast in town and bought the gubbins for tonight’s enchiladas.
I am getting weary (pardon the pun) of going to bed leaving myself seven hours to sleep before the alarm and then waking up an hour earlier still tired and unable to drop off again. Were I retired then I really wouldn’t give a flying fox but even on a day off it is annoying because it means this afternoon I will need to take a nap. I hate feeling awful twice a day - and I always do when I have been sleeping.
On the ride down to the bus I couldn’t help but notice the freshman influx has begun in earnest. Many of them are accompanied by their parents driving their little darlings to big school for the first time. Nothing wrong with that of course but the parents in large part seem to be completely gormless. They drive their cars gawping at the surrounding buildings paying no attention to their driving (which is on the wrong side of the road) and completely oblivious to the fact they are reducing my life expectancy to mere seconds. If they are not doing that they are blocking entire roads whilst they offload the progeny of their loins along with luggage, and stuff anyone who wants to actually negotiate that particular road. I foresee some e-bike rage over the coming weekend when the immigration becomes a tidal wave - if they don’t wipe me out first.
TIC!!!!
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
Wednesday 9th September, 2015 0200
Yes, late night/early morning again but I don’t have a class until 1400 and either the school internet failed shortly before midnight (I hope that is the case) or my computer/router is/are buggered. Doubtless I will find out later today when the IT people come to work. I did think it might be because I use Google Chrome and the Politburo don’t like Google but Internet Explorer doesn’t work either. The thought crossed my mind that we had reverted to logging in every day, hence trying IE but something else is wrong I think. At least, it had better be because I can’t afford to buy a new computer.
So Monday saw the first day of this academic year, old hat to me now but a struggle given that most mornings of late I have set my alarm for ten o’clock or not at all. The waking up wasn’t the problem, it was the falling asleep at a sensible time - I simply couldn’t do it.
I struggled through regardless as I always do though and later, predictably I did my local shop and went to the office for a couple of beers.
Juliette meanwhile faced her first ever terrifying class at four. My heart was with her because she is a mere stripling with none of the experience of years, although I suspect beneath that innocent exterior there does indeed lie some bravado. She admitted to nerves but told me later that in spite of her fears it was nowhere near as bad as she expected. There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that her beauty saved her from any of the smart-alec tricks students try (just the once!) with me on the first encounter. I was pleased for her, for those who have never stood in front of a classroom of young adults be assured it can be a very daunting experience the first time.
Later that evening I made another bread pudding. Last time I used too much sugar and spice (for me anyway) so this time I used what I should have and added an extra egg. Only this time I used twice as much bread. I never used enough sugar OR spice! I will get it right if it kills me.
Andrei on the other hand had made what he termed a “pork, cauliflower and broccoli soup” and had saved some for me. If I am honest, it didn’t sound like any soup I have ever heard of but then he is Romanian. Well when they brought it down in the saucepan it was quite apparent it wasn’t a soup. It was a stew.
That presented me with a problem. Joan was coming for dinner and I had defrosted Bolognese otherwise I could easily have boiled some potatoes (if I had any) and made a meal from the so-called “soup”. I don’t eat much at the best of times and so only had a spoonful to taste it before serving the rest to Joan, who in fairness confessed she was hungry.
Well she polished off the lot except for the skin and bones on the pork pieces and was then stunned to learn I was about to cook the spaghetti. The leftovers of my cooking from before were easily enough to feed three but sadly though we both did our best, half of it will be flushed down the toilet later today when I get around to washing the dishes.
As for the bread pudding, it was OK but not perfect, half going to Andrei and Juliette and the remainder Joan took to share with her roommates.
Today I had one class and finished at noon. I wanted to go to town so once done, I rode the bike, saw hordes of students clambering on the 29 bus and immediately rode to the terminus up the road where I was the first to get on the next bus, as per plan B. My plan is pure genius. Except when we got to the school pick-up there were but six students waiting to board! I could have stayed where I normally do. I am sure the ruse will be useful in the future though and the driver on the return trip, knowing of course I teach at the university, was nonplussed when I never got off and carried on to the end. He gave me a huge thumbs up when he got off his bus for a smoke and realised what I had done!
While I was out shopping however, I was advised of a job transcribing an audio file of some seven hours duration - how much and when could I do it? No bleeding idea, wait until I get home in a couple of hours. Well I couldn’t play the audio after downloading so they said download QQ video player. That wouldn’t play it either so I thought stuff this for a game of soldiers, I’m off to the office for my customary couple of bottles. Andrei and Juliette joined me after a while.
Andrei advised me to download Winamp to play the file (that didn’t work either and it won’t be long before my laptop screen is filled with icons!) and Juliette told me her class this morning had been the same as my first ever class. In mine I had been given the wrong book and prepared a lesson I have never given to this day. She though is 23 but thankfully she had not only taught the same class on Monday (a different subject) and so knew them, but had also been regaled by my telling of my own experience and so she wasn’t phased and simply did what I did and borrowed a book from a student. As for me, I am still trying to get the correct book for my business classes, my co-teacher having thus far managed to provide me with two incorrect books. In fact he has suggested I teach the students from one of them as it is a newer book! Well yes of course I can teach from any book they give me but it is ludicrous to issue the students with different ones, how the hell are they going to perform the dialogues in MY book when theirs are completely different? I will see the secretary later to find out why it is being said there are no such books when a hundred of my students have been provided with them. Surely there must be just one left for little old me?
Anyway I got back this evening and downloaded Winamp at very low speed and whilst that was taking place the translation firm emailed to say not to bother because the client had disagreed with them and they no longer had the job! This being China it could either be true or they simply found someone else who could play the file, who knows?
However, there was an urgent clean up to be done by nine this morning, could I please do it before anything else. All thoughts of cooking evaporated (my food today ended up being cream cheese on toast, very healthy) and so I did it straight away. In view of the complete loss of internet access just before midnight I am so glad I also completed the other two jobs which I had until Friday morning to do. All three concerned infant mortality studies with heart defects at birth. I am not sure I will ever be able to inure myself to reading a simple statistic such as “12 died (8.9% of the sample group) prior to one year”. Unless they give me anything else I am free to have McBreakfast on Friday and at the weekend.
2020
Yes it was the entire campus but of course I couldn’t send the above anywhere even when I finally hit the sack at about four.
I got up just after eleven, absolutely shattered as seems to be the norm for me lately, and internet access was restored after a router reboot. After my class I went to see the secretary and I am guessing my co-teacher had already been, for the correct business book was immediately produced.
I had my customary two bottles in the office but just as I was about to leave two vagrants (Andrei & Juliette) popped in. it would be rude to refuse a drink so I was delayed a little. Mulan had been to my home at lunchtime and put her bedding in the washing machine and later when I was teaching sent me a message asking me to hang the stuff out to dry as she needed them tonight. She has rented a place off campus and I assume she only has one set of bed sheets and blankets at present.
Well I sent back that I would do it when I got home , which turned out to be about five-forty. Just as I opened the balcony windows to throw one of her blankets over the drying rails she appeared on her e-bike! I never got to hang anything out because she was going to her new home (hope the stuff dries before bedtime) because one of her brothers is there and his train to school leaves at midnight. If the dopey beggar had come twenty minutes earlier to start the wash and told me I could have had it dry because the machine would have finished before I left.
I had better post this now, Joan will be here shortly to take a shower and we will have dinner. I gave her the choice of shop-bought pizza or spaghetti or beans on toast. To my surprise she chose beans on toast. That will do for me.
Yes, late night/early morning again but I don’t have a class until 1400 and either the school internet failed shortly before midnight (I hope that is the case) or my computer/router is/are buggered. Doubtless I will find out later today when the IT people come to work. I did think it might be because I use Google Chrome and the Politburo don’t like Google but Internet Explorer doesn’t work either. The thought crossed my mind that we had reverted to logging in every day, hence trying IE but something else is wrong I think. At least, it had better be because I can’t afford to buy a new computer.
So Monday saw the first day of this academic year, old hat to me now but a struggle given that most mornings of late I have set my alarm for ten o’clock or not at all. The waking up wasn’t the problem, it was the falling asleep at a sensible time - I simply couldn’t do it.
I struggled through regardless as I always do though and later, predictably I did my local shop and went to the office for a couple of beers.
Juliette meanwhile faced her first ever terrifying class at four. My heart was with her because she is a mere stripling with none of the experience of years, although I suspect beneath that innocent exterior there does indeed lie some bravado. She admitted to nerves but told me later that in spite of her fears it was nowhere near as bad as she expected. There is not a shadow of doubt in my mind that her beauty saved her from any of the smart-alec tricks students try (just the once!) with me on the first encounter. I was pleased for her, for those who have never stood in front of a classroom of young adults be assured it can be a very daunting experience the first time.
Later that evening I made another bread pudding. Last time I used too much sugar and spice (for me anyway) so this time I used what I should have and added an extra egg. Only this time I used twice as much bread. I never used enough sugar OR spice! I will get it right if it kills me.
Andrei on the other hand had made what he termed a “pork, cauliflower and broccoli soup” and had saved some for me. If I am honest, it didn’t sound like any soup I have ever heard of but then he is Romanian. Well when they brought it down in the saucepan it was quite apparent it wasn’t a soup. It was a stew.
That presented me with a problem. Joan was coming for dinner and I had defrosted Bolognese otherwise I could easily have boiled some potatoes (if I had any) and made a meal from the so-called “soup”. I don’t eat much at the best of times and so only had a spoonful to taste it before serving the rest to Joan, who in fairness confessed she was hungry.
Well she polished off the lot except for the skin and bones on the pork pieces and was then stunned to learn I was about to cook the spaghetti. The leftovers of my cooking from before were easily enough to feed three but sadly though we both did our best, half of it will be flushed down the toilet later today when I get around to washing the dishes.
As for the bread pudding, it was OK but not perfect, half going to Andrei and Juliette and the remainder Joan took to share with her roommates.
Today I had one class and finished at noon. I wanted to go to town so once done, I rode the bike, saw hordes of students clambering on the 29 bus and immediately rode to the terminus up the road where I was the first to get on the next bus, as per plan B. My plan is pure genius. Except when we got to the school pick-up there were but six students waiting to board! I could have stayed where I normally do. I am sure the ruse will be useful in the future though and the driver on the return trip, knowing of course I teach at the university, was nonplussed when I never got off and carried on to the end. He gave me a huge thumbs up when he got off his bus for a smoke and realised what I had done!
While I was out shopping however, I was advised of a job transcribing an audio file of some seven hours duration - how much and when could I do it? No bleeding idea, wait until I get home in a couple of hours. Well I couldn’t play the audio after downloading so they said download QQ video player. That wouldn’t play it either so I thought stuff this for a game of soldiers, I’m off to the office for my customary couple of bottles. Andrei and Juliette joined me after a while.
Andrei advised me to download Winamp to play the file (that didn’t work either and it won’t be long before my laptop screen is filled with icons!) and Juliette told me her class this morning had been the same as my first ever class. In mine I had been given the wrong book and prepared a lesson I have never given to this day. She though is 23 but thankfully she had not only taught the same class on Monday (a different subject) and so knew them, but had also been regaled by my telling of my own experience and so she wasn’t phased and simply did what I did and borrowed a book from a student. As for me, I am still trying to get the correct book for my business classes, my co-teacher having thus far managed to provide me with two incorrect books. In fact he has suggested I teach the students from one of them as it is a newer book! Well yes of course I can teach from any book they give me but it is ludicrous to issue the students with different ones, how the hell are they going to perform the dialogues in MY book when theirs are completely different? I will see the secretary later to find out why it is being said there are no such books when a hundred of my students have been provided with them. Surely there must be just one left for little old me?
Anyway I got back this evening and downloaded Winamp at very low speed and whilst that was taking place the translation firm emailed to say not to bother because the client had disagreed with them and they no longer had the job! This being China it could either be true or they simply found someone else who could play the file, who knows?
However, there was an urgent clean up to be done by nine this morning, could I please do it before anything else. All thoughts of cooking evaporated (my food today ended up being cream cheese on toast, very healthy) and so I did it straight away. In view of the complete loss of internet access just before midnight I am so glad I also completed the other two jobs which I had until Friday morning to do. All three concerned infant mortality studies with heart defects at birth. I am not sure I will ever be able to inure myself to reading a simple statistic such as “12 died (8.9% of the sample group) prior to one year”. Unless they give me anything else I am free to have McBreakfast on Friday and at the weekend.
2020
Yes it was the entire campus but of course I couldn’t send the above anywhere even when I finally hit the sack at about four.
I got up just after eleven, absolutely shattered as seems to be the norm for me lately, and internet access was restored after a router reboot. After my class I went to see the secretary and I am guessing my co-teacher had already been, for the correct business book was immediately produced.
I had my customary two bottles in the office but just as I was about to leave two vagrants (Andrei & Juliette) popped in. it would be rude to refuse a drink so I was delayed a little. Mulan had been to my home at lunchtime and put her bedding in the washing machine and later when I was teaching sent me a message asking me to hang the stuff out to dry as she needed them tonight. She has rented a place off campus and I assume she only has one set of bed sheets and blankets at present.
Well I sent back that I would do it when I got home , which turned out to be about five-forty. Just as I opened the balcony windows to throw one of her blankets over the drying rails she appeared on her e-bike! I never got to hang anything out because she was going to her new home (hope the stuff dries before bedtime) because one of her brothers is there and his train to school leaves at midnight. If the dopey beggar had come twenty minutes earlier to start the wash and told me I could have had it dry because the machine would have finished before I left.
I had better post this now, Joan will be here shortly to take a shower and we will have dinner. I gave her the choice of shop-bought pizza or spaghetti or beans on toast. To my surprise she chose beans on toast. That will do for me.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Sunday 6th September, 2015 1700
Well, this the last blog from Postgrad Junk Mail. Tomorrow the holidays are history and the new academic year commences. Am I fully prepared? Certainly not. Am I capable and up to the task? Definitely.
I suspect Juliette may be experiencing a touch of nerves tonight because at 0820 she will walk into her first classroom ever when she is the teacher. Five years ago even I at my ripe old age had last minute jitters going up the stairs towards the classroom. She on the other hand is young, no older than some of my students and that could under some circumstances present a problem. However, she is blessed with good looks and my guess is the boys will drool while the girls turn a funny shade of green. She will be fine as long as she remembers not to pretend she knows it all but acts as if she does. I do enough of that for all of us.
The second bread pudding was, well, better and worse at the same time. The extra egg and less milk made a big difference but I used too much sugar and spice. Still perfectly edible but not quite perfect, a bit too sickly. The next one will be and at the rate Joan is gobbling it up, that will be tomorrow night!
Yesterday was an unmitigated disaster. Having altered the dinery from the barbecue place to the restaurant at the very end of the 29 bus route, the first thing to go wrong was that Joan was detained late at her teaching job by students (kids) wanting to have words with her. That in itself shouldn’t have presented a major problem once I had pointed out there was no need for her to come all the way back on the number 7 only to go into town immediately on the 29. I suggested she take the 7 to the railway station and then took the 29 to the restaurant. Fine so far.
Andrei, Juliette and I hopped on a bus in the full expectation of being deposited a few paces from where we were to eat, with Joan joining us soon after.
That didn’t happen.
They have changed the bus route!
We were chucked off at the foot of the flyover that it used to cross only a few months ago. Now I have no idea where it terminates but it’s nowhere near where we wanted to be. We went halfway across the flyover on foot (after an abortive attempt to take a short cut which was sealed off) but then had to stop. Joan had no idea where the restaurant was, I was the only one, so we waited for her bus to turn up. And we waited. And waited.
I tried calling her to no avail, her phone was on silent “mood” but eventually she sent a message. The number 7 she had boarded experienced a flat tyre so she had to disembark and wait for another, then the 29 was rammed full and not only proceeded at a snail’s pace but stopped at every opportunity.
It was eight o’clock before she joined us - late in China for dinner.
Anyway, we hoofed it to the destination, only to find they had no food. Or at least from what I can gather they could only rustle up two dishes. I asked if they could call us a taxi, which they did and in the meantime everyone admired the antiquities on display around the place - a model of a ship, old army field telephone, gramophones etc. I give it six months before that place goes bust - the nightclub did and now people won’t go there because they need a car or a cab. I doubt whoever altered the routes considered the effect on the businesses there.
We reverted to the original plan, which was the barbecue place. For a journey of less than two miles the sodding driver ripped me off for 10y but I was so annoyed that we had been thwarted I paid without demur.
By now it was nine (very, very late for dinner in China) and the barbecue restaurant didn’t have everything by way of food available. It was that or McDonald’s so we stayed. There was enough but disappointingly no sushi and we never got a discount. They also informed us they would stop serving at nine-thirty! Everyone bar me loaded up their plates with plenty of food and I think everyone had filled up by the time we left.
That was at five to ten. I thought the last bus was at ten-thirty (it is FROM campus) but Joan thought the last one back was at ten. We were both wrong. It’s nine-thirty. Taxi time. I love it when a plan comes together.
Today I went shopping, just that. I won’t want to go tomorrow so I needed stuff for an evening breakfast tonight plus more bread pudding tomorrow. When I got to the bus stop to come home, the first 29 to arrive was basically overloaded. I sat back down in the shelter and a student quizzed me as to why I wasn‘t getting on. Why? I wasn’t standing holding a heavy carrier bag. But nowadays…..she started, and I said not always, nobody gave up their seat the other day for me. I caught the next one and my luck held, there was one seat empty.
I sit here now, having realised I forgot to buy bacon. We can’t have a breakfast consisting solely of French toast, poached eggs and grilled tomatoes so tonight Matthew, I will have my first ever crack at spam fritters. The only problem is, I have some white powder in a container and I can’t remember if it is flour or cornflour!
Well, this the last blog from Postgrad Junk Mail. Tomorrow the holidays are history and the new academic year commences. Am I fully prepared? Certainly not. Am I capable and up to the task? Definitely.
I suspect Juliette may be experiencing a touch of nerves tonight because at 0820 she will walk into her first classroom ever when she is the teacher. Five years ago even I at my ripe old age had last minute jitters going up the stairs towards the classroom. She on the other hand is young, no older than some of my students and that could under some circumstances present a problem. However, she is blessed with good looks and my guess is the boys will drool while the girls turn a funny shade of green. She will be fine as long as she remembers not to pretend she knows it all but acts as if she does. I do enough of that for all of us.
The second bread pudding was, well, better and worse at the same time. The extra egg and less milk made a big difference but I used too much sugar and spice. Still perfectly edible but not quite perfect, a bit too sickly. The next one will be and at the rate Joan is gobbling it up, that will be tomorrow night!
Yesterday was an unmitigated disaster. Having altered the dinery from the barbecue place to the restaurant at the very end of the 29 bus route, the first thing to go wrong was that Joan was detained late at her teaching job by students (kids) wanting to have words with her. That in itself shouldn’t have presented a major problem once I had pointed out there was no need for her to come all the way back on the number 7 only to go into town immediately on the 29. I suggested she take the 7 to the railway station and then took the 29 to the restaurant. Fine so far.
Andrei, Juliette and I hopped on a bus in the full expectation of being deposited a few paces from where we were to eat, with Joan joining us soon after.
That didn’t happen.
They have changed the bus route!
We were chucked off at the foot of the flyover that it used to cross only a few months ago. Now I have no idea where it terminates but it’s nowhere near where we wanted to be. We went halfway across the flyover on foot (after an abortive attempt to take a short cut which was sealed off) but then had to stop. Joan had no idea where the restaurant was, I was the only one, so we waited for her bus to turn up. And we waited. And waited.
I tried calling her to no avail, her phone was on silent “mood” but eventually she sent a message. The number 7 she had boarded experienced a flat tyre so she had to disembark and wait for another, then the 29 was rammed full and not only proceeded at a snail’s pace but stopped at every opportunity.
It was eight o’clock before she joined us - late in China for dinner.
Anyway, we hoofed it to the destination, only to find they had no food. Or at least from what I can gather they could only rustle up two dishes. I asked if they could call us a taxi, which they did and in the meantime everyone admired the antiquities on display around the place - a model of a ship, old army field telephone, gramophones etc. I give it six months before that place goes bust - the nightclub did and now people won’t go there because they need a car or a cab. I doubt whoever altered the routes considered the effect on the businesses there.
We reverted to the original plan, which was the barbecue place. For a journey of less than two miles the sodding driver ripped me off for 10y but I was so annoyed that we had been thwarted I paid without demur.
By now it was nine (very, very late for dinner in China) and the barbecue restaurant didn’t have everything by way of food available. It was that or McDonald’s so we stayed. There was enough but disappointingly no sushi and we never got a discount. They also informed us they would stop serving at nine-thirty! Everyone bar me loaded up their plates with plenty of food and I think everyone had filled up by the time we left.
That was at five to ten. I thought the last bus was at ten-thirty (it is FROM campus) but Joan thought the last one back was at ten. We were both wrong. It’s nine-thirty. Taxi time. I love it when a plan comes together.
Today I went shopping, just that. I won’t want to go tomorrow so I needed stuff for an evening breakfast tonight plus more bread pudding tomorrow. When I got to the bus stop to come home, the first 29 to arrive was basically overloaded. I sat back down in the shelter and a student quizzed me as to why I wasn‘t getting on. Why? I wasn’t standing holding a heavy carrier bag. But nowadays…..she started, and I said not always, nobody gave up their seat the other day for me. I caught the next one and my luck held, there was one seat empty.
I sit here now, having realised I forgot to buy bacon. We can’t have a breakfast consisting solely of French toast, poached eggs and grilled tomatoes so tonight Matthew, I will have my first ever crack at spam fritters. The only problem is, I have some white powder in a container and I can’t remember if it is flour or cornflour!
Friday, 4 September 2015
Friday 4th September, 2015 0200
Ok I definitely used too much milk in the bread pudding. We live and learn. Although it all didn’t evaporate during cooking and I tried some long before it was cool and was a trifle damp I still pronounced it fine. Once it was cold it was more firm. Not quite like mother used to make but not far off and I blame not only excess milk but the bread - give me Wonderloaf and I will replicate it perfectly!.
Notwithstanding, Joan ate a good chunk of it and pinched a goodly amount for her breakfast yesterday. The rest I left in the fridge for her to take this morning. I think I will have to make another batch later today.
I never came to China as a “missionary”, being an agnostic anyway. However it appears to some degree I have unwittingly converted Joan.
First one has to remember that besides when eating in restaurants, the Chinese normally have their meal served up whole, everything mixed straight from the wok (not that they call it a wok) so they don’t have to think. Give them multi-ingredient dishes and they invariably eat one thing at a time. I may have mentioned this before but give them a Sunday roast chicken dinner and they will eat the cabbage first, progress to carrots, roast spuds etc before finally eating the chicken.
This is why they - the world’s lovers of spicy food - consider our cuisine bland, they simply don’t benefit from all the flavours at once.
Cheese doesn’t feature in their diet either, which is why when I have made macaroni au gratin it has met mixed reactions from students.
Well the first breakthrough came when I served up a multiple choice dish and I noted after my telling her the above she was putting a bit of everything on her fork. Without trying to sound melodramatic, it touched a chord, she was learning to appreciate another way of eating food, one which doesn’t incinerate your eyeballs and blow the top of your skull off after one mouthful.
Anyway, yesterday morning I was on the bus on the way to get some more “on sale” wine when I texted her. I told her to choose what I would cook for dinner. Immediately she asked for spaghetti Bolognese. That in itself is not unusual, I haven’t met a student yet who doesn’t like it. What WAS unusual is that she actually asked for the Parmesan!
I don’t think I have subverted or converted her, I think she is simply one who will try anything but it warms my heart to see someone embrace an aspect of another culture, even though I can’t stand many of the dishes offered to me at formal meals!
1700
When I got up I noticed a mouse had been nibbling at the bread pudding in the fridge. My guess is Joan was in a hurry and never had time to grab much to eat. She did return to do some singing at noon and also polished off the last of the pudding. I got one small slice from a large tray full.
I have a night off from cooking. Joan has been practising all day for some show and this evening her classmates are all going for dinner together. So, I bussed to town - only just managed to get a seat so plan B effective very soon - simply to shop. This was mostly for the on sale wine so doubtless I will go again tomorrow and Sunday. I struck it lucky coming back and hopped aboard a buss which wasn’t standing room only. My victuals tonight will be cheese baguette. Unfortunately I never thought to buy an onion but I do have half a cucumber and some salad cream left.
Andre and Juliette are like two puppies. They take me back five years when I was straight out of the cardboard box both in Chizhou and as a teacher. They are trying all the different local foods on offer and taking random buses to explore. Today they went to where the ferries cross the Yangtse and they seemed a little disappointed when I told them I was pretty sure foot passengers travel free. Mind you, they didn’t know they run regularly during daylight hours so probably wouldn’t have made the crossing anyway. With nothing the other side apart from a small town that would take an hour to walk to it’s probably better they didn’t.
I said I wasn’t cooking but that’s not strictly true. After consulting with my mother I am now making more bread pudding but soaked the bread in milk rather than water (as Netmums instructed) as she did, plus I have used two eggs instead of one. I think I can count on two hands the times following a recipe to the letter actually produced the desired results and it is small wonder why there are literally thousands of cook books out there and online. But it’s fun experimenting!
Ok I definitely used too much milk in the bread pudding. We live and learn. Although it all didn’t evaporate during cooking and I tried some long before it was cool and was a trifle damp I still pronounced it fine. Once it was cold it was more firm. Not quite like mother used to make but not far off and I blame not only excess milk but the bread - give me Wonderloaf and I will replicate it perfectly!.
Notwithstanding, Joan ate a good chunk of it and pinched a goodly amount for her breakfast yesterday. The rest I left in the fridge for her to take this morning. I think I will have to make another batch later today.
I never came to China as a “missionary”, being an agnostic anyway. However it appears to some degree I have unwittingly converted Joan.
First one has to remember that besides when eating in restaurants, the Chinese normally have their meal served up whole, everything mixed straight from the wok (not that they call it a wok) so they don’t have to think. Give them multi-ingredient dishes and they invariably eat one thing at a time. I may have mentioned this before but give them a Sunday roast chicken dinner and they will eat the cabbage first, progress to carrots, roast spuds etc before finally eating the chicken.
This is why they - the world’s lovers of spicy food - consider our cuisine bland, they simply don’t benefit from all the flavours at once.
Cheese doesn’t feature in their diet either, which is why when I have made macaroni au gratin it has met mixed reactions from students.
Well the first breakthrough came when I served up a multiple choice dish and I noted after my telling her the above she was putting a bit of everything on her fork. Without trying to sound melodramatic, it touched a chord, she was learning to appreciate another way of eating food, one which doesn’t incinerate your eyeballs and blow the top of your skull off after one mouthful.
Anyway, yesterday morning I was on the bus on the way to get some more “on sale” wine when I texted her. I told her to choose what I would cook for dinner. Immediately she asked for spaghetti Bolognese. That in itself is not unusual, I haven’t met a student yet who doesn’t like it. What WAS unusual is that she actually asked for the Parmesan!
I don’t think I have subverted or converted her, I think she is simply one who will try anything but it warms my heart to see someone embrace an aspect of another culture, even though I can’t stand many of the dishes offered to me at formal meals!
1700
When I got up I noticed a mouse had been nibbling at the bread pudding in the fridge. My guess is Joan was in a hurry and never had time to grab much to eat. She did return to do some singing at noon and also polished off the last of the pudding. I got one small slice from a large tray full.
I have a night off from cooking. Joan has been practising all day for some show and this evening her classmates are all going for dinner together. So, I bussed to town - only just managed to get a seat so plan B effective very soon - simply to shop. This was mostly for the on sale wine so doubtless I will go again tomorrow and Sunday. I struck it lucky coming back and hopped aboard a buss which wasn’t standing room only. My victuals tonight will be cheese baguette. Unfortunately I never thought to buy an onion but I do have half a cucumber and some salad cream left.
Andre and Juliette are like two puppies. They take me back five years when I was straight out of the cardboard box both in Chizhou and as a teacher. They are trying all the different local foods on offer and taking random buses to explore. Today they went to where the ferries cross the Yangtse and they seemed a little disappointed when I told them I was pretty sure foot passengers travel free. Mind you, they didn’t know they run regularly during daylight hours so probably wouldn’t have made the crossing anyway. With nothing the other side apart from a small town that would take an hour to walk to it’s probably better they didn’t.
I said I wasn’t cooking but that’s not strictly true. After consulting with my mother I am now making more bread pudding but soaked the bread in milk rather than water (as Netmums instructed) as she did, plus I have used two eggs instead of one. I think I can count on two hands the times following a recipe to the letter actually produced the desired results and it is small wonder why there are literally thousands of cook books out there and online. But it’s fun experimenting!
Wednesday, 2 September 2015
Wednesday 2nd September. 2015 1830
When the time came to make English breakfast for Joan and I last night, Sod’s Law simply had to state that I couldn’t find either the cinnamon or nutmeg. The cinnamon I know I lent to Kevin to bake me a fruit loaf a while back but part-way through baking we suffered a lengthy power cut so it was a disaster. He may well have returned it to me but I’m damned if I can find it. I will buy some more.
Anyway, the honour of having my first ever eggy bread went to Joan (it looked absolutely perfect) and once she was served I cooked mine. Trying to be smart, and liking a runny yolk in my poached eggs, I did them simultaneously, in the process managing to burn my own toast. It was still thoroughly enjoyable and was the first decent meal I had eaten in four days. French toast is set to become a regular thing now because the sweet Chinese bread matters not and I am annoyed with myself for not having tried making it before, given the simplicity of it.
The two newcomers left for Jiuhua mountain as anticipated yesterday and when I went to search in vain in Kevin’s old place for the cinnamon I noticed their light was off. As I guessed, they stayed overnight there and are currently on the bus back. It would seem they found the place breathtaking and I have been promised the photos in an email. If I get them I will share some of them with you. Joan and I will go for dinner with them both on Saturday so with the 29 bus becoming daily more crowded I am seriously considering the barbecue place in the commercial centre, purely because it would virtually guarantee us all a seat on the way back.
Tonight’s repast is a cop-out, I have defrosted half a frittata I made before even going to Shanghai, it will do ok with some cucumber and tomato and won’t upset my recently recovered stomach. I may have been lazy in that respect but I have been a little adventurous. Seeing as I could still find my mixed spice I am trying something else for the first time this evening as well. In fact it’s in the oven as I type. I was sitting here a couple of days ago and remembered something my mother used to make and that I liked. The problem was, I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called. It took me a day to recall - bread pudding!
Now I’m not going to say it is easy to make even though it probably is but so far it has been a comedy of errors. I have no kitchen scales so all my cooking is guesswork and has been for the last five years. I think I used too much milk but hopefully that will dry out during baking. However, after I had poured it into a baking tray I suddenly realised I had omitted the beaten egg! Cue pouring it back into the plastic bowl amid much muttering before re-transferring it back to the tray. I will know in about an hour how I did. If it is successful it will be an incredibly cheap thing to knock out once in a while and will probably be popular with the students. Fingers crossed.
I went to town earlier on the bus. My phone was down to a mere 3y credit so I thought I would go past RT Mart and top up in the big China Mobile shop opposite Lotte Mart. However, I spotted one of their shops close to the next stop and went to try to put money on. I gave the guy the money and my number and his screen came up with a lot of red print. Via signs he told me he couldn’t do it. I’m sorry to appear dense but I would expect any of their outlets with a computer to be able to perform a simple top-up but it seems that’s not the case if you are foreign. Having walked back from the stop towards RT I then had to go in the opposite direction towards the big branch. I spotted another, smaller, branch though and decided to try my luck there just in case. Yes, you just know they were able to do it for me without any fuss.
On the bus back it felt strange. As I sat in my seat the aircon blew on top of my head to cool it but my right leg seemed inordinately warm. I leant down and touched the floor level heater and they were all on as well! Sometimes one has to wonder.
When I got back it looked as if my office has now reopened so I may pop in there tomorrow but I am hoping to get the body clock back in tune so I can do some more shopping in the morning. My wine is on sale at the moment, down from 12.5y to 9.5y so I want to stock up, I just hope it doesn’t mean they are going to discontinue it. That would really rain on my parade.
Nearly forgot. For some time now there has been a feral cat lurking outside our building and from the look of it hopping in and out through an open window in one of the empty ground floor flats (I shudder to think what it has left on the floor in there). This time it followed me up the stairs and tried to get in when I opened the door. I prevented it and put my stuff in the fridge. Then I went in the kitchen with the rest of my shopping. Suddenly there was the most horrendous commotion from my lot, the like of which I have never heard before. The outsider was opposite my window on the stairs and looking straight at Zorro and Pooh, who were on the windowsill. I’ll tell you what, the stranger was left in no doubt as to how welcome it was! It fled a bit sharpish.
When the time came to make English breakfast for Joan and I last night, Sod’s Law simply had to state that I couldn’t find either the cinnamon or nutmeg. The cinnamon I know I lent to Kevin to bake me a fruit loaf a while back but part-way through baking we suffered a lengthy power cut so it was a disaster. He may well have returned it to me but I’m damned if I can find it. I will buy some more.
Anyway, the honour of having my first ever eggy bread went to Joan (it looked absolutely perfect) and once she was served I cooked mine. Trying to be smart, and liking a runny yolk in my poached eggs, I did them simultaneously, in the process managing to burn my own toast. It was still thoroughly enjoyable and was the first decent meal I had eaten in four days. French toast is set to become a regular thing now because the sweet Chinese bread matters not and I am annoyed with myself for not having tried making it before, given the simplicity of it.
The two newcomers left for Jiuhua mountain as anticipated yesterday and when I went to search in vain in Kevin’s old place for the cinnamon I noticed their light was off. As I guessed, they stayed overnight there and are currently on the bus back. It would seem they found the place breathtaking and I have been promised the photos in an email. If I get them I will share some of them with you. Joan and I will go for dinner with them both on Saturday so with the 29 bus becoming daily more crowded I am seriously considering the barbecue place in the commercial centre, purely because it would virtually guarantee us all a seat on the way back.
Tonight’s repast is a cop-out, I have defrosted half a frittata I made before even going to Shanghai, it will do ok with some cucumber and tomato and won’t upset my recently recovered stomach. I may have been lazy in that respect but I have been a little adventurous. Seeing as I could still find my mixed spice I am trying something else for the first time this evening as well. In fact it’s in the oven as I type. I was sitting here a couple of days ago and remembered something my mother used to make and that I liked. The problem was, I couldn’t for the life of me remember what it was called. It took me a day to recall - bread pudding!
Now I’m not going to say it is easy to make even though it probably is but so far it has been a comedy of errors. I have no kitchen scales so all my cooking is guesswork and has been for the last five years. I think I used too much milk but hopefully that will dry out during baking. However, after I had poured it into a baking tray I suddenly realised I had omitted the beaten egg! Cue pouring it back into the plastic bowl amid much muttering before re-transferring it back to the tray. I will know in about an hour how I did. If it is successful it will be an incredibly cheap thing to knock out once in a while and will probably be popular with the students. Fingers crossed.
I went to town earlier on the bus. My phone was down to a mere 3y credit so I thought I would go past RT Mart and top up in the big China Mobile shop opposite Lotte Mart. However, I spotted one of their shops close to the next stop and went to try to put money on. I gave the guy the money and my number and his screen came up with a lot of red print. Via signs he told me he couldn’t do it. I’m sorry to appear dense but I would expect any of their outlets with a computer to be able to perform a simple top-up but it seems that’s not the case if you are foreign. Having walked back from the stop towards RT I then had to go in the opposite direction towards the big branch. I spotted another, smaller, branch though and decided to try my luck there just in case. Yes, you just know they were able to do it for me without any fuss.
On the bus back it felt strange. As I sat in my seat the aircon blew on top of my head to cool it but my right leg seemed inordinately warm. I leant down and touched the floor level heater and they were all on as well! Sometimes one has to wonder.
When I got back it looked as if my office has now reopened so I may pop in there tomorrow but I am hoping to get the body clock back in tune so I can do some more shopping in the morning. My wine is on sale at the moment, down from 12.5y to 9.5y so I want to stock up, I just hope it doesn’t mean they are going to discontinue it. That would really rain on my parade.
Nearly forgot. For some time now there has been a feral cat lurking outside our building and from the look of it hopping in and out through an open window in one of the empty ground floor flats (I shudder to think what it has left on the floor in there). This time it followed me up the stairs and tried to get in when I opened the door. I prevented it and put my stuff in the fridge. Then I went in the kitchen with the rest of my shopping. Suddenly there was the most horrendous commotion from my lot, the like of which I have never heard before. The outsider was opposite my window on the stairs and looking straight at Zorro and Pooh, who were on the windowsill. I’ll tell you what, the stranger was left in no doubt as to how welcome it was! It fled a bit sharpish.
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Tuesday 1st September, 2015 0140
Yes I know it’s either late or early depending on whether you are half full or empty or whether you work shifts but more on that later.
Indeed on Sunday the business street was all I saw and then only for five minutes. As I was feeling positively weak from lack of nourishment I paid a visit to the fruit stall in search of bananas, a good source of instant energy. I can’t say I have used them very much (ever) although I will in the future because they sell the biggest eggs I have seen for sale to the likes of me - the supermarket eggs would be the smallest grade in the UK and you can’t beat a nice big egg, can you?
Anyway, despite the skins not being black (I have to have bright yellow, firm ones, any black and it’s in the bin) when I pressed on the best looking ones the insides felt as if they were liquid! It is rare for me to even contemplate eating bananas but I do miss the ones the sweet pork place sold, they were always fresh and slightly underripe. Anyway, I passed.
That left me still feeling awful with a dodgy stomach and no appetite. I bought a packet of crackers and once home had five of them with some cheese. It was at least food and later I downed an ice cream cornet which I suppose could vaguely be considered such. It was enough.
This morning I felt no better than when I went to bed but given the need to go shopping and knowing the necessity to at least eat something. I took the bus to town. The plan had been a McBreakfast but when I got there I knew I would be wasting my money on the big one or even a McMuffin. I tried a first - the breakfast wrap, a pancake with scrambled eggs, bacon and barbecue sauce rolled inside. I managed half of it and to be honest it wasn’t too bad. Fortified, I did my shop and bought another loaf of bread for when I finally have chance to make French toast, the other one having turned blue waiting.
I also bought a baguette and was thankful when a couple of hours later the “breakfast” had done the job of stimulating an appetite so that I could have a bit of it with the Chinese equivalent of Dairylea spread. I resisted the desire for a nap and held out until just after seven, at which time I set my alarm for two-thirty (now thirty minutes hence) to get up and go and collect Joan from the station, which is why I am awake at this time. Today will doubtless be completely skewed for both of us because she will shower when we get back and I will make her a frozen pizza - all gourmet here, she can choose any of the three the supermarket sells, I have them all! For my part I think I may just have a bit more of the baguette - it’s nice to be feeling almost up to scratch.
1900
I duly collected Joan from the station, surprised there were still a few cars out at 0330 and when we got back she showered and I cooked her a pizza. She went to bed at about five, I of course was wide awake and sat watching YouTube until past nine. Thinking I would wake up again around noon, I didn’t set my alarm. It wasn’t until three that I surfaced!
The Chinese French teacher I believe took the two newbies to Jiuhua Mountain, which I am sure they enjoyed. I have never been because I would never be able to climb all the steps but they are both young enough. Their teaching rotas are not online yet, leading me to believe perhaps they both have all freshmen classes, in which case they will get nigh on another two weeks off. With Kevin and I, in that situation they have always given us one older class just to make sure we taught something!
My schedule is up and I was disappointed to see that unless it changes between now and Monday I have to work four days a week rather than the three I did last term. Monday is my “busy” day with two classes, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I have one. However, the secretary has been kind in allocating me the same classroom for all of them, meaning I can leave my bag in there permanently. I am now wondering if the supervisor will do what she promised and provide me with my own key - there is nothing worse than the entire class and teacher standing outside with no sign of the keyholder.
Poor old Kevin has not fared as well in his new school. He has seven classes, none of which are English majors. What that basically means is that the school are completely wasting his talent because the students won’t have the slightest interest in learning oral English. It wouldn’t surprise me if he looks for new pastures after one year, loyal as he was to here.
Tonight at long last I will have my first try at French toast. I am feeling better and with Joan here I have a reason to cook, I have done very little of that all holiday.
Student numbers increase daily (meaning the ultimate plan to ensure getting a seat on the bus will have to be implemented - meaning riding up to the new end of the line) and more and more businesses are reopening. Sadly though, not China Mobile. I have but 8y credit on my phone so I will have to go out into the country to top up.
Yes I know it’s either late or early depending on whether you are half full or empty or whether you work shifts but more on that later.
Indeed on Sunday the business street was all I saw and then only for five minutes. As I was feeling positively weak from lack of nourishment I paid a visit to the fruit stall in search of bananas, a good source of instant energy. I can’t say I have used them very much (ever) although I will in the future because they sell the biggest eggs I have seen for sale to the likes of me - the supermarket eggs would be the smallest grade in the UK and you can’t beat a nice big egg, can you?
Anyway, despite the skins not being black (I have to have bright yellow, firm ones, any black and it’s in the bin) when I pressed on the best looking ones the insides felt as if they were liquid! It is rare for me to even contemplate eating bananas but I do miss the ones the sweet pork place sold, they were always fresh and slightly underripe. Anyway, I passed.
That left me still feeling awful with a dodgy stomach and no appetite. I bought a packet of crackers and once home had five of them with some cheese. It was at least food and later I downed an ice cream cornet which I suppose could vaguely be considered such. It was enough.
This morning I felt no better than when I went to bed but given the need to go shopping and knowing the necessity to at least eat something. I took the bus to town. The plan had been a McBreakfast but when I got there I knew I would be wasting my money on the big one or even a McMuffin. I tried a first - the breakfast wrap, a pancake with scrambled eggs, bacon and barbecue sauce rolled inside. I managed half of it and to be honest it wasn’t too bad. Fortified, I did my shop and bought another loaf of bread for when I finally have chance to make French toast, the other one having turned blue waiting.
I also bought a baguette and was thankful when a couple of hours later the “breakfast” had done the job of stimulating an appetite so that I could have a bit of it with the Chinese equivalent of Dairylea spread. I resisted the desire for a nap and held out until just after seven, at which time I set my alarm for two-thirty (now thirty minutes hence) to get up and go and collect Joan from the station, which is why I am awake at this time. Today will doubtless be completely skewed for both of us because she will shower when we get back and I will make her a frozen pizza - all gourmet here, she can choose any of the three the supermarket sells, I have them all! For my part I think I may just have a bit more of the baguette - it’s nice to be feeling almost up to scratch.
1900
I duly collected Joan from the station, surprised there were still a few cars out at 0330 and when we got back she showered and I cooked her a pizza. She went to bed at about five, I of course was wide awake and sat watching YouTube until past nine. Thinking I would wake up again around noon, I didn’t set my alarm. It wasn’t until three that I surfaced!
The Chinese French teacher I believe took the two newbies to Jiuhua Mountain, which I am sure they enjoyed. I have never been because I would never be able to climb all the steps but they are both young enough. Their teaching rotas are not online yet, leading me to believe perhaps they both have all freshmen classes, in which case they will get nigh on another two weeks off. With Kevin and I, in that situation they have always given us one older class just to make sure we taught something!
My schedule is up and I was disappointed to see that unless it changes between now and Monday I have to work four days a week rather than the three I did last term. Monday is my “busy” day with two classes, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I have one. However, the secretary has been kind in allocating me the same classroom for all of them, meaning I can leave my bag in there permanently. I am now wondering if the supervisor will do what she promised and provide me with my own key - there is nothing worse than the entire class and teacher standing outside with no sign of the keyholder.
Poor old Kevin has not fared as well in his new school. He has seven classes, none of which are English majors. What that basically means is that the school are completely wasting his talent because the students won’t have the slightest interest in learning oral English. It wouldn’t surprise me if he looks for new pastures after one year, loyal as he was to here.
Tonight at long last I will have my first try at French toast. I am feeling better and with Joan here I have a reason to cook, I have done very little of that all holiday.
Student numbers increase daily (meaning the ultimate plan to ensure getting a seat on the bus will have to be implemented - meaning riding up to the new end of the line) and more and more businesses are reopening. Sadly though, not China Mobile. I have but 8y credit on my phone so I will have to go out into the country to top up.
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