Friday 29th July, 2016           0200  D Day minus 3 days

Yesterday I duly went to the PSB to present my passport for my stay of execution. According to China Daily we are in a heat wave (37C) and people have died up the road in Hefei. I must say it was a bit on the warm side but no problem on the air-conditioned bus.

Until I came out and had a 100 yard walk to the return stop across the road. It did get to me but not as much as my legs did. I don’t seem to be able to walk any distance at all lately without my legs or hips aching to hell and back. For now I am putting that down to being seated for most of the day of late.

When I returned I was greeted by a change in the status of my qualification application. Nothing to shout about (still said it was going through yet now in research) but it did prove the first hurdle had been passed. Fingers crossed it will end in the result I need.

Then I started packing boxes. Books first (and pity the poor souls who have to carry them down eventually) and then a few bits and bobs. I gave up after a while and there is still plenty to do. More tomorrow but not too much as I will need to do two runs to town - one for our dinner and another to actually collect my passport with my new visa.

I have lately been astonished that my ramblings (which I consider mundane) appear to have gathered a large following. This blog goes to four different places, three members -only Yahoo groups and another, completely unadvertised blog site. The latter, because the site itself contains the letters B L O  and G together is enough to see it banned in China, although there are a fair few viewers from here. Naughty boys and girls.

The usual headcount for this particular site is on average 15-20 views a day. I am not looking for people to follow, I just do this because I enjoy it. BUT. Over the last three days that average of 17 a day has suddenly shot up to 342! No idea how or why but if you are one of them then you are welcome of course.

The dean (who is no longer my boss in 22 hours) is Joan’s “boss” at her private school. You know, of course I am not allowed to teach outside this school but Chinese teachers can line their pockets with impunity by opening schools and getting students to work for 60p an hour plus unpaid overtime. Joan got sucked in and lacks the courage to say “enough!”

Now it’s bad enough that they told her she would work odd dates and then when she turned up for the first day they told her she was now working even dates with not so much as her bus fare refunded for a wasted trip but the latest is that on the LAST day, Monday, suddenly she will be switched - MAYBE - to the afternoon.

That happens to be the day I leave here and check in to an hotel along with her because she will need somewhere to stay until she goes to the station shortly before midnight. She has luggage. Oh no, she still doesn’t know for sure when she will teach her last class. The plan was that I would wait for her to come back and we would both go to the hotel, maybe rest awhile, have dinner and then later I take her to the train station. If she is teaching after lunch it means falling on the hotel’s good nature to at least leave our luggage until the 1400  check in time. Now I am confident that as a foreigner they will bend over backwards but the point is you cannot arbitrarily tell people they MIGHT change things. I know this is China but for God’s sake, she won’t stand up to them and say she has made arrangements and paid money. And for a whole term she has been paid the princely sum of £100 for three hours a week teaching and about two hours unpaid each week talking to students and parents.

And the students do it because she is the dean.

I paid students to clean my flat, 25 yuan a time and it was rare they spent more than thirty minutes doing so. If I was staying I might (if I was allowed) seriously consider opening my own school and paying the student teachers 25 yuan a lesson and with a schedule they could bank on. I am so angry because as sue as eggs are eggs western students wouldn’t accept this bull.

I blame Joan because she is typically Chinese, hiding behind the “I don’t want to let my students down” argument.  I have never let mine down either and I have never had changes foisted on me at short notice simply because those in charge knew what  the answer would be. But she fails to grasp it wouldn’t be her letting them down but the ones changing the rota. I am frustrated tonight beyond measure.

In case anyone thinks I am saying this because I am bitter because I am prevented from teaching kids outside of my day job, don’t bother. I have no desire whatsoever, I hate teaching kids and I am definitely not suited for that line of work. If I was capable I could quadruple (at least) my salary by working at kindergartens but ere long there would be an infanticide.