Lunch yesterday was nice, I was given the choice of venue and with a view to the foreign contingent’s Christmas dinner and Andrei’s penchant for suckling pig, I asked if we could go to Dong Rong. I needed to check out the pig.
I wasn’t in the lightest hungry and knew I would be in trouble later when I went to Richard’s for his meal. Once in a blue moon when I am staying in an hotel I may have breakfast and dinner but never lunch and dinner - I simply can’t eat that much any more.
First though they had to show me the school. Perfect location with a 29 bus stop just yards away and RT Mart a couple of hundred to walk. The kids are aged between three (three????!!!) and twelve and the classes may number as many as ten students. Class control would seemingly not be a problem and three of the teachers are ex students of Kevin’s. I still didn’t want to do it.
I ordered two dishes. Naturally the suckling pig which was fine, although I thought it a little dry but there was sufficient left over for me to take some back for the others to try, and also sweet barbecued ribs which were also nice. Under duress I confess I agreed to take on the school and right now I am feeling hellishly guilty about John at the other school. I must have refused fifteen schools (and some very lucrative offers as well) over the past year.
Lunch over, I was brought back for a well needed kip before Richard’s dinner party. This is the chap who told me he could cook “a little bit“. There must have been ten pounds of meat (chicken and pork) which he had fried and coated, vegetables and other stuff and I died when I saw it. No way could I eat more than a morsel or two. And do you know what? He made a mushroom, cheese and cream sauce that was magnificent! He could have watered it down and turned it into soup, it was that good. I must get the recipe from him, I am sure I can use that for one of my creations. He’s not reading this but perhaps Andrei or Juliette will pass on my appreciation once again - he put on a good spread.
Then suddenly the festive season got busier.
Richard informed us that there will be a concert, I think between Christmas Day and New Year and that they want the foreign performing monkeys to take part again. Brilliant. The others don’t want to act in a play if I come up with one so I am left with the choice of singing Wild Rover yet again or coming up with a comedy sketch and roping my students in.
It gets worse.
On the plus side, Dumpling and her classmate brought Bristle back mid-dinner, sans stitches and seemingly unaware of the travesty I inflicted on her and certainly no worse for wear.
Then of course this morning it was off to the other school to dig John out of a hole. Elizabeth came, it was my hope that he would take her on temporarily until he could recruit a full time teacher but I don’t think that worked. He never learns, refuses jobs to perfectly good and willing graduates or soon-to-be graduates over the pettiest of things and then comes begging for help when he‘s up a creek. He even tried to cajole me into returning after lunch for “just one more class”. There was no hesitation in my refusal. At that point the could have asked Elizabeth but didn’t. I had a proof-reading to do and I prefer that to playing games with screaming kids.
He did however ask if I would be a judge on 20th December when his school holds a speaking competition and also be their Santa. No problem. He also wants me to ask Richard and Juliette to be judges. Andrei was omitted but I will also ask him - after all, though he isn’t a teacher on campus his English is better than 98% of the Chinese who teach it, even though he did win 100y off me in a bet over Krakovia and Tom Hanks. He stiffed me for Krakozhia. Bastard. Revenge will be mine.
So once again, Christmas time is shaping up to be damned busy, not to mention I will be in the middle of exams as well.
You know, given that I work for about six months a year and about eight hours a week, I marvel at how occupied I am and wonder how the hell I managed to work sixty hours some weeks in a previous life.
Oh and now it’s time for a kip, after which I will go to the business street. Following that I will treat Elizabeth to some chilli enchiladas.
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