Friday 27th November, 2015                     1740

Trips to town are now getting ridiculous even during the week. I am used to lunchtime town-bound ones being mobbed by students and that, as I mentioned before is easily remedied by riding 2km further to take the bus from the first stop.

With temperatures plummeting I may become reluctant to take that ride but there is another plan - splash out 1 or 2 yuan (won’t be long before the seasonal doubling of the fare is in effect) and catch the bus when it arrives from town, take it to the terminus and then pay for another one going the opposite way!

However, even in the week, getting a seat on a bus at RT Mart in the day is all but impossible. Yesterday I let three of them leave without me before finally giving in and walking to cross the road, take a bus the other way to the commercial centre, cross the road again and get a bus back to school.

Today though, even that far up the line I had to let the first bus pass me by because there were about twenty others scrambling to board. The second one was fine but I may have to investigate stops even further up the route. It’s a pity RT and the commercial centre supermarkets are not in each others’ place - the commercial one is like a small Lotte Mart with absolutely nothing western in it and terrible checkout service.

I made it back for the English Corner though. Juliette couldn’t go as she had class and although I sent Andrei a message he never showed either - mind you, as he isn’t actually staff nobody can blame him! Richard did manage it, his class finished as the event started, an event which was always going to be less than enthusiastic. For some reason the Lingdian society were not permitted to use the roundhouse and so it was held outside in the cold.

There was a decent turnout at first but it didn’t take long for the students to start melting away, probably due to the temperature. To be honest, with it being cold the organisers were on a hiding to nothing anyway but when they try to make a fist of what an English Corner is supposed to be, the kids just aren’t interested. They want acts and games and if they don’t get them they simply leave.

On a very happy note, the city Foreign Affairs Bureau today advised that the Number One People’s Hospital has agreed to my suggestion that Santa visit the sick children on Christmas Day. Sally from the Bureau is as I type cajoling entrepreneurs into donating gifts, she is recruiting four elves to assist (hopefully they can sing or dance too) and sourcing elf costumes. Why do I bring these things on myself?

Last night’s dinner was split pea and ham soup with crusty bread. I had forgotten I had the peas and I have loads left so it looks as if it will be tomorrow’s dinner as well. I even introduced croutons to Joan, who initially thought they were pieces of toast! Tonight though, with luck we are having Yankee hot dogs. The frankfurters arrived yesterday (as did many other things, causing endless complaints from Joan about how sore her arms were from carrying it all!) and it is likely the rolls will turn up shortly. If they don’t then it is soup again because I have nothing else to cook.

Tomorrow will be a lazy day, no trip to town because I am having to shepherd my money. My translation lucre was refused yet again by my bank so it is going to Joan (good job I can trust her!) and I will have to open another account, probably with the Bank of China. Tonight she will use her funds (I will repay her of course) to pay for a hotel in Nanjing - they are all demanding prepayment in the spring festival, at least the ones in the area I want to be - and possibly some of the train tickets if she has enough. The last thing I need is to be stranded in the spring festival because all transport is sold out due to ten percent of the world’s population going on their travels.

Finally, over the past week I have been somewhat concerned. Whenever I sat at the RT Mart bus stop which is directly opposite the kiosk which gets my cigars, it has been closed. I was panicking and wondering where the hell I could get them in future because hardly anywhere stocks them. To my great relief, today I saw they were open again so perhaps it was simply a family emergency. I wish they wouldn’t do that to me……

News just in - the hot dog rolls have arrived and will be brought later, time to chop the onion!!