Sunday 20th November, 2016                          1500

Oh boy, this has turned out to be the laziest weekend I have had in a long time. Doing a big shop once a week and splurging 10y on a taxi back is the way to go here, and when I think of all the 1y bus fares in a week doing it in dribs and drabs, it’s no more expensive.

So I have stayed in the entire time bar two very brief outings to the local shop 100 yards away. The only “work” I have done aside from laundry is composing an email detailing my thoughts on the Cyprus programme. It can’t do me any harm and could just stand me in good stead. If they decide to move me to Peili campus anyway all I will have lost is a little time and that I have plenty of. In fact a lot of it is spent pondering what to cook for myself!

It’s a crisp, sunny day today but when I checked the weather forecast it says we will have daytime highs of -1C for the following three days! A hell of a change from the 13 today and when out of curiosity I looked up Chizhou we will be 18 degrees lower than them! I would be jealous but I noted with satisfaction they will have constant rain so at least I still haven’t had to buy an umbrella.

The money I transferred from the UK ages ago is still lost somewhere despite all the details I was given being correct. I sincerely hope there are no charges when it is a failed transaction because I will ring them in the week and ask that they return it to my UK account. Speaking of which, as of Thursday the new debit card STILL hadn’t arrived. How come everyone else gets mail and I never do??

1630

Typical. Janet just texted to tell me the opening ceremony of the art exhibition has now been changed to tomorrow afternoon. I hadn’t intended to go to the opening ceremony anyway, rather I wanted to go on Tuesday when it is quieter and perhaps take some photos in peace. Now I feel obliged to go tomorrow, doubtless Janet wants me to be seen by the upper echelons as taking an interest whilst they are there themselves. Bugger.

That now means my shopping is endangered. Suzy tells me my Taobao shopping is heavy (the bread flour must have arrived) and I have two great choices (three if I want to spend a fortune on taxis) - two public buses home when I am done and another when I go shopping or wait for the school bus and after dumping my load, another bus. Somehow I think I may not get any shopping tomorrow. The best laid plans………. Still, it means I will get a lie in on Tuesday.

Yesterday I was idly musing over whether to go anywhere with my upcoming long weekend (Thursday noon - Monday morning). I would dearly love to go back to Chizhou for a couple of nights but that involves flights, trains and buses and a long time travelling. And it would cost about 1200y plus spending money. Then I looked at this place http://www.chinahighlights.com/zhangye/attraction/danxia-landform-geological-park.htm
Which is much closer and I could get away with one night in an hotel. The trouble is I still don’t know where the train station is (Zhangye’s on the only fast line there is here yet) although of course I could find out. The problem really is that saving seems to be impossible here at present. The cost of living is much higher than I am used to and of course what with sub-zero temperatures already just hours away, ere long I will need to spend on thermals.

I wouldn’t mind but it’s not as if I am out whooping it up three nights a week! In fact it is more akin to being in an open prison. That part would be fine if only having some wages left come payday were possible! I won’t suddenly sign the pledge or give up smoking or cooking my western food so it leaves me with few options.

More than once here I have been asked by Chinese teachers why western teachers don’t save money as they do. I’m not completely sure my explanation about not being able to live like a local (a few pennies a day on noodles and cheap Chinese cigarettes for example) was convincingly received even though it is entirely correct.