Apologies for the previous (now deleted) post, summat happened to corrupt the end. Try again!

Wednesday 8th March, 2017                      1530

Well, teaching just two days a week and for the most part staying home the rest of it doesn’t exactly provide ample material to blog about.

I’m not sure I will entirely get used to a day that starts at 0500 and finishes at nearly 1800 but at least I get five days a week off.

It was good though on Monday to get back to teaching familiar things now that my text book is here and despite the school’s concern that my chosen book would be too difficult for non-English majors, I like to think the day went well.

Bonnie my internet shopper is no more. On Monday I mentioned her name and another student stood up in class. “No, I said, Bonnie, you’re not Bonnie”.
“Yes”
Pointing to “Bonnie” I said “She’s Bonnie”
“No, I’m Bonnie, she is Molly”

What???? I called Molly Bonnie several times last Monday and never once did she correct me! Typical Chinese students! I swear if I told them to swap names they would do so! So now Molly is my Taobao girl.

She also brought my latest shop for me. Everything had arrived bar the kidney beans (I shall get them on Friday no doubt) and when I opened one box I couldn’t for the life of me think what was in it. I thought there had been a mistake. After scratching my head for a few minutes it suddenly dawned that this was my mint seeds. I was expecting a packet from Suttons but what I got was a clear plastic bag of seeds, a bigger bag of starter compost together with a pot and a dish for catching excess water!

They are now sitting on my windowsill with me watching to see when they sprout, although something tells me perhaps I shouldn’t have planted ALL the seeds! I may have to buy another lot and be a little more frugal.

I have gotten exceptionally lazy now. Last night I went for some noodles near home and ended up with chow mien, albeit a spicy one the like of which I have never encountered. I have come to the conclusion that it is idiotic to eat noodles with chopsticks. For starters it is difficult (especially with hand-pulled ones)  and secondly when you pull a three metre length from the plate it invariably splatters your front with sauce. So, to huge amusement from the staff, I took along my own fork. Much more civilised and decorous!

I was going to go for a curry today and was waiting for the text from my bank to say I had been paid before doing so. That psychological thing about having a lower than planned amount in reserve. Plenty there as it happens, enough to repay Capt Orange plus a bit towards my summer travels but still. Anyway, the text came about an hour ago but I am so lethargic I have decided it is easier to cook! I have a couple of jars of pasta sauce so a chicken breast is defrosting for that purpose. Tomorrow I shall shop but on the way I plan to have that curry.

Next month sees the commencement of the annual hiring season for next year so soon I suppose I must grasp the nettle and pop the question - do they want me to stay for another students as to what my classes are like. I really don’t want to have to go through the palaver I had last year when I left Chizhou. It is stressful and more importantly, bloody expensive. Fingers crossed, all my foot stamping is over, most occurred in the first term, things are more or less the way I want and I hope I am what they want. Plus I want the 2nd year pay rise.

Yes I still pine for Chizhou but that’s a no and in many ways this place treats the foreign teachers with more respect. So far I have been paid bang on time or a day or two early with the exception of once when it was two days late. I can’t complain about that in China. Also another thing I like is that I don’t have to worry about turning on too many appliances and tripping the breakers as so often happened at the last place.

Mind you, it’s going to be embarrassing when I go back to the electricity lady - I still have more than 800y left so as it is starting to get warm now it may be a top up for the summer holidays.