Sunday 24th April, 2016                     1900

Oh dear, my thoughts posted in the small hours regarding the axing of the French act were indeed well founded. Juliette and Andrei informed me they wouldn’t take part in my play because French is also a foreign language and naturally they want to know why English takes precedence. I later found out that she didn’t intend to sing the song the had suggested either (whidh to rub salt in was, I believe, in English.

Now she may be less than half my age but she did exactly what I would have done. She is aggrieved because English is being classed as superior to her language (which it is of course but then I WOULD say that!) and she is absolutely correct. It’s the foreign languages department so the entire show should be in whichever languages are taught, be it Korean, Japanese, French or English. Chinese should not feature anywhere but it always does and that has always struck me as being wrong. They have other shows they can showcase their own language.

Knowing this afternoon (unbelievably I never got up until 1300) that Juliette was deeply unhappy and that I had been put in a very difficult position I took stock. Firstly the play I had written requires four actors and now I was down to two and probably just me after Richard heard the tale on his return from Changsha and secondly if I agreed to press ahead regardless by drafting in some students, I would be betraying the foreign contingent.

Unbelievably crass and insensitive of the teacher running the show and when you consider that we outsiders are expected to observe all the Chinese values and idiosyncracies, downright insulting .

Therefore I told my student in no uncertain terms that if the French play wasn’t allowed then apart from the fact I wouldn’t have any actors I had been placed in a difficult position, so no foreign teachers would take part in the concert. The trade union branch chairman in me emerged and basically I said it was one out, all out. If one teacher thinks he can arbitrarily exclude a language then he has another think coming unless said language is Chinese.

The latest is that the ultimatum paid off but I have had no contact from Juliette since I sent her a text to that effect. I really hope she hasn’t got the ‘ump permanently simply because of one teacher’s lunacy because it would be a tragedy to let her students, my students and Richard’s students down now that I have pointed out the error of said teacher’s ways.

I am trying to sit down and have a chat with them both but as yet they aren’t home, the only sign of life is their fat little cat. Once I hear movement upstairs I will take a bottle of wine up.  

Monday 25th          0300

Never got to see Andrei and Juliette, either they are ignoring me or they were out late. I am not happy because there is a possibility I am being blamed for this even though I was the one who got the go-ahead in the first place for their French play. I think perhaps they don’t know that it is in fact English  Month rather the foreign language month. That said, previously all the taught languages have been represented regardless and I went out on a limb yesterday. Fine, they can’t sack me again because I already will be but I still need my release letter and reference so it’s not as if I can act with impunity. After six years of mostly happy times here the last thing I want to do is leave under a cloud even though I don’t want to leave at all.

I will see Juliette this afternoon, she has the class before mine in my room. I am sure she will agree to everything even though I know she is pissed off with what has happened - as indeed I was and would be were I on the receiving end. The thing is, all of this latest ill-feeling was simply caused by one prat of a Chinese teacher (I WILL find out who it was!) and to be honest I really could do without it. Should I be trying to pour oil on troubled waters when I have bigger problems myself, such as getting another damned job?

This is turning into something that at this moment I want to wash my hands of  and walk away from. I honestly don’t need this 12 weeks from my unwanted departure.