Thursday 9th February, 2017                    1800

I actually got up before midday, having retired at about 0200. This was, I must admit, only occasioned by the horrendous problems I had with the internet - or more precisely the VPN. Xi is having yet another crackdown (media said it shouldn’t affect foreigners, only VPNs inside China but that seems to be nonsense from where I sit) and not only do you get cut off and end up trying to keep one step ahead by connecting all over the planet but for some reason it really slowed the speed. It is not much better today but with luck the geeks will sort out a fix. My problem is that I need to be connected to a UK site and one that will actually work with iPlayer and ITVplayer, not all of them do.

I read today that China is about to start fingerprinting all foreigners on entry or re-entry to the country. This is allegedly in order to make exit and entry more simplified but if you believe that then you will also believe it isn’t anything to do with ensuring we wear gloves whenever we commit crimes. Of course, foreigners break the law here on a daily basis, don’t they? Doing time in the Middle Kingdom is a piece of cake………..

So anyway, I left home at 1430 to go and get my smokes. There was some sort of event in the square with an exhibition of paintings and photographs and a young lady belting out songs on a stage. She was actually quite good and it was tempting to linger and listen but as I espied a 131 sitting waiting to depart, I went and boarded.

A minute later a chap in his early thirties got on with a small suitcase (the 131 goes to the main train station an hour away) and sat immediately in front of me. On the pavement were obviously his wife and their young son.

Now I know many other people do what I do when you are sitting outside a bar alone having a drink or waiting as I was on a bus and watching the world go by. Observing people and wondering what their story is. Well this one was pretty easy because mum and son stayed until the bus left and Dad was taking pictures on his phone through the window and also short video clips.

He was back off to work after the holiday to who knows where. Recalling Yangmei Lily from 8 years ago, who she and her son saw their husband/father only at spring festival, I wondered if this was the case here. Chinese parents do make enormous sacrifices in most cases for the children, far more than western ones do, from working away the entire year to perhaps starving themselves and using their meagre earnings from a smallholding so that they can put their child through college or university. Here, no degree equals no job, or at least only one as a waitress or supermarket assistant. Times are changing but in a country so vast, any change can only take place slowly.

Speaking of change, next year the foreign expert/work permit system is changing for laowei. They are combining the two departments and creating a new ID card which ostensibly will give us the same rights and access to the same services as Chinese nationals. Theoretically it means we will be able to check in to hotels without out passports, order train tickets online and instead of having to queue at a counter to collect them at the station, be enabled to use the dispensing machines which do it in seconds. Great.

However. Foreigners will henceforth be classified into three levels, A, B or C with of course A being the highest. There is a website with a programme where you can input your details and answer questions to find out what grade you will be. I have used it and no matter how much I cheat I still remain firmly embedded as a class C alien!

Janet told me today I should have my timetable in the next few days but better still, they are ordering Book 1 of the course series I requested. Fair enough, no point in paying for all four when one book does one term, so I am happy even though there are misgivings it may be difficult for non English majors to understand. However, it’s my job to help them understand and their job to work to understand. Wish me luck.