Friday 30th June, 2017 2200
An interesting and ultimately infuriating day.
Last lot of exams to do but because I did the bulk last week this week has been a lighter workload. I may have more students in each class here but it doesn’t, indeed can’t, take long to do each one. Unlike English majors, many of whom you have to stop in mid-flow after they have been telling you their life story for ten minutes, here it is often like pulling hens’ teeth to actually get them to speak.
I did though end up with Jenny and Alison as my two joint top students in the end and they are really two that even if they can’t come to my classes (they are on work experience for a good deal of next term) then I would like to meet socially instead just so they can keep their level up.
The second class started knocking on my door at 0930. Ok, I had finished the remnants of the early class by then but by rights the second class should not even have finished their own until 0940 and had 30 minutes break until my class started. We have something to do later, is it possible to take the test early?
Well, no skin off my nose, I was there and one on one I simply sit in the chair. Be my guest, just meant a longer lunch hour. How stupid that thought now seems!
My morning was done and dusted by 1010. Four hours and twenty minutes lunch hour yawned ahead of me. I toyed with the notion of walking to McDonald’s for a Big Mac for my lunch after reading the news online. But then Janet arrived. As she put it, her last chance to see me before end of term. Not strictly true, although I should have no need to be on campus again until next academic year, she can always invite me for lunch if I am not away on my upcoming jollies.
Anyway she stayed for a fair length of time discussing this and that. One thing that was brought up was the fact I had failed a few of the boys. In fact I broached the subject first and she said she knew because one of the boys had told her. I opined that perhaps in future the school should not send me students with zero English or those preparing for the Masters entrance exams on the basis they won’t come and I will have no choice but to fail them.
Refreshingly (for China) she said no, I think it is best you are honest in your marks. No no no! Hang on a minute! These students are not going to Cyprus, my exams are nothing to do with their major so I have been flexible. The crossbar is lower for them and yes, some should have failed but to save grief I have passed them but with the minimum score of 60%. If they have been given that then you know really they should have failed but some token scalps have been taken because I never saw them in class. When I have the Cyprus Contingent next term I will again be brutally honest, even more so now I have met the Rector and he is fully aware of who is trying to drag our students up from the first step. I got it spot on last year and will do so again with the next lot.
Then she turned to the favour she mentioned a while ago but never got around to actually explaining what she wanted. She wants to go abroad as a visiting scholar. Well I am not familiar with university protocols even here, I just do my best and get angry when any criticism is directed at me when it is not constructive.
My protest that I never attended university before teaching at one was unheeded. Because I am western, I must be familiar with everything. So now I need to find a suitable university that will invite a Chinese PhD to come and observe how the UK handle pre-school education. I don’t even know if such courses exist in the UK! I will try though. It may well be the key to working two consecutive days a week next term seeing as Janet does my rota (ok it will kill me to do two whole days plus commute) and have five consecutive days off instead of working Monday and Friday. That way if I wanted to travel to say Chizhou, I could.
Eventually, and I confess to great relief, she had to leave as her niece was visiting and she had to cook her lunch. So, off for that Big Mac. Except despite buying those new trainers (they’re not really trainers) my legs don’t want to walk far these days and my feet even less so. Yes I am sedentary but even sedentary people take gentle strolls. I rarely can. God help me on the forthcoming school trip.
Anyway, quite apart from the distance to McD’s, when I got outside it had to be 30C. Having just endured a really cold winter my Chizhou heat tolerance has been depleted. Sod that for a game of soldiers. I went to the school canteen. I should have stayed in my office hungry. In two visits I have experienced both what the students described as so-so and terrible food. Today was terrible. Back to the office to play computer solitaire until the first of the remaining sophomores came for their exams.
Except at 1430 the little bleeders never appeared. It has to be said that at the back of my mind I thought this might happen because last Friday more students than I had asked for turned up and I did them anyway. But if they had told me the rest weren’t going to come I could have been home at lunchtime instead of sitting in my office for hours. Via public transport I was home by 1600 though.
And on the bright side, I am now finished until 1st September. All the marks were emailed to Janet earlier and I have fulfilled this year’s contract. All I need to do now is go to the computer place and get a “special” electronic photo taken (again but this time complying with the new regulations regarding pixels, size etc) and then arrange to sign a new contract.
The summer holiday begins…….
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
Wednesday 28th June, 2017 1445
The Great Cigar Drought continues.
As you may imagine, I am less than ecstatic at paying treble the price to satisfy my habit when my preferred purchase is unavailable, especially when I made the mistake of buying 100 Great Wall tipped cheroots and now find they are probably not cigars at all because they continue to burn a la cigarettes when you are not puffing. I slot the odd one in between “normal” ones because I am not wasting money and smoking two on the trot makes me slightly nauseous.
More in hope than expectation, I took a trip to the big China Tobacco to at least buy some more expensive ones to keep me from climbing the wall. No, my usual ones were still sold out but at least the lad who speaks English was there this time. They did have one carton of the same brand (and indeed I smoked them when I first arrived in China) at double the price so I bought them to tide me over until next week. I complained that it took me two hours each time to go there only to be disappointed so he suggested taking my number so he can text or call me to tell me when they get more. I did point out that with my staying another year that would mean I would require a further 6,000 of the things so it was worth their while ordering a decent number. It seems to be the old story of “there’s no demand” - well there is because I am demanding them.
I watched a Storyville BBC programme last week called The Smoking Years and it focussed on the history of a fast-disappearing breed, the smoker. It was absolutely spot on and echoed what I have been saying for years - soldiers sent to war to die for their country were sent free fags by the government (cigars for officers of course and at 7 million cigars in a single order, still the biggest ever number ordered in one go). Of course now we are being hounded out of existence everywhere and many people never stop to think where the lost revenue from tax on tobacco products is coming from - yes, the goody-goodies face higher tax on other things to take up the slack.
Disappointed but happy to have at least staved off the cravings a while longer, I continued to the train station so as to guarantee a seat for the return trip. Feeling a bit peckish, I decided a curry in Dicos was in order. Sadly it seems that some schools have either knocked off early for summer (ours breaks up 14th July even though I finish this Friday) or are sending them all on field trips judging by the number of groups dressed in identical t-shirts and rallying outside the station under different flags. Dicos was crammed. I went to KFC. I really don’t like KFC in China, not that I really used it in the UK either, because I always feel the chicken is undercooked and I detest the texture of chicken skin that isn’t crispy.
KFC was pretty busy too and I almost abandoned the idea but psychologically I had made myself hungry. But what was this? They were advertising the new “Chizza”. The picture showed 4 squares of what appeared to be pizza and being KFC it could be reasonably assumed chicken was involved somewhere. 23y for a Chizza and 10y for a Coke I never ever finish and I managed to get someone to shift their backpack from a stool they weren’t using so I could sit down and enjoy this revolutionary new offering.
Disgusting is an appropriate description of what I bought. The chicken component was actually the “pizza base”, consisting of a breaded, fried piece of chicken. This was topped with a pizza cheesy topping and was utterly ghastly. Why oh why do I bother?? Even a Big Mac is better and that’s saying something.
And no, most of it went in the bin.
On the bus, about three stops into the return journey, a young woman got on. I had to consciously clench my jaw muscles to prevent my mandible slamming onto my chest as it went into freefall. She was a pure vision. Initially she stood right next to my seat (I even considered offering her my seat, albeit fleetingly seeing as there was an available one she could use) but then spotted one of the inward-facing ones was unoccupied so she took that. At the next stop the person obstructing my view of her got off and all I had to do to feast my eyes was look straight ahead.
Bliss until the next stop, when a man of perhaps five years my junior got on. He sat on one of the seats opposite the girl for a couple of minutes and then unbelievably (seeing as he was in a 4-seat row with only one other passenger) he changed seats to take the one next to the girl in the two-seater. He then leant right across her to deposit his bag of plums on a luggage space.
Clearly unnerved, the girl got up and changed seat to way up the rear of the bus. I started to wonder whether this chap was a pervert or mentally deficient. As luck would have it, both stayed on the bus to the terminus at Peili Square but I decided to light a cigar to see which way they both went. The girl went in the direction I would go to get a taxi or perhaps cross the road to get the school bus and bugger me if the bloke didn’t follow. I was almost tempted to stroll that way but reasoned there were plenty of people about and she would be safe, even allowing for the propensity here for people not getting involved. I hope I was right.
Normally of course on the bus, whilst others are playing on their phones or listening to music, I simply watch the world and think, usually about what to have for dinner! Salad? After all, it’s a warm one with a little rain perhaps later. Nope. Normally when people make bubble and squeak they use leftovers but I have none because I have had chips with something four nights on the trot. So I bought vegetables and potatoes to specifically make it for later! As it never turns out right in a frying pan, this time I will try baking it in the oven. What the hell, it will do for Friday night as well. Maybe salad tomorrow………
The Great Cigar Drought continues.
As you may imagine, I am less than ecstatic at paying treble the price to satisfy my habit when my preferred purchase is unavailable, especially when I made the mistake of buying 100 Great Wall tipped cheroots and now find they are probably not cigars at all because they continue to burn a la cigarettes when you are not puffing. I slot the odd one in between “normal” ones because I am not wasting money and smoking two on the trot makes me slightly nauseous.
More in hope than expectation, I took a trip to the big China Tobacco to at least buy some more expensive ones to keep me from climbing the wall. No, my usual ones were still sold out but at least the lad who speaks English was there this time. They did have one carton of the same brand (and indeed I smoked them when I first arrived in China) at double the price so I bought them to tide me over until next week. I complained that it took me two hours each time to go there only to be disappointed so he suggested taking my number so he can text or call me to tell me when they get more. I did point out that with my staying another year that would mean I would require a further 6,000 of the things so it was worth their while ordering a decent number. It seems to be the old story of “there’s no demand” - well there is because I am demanding them.
I watched a Storyville BBC programme last week called The Smoking Years and it focussed on the history of a fast-disappearing breed, the smoker. It was absolutely spot on and echoed what I have been saying for years - soldiers sent to war to die for their country were sent free fags by the government (cigars for officers of course and at 7 million cigars in a single order, still the biggest ever number ordered in one go). Of course now we are being hounded out of existence everywhere and many people never stop to think where the lost revenue from tax on tobacco products is coming from - yes, the goody-goodies face higher tax on other things to take up the slack.
Disappointed but happy to have at least staved off the cravings a while longer, I continued to the train station so as to guarantee a seat for the return trip. Feeling a bit peckish, I decided a curry in Dicos was in order. Sadly it seems that some schools have either knocked off early for summer (ours breaks up 14th July even though I finish this Friday) or are sending them all on field trips judging by the number of groups dressed in identical t-shirts and rallying outside the station under different flags. Dicos was crammed. I went to KFC. I really don’t like KFC in China, not that I really used it in the UK either, because I always feel the chicken is undercooked and I detest the texture of chicken skin that isn’t crispy.
KFC was pretty busy too and I almost abandoned the idea but psychologically I had made myself hungry. But what was this? They were advertising the new “Chizza”. The picture showed 4 squares of what appeared to be pizza and being KFC it could be reasonably assumed chicken was involved somewhere. 23y for a Chizza and 10y for a Coke I never ever finish and I managed to get someone to shift their backpack from a stool they weren’t using so I could sit down and enjoy this revolutionary new offering.
Disgusting is an appropriate description of what I bought. The chicken component was actually the “pizza base”, consisting of a breaded, fried piece of chicken. This was topped with a pizza cheesy topping and was utterly ghastly. Why oh why do I bother?? Even a Big Mac is better and that’s saying something.
And no, most of it went in the bin.
On the bus, about three stops into the return journey, a young woman got on. I had to consciously clench my jaw muscles to prevent my mandible slamming onto my chest as it went into freefall. She was a pure vision. Initially she stood right next to my seat (I even considered offering her my seat, albeit fleetingly seeing as there was an available one she could use) but then spotted one of the inward-facing ones was unoccupied so she took that. At the next stop the person obstructing my view of her got off and all I had to do to feast my eyes was look straight ahead.
Bliss until the next stop, when a man of perhaps five years my junior got on. He sat on one of the seats opposite the girl for a couple of minutes and then unbelievably (seeing as he was in a 4-seat row with only one other passenger) he changed seats to take the one next to the girl in the two-seater. He then leant right across her to deposit his bag of plums on a luggage space.
Clearly unnerved, the girl got up and changed seat to way up the rear of the bus. I started to wonder whether this chap was a pervert or mentally deficient. As luck would have it, both stayed on the bus to the terminus at Peili Square but I decided to light a cigar to see which way they both went. The girl went in the direction I would go to get a taxi or perhaps cross the road to get the school bus and bugger me if the bloke didn’t follow. I was almost tempted to stroll that way but reasoned there were plenty of people about and she would be safe, even allowing for the propensity here for people not getting involved. I hope I was right.
Normally of course on the bus, whilst others are playing on their phones or listening to music, I simply watch the world and think, usually about what to have for dinner! Salad? After all, it’s a warm one with a little rain perhaps later. Nope. Normally when people make bubble and squeak they use leftovers but I have none because I have had chips with something four nights on the trot. So I bought vegetables and potatoes to specifically make it for later! As it never turns out right in a frying pan, this time I will try baking it in the oven. What the hell, it will do for Friday night as well. Maybe salad tomorrow………
Monday, 26 June 2017
Monday 26th June, 2017 2000
I really never set out to live a helter-skelter life, honest!
Adventure is great but I would prefer it to be a little less Indiana Jones at times in respect of the highs and lows.
I am now three-quarters of the way through the exams with just Friday to complete and then I can kick off my new trainers (which are not 280y of comfortableness yet) and relax for a fortnight. During said exams I have been touting for business next year by way of reminding the top 10% of the crop that my classes are open for them to attend if they are free. In particular I really want Jenny and Alison (from two different classes) to continue if they can. They were a delight to teach and I would love them to carry on improving. Both were really pleased to be awarded 90% each.
I had no choice but to fail yet another boy today. As with the two who already failed, he turned up to the first class and the next time I saw him was for the exam! Why?? My Chinese was twice as good as his English (and that’s awful) and it was plain that he couldn’t understand a word I said in class the first time so to be honest, I wouldn’t have attended either. I think it unfair of the school to mandate that clearly unsuitable students who haven’t even learnt the basics in primary school should come to my class. I shall of course point the folly of that when I send in the marks. I would rather for both mine and the students’ sake they stopped doing so. For me it will merely save ink in the register but for the students who have no hope because they couldn’t learn English when it was actually in their curriculum I am sure it would save face. These boys would be better off practising basketball.
At lunchtime I received a call from Mr Zhang, the foreign affairs director. There was a letter on his campus he thought was for me (it was and it was addressed to this campus, from the MNOPF) so he said he would leave it in the hotel reception near my home. He also said he had emailed me, had I seen it? Well of course I hadn’t, I left home at 0645 and I can’t get Gmail on the school computer but I could hardly tell him that I would need to instal my VPN on the school equipment to access it!
I am, after all, retracing George Hogg and Rewi Alley’s steps from way back in (I think without looking) 1937 when WW2 started for China. The school want me to go and they have agreed to organise an individual room for me in the hotels we will stay in. I did when I stipulated it was a condition of my accepting the offer, explain my reasons but I have a nagging doubt as to whether they may deem me racist. I would probably have been billeted with a New Zealand student anyway so it would be unjust to be labelled that when it is purely just one of my foibles. We all have them. Indeed that once I did share a room with two young boys at John’s summer camp a couple of years ago I only acceded as we were friends and I told him never again.
I won’t wear shoes someone else has used. I won’t wear my Grandfather’s watch which was given to me when he passed away. I refused to take over my parents’ bedroom when offered by my Mother and to the day she died I don’t think she understood I could not sleep in the same space as the last time I saw my Father alive - I said goodbye to him as I left to join my ship. Maybe I need a shrink!
Now of course that rather knocks the wind out of my sails re the travel money. Having offered to pay the extra hotel bills I told him I would repay the school provided they pay it first. No, that’s a separate matter. I gather I don’t have to pay, in fact they won’t accept it. I can hardly make a scene now, can I? Next year is a different matter.
So, Shanghai (no, Shanghainese reading this, there will NOT be time to see you, only there for two days with a full programme but I will be there a few weeks later on my own!), Wuhan, Xi’an, Baoji, Fengxian, Shandan, Lanzhou, Beijing and back to Lanzhou (hopefully the 2 nights in Lanzhou before Beijing will allow me to wash my clothes at home!) - here I come!
Naturally I shall be taking the camera, I am glad we are not actually retracing the journey authentically because they walked. Except for one section but in case anyone is going to watch The Children of Huang Shi I won’t spoil it by saying which portion. During the journey you must be aware that what I blog will also be being sent to the university so I may have to adjust my writing style a tad.
Now I just need to try and figure out when I will have time to write and how to buy sufficient jing jo without attracting unwelcome comment from the tour members! Might have to bribe some students - antipodean or otherwise!
Anyway, Janet sent me some of the professional photos taken of the graduations last week. As I think I already said, there is not one student there I have taught so my inclusion was purely out of inclusiveness plus maybe for the novelty of having their first laowei in the shots. I shall only bore you with one but I hope later in the week to have close-ups with just me and one other teacher.
It did though prompt me to research academic attire because I felt fraudulent in donning the outfit. I never found anything definitive to confirm my understanding that the gown and mortarboard should really only be worn by degree holders. I was the only one in the photos who did not possess one.
To have refused was unthinkable. Even on a technicality (if I was right) I would have attracted ire from faculty and students alike. All it did was please everyone and no animals were harmed in the making of these photos. Believe it or not though, lightweight though they were, the robes were rather warm and I was grateful that whilst the day was sunny it hadn’t at 0830 managed to heat up as much as it did later.
I really never set out to live a helter-skelter life, honest!
Adventure is great but I would prefer it to be a little less Indiana Jones at times in respect of the highs and lows.
I am now three-quarters of the way through the exams with just Friday to complete and then I can kick off my new trainers (which are not 280y of comfortableness yet) and relax for a fortnight. During said exams I have been touting for business next year by way of reminding the top 10% of the crop that my classes are open for them to attend if they are free. In particular I really want Jenny and Alison (from two different classes) to continue if they can. They were a delight to teach and I would love them to carry on improving. Both were really pleased to be awarded 90% each.
I had no choice but to fail yet another boy today. As with the two who already failed, he turned up to the first class and the next time I saw him was for the exam! Why?? My Chinese was twice as good as his English (and that’s awful) and it was plain that he couldn’t understand a word I said in class the first time so to be honest, I wouldn’t have attended either. I think it unfair of the school to mandate that clearly unsuitable students who haven’t even learnt the basics in primary school should come to my class. I shall of course point the folly of that when I send in the marks. I would rather for both mine and the students’ sake they stopped doing so. For me it will merely save ink in the register but for the students who have no hope because they couldn’t learn English when it was actually in their curriculum I am sure it would save face. These boys would be better off practising basketball.
At lunchtime I received a call from Mr Zhang, the foreign affairs director. There was a letter on his campus he thought was for me (it was and it was addressed to this campus, from the MNOPF) so he said he would leave it in the hotel reception near my home. He also said he had emailed me, had I seen it? Well of course I hadn’t, I left home at 0645 and I can’t get Gmail on the school computer but I could hardly tell him that I would need to instal my VPN on the school equipment to access it!
I am, after all, retracing George Hogg and Rewi Alley’s steps from way back in (I think without looking) 1937 when WW2 started for China. The school want me to go and they have agreed to organise an individual room for me in the hotels we will stay in. I did when I stipulated it was a condition of my accepting the offer, explain my reasons but I have a nagging doubt as to whether they may deem me racist. I would probably have been billeted with a New Zealand student anyway so it would be unjust to be labelled that when it is purely just one of my foibles. We all have them. Indeed that once I did share a room with two young boys at John’s summer camp a couple of years ago I only acceded as we were friends and I told him never again.
I won’t wear shoes someone else has used. I won’t wear my Grandfather’s watch which was given to me when he passed away. I refused to take over my parents’ bedroom when offered by my Mother and to the day she died I don’t think she understood I could not sleep in the same space as the last time I saw my Father alive - I said goodbye to him as I left to join my ship. Maybe I need a shrink!
Now of course that rather knocks the wind out of my sails re the travel money. Having offered to pay the extra hotel bills I told him I would repay the school provided they pay it first. No, that’s a separate matter. I gather I don’t have to pay, in fact they won’t accept it. I can hardly make a scene now, can I? Next year is a different matter.
So, Shanghai (no, Shanghainese reading this, there will NOT be time to see you, only there for two days with a full programme but I will be there a few weeks later on my own!), Wuhan, Xi’an, Baoji, Fengxian, Shandan, Lanzhou, Beijing and back to Lanzhou (hopefully the 2 nights in Lanzhou before Beijing will allow me to wash my clothes at home!) - here I come!
Naturally I shall be taking the camera, I am glad we are not actually retracing the journey authentically because they walked. Except for one section but in case anyone is going to watch The Children of Huang Shi I won’t spoil it by saying which portion. During the journey you must be aware that what I blog will also be being sent to the university so I may have to adjust my writing style a tad.
Now I just need to try and figure out when I will have time to write and how to buy sufficient jing jo without attracting unwelcome comment from the tour members! Might have to bribe some students - antipodean or otherwise!
Anyway, Janet sent me some of the professional photos taken of the graduations last week. As I think I already said, there is not one student there I have taught so my inclusion was purely out of inclusiveness plus maybe for the novelty of having their first laowei in the shots. I shall only bore you with one but I hope later in the week to have close-ups with just me and one other teacher.
It did though prompt me to research academic attire because I felt fraudulent in donning the outfit. I never found anything definitive to confirm my understanding that the gown and mortarboard should really only be worn by degree holders. I was the only one in the photos who did not possess one.
To have refused was unthinkable. Even on a technicality (if I was right) I would have attracted ire from faculty and students alike. All it did was please everyone and no animals were harmed in the making of these photos. Believe it or not though, lightweight though they were, the robes were rather warm and I was grateful that whilst the day was sunny it hadn’t at 0830 managed to heat up as much as it did later.
Sunday, 25 June 2017
Saturday 24th June, 2017 1720
Flipping heck. I got a bit peckish after last night’s entry and so decided to liberate the squid rings from the freezer, fry them and have them with mayonnaise.
They appeared to be battered but in reality weren’t, so presumably the rings were caked in ice to give that impression. There were also too many to fry at one time but seeing as 90 seconds are all that are needed, doing two batches shouldn’t have presented a problem.
The first ones were emptied onto a kitchen towel and I slung the rest in. All went well until just after a minute when there was a furious broiling and roiling from within and when I went to retrieve the rings it behaved like a volcano in the centre. As I lifted the cage the damned thing spat at me and a dollop of hot fat flew upwards and down onto my hand.
Of course I dropped the mesh and the rings fell unhindered back into the maelstrom that was the oil. I had already turned the heat off but it was almost as if it had gone into superheat mode.
Ok, they were fine to eat but today I had to empty the fryer because the oil was a murky milky tea colour and of course the machine itself needed a thorough wipedown as it was rather oily. I think I’ll stick to chips in future!
Sunday 25th 1415
More than half the student marks are now stored on my laptop so if I input tomorrow’s lot before Friday then I can wrap the whole shooting match up and email the file to Janet. Then I have fulfilled all my contractual obligations well before it expires. There can then be no complaints or finger-pointing. It’s harder here as I have no idea how to enter the marks direct on the school system and each student has to be given individual marks for attendance, activeness, oral and total. And believe me, trying to type 240 Chinese names even in Pinyin takes one hell of a lot of concentration to get them right!
Talking of chips again, last night was a simple bacon, egg & chips. I found some bacon that actually had more meat than fat. Still North American continent rubbish but at least the streaks of meat were larger than the grey hairs that grow on a forty-something woman’s head between dyes. And no eruptions in the fryer. Definitely sticking to chips.
So today the forecast says 29C. Not unpleasant but I wait to see what high summer gives me indoors. It seems that although the bonus of living this far north sees the flat equipped with radiators for at least some warmth in winter, they don’t believe in airconditioning. So far so good. Sleeping at night is really what concerns me, I can always shower again before bedtime if I was a little damp during the day - like today.
The reason for the slight “glow” at present is not because I went to the market for food but because I have been (and will be again later) been cooking. Not exactly slaving over a hot stove but as my kitchen is almost a greenhouse (it would be 100% so if the ceiling was glass) it gets a bit hot in here.
I was going to opt for salad today but decided I may do that tomorrow after work instead. No, I have some UK curry powder left so I thought I would try to make a chicken curry again. The last effort was in Chizhou (can’t recall if Joan was the unfortunate student sharing it with me or not) and I overdid both powder and liquids and it was ghastly. So much easier in England where you simply buy a jar of Sharwoods cook-in sauce and you are done!
This time I have cornflour AND proper yoghurt so I am hoping it will turn out ok. Of course, I forgot that the rice I have is the same as they recommended in BHG which turned out to be more suitable for a good old English rice pudding than for dinner. So you guessed it - curry and chips tonight!
My youngest brother and his wife left for Barbados yesterday for a luxury all-inclusive holiday. Luckily they could get the inclusive deal (I have been reading that due to Brits suing for gastric problems caused by food in some resorts these offers are dwindling fast) and a friend of theirs managed to upgrade their flights to business class. For reasons some of my readers are aware, I sincerely hope this is a holiday of a lifetime.
As for my holiday preparations (I know my plans only start in just over 5 weeks but you know I like to be organised just as well as you KNOW it will go wrong!) two hotels are booked and paid for, one is free courtesy of Shenyang Steve and the other is booked and to pay on arrival. So accommodation sorted. So far only one flight booked and that’s Alice’s from Shenyang to Nanjing. I thought I had better make sure of that one, it would put me in a pretty bad light if I took her there and she had no way of getting home.
The other flights are still more or less double what I hope they will drop to if I keep my nerve so I am waiting.
Of course, the good thing is that next year (provided I stay and the school still lets me after my militancy) I shouldn’t have the same angst at being shafted unexpectedly. Then I will know to expect it and even better, have considerably more greenbacks behind me. Unless of course I decide to go somewhere in spring festival……….
No idea about the school summer thing. I have stated that I don’t share rooms, if I get my 3,500y I am happy to pay for my accommodation but if not then find someone else. And if not, once next year’s contract is signed and sealed I shall start making waves. Bit silly to do it before I even know and am safe for a year anyway. I accept blame for August’s pay but I will not roll over for their “mistakes”.
But hey! I am sure everything will be fine in the end! Be happy, by 1610 on Friday I am finished until the end of August/beginning of September!
1700
The curry was wonderful! Enough left over so that I may just reheat some for tomorrow!
Flipping heck. I got a bit peckish after last night’s entry and so decided to liberate the squid rings from the freezer, fry them and have them with mayonnaise.
They appeared to be battered but in reality weren’t, so presumably the rings were caked in ice to give that impression. There were also too many to fry at one time but seeing as 90 seconds are all that are needed, doing two batches shouldn’t have presented a problem.
The first ones were emptied onto a kitchen towel and I slung the rest in. All went well until just after a minute when there was a furious broiling and roiling from within and when I went to retrieve the rings it behaved like a volcano in the centre. As I lifted the cage the damned thing spat at me and a dollop of hot fat flew upwards and down onto my hand.
Of course I dropped the mesh and the rings fell unhindered back into the maelstrom that was the oil. I had already turned the heat off but it was almost as if it had gone into superheat mode.
Ok, they were fine to eat but today I had to empty the fryer because the oil was a murky milky tea colour and of course the machine itself needed a thorough wipedown as it was rather oily. I think I’ll stick to chips in future!
Sunday 25th 1415
More than half the student marks are now stored on my laptop so if I input tomorrow’s lot before Friday then I can wrap the whole shooting match up and email the file to Janet. Then I have fulfilled all my contractual obligations well before it expires. There can then be no complaints or finger-pointing. It’s harder here as I have no idea how to enter the marks direct on the school system and each student has to be given individual marks for attendance, activeness, oral and total. And believe me, trying to type 240 Chinese names even in Pinyin takes one hell of a lot of concentration to get them right!
Talking of chips again, last night was a simple bacon, egg & chips. I found some bacon that actually had more meat than fat. Still North American continent rubbish but at least the streaks of meat were larger than the grey hairs that grow on a forty-something woman’s head between dyes. And no eruptions in the fryer. Definitely sticking to chips.
So today the forecast says 29C. Not unpleasant but I wait to see what high summer gives me indoors. It seems that although the bonus of living this far north sees the flat equipped with radiators for at least some warmth in winter, they don’t believe in airconditioning. So far so good. Sleeping at night is really what concerns me, I can always shower again before bedtime if I was a little damp during the day - like today.
The reason for the slight “glow” at present is not because I went to the market for food but because I have been (and will be again later) been cooking. Not exactly slaving over a hot stove but as my kitchen is almost a greenhouse (it would be 100% so if the ceiling was glass) it gets a bit hot in here.
I was going to opt for salad today but decided I may do that tomorrow after work instead. No, I have some UK curry powder left so I thought I would try to make a chicken curry again. The last effort was in Chizhou (can’t recall if Joan was the unfortunate student sharing it with me or not) and I overdid both powder and liquids and it was ghastly. So much easier in England where you simply buy a jar of Sharwoods cook-in sauce and you are done!
This time I have cornflour AND proper yoghurt so I am hoping it will turn out ok. Of course, I forgot that the rice I have is the same as they recommended in BHG which turned out to be more suitable for a good old English rice pudding than for dinner. So you guessed it - curry and chips tonight!
My youngest brother and his wife left for Barbados yesterday for a luxury all-inclusive holiday. Luckily they could get the inclusive deal (I have been reading that due to Brits suing for gastric problems caused by food in some resorts these offers are dwindling fast) and a friend of theirs managed to upgrade their flights to business class. For reasons some of my readers are aware, I sincerely hope this is a holiday of a lifetime.
As for my holiday preparations (I know my plans only start in just over 5 weeks but you know I like to be organised just as well as you KNOW it will go wrong!) two hotels are booked and paid for, one is free courtesy of Shenyang Steve and the other is booked and to pay on arrival. So accommodation sorted. So far only one flight booked and that’s Alice’s from Shenyang to Nanjing. I thought I had better make sure of that one, it would put me in a pretty bad light if I took her there and she had no way of getting home.
The other flights are still more or less double what I hope they will drop to if I keep my nerve so I am waiting.
Of course, the good thing is that next year (provided I stay and the school still lets me after my militancy) I shouldn’t have the same angst at being shafted unexpectedly. Then I will know to expect it and even better, have considerably more greenbacks behind me. Unless of course I decide to go somewhere in spring festival……….
No idea about the school summer thing. I have stated that I don’t share rooms, if I get my 3,500y I am happy to pay for my accommodation but if not then find someone else. And if not, once next year’s contract is signed and sealed I shall start making waves. Bit silly to do it before I even know and am safe for a year anyway. I accept blame for August’s pay but I will not roll over for their “mistakes”.
But hey! I am sure everything will be fine in the end! Be happy, by 1610 on Friday I am finished until the end of August/beginning of September!
1700
The curry was wonderful! Enough left over so that I may just reheat some for tomorrow!
Friday, 23 June 2017
Friday 23rd June, 2017 2215
Ahhh! What a difference there is between my little campus and the rest of this university! Most of it wants to shaft me at every turn but my campus is so different. I really think they want me to stay forever. Well, as far as you can think anything in China.
I got to work this morning and was just waiting for the first examinee to come to my office when Janet called me. Are you in your office? Yes. Can you come down to the playground for photos? But I have 20 students to test! Oh pity, they want you to come anyway. How long will it take? About 10 minutes.
During exams I never take the mid-lesson breaks so yes, I could spare 10 minutes but it actually translated into 30 minutes. The photos were graduation photos and this is why I love my little campus - not one student there had I taught but the faculty wanted me there. They try to include me in everything to make me feel part of the team.
Even better, it was so different to Chizhou where the teachers simply turned up for a group photo wearing whatever they had on. Oh no, here the students all had their graduation gowns and mortar boards and get this - so did the teachers! I was taken to the kitting-out station (beneath a basketball hoop) and supplied with my own gown and mortar board! I may even have looked like a proper teacher. Given that I never graduated from any educational institution in my life it felt slightly fraudulent but yes I am a teacher regardless of my lack of a degree and do you know what? I was honoured.
Next week I should be able to post a picture of me looking at my most professorial (or not, I have no idea how the photo Janet had taken made me look) but what a demonstration of how my tiny campus always try to include me in everything from beating bongo drums to dressing me up like that. Really heartwarming and so I am getting over all the shenannigans the main campus is slinging at me. I am now forewarned about the problems for next year, my main problem of late has been the sudden springing of nasty surprises in the wallet region.
So far I have done more than half the exams. Tell a Chinese class implicitly that you want 20 students to come to be tested and no more and never expect exactly 20 to turn up. The chancers will come just to be able to finish a week early and you will end up with 25. I expect it and am not bothered, it will make next week easier.
So far I have failed two boys. I had no choice even if their English level was that of a native. The only time I had seen them was the first class and today. Both went home early on Fridays and never came to my classes. I was surprised they even turned up for testing.
But I have also been passing students I really shouldn’t and certainly wouldn’t if they were English majors. But these are not. The ones who attended every class and volunteered to read from the book only needed 10 marks to pass so they were easy. It was the ones who had missed five or six lessons and not volunteered to read that were the problem.
Now they never needed to take nor asked to be given English lessons so I felt some compassion should be shown. Ok, some have been given the barest minimum pass mark but they were happy with that. There was however one girl whose attendance had been poor and she had never volunteered once on the odd occasion she had turned up. Not only that her English was atrocious.
I said to her that there was no way I could pass her.
Ok I understand she said.
Then she stood up to leave and said “I made this for you, it’s for luck” and pulled from her pocket something she had made from red twine for hanging at home - see picture. She still gave it to me AFTER being told I was failing her.
Ok, call me a softy because you know what happened. Even the lowest pass is a pass!!
Ahhh! What a difference there is between my little campus and the rest of this university! Most of it wants to shaft me at every turn but my campus is so different. I really think they want me to stay forever. Well, as far as you can think anything in China.
I got to work this morning and was just waiting for the first examinee to come to my office when Janet called me. Are you in your office? Yes. Can you come down to the playground for photos? But I have 20 students to test! Oh pity, they want you to come anyway. How long will it take? About 10 minutes.
During exams I never take the mid-lesson breaks so yes, I could spare 10 minutes but it actually translated into 30 minutes. The photos were graduation photos and this is why I love my little campus - not one student there had I taught but the faculty wanted me there. They try to include me in everything to make me feel part of the team.
Even better, it was so different to Chizhou where the teachers simply turned up for a group photo wearing whatever they had on. Oh no, here the students all had their graduation gowns and mortar boards and get this - so did the teachers! I was taken to the kitting-out station (beneath a basketball hoop) and supplied with my own gown and mortar board! I may even have looked like a proper teacher. Given that I never graduated from any educational institution in my life it felt slightly fraudulent but yes I am a teacher regardless of my lack of a degree and do you know what? I was honoured.
Next week I should be able to post a picture of me looking at my most professorial (or not, I have no idea how the photo Janet had taken made me look) but what a demonstration of how my tiny campus always try to include me in everything from beating bongo drums to dressing me up like that. Really heartwarming and so I am getting over all the shenannigans the main campus is slinging at me. I am now forewarned about the problems for next year, my main problem of late has been the sudden springing of nasty surprises in the wallet region.
So far I have done more than half the exams. Tell a Chinese class implicitly that you want 20 students to come to be tested and no more and never expect exactly 20 to turn up. The chancers will come just to be able to finish a week early and you will end up with 25. I expect it and am not bothered, it will make next week easier.
So far I have failed two boys. I had no choice even if their English level was that of a native. The only time I had seen them was the first class and today. Both went home early on Fridays and never came to my classes. I was surprised they even turned up for testing.
But I have also been passing students I really shouldn’t and certainly wouldn’t if they were English majors. But these are not. The ones who attended every class and volunteered to read from the book only needed 10 marks to pass so they were easy. It was the ones who had missed five or six lessons and not volunteered to read that were the problem.
Now they never needed to take nor asked to be given English lessons so I felt some compassion should be shown. Ok, some have been given the barest minimum pass mark but they were happy with that. There was however one girl whose attendance had been poor and she had never volunteered once on the odd occasion she had turned up. Not only that her English was atrocious.
I said to her that there was no way I could pass her.
Ok I understand she said.
Then she stood up to leave and said “I made this for you, it’s for luck” and pulled from her pocket something she had made from red twine for hanging at home - see picture. She still gave it to me AFTER being told I was failing her.
Ok, call me a softy because you know what happened. Even the lowest pass is a pass!!
Thursday, 22 June 2017
Thursday 22nd June, 2017 1420
The battle continues.
Overnight I have descended from incensed to angry to fuming until now I am at my best level - cool but determined. I may not win immediately but I will come a damned good second and will ultimately exact revenge if I don’t.
The two versions of the contract are disparate in many respects. If the school chooses to rely on the one more beneficial to them, so be it. I can only rely on the one they presumably misled me with last year when I signed. I may make myself unpopular in certain quarters.
I requested a meeting with Mr Zhang and Brenda today. Brenda is fine but Zhang answered questions I never asked and never even mentioned those I did. Perhaps he thinks by ignoring them the will, just like childhood dragons under the bed, disappear if he sticks his head under the bedcovers. Think again.
I have sent a draft email to Brenda for her opinion on whether it complies with accepted Chinese negotiating/arguing/warring etiquette before I email Zhang. If I observe the contract then so should the school.
Until I learnt I would not be paid in August and doubt was thrown on the 3,500y payment I wasn’t too concerned about the summer programme. After all, the school is paying for everything. Except this morning Zhang told me hotel rooms were shared.
I don’t share with strangers, never have. I don’t share with men. Never have. If I share they are girls I already know or are ones you wouldn’t take home to meet Mother. Now that would be fine had I not suddenly been hit with a possible 8,800y black hole in my summer pocket money. Worse, I am not even sure I will be paid for going on this trip and writing reports on it. You see, if all the aforementioned was not happening I would probably gladly have offered to pay for my own single occupancy hotel rooms. I am damned if I will if things remain as they are, as much as I think the trip would be a great experience. I can see myself ultimately refusing to take part.
Regardless of all the travails recently, I AM pursuing my own agenda in August. I have booked and paid for an executive room in the Holiday Inn, Hefei, Steve in Shenyang is going to be there (except for the last night as his lovely daughter is getting married so he’s flitting back to the UK - might invite 40 or 50 close friends over for an indoor Barbie once he’s gone!), Pudong is booked but not paid for yet and three nights in Hilton Wuhu have been paid for using reward points. I am damned if my local troubles are going to ruin my summer and it is thanks in no small measure to my pension, which will provide me enough to live on during an unpaid August when I return.
Enough of misery, at least for a little while. Face it, I have the joy of soon being with Alice, western breakfasts, meeting Vivian after a year and then being reunited with Steve, Jens and Shona and converting my liver from a house brick to solid marble. Then on to Shanghai to see Capt Roland (he’s bound to take us ten-pin bowling because of the awkward way I “play”) plus a bevy of five ex students, not least of whom being Joanna for 6 nights. Ok I’ve gone cheapskate on Shanghai by booking the 168 Motel but purely because I shall be unaccompanied and I wanted to stay longer this time. And they have a reasonably priced bar. Just one thing will be missing and Joan knows exactly what that is…..
Then for dessert, three nights back with Alice before finally returning home. Unless of course I have just enough money to stop off somewhere en route. I just need to price watch the flights now and wait until they hit rock bottom to book.
Do you know, most of us make a big deal out of problems or setbacks that others on the planet can only wish they had? Here I am moaning about being cheated and yet I still have enough to be able to fill my belly and quaff wine each day. As I sit and type, just outside my office window sits a pushchair containing a toddler who is sound asleep. He was placed there by his grandmother. She is currently rooting through the bins collecting cardboard to sell for a few yuan.
She is not begging, merely eking an existence by scavenging through rubbish. She has collected so much that her problem now is how to attach it to the pushchair and get it to where she can sell it. Am I tempted to call her over and give her 100y? Yes, very much so but I won’t for fear of bruising her pride. You see, if she is looking after the grandchild then her daughter/son and their husband/wife must be working and so earning money. There is a danger I would be deemed insulting. Certainly unless she is eccentric the family are not well off but maybe they eat well enough.
Now she has decided that all she has collected is too big to tie to the pushchair and I saw the reluctance on her face as she placed it against the wall opposite, I assume to go and leave the child somewhere safe before she returns to collect it. I now find myself keeping watch to ensure nobody else comes and pinches it.
My problems just shrank.
The battle continues.
Overnight I have descended from incensed to angry to fuming until now I am at my best level - cool but determined. I may not win immediately but I will come a damned good second and will ultimately exact revenge if I don’t.
The two versions of the contract are disparate in many respects. If the school chooses to rely on the one more beneficial to them, so be it. I can only rely on the one they presumably misled me with last year when I signed. I may make myself unpopular in certain quarters.
I requested a meeting with Mr Zhang and Brenda today. Brenda is fine but Zhang answered questions I never asked and never even mentioned those I did. Perhaps he thinks by ignoring them the will, just like childhood dragons under the bed, disappear if he sticks his head under the bedcovers. Think again.
I have sent a draft email to Brenda for her opinion on whether it complies with accepted Chinese negotiating/arguing/warring etiquette before I email Zhang. If I observe the contract then so should the school.
Until I learnt I would not be paid in August and doubt was thrown on the 3,500y payment I wasn’t too concerned about the summer programme. After all, the school is paying for everything. Except this morning Zhang told me hotel rooms were shared.
I don’t share with strangers, never have. I don’t share with men. Never have. If I share they are girls I already know or are ones you wouldn’t take home to meet Mother. Now that would be fine had I not suddenly been hit with a possible 8,800y black hole in my summer pocket money. Worse, I am not even sure I will be paid for going on this trip and writing reports on it. You see, if all the aforementioned was not happening I would probably gladly have offered to pay for my own single occupancy hotel rooms. I am damned if I will if things remain as they are, as much as I think the trip would be a great experience. I can see myself ultimately refusing to take part.
Regardless of all the travails recently, I AM pursuing my own agenda in August. I have booked and paid for an executive room in the Holiday Inn, Hefei, Steve in Shenyang is going to be there (except for the last night as his lovely daughter is getting married so he’s flitting back to the UK - might invite 40 or 50 close friends over for an indoor Barbie once he’s gone!), Pudong is booked but not paid for yet and three nights in Hilton Wuhu have been paid for using reward points. I am damned if my local troubles are going to ruin my summer and it is thanks in no small measure to my pension, which will provide me enough to live on during an unpaid August when I return.
Enough of misery, at least for a little while. Face it, I have the joy of soon being with Alice, western breakfasts, meeting Vivian after a year and then being reunited with Steve, Jens and Shona and converting my liver from a house brick to solid marble. Then on to Shanghai to see Capt Roland (he’s bound to take us ten-pin bowling because of the awkward way I “play”) plus a bevy of five ex students, not least of whom being Joanna for 6 nights. Ok I’ve gone cheapskate on Shanghai by booking the 168 Motel but purely because I shall be unaccompanied and I wanted to stay longer this time. And they have a reasonably priced bar. Just one thing will be missing and Joan knows exactly what that is…..
Then for dessert, three nights back with Alice before finally returning home. Unless of course I have just enough money to stop off somewhere en route. I just need to price watch the flights now and wait until they hit rock bottom to book.
Do you know, most of us make a big deal out of problems or setbacks that others on the planet can only wish they had? Here I am moaning about being cheated and yet I still have enough to be able to fill my belly and quaff wine each day. As I sit and type, just outside my office window sits a pushchair containing a toddler who is sound asleep. He was placed there by his grandmother. She is currently rooting through the bins collecting cardboard to sell for a few yuan.
She is not begging, merely eking an existence by scavenging through rubbish. She has collected so much that her problem now is how to attach it to the pushchair and get it to where she can sell it. Am I tempted to call her over and give her 100y? Yes, very much so but I won’t for fear of bruising her pride. You see, if she is looking after the grandchild then her daughter/son and their husband/wife must be working and so earning money. There is a danger I would be deemed insulting. Certainly unless she is eccentric the family are not well off but maybe they eat well enough.
Now she has decided that all she has collected is too big to tie to the pushchair and I saw the reluctance on her face as she placed it against the wall opposite, I assume to go and leave the child somewhere safe before she returns to collect it. I now find myself keeping watch to ensure nobody else comes and pinches it.
My problems just shrank.
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Wednesday 21st June, 2017 1915
I wasn’t expecting to be putting fingers to keyboard quite so soon after posting the latest instalment but to say I am pissed off would be to use polite terminology when the truth is, I would far rather use lower deck expletives.
Ok I admit, partly it is my fault for not doing due diligence but in my defence coming here was a rather last minute affair and turning it down would have been catastrophic given that I was only in China courtesyof a 4 week permit to stay granted by Bonnie in Chizhou police at the time. I would have signed anyway but I should not have been so trusting.
I have never heard of a public university not paying foreign teachers all the way through the summer holiday if they have signed up for another year. They all do. Except this bloody one. I shall receive nothing for August apparently. Ok, the Bank Of Orange has agreed to an extension of my overdraft for which I am very grateful and it shall not be for long but then Brenda hit me with another whammy.
Finance are refusing to pay me the 3,500Y instead of the round trip flight I could have taken. Whilst I cannot fight the first “stiffing” I am bloody well going to fight the second. Ok, there are language difficulties, I am used to that. Doesn’t stop my blood boiling at times though. My contract clearly states 3,500y will be paid if I don’t fly to my own country or provide a receipt. Further down, it states that a travel allowance of 3,500y will be paid each year with no stipulation as to why (in Chizhou it was 2,200y).
Apparently all the other foreign teachers fly home in winter and I am the first not to have done so. If this is the way it happens then I am not surprised they do so. I never asked for the 3,500y in winter, I wanted to save it for summer. I have done, to repay a loan. I have not touched it.
I am no expert but I appeared in enough courts covering contract law and disputes in my time to know that categorically I am entitled to 3,500y travel allowance PLUS either my round trip ticket home repaid OR another 3,500y in lieu. I can wipe my lips with the missing month’s salary for being so trusting but not with something in black and white.
Oh, but wait a minute! It doesn’t say that in the Chinese version! Mr Wei must have made a mistake!
Really?
Sorry but on the version I can understand it is quite clear and if I have to go to SAFEA or a judge I am quite sure they will know the only version I can understand is the English one. I do accept partial blame for the missing month but no way for the other - what if I was going home for summer? The school paid me unbidden in February for the 3.500y travel allowance so now I give them my flight receipt?
Oh boy, I am well and truly putting the cat among the pigeons over this. I have had to reassure Brenda that I don’t blame her at all, I know she has no authority but I respect the chain of command and don’t want to put her nose out of joint by going over her head. She actually WANTS me to because Mr Zhang is not someone she likes and he never answers her questions from me! What a two-faced shit he seems to be turning out to be eh?
I never asked what the payment would be for going on the Hogg programme because at that time I thought my travel allowance and August would be paid and a few extra bob in my pocket would be enough. I have now asked. Depending on the answer/result I will decide whether to go or not because even though I really want to go. I will not if I am being shafted. I will also be looking to work elsewhere next summer unless things are put on a better footing.
The problem I have right now is not financial (Thanks only to Captain Roland) but time-wise. Too late to realistically secure another post (and still lose a month’s pay) with all the upheaval and expense another move would entail, not to mention that I actually like working here and it would cancel all my summer plans.
Comments invited on my interpretation of the contract?
If
party B doesn’t
visit her home country during the contract year in summer or winter
holiday, party A will pay party B 3500Yuan
RMB as summer or winter holiday travelling expenses instead of the
air tickets,etc.
3.
Travel allowance: If Party B is invited as a Foreign Teacher/Foreign
Expert with a contract of one academic year and has accomplished the
task as stipulated in the contract, they will receive a travel
allowance of
3500 yuan RMB
given by Party A.
This
Contract is signed in
Lanzhou , on
July 2016 in
Chinese and English languages, both texts being equally authentic.
Wednesday 21st June, 2017 1310
Mad dogs and Englishmen and all that on the summer solstice.
Both yesterday and today were typical curate’s eggs. Yesterday my search for cigars was fruitless (unless I wanted to buy full coronas for a weeks wages each) but later in the supermarket after I went for a Generation Game hotpot (I learnt today the Chinese call it a rotary hotpot) and to buy a new pair of trainers my wine girl gave me a free bottle of plonk. Thank you very much!
Lately I have fallen into the terrible habit of rising early, meaning by 2100 I am whacked. This has the knock on effect of my waking early the next morning too. Ok it’s great for now and means I don’t feel dog-rough on teaching days at 0500 but I hope I can cure myself once my holidays start at the end of next week. Or do they? Read on for an explanation later.
And so it came to pass that I was wide awake at six today. After visiting the toilet to get rid of last nights wine I checked the time. Sod that for a game of soldiers. I went back to bed and tossed and turned for an hour. I may as well have stayed up at six. I needed some lardies (cockney rhyming for cigars - lah-de-dah) so thought I would combine my trip with going to school to look at the calligraphy exhibition for an hour and catch the school bus back at noon.
I got some smokes at treble what I normally pay and went to the show. Everything was locked up. A text to Jenny elicited the information that it only opens from 1610 each day. Well I wasn’t hanging around for another five hours, I will go after I finish on Friday. With forty minutes to kill before the bus left, I decided to investigate the school cafeteria for the first time. Pretty basic fare on offer but cheap. Not that I was particularly hungry but I ordered a large plate (well I was given a large plate!) of egg and tomato with steamed rice. The cost? 6y or about 65p at today’s exchange rate.
On the bus back there were five passengers. It was the big one with the safe driver and he was fully aware I got on as the school nurse tried to speak to me in Chinese, as did an old lady who I suspect was the driver’s Mum. Later the dean and a male student boarded and off we went.
Depending on where everyone is alighting, the route can be different every time but by now I have a good idea where we are in the city. When we got to where he normally turns right, just before the Hampton hotel, we were in the outside (far left) lane stopped at the lights. “Er, are we taking a different route?” I piped up. No response. The dean had nodded off and eventually the student informed me that the ultimate destination was Peili Square because he was going there. Ok, there’s a first time for everything.
Except just before we got to the west campus the dean came to and I heard her exclaiming to the driver, mentioning my name. It was apparent he had completely forgotten I was there, and presumably also the student. Except when we got to the west campus, the boy got off! I was though taken home but the error was rather handy. En route to the other campus we had passed a rather lively area full of shops, bars and restaurants and I wondered if we would pass through it again on the way to Peili. I wanted to know how to get there.
Well I am damned if it isn’t a bit of a walk down from Pizza Hut, Homwo and Buddy’s! I shall investigate further in the future. I may even be able to find some western food.
When eventually I did get home Mr Zhang had replied with answers to my questions regarding the summer programme. And what a wonderful idea it is from whoever dreamt it up!
The group will comprise 7 Kiwi students plus Chinese students and staff from our university. Sadly all journeys will be by train so that part promises to be somewhat onerous, at least for me. I have an awful feeling I shall starve on the train journeys as they will in all likelihood be hideously lengthy and onboard food from what I have seen is not for the faint of stomach.
The route is to retrace the journey George Hogg (of The Children of Huang Shi fame) together with Rewi Alley, his NZ friend who played a big part. The tour is Shanghai to Wuhan to Xi’an to Baoji & Fenxian to Shendan to Lanzhou to Beijing - spending either one or two days in each place.
No room sharing (except of course on trains), no 10km walks or climbing mountains (no time apparently - good!). Accordingly, my own holiday booking can now start for the first week in August and I have indicated that I will go. Mr Zhang will now recommend me to the university for inclusion. If they say no at this juncture I shall not be best pleased!
Mad dogs and Englishmen and all that on the summer solstice.
Both yesterday and today were typical curate’s eggs. Yesterday my search for cigars was fruitless (unless I wanted to buy full coronas for a weeks wages each) but later in the supermarket after I went for a Generation Game hotpot (I learnt today the Chinese call it a rotary hotpot) and to buy a new pair of trainers my wine girl gave me a free bottle of plonk. Thank you very much!
Lately I have fallen into the terrible habit of rising early, meaning by 2100 I am whacked. This has the knock on effect of my waking early the next morning too. Ok it’s great for now and means I don’t feel dog-rough on teaching days at 0500 but I hope I can cure myself once my holidays start at the end of next week. Or do they? Read on for an explanation later.
And so it came to pass that I was wide awake at six today. After visiting the toilet to get rid of last nights wine I checked the time. Sod that for a game of soldiers. I went back to bed and tossed and turned for an hour. I may as well have stayed up at six. I needed some lardies (cockney rhyming for cigars - lah-de-dah) so thought I would combine my trip with going to school to look at the calligraphy exhibition for an hour and catch the school bus back at noon.
I got some smokes at treble what I normally pay and went to the show. Everything was locked up. A text to Jenny elicited the information that it only opens from 1610 each day. Well I wasn’t hanging around for another five hours, I will go after I finish on Friday. With forty minutes to kill before the bus left, I decided to investigate the school cafeteria for the first time. Pretty basic fare on offer but cheap. Not that I was particularly hungry but I ordered a large plate (well I was given a large plate!) of egg and tomato with steamed rice. The cost? 6y or about 65p at today’s exchange rate.
On the bus back there were five passengers. It was the big one with the safe driver and he was fully aware I got on as the school nurse tried to speak to me in Chinese, as did an old lady who I suspect was the driver’s Mum. Later the dean and a male student boarded and off we went.
Depending on where everyone is alighting, the route can be different every time but by now I have a good idea where we are in the city. When we got to where he normally turns right, just before the Hampton hotel, we were in the outside (far left) lane stopped at the lights. “Er, are we taking a different route?” I piped up. No response. The dean had nodded off and eventually the student informed me that the ultimate destination was Peili Square because he was going there. Ok, there’s a first time for everything.
Except just before we got to the west campus the dean came to and I heard her exclaiming to the driver, mentioning my name. It was apparent he had completely forgotten I was there, and presumably also the student. Except when we got to the west campus, the boy got off! I was though taken home but the error was rather handy. En route to the other campus we had passed a rather lively area full of shops, bars and restaurants and I wondered if we would pass through it again on the way to Peili. I wanted to know how to get there.
Well I am damned if it isn’t a bit of a walk down from Pizza Hut, Homwo and Buddy’s! I shall investigate further in the future. I may even be able to find some western food.
When eventually I did get home Mr Zhang had replied with answers to my questions regarding the summer programme. And what a wonderful idea it is from whoever dreamt it up!
The group will comprise 7 Kiwi students plus Chinese students and staff from our university. Sadly all journeys will be by train so that part promises to be somewhat onerous, at least for me. I have an awful feeling I shall starve on the train journeys as they will in all likelihood be hideously lengthy and onboard food from what I have seen is not for the faint of stomach.
The route is to retrace the journey George Hogg (of The Children of Huang Shi fame) together with Rewi Alley, his NZ friend who played a big part. The tour is Shanghai to Wuhan to Xi’an to Baoji & Fenxian to Shendan to Lanzhou to Beijing - spending either one or two days in each place.
No room sharing (except of course on trains), no 10km walks or climbing mountains (no time apparently - good!). Accordingly, my own holiday booking can now start for the first week in August and I have indicated that I will go. Mr Zhang will now recommend me to the university for inclusion. If they say no at this juncture I shall not be best pleased!
Monday, 19 June 2017
Sunday 18th June. 2017 1715
Not sure if it would be premature to perform a Hullabaloo at this juncture or not. “Hullabaloo” is a distinctly HMS Conway term but I am sure you get the drift.
At last I have baked bread that is soft in Lanzhou. It may actually be too soft but I shall find out tomorrow when I tackle my egg and salad cream sandwiches for lunch. If successful I am happy even though I am guessing it is 37y for 2kg. Without scales I can only guess as there is nothing on the box to tell me.
Sixty students to examine on the morrow, twenty per double period. Even without taking a break (I shall ask if there are any exceptions to my smoking in my office with the windows flung wide) at 5 mins apiece it will be a push as always. I could have started last week but the teacher in me wanted to teach up to the last minute. It’s not as if I have them for 2 years. Long days for me for the next fortnight.
Monday 19th 1830
What a bloody day.
Ok, so far I haven’t failed any of the 60 students examined to this point. Perhaps a few should have failed but mindful of the fact that they are not English majors I was kind. At least all but one came to every, or nearly every, class so they were awarded marks for that. The one girl who missed a load, never opened her mouth when she did attend, yet stunned me by being in the top three so far with her level of English. Her reason for not speaking in class? Because her English is “not so well”!!!!!
My day took a rather odd turn halfway through class two though when Janet turned up. I really don’t need that when I am examining and up against the clock but of course I had to hear her out.
The Chinese just love to spring things on you with no notice. She had come to tell me some people from the European University, Cyprus had arrived for a visit and there were four students she wished I could speak to, I assumed in her office. Well for one, I was in the middle of examining my students and two, with no notice, sorry but I am busy. They will have to wait until I am finished. I can come and chat at lunchtime for a while. She left.
I actually managed to dispose of the rest of the class a little early and so called to ask if the people were still there. Yes, come down to room 207.
This was no spur of the moment thing, merely the telling me of it was. Room 207 is a meeting room with a huge boardroom table which when I entered was full of our school dignitaries, the rector of the Cyprus university Prof Costas Something and their Greek international representative for Asia. There were also students seated beyond the big table. Why on earth was I not told in advance? I could and would have rescheduled one of my classes but I wasn’t going to do it when I was in full swing.
I think I was there five minutes, had just been given a coffee when everyone started to bail out. “It’s over?” I asked. No, there is a presentation but we have to go to the 3rd floor. Lovely, it was now lunchtime. I rather wanted my egg and salad cream sandwiches.
In the screening room I sat next to Mr Zhang, the director of foreign affairs. Did I have any plans for the summer holidays? Yes but nothing has been booked yet. When will you be travelling? Probably 26th July to 8th August, why?
They have a programme. Details are decidedly sketchy as I never got time to grill much but they want me to take part in it. It lasts ten days from 18th to 27th July. That would scupper my own plans for a further week - I have to time everything so I get a weekend in both Shenyang and Shanghai.
Thinking it was some sort of summer camp (God forbid with the kindergarten kids, I would have turned THAT down flat) I asked what it involved. I need to clarify exactly what it does entail but it seems they want me to travel (alone or with persons unknown, I still have to find out) and the school will pay all travel expenses, hotels and meals. Do I have to teach? No. I have to write a report on what I/we do. What????
I thought perhaps I had entered a parallel universe! Me, write?? All expenses (except booze, smokes) paid PLUS an extra salary? Write??? It’s the equivalent of asking me to go on a beer sampling trip to Qingdao!
Yes I am interested as long as it doesn’t involve trekking for miles or climbing any mountains. And I will be happy to write far in excess of the 300-500 words per day they expect. The inner sceptic says there must be a catch but as yet I can’t think of one. I can’t recall the places that will be visited on this whirlwind tour of China but amusingly it apparently includes 2 days in Shanghai, some other places and also includes Beijing. I don’t mind walking the Great Wall on an e-bike.
So yet again my plans are in disarray and I have never ever had this many changes since a turbocharger blew up on a ship and we were diverted in a square over two days while the company tried to locate an aircraft and landing strip big enough to fly out a replacement.
Eventually I thought I was going to get my sandwiches but no, the bigwigs were going for lunch and the party secretary was taking me and Janet to another restaurant close by. I still have no idea what my bread was like!
I may just have the busiest summer holiday yet.
Not sure if it would be premature to perform a Hullabaloo at this juncture or not. “Hullabaloo” is a distinctly HMS Conway term but I am sure you get the drift.
At last I have baked bread that is soft in Lanzhou. It may actually be too soft but I shall find out tomorrow when I tackle my egg and salad cream sandwiches for lunch. If successful I am happy even though I am guessing it is 37y for 2kg. Without scales I can only guess as there is nothing on the box to tell me.
Sixty students to examine on the morrow, twenty per double period. Even without taking a break (I shall ask if there are any exceptions to my smoking in my office with the windows flung wide) at 5 mins apiece it will be a push as always. I could have started last week but the teacher in me wanted to teach up to the last minute. It’s not as if I have them for 2 years. Long days for me for the next fortnight.
Monday 19th 1830
What a bloody day.
Ok, so far I haven’t failed any of the 60 students examined to this point. Perhaps a few should have failed but mindful of the fact that they are not English majors I was kind. At least all but one came to every, or nearly every, class so they were awarded marks for that. The one girl who missed a load, never opened her mouth when she did attend, yet stunned me by being in the top three so far with her level of English. Her reason for not speaking in class? Because her English is “not so well”!!!!!
My day took a rather odd turn halfway through class two though when Janet turned up. I really don’t need that when I am examining and up against the clock but of course I had to hear her out.
The Chinese just love to spring things on you with no notice. She had come to tell me some people from the European University, Cyprus had arrived for a visit and there were four students she wished I could speak to, I assumed in her office. Well for one, I was in the middle of examining my students and two, with no notice, sorry but I am busy. They will have to wait until I am finished. I can come and chat at lunchtime for a while. She left.
I actually managed to dispose of the rest of the class a little early and so called to ask if the people were still there. Yes, come down to room 207.
This was no spur of the moment thing, merely the telling me of it was. Room 207 is a meeting room with a huge boardroom table which when I entered was full of our school dignitaries, the rector of the Cyprus university Prof Costas Something and their Greek international representative for Asia. There were also students seated beyond the big table. Why on earth was I not told in advance? I could and would have rescheduled one of my classes but I wasn’t going to do it when I was in full swing.
I think I was there five minutes, had just been given a coffee when everyone started to bail out. “It’s over?” I asked. No, there is a presentation but we have to go to the 3rd floor. Lovely, it was now lunchtime. I rather wanted my egg and salad cream sandwiches.
In the screening room I sat next to Mr Zhang, the director of foreign affairs. Did I have any plans for the summer holidays? Yes but nothing has been booked yet. When will you be travelling? Probably 26th July to 8th August, why?
They have a programme. Details are decidedly sketchy as I never got time to grill much but they want me to take part in it. It lasts ten days from 18th to 27th July. That would scupper my own plans for a further week - I have to time everything so I get a weekend in both Shenyang and Shanghai.
Thinking it was some sort of summer camp (God forbid with the kindergarten kids, I would have turned THAT down flat) I asked what it involved. I need to clarify exactly what it does entail but it seems they want me to travel (alone or with persons unknown, I still have to find out) and the school will pay all travel expenses, hotels and meals. Do I have to teach? No. I have to write a report on what I/we do. What????
I thought perhaps I had entered a parallel universe! Me, write?? All expenses (except booze, smokes) paid PLUS an extra salary? Write??? It’s the equivalent of asking me to go on a beer sampling trip to Qingdao!
Yes I am interested as long as it doesn’t involve trekking for miles or climbing any mountains. And I will be happy to write far in excess of the 300-500 words per day they expect. The inner sceptic says there must be a catch but as yet I can’t think of one. I can’t recall the places that will be visited on this whirlwind tour of China but amusingly it apparently includes 2 days in Shanghai, some other places and also includes Beijing. I don’t mind walking the Great Wall on an e-bike.
So yet again my plans are in disarray and I have never ever had this many changes since a turbocharger blew up on a ship and we were diverted in a square over two days while the company tried to locate an aircraft and landing strip big enough to fly out a replacement.
Eventually I thought I was going to get my sandwiches but no, the bigwigs were going for lunch and the party secretary was taking me and Janet to another restaurant close by. I still have no idea what my bread was like!
I may just have the busiest summer holiday yet.
Saturday, 17 June 2017
Saturday 17th June, 2017 1245
Friday saw my last classes with the current students (unless any wish to attend my classes as an add-on next term) but the day didn’t end well. Unbeknown to me they were holding a CET exam in the afternoon so we were booted out of my classroom after the first period.
I was told the room number to locate to, asked if they had a computer and was told yes. No problem. Until that is, I went to retrieve my USB stick to show them the last part of the film I had been showing. It was missing. Nobody could find it. I have other sticks but this was the expensive one with a large capacity and contained the majority of my films. They were not destined to see the ending of that film.
As I have been teaching all day on Mondays and Fridays I have always left all my stuff in the classroom and never had a problem. I suppose I should have twigged when I heard desks and chairs scraping at lunchtime as students swept and mopped the floor. However, as they were kids I teach I assumed perhaps it was their form room and they merely wanted it clean.
We never did find it and so in the other room I had to show something completely different. When that period ended I was going to allow those that wanted to stay on a while and watch more, after all I had 50 minutes to wait until the bus left. But no, I was booted out again! They were using that classroom for another exam! Talk about feeling as if you’re not wanted!
As for the stick, Chinese teachers said they would help to retrieve it. My students who did the cleaning said they never saw it at all and in any event would have known it was mine. It may be that someone found it and thought it had been forgotten. I won’t hold my breath but it will be annoying to have to replace it.
To my delight my first pension payment was put in my bank by Thursday night and I reckon no tax had been deducted, in fact there was slightly more than I had reckoned on. Long may that continue.
Last night one of the most annoying things that occur regularly in China happened. The water goes off without warning, you have a power cut or the internet fails. To be fair, in Lanzhou the power has only been out once. The water has been off a few times but often in the small hours so maybe they do planned maintenance at times to cause least inconvenience.
But the internet went. Fine, I have a store of BBC downloads I can watch but even now it has still not been restored so I can’t read the news or check emails. It also means I shan’t be cooking a roast for dinner because unless I am reconnected by five then I will go to the nearby hotel and sit in their lobby using their wifi. I have just taken a frozen cottage pie out to defrost.
Earlier I did actually get a strong enough signal to connect from here but it only lasted about 5 minutes before I lost it again.
I would like to thank a certain party for adding me to an exclusive site for a particular hotel brand, where at times there are some good deals to be had. When I was actually online I took a look. Sometimes the hotel you look at has no deals but when I looked at Doubletree Wuhu I was delighted to see a really good offer. It does present a dilemma though. I can stay for free using points or I can retain the points and instead pay a reduced amount, that way I can use my points another time. Damned handy membership though.
One of my classes yesterday gave me an invitation. The monitor, Charity, came to me after class with it. They are putting on a calligraphy exhibition next week. Quite what they think a show of lovely writing in a language I can’t read is going to do for me I know not but they seem very keen for me to support them. It opens at 1630 on Tuesday. That would mean a special trip to school on a day off and then seeing as the bus leaves at 1700 I could only be there 20 minutes. Apparently though it is on for the rest of the week so hopefully I can pay a visit during my lunch break on Friday. I do like to be seen to take an interest and I am sure the students appreciate it.
1840
Half an hour ago there was still no internet. This is being sent from the hotel while I try and download some more entertainment for later!
Friday saw my last classes with the current students (unless any wish to attend my classes as an add-on next term) but the day didn’t end well. Unbeknown to me they were holding a CET exam in the afternoon so we were booted out of my classroom after the first period.
I was told the room number to locate to, asked if they had a computer and was told yes. No problem. Until that is, I went to retrieve my USB stick to show them the last part of the film I had been showing. It was missing. Nobody could find it. I have other sticks but this was the expensive one with a large capacity and contained the majority of my films. They were not destined to see the ending of that film.
As I have been teaching all day on Mondays and Fridays I have always left all my stuff in the classroom and never had a problem. I suppose I should have twigged when I heard desks and chairs scraping at lunchtime as students swept and mopped the floor. However, as they were kids I teach I assumed perhaps it was their form room and they merely wanted it clean.
We never did find it and so in the other room I had to show something completely different. When that period ended I was going to allow those that wanted to stay on a while and watch more, after all I had 50 minutes to wait until the bus left. But no, I was booted out again! They were using that classroom for another exam! Talk about feeling as if you’re not wanted!
As for the stick, Chinese teachers said they would help to retrieve it. My students who did the cleaning said they never saw it at all and in any event would have known it was mine. It may be that someone found it and thought it had been forgotten. I won’t hold my breath but it will be annoying to have to replace it.
To my delight my first pension payment was put in my bank by Thursday night and I reckon no tax had been deducted, in fact there was slightly more than I had reckoned on. Long may that continue.
Last night one of the most annoying things that occur regularly in China happened. The water goes off without warning, you have a power cut or the internet fails. To be fair, in Lanzhou the power has only been out once. The water has been off a few times but often in the small hours so maybe they do planned maintenance at times to cause least inconvenience.
But the internet went. Fine, I have a store of BBC downloads I can watch but even now it has still not been restored so I can’t read the news or check emails. It also means I shan’t be cooking a roast for dinner because unless I am reconnected by five then I will go to the nearby hotel and sit in their lobby using their wifi. I have just taken a frozen cottage pie out to defrost.
Earlier I did actually get a strong enough signal to connect from here but it only lasted about 5 minutes before I lost it again.
I would like to thank a certain party for adding me to an exclusive site for a particular hotel brand, where at times there are some good deals to be had. When I was actually online I took a look. Sometimes the hotel you look at has no deals but when I looked at Doubletree Wuhu I was delighted to see a really good offer. It does present a dilemma though. I can stay for free using points or I can retain the points and instead pay a reduced amount, that way I can use my points another time. Damned handy membership though.
One of my classes yesterday gave me an invitation. The monitor, Charity, came to me after class with it. They are putting on a calligraphy exhibition next week. Quite what they think a show of lovely writing in a language I can’t read is going to do for me I know not but they seem very keen for me to support them. It opens at 1630 on Tuesday. That would mean a special trip to school on a day off and then seeing as the bus leaves at 1700 I could only be there 20 minutes. Apparently though it is on for the rest of the week so hopefully I can pay a visit during my lunch break on Friday. I do like to be seen to take an interest and I am sure the students appreciate it.
1840
Half an hour ago there was still no internet. This is being sent from the hotel while I try and download some more entertainment for later!
Thursday, 15 June 2017
Thursday 15th June, 2017 1300
The cheese and onion thing was edible but not something I shall repeat unless I remember the tomato and also have cheddar to hand. Gouda simply doesn’t have the commanding taste needed to transform what in reality is rather a bland dish. Worth trying again though but with the right stuff.
My wine girl wasn’t there in the supermarket yesterday and the one who was there kept trying to give me a dozen bottles in six, two-bottle paper bags. It took some time to convince her to let me have two half-case boxes which I could get transferred into large carrier bags. I use said bags for rubbish and the boxes are handy for sticking the empty plonk bottles in. Also, seeing as they won’t allow me to take a trolley outside the shop, it would have made the walk to the taxi place rather difficult. I think I bought almost the last of that wine so I hope my girl is there next week - I reckon I will need her to point me in the direction of another special offer. Shops here have a habit of not ordering any more when they run out.
The deep fryer is certainly getting a spanking, omelette and chips again last night! Amazingly I am still running on the original oil, which is still clean and clear. Admittedly only chips have ever been cooked in it but the reason I bought a dry fryer in the first place was because I thought they cost a fortune in oil. They don’t.
I think I may have another job. Georgina, who works at a new start-up (in China at least) based in Beijing and whom I have been helping clean up their English for their website, asked me if I would be interested in being interviewed on camera for their site. They are an agency for ESL teachers to obtain work.
As I delved deeper I discovered the girl who would conduct the interviews is in Rome. Sensing that her company would hardly splash out on return trips to Rome weekly for me or the reverse for her, I guessed it would be online webcams. Correct. I ended up with an email conversation with Rome and it confirmed it, also she wants short videos about life in China. That’s a problem with no camcorder and a basic phone. My camera can shoot videos but I would need to learn how!
I did point out though that the one thing I can DEFINITELY do is write. That piqued her interest, especially when I told her I had over 2,000 photos from my time here and my blog goes back to before I came to teach. Could I write on suggested topics? Certainly, sling them at me and I can write about them. She offered a few suggestions so I threw one back about the first ever lesson. Yes please.
It took me about an hour to knock it out and email complete with a few photos. This was the response.
“Thank you Steve. you are awesome! I’ll give it a read tomorrow as I’m filming right now for publish!!!
Cheers man!” (sic)
Let’s see if she likes it. I am now left wondering if this is unpaid or not! Nothing thus far has come of the proof-reading of theses but Georgina has said she will speak to her boss re the writing. If they want what I was asked, an article once a week, then I do expect some sort of reward.
I am currently sitting here waiting to see whether the bread I am baking will turn out to be edible. If it is then tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch are sorted. Boiled eggs with bread and butter for dinner (yes I know but here for me it is a rare treat!) and sandwiches for work. Knowing my luck though I have made a housebrick, hence I am waiting before going out. If that’s the case then a frittata will have to be made for both.
My Facebook feed has recently become over-populated with pictures of firefighters exhausted after tackling the London blaze. The posters are extolling the virtues of the emergency services and lauding them as heroes. Why?
Why is it they are suddenly heroes at one tragic fire? Why suddenly were the police heroes in Westminster? They are heroes 24 hours a day, we shouldn’t need reminding.
The cheese and onion thing was edible but not something I shall repeat unless I remember the tomato and also have cheddar to hand. Gouda simply doesn’t have the commanding taste needed to transform what in reality is rather a bland dish. Worth trying again though but with the right stuff.
My wine girl wasn’t there in the supermarket yesterday and the one who was there kept trying to give me a dozen bottles in six, two-bottle paper bags. It took some time to convince her to let me have two half-case boxes which I could get transferred into large carrier bags. I use said bags for rubbish and the boxes are handy for sticking the empty plonk bottles in. Also, seeing as they won’t allow me to take a trolley outside the shop, it would have made the walk to the taxi place rather difficult. I think I bought almost the last of that wine so I hope my girl is there next week - I reckon I will need her to point me in the direction of another special offer. Shops here have a habit of not ordering any more when they run out.
The deep fryer is certainly getting a spanking, omelette and chips again last night! Amazingly I am still running on the original oil, which is still clean and clear. Admittedly only chips have ever been cooked in it but the reason I bought a dry fryer in the first place was because I thought they cost a fortune in oil. They don’t.
I think I may have another job. Georgina, who works at a new start-up (in China at least) based in Beijing and whom I have been helping clean up their English for their website, asked me if I would be interested in being interviewed on camera for their site. They are an agency for ESL teachers to obtain work.
As I delved deeper I discovered the girl who would conduct the interviews is in Rome. Sensing that her company would hardly splash out on return trips to Rome weekly for me or the reverse for her, I guessed it would be online webcams. Correct. I ended up with an email conversation with Rome and it confirmed it, also she wants short videos about life in China. That’s a problem with no camcorder and a basic phone. My camera can shoot videos but I would need to learn how!
I did point out though that the one thing I can DEFINITELY do is write. That piqued her interest, especially when I told her I had over 2,000 photos from my time here and my blog goes back to before I came to teach. Could I write on suggested topics? Certainly, sling them at me and I can write about them. She offered a few suggestions so I threw one back about the first ever lesson. Yes please.
It took me about an hour to knock it out and email complete with a few photos. This was the response.
“Thank you Steve. you are awesome! I’ll give it a read tomorrow as I’m filming right now for publish!!!
Cheers man!” (sic)
Let’s see if she likes it. I am now left wondering if this is unpaid or not! Nothing thus far has come of the proof-reading of theses but Georgina has said she will speak to her boss re the writing. If they want what I was asked, an article once a week, then I do expect some sort of reward.
I am currently sitting here waiting to see whether the bread I am baking will turn out to be edible. If it is then tonight’s dinner and tomorrow’s lunch are sorted. Boiled eggs with bread and butter for dinner (yes I know but here for me it is a rare treat!) and sandwiches for work. Knowing my luck though I have made a housebrick, hence I am waiting before going out. If that’s the case then a frittata will have to be made for both.
My Facebook feed has recently become over-populated with pictures of firefighters exhausted after tackling the London blaze. The posters are extolling the virtues of the emergency services and lauding them as heroes. Why?
Why is it they are suddenly heroes at one tragic fire? Why suddenly were the police heroes in Westminster? They are heroes 24 hours a day, we shouldn’t need reminding.
Tuesday, 13 June 2017
Tuesday 13th June, 2017 1300
Sometimes I wonder why I bother explaining things to students. The middle class yesterday, on being reminded that this was the last lesson and that next Monday I only wanted 20 of them to come for examination, reacted with utter consternation.
Although I had already gone through this last week I was met with a barrage of questions. Is it a reading exam? No, I teach oral so it is a speaking exam. But Janet told us it was reading? Janet was wrong (unless she neglected to tell me!). Can you give us the topic so we can prepare? No because then I would get perfect Chinglish from everyone after you spent a week online and memorising the results - that will not test your ability to speak English.
I spent quite some time reassuring them that no, it was not going to be a hard exam and I will not be testing them as I would English majors or Cyprus-bound post grads. I explained that under school guidelines, if they haven’t missed a class (or had asked me for leave) then they automatically had 25 marks towards the passmark of 60. I also pointed out that if they have been active in class by answering/asking questions or volunteering for pre-set dialogues they could get another 25 marks. That, if they simply turned up and took part in class, merely left 10 points to achieve from the remaining 50 in order to pass.
They were told all this at start of term yet there were still some worried faces after this - the ones who have missed half the lessons and the wallflowers who never opened their mouths other than to chat with their neighbour despite being told the dangers. Welcome to the western method of testing!
At lunchtime I hiked to the China Tobacco shop near campus and cleaned them out of all the cigars I smoke. They only had 100 but that buys me another five or 6 days. I also splashed out on a McDonald’s double fish burger meal. Hardly gourmet fare but I had taken nothing with me for lunch.
I was going to go to the supermarket this morning, I was certainly up early enough but changed my mind. It can wait until tomorrow. As always, my thoughts turned to dinner. Yet another omelette with chips? Granted, Shona and Jens brought me enough cheese to warrant using it quickly before I end up cutting mould off it.
It was an option but then I Googled “what can I do with cheese and onion”. Plenty of things that required hard work and pastry and ideas for another day but not today. My eye alighted on “Mam’s cheese, potato and onion pie”. Intrigued, I opened the recipe.
Simple. Why had I not invented it myself? Like a cottage pie but onions, cheese and spuds all mashed together, put in a dish and topped with more cheese and slices of tomato, then baked. Ok it should be cheddar but I only have gouda but I will give it a go. If nothing else it should prove to be “shovelling” food. Just the ticket seeing as I have eaten nothing since yesterday lunchtime. I hope it freezes well.
1700
I managed to go shopping at the stalls and unbelievably, given that food-wise I only needed to remember spuds, onion and tomato, forgot the bloody tomato! I blame the stallholder because every time I go there he tries to sell me something else I don’t need and in my earnest denials tomato slipped my mind. Hopefully it won’t matter.
And even before I have started to book arrangements for my tour, the Steve travelling curse has already hit a home run. One of the prime visitees in Shanghai is slated to be in London the very week I planned to go.
So all is up in the air until I get definite news or decide to delay a week. I could go a week earlier but that would mean leaving before official end of term and I would rather not. I can’t change the order of the four cities either because then that would remove Alice from the equation and she wouldn’t get to see two new places.
And students ask me why I hate travelling. It’s not the seeing new towns and cities but the getting there that I abhor!
Sometimes I wonder why I bother explaining things to students. The middle class yesterday, on being reminded that this was the last lesson and that next Monday I only wanted 20 of them to come for examination, reacted with utter consternation.
Although I had already gone through this last week I was met with a barrage of questions. Is it a reading exam? No, I teach oral so it is a speaking exam. But Janet told us it was reading? Janet was wrong (unless she neglected to tell me!). Can you give us the topic so we can prepare? No because then I would get perfect Chinglish from everyone after you spent a week online and memorising the results - that will not test your ability to speak English.
I spent quite some time reassuring them that no, it was not going to be a hard exam and I will not be testing them as I would English majors or Cyprus-bound post grads. I explained that under school guidelines, if they haven’t missed a class (or had asked me for leave) then they automatically had 25 marks towards the passmark of 60. I also pointed out that if they have been active in class by answering/asking questions or volunteering for pre-set dialogues they could get another 25 marks. That, if they simply turned up and took part in class, merely left 10 points to achieve from the remaining 50 in order to pass.
They were told all this at start of term yet there were still some worried faces after this - the ones who have missed half the lessons and the wallflowers who never opened their mouths other than to chat with their neighbour despite being told the dangers. Welcome to the western method of testing!
At lunchtime I hiked to the China Tobacco shop near campus and cleaned them out of all the cigars I smoke. They only had 100 but that buys me another five or 6 days. I also splashed out on a McDonald’s double fish burger meal. Hardly gourmet fare but I had taken nothing with me for lunch.
I was going to go to the supermarket this morning, I was certainly up early enough but changed my mind. It can wait until tomorrow. As always, my thoughts turned to dinner. Yet another omelette with chips? Granted, Shona and Jens brought me enough cheese to warrant using it quickly before I end up cutting mould off it.
It was an option but then I Googled “what can I do with cheese and onion”. Plenty of things that required hard work and pastry and ideas for another day but not today. My eye alighted on “Mam’s cheese, potato and onion pie”. Intrigued, I opened the recipe.
Simple. Why had I not invented it myself? Like a cottage pie but onions, cheese and spuds all mashed together, put in a dish and topped with more cheese and slices of tomato, then baked. Ok it should be cheddar but I only have gouda but I will give it a go. If nothing else it should prove to be “shovelling” food. Just the ticket seeing as I have eaten nothing since yesterday lunchtime. I hope it freezes well.
1700
I managed to go shopping at the stalls and unbelievably, given that food-wise I only needed to remember spuds, onion and tomato, forgot the bloody tomato! I blame the stallholder because every time I go there he tries to sell me something else I don’t need and in my earnest denials tomato slipped my mind. Hopefully it won’t matter.
And even before I have started to book arrangements for my tour, the Steve travelling curse has already hit a home run. One of the prime visitees in Shanghai is slated to be in London the very week I planned to go.
So all is up in the air until I get definite news or decide to delay a week. I could go a week earlier but that would mean leaving before official end of term and I would rather not. I can’t change the order of the four cities either because then that would remove Alice from the equation and she wouldn’t get to see two new places.
And students ask me why I hate travelling. It’s not the seeing new towns and cities but the getting there that I abhor!
Sunday, 11 June 2017
Sunday 11th June, 2017 1915
It’s a funny old world and made even funnier by women being in it. Chinese women particularly!
Luckily I have yet to actually book anything for my hoped-for summer tour. I am waiting to see if I actually get any of my pension first before splashing out and that should happen by Friday next week my time.
Alice (who will read this) told me work commitments prevented her from accompanying me on my travels so I decided I would go to Wuhu either at the start or end of my grand tour for a couple of days. Doubletree Wuhu is good value at only 5,000 points per night. Eventually I decided to go there first and then fly to Shenyang from Hefei, a couple of hours away by train.
She then decided that as she hasn’t been to Hefei she would like to meet me there rather than her hometown, Wuhu. Fine by me and so I adjusted my plans for a three night stay in Hefei instead.
This morning she asked if I was flying to Shenyang from Hefei. Yes. Is it too late to say I will come with you?
Now I must be clear that I am delighted she has had a change of heart and importantly before I made any bookings and she is simply going to take time off whether her employer grants it or not. Pity she can’t go the whole hog and come to Shanghai but I have groupies there aplenty anyway - Joanna, Rabbit, Rinka (if she’s not pregnant) and Tutu - not to mention someone who is expecting a red envelope with 5,000y in it (although depending on how things go I may have to request a short extension! Hopefully not). And Alice can be left on her own at the airport now I introduced her to flying, she knows the drill, although we should both fly our separate ways no more than an hour apart.
I may well now still visit Wuhu for two nights after Shanghai when she will stay with me. I’m not too happy with my timings for meeting her in Hefei before Shenyang though, I wouldn’t land until 2000 (an hour from the nearest hotel - unbelievable they haven’t built a couple near the perimeter) and the best flight to Shenyang leaves just after 0900 which means an early start. If I fly the day before there is an earlier flight but that would mean two nights in an hotel.
Hefei Hilton charges ridiculous points to stay so I shall juggle with points and cash to leave two free nights in Wuhu for later. What it must be to be wealthy……
I’ve been lazy today, washed the dishes (after three days) and done my laundry. I couldn’t be bothered to cook so tried a new stall just around the corner for a takeaway dinner. Most unsatisfying, it was a Chinese “hamburger” but the bun is fried in oil along with whatever you select. I chose what I think were battered meatballs, cabbage and mushrooms and asked for just a little from the chilli paintbrush they smear the inside with. Stupidly I thought I would automatically get a fried egg thrown in but I didn’t. I probably won’t use them again, which is embarrassing as they are adjacent to my fruit stall but they do sell pinza. It’s like a savoury pizza base, dry and they sell a whole one for 5y. Might be an idea for my teaching days next term. I would never eat a whole one but I reckon the students would polish off what I left. Pity the “hamburgers” here aren’t like the ones available in Chizhou university - they weren’t bad.
And the mint? Deceased. Considering how indestructible it normally is, it is astonishing that a few drops of rain (remember it was actually sheltered so only got a little bit) wiped the lot out. If I try again it will definitely be staying indoors.
I brought my USB stick home for the weekend to check it wasn’t faulty and causing the intermittent sound on the school computer. It isn’t, it plays perfectly on my laptop so the IT teacher who told my students it was my fault is going to be told exactly that. Fat lot of good now though because I only have the coming week to teach left. It would be nice to get them to fix the antiquated equipment before the start of next term though.
It’s a funny old world and made even funnier by women being in it. Chinese women particularly!
Luckily I have yet to actually book anything for my hoped-for summer tour. I am waiting to see if I actually get any of my pension first before splashing out and that should happen by Friday next week my time.
Alice (who will read this) told me work commitments prevented her from accompanying me on my travels so I decided I would go to Wuhu either at the start or end of my grand tour for a couple of days. Doubletree Wuhu is good value at only 5,000 points per night. Eventually I decided to go there first and then fly to Shenyang from Hefei, a couple of hours away by train.
She then decided that as she hasn’t been to Hefei she would like to meet me there rather than her hometown, Wuhu. Fine by me and so I adjusted my plans for a three night stay in Hefei instead.
This morning she asked if I was flying to Shenyang from Hefei. Yes. Is it too late to say I will come with you?
Now I must be clear that I am delighted she has had a change of heart and importantly before I made any bookings and she is simply going to take time off whether her employer grants it or not. Pity she can’t go the whole hog and come to Shanghai but I have groupies there aplenty anyway - Joanna, Rabbit, Rinka (if she’s not pregnant) and Tutu - not to mention someone who is expecting a red envelope with 5,000y in it (although depending on how things go I may have to request a short extension! Hopefully not). And Alice can be left on her own at the airport now I introduced her to flying, she knows the drill, although we should both fly our separate ways no more than an hour apart.
I may well now still visit Wuhu for two nights after Shanghai when she will stay with me. I’m not too happy with my timings for meeting her in Hefei before Shenyang though, I wouldn’t land until 2000 (an hour from the nearest hotel - unbelievable they haven’t built a couple near the perimeter) and the best flight to Shenyang leaves just after 0900 which means an early start. If I fly the day before there is an earlier flight but that would mean two nights in an hotel.
Hefei Hilton charges ridiculous points to stay so I shall juggle with points and cash to leave two free nights in Wuhu for later. What it must be to be wealthy……
I’ve been lazy today, washed the dishes (after three days) and done my laundry. I couldn’t be bothered to cook so tried a new stall just around the corner for a takeaway dinner. Most unsatisfying, it was a Chinese “hamburger” but the bun is fried in oil along with whatever you select. I chose what I think were battered meatballs, cabbage and mushrooms and asked for just a little from the chilli paintbrush they smear the inside with. Stupidly I thought I would automatically get a fried egg thrown in but I didn’t. I probably won’t use them again, which is embarrassing as they are adjacent to my fruit stall but they do sell pinza. It’s like a savoury pizza base, dry and they sell a whole one for 5y. Might be an idea for my teaching days next term. I would never eat a whole one but I reckon the students would polish off what I left. Pity the “hamburgers” here aren’t like the ones available in Chizhou university - they weren’t bad.
And the mint? Deceased. Considering how indestructible it normally is, it is astonishing that a few drops of rain (remember it was actually sheltered so only got a little bit) wiped the lot out. If I try again it will definitely be staying indoors.
I brought my USB stick home for the weekend to check it wasn’t faulty and causing the intermittent sound on the school computer. It isn’t, it plays perfectly on my laptop so the IT teacher who told my students it was my fault is going to be told exactly that. Fat lot of good now though because I only have the coming week to teach left. It would be nice to get them to fix the antiquated equipment before the start of next term though.
Saturday, 10 June 2017
Saturday 10th June, 2017 2030
What a shit day.
I decided rather than leave the cigar run to next week, I would go today to the biggest China Tobacco store in the city, the place that didn’t have quite enough for my needs last month but which I thought may have replenished stocks by now.
After two stops the bus was full but I had my old person seat. A chap got on, must have been about four feet tall and wearing an orange matching ensemble. He had a brief chat to the driver but never actually paid his 1y fare. By that I assumed perhaps he was a fellow driver.
He stood towards the front of the bus for a while but I caught him staring at me on several occasions, which as you may imagine, rather annoyed me and I stared back equally as hard. Two more stops and he was compelled to move further back as yet more passengers embarked.
No prizes for guessing where he fetched up. Leaning with one hand on the seat back in front of me and the other on my seat back. Ok, the way some of the drivers jerk the bus around, personally I would need to lash myself to a stanchion to keep my footing but this guy was maybe late twenties. It’s fine keeping a handhold but did I really need to have his stomach an inch from my face? The bus wasn’t THAT full.
My personal space is important to me, as I suspect it is to many reading this. So I indicated he should move back a bit because I didn’t particularly like being crowded. He looked at me without expression and then I guessed why he probably hadn’t paid. He was on day release from an asylum.
I was then treated to half an hour of him leaning in with his head an inch away from my face while he inspected and picked at a scabby wound on one of his fingers. No amount of elbowing him in the stomach or telling him where to go had any effect. As one of few foreigners in a Chinese city the chances of remaining undetected for a crime (how many laowei have a belly as big as mine?) are slim but the temptation was there to draw out my pocket knife and slice off the offending finger just so he had something to really concern himself with. Nothing I did or said had any effect and I will be honest and say that I seriously considered grabbing his scrotum to pass on a message. Thankfully, eventually he got off but the idea is now in my head to buy a small aerosol to carry if I can find one with noxious contents. Of course I could buy stink bombs online but then I would be left retching along with the rest of the bus.
Well actually I secretly thought I was to be disappointed in the cigar department and in that, I was not disappointed. Mayo.
Great, I travelled for an hour in weekend traffic on a bus for nothing. Pissed off, I hopped on another bus to the train station so as to guarantee a seat on the way back. Spying another China Tobacco shop about five minutes walk from the station terminus I went in hope of finding what I wanted. Mayo. Oh yes, plenty of cigars half the size and twice the price but not my cheapos.
I consoled myself by having a chicken curry in Dicos and I need to stop doing that. It really is substandard. Then empty handed I set off back. I needed my usual medicines and stopped at the chemist in the square.
Now, when you are going to a pharmacy where nobody speaks each others’ language, it can be difficult. I know that. I am not stupid. Well sometimes I am not. So I had left home armed with the paperwork that is inside every box of medicine for which I needed replacements - all in Chinese. Good thinking, huh?
My assistant took a look at the first one I gave her. The first thing I asked her for was aspirin (no handout sheet for that) and I know by now I need to ask for “aspillin”. so far so good. Next was the sheet for allopurinol (gout prevention) and that flummoxed her. It also stymied many of the other assistants and I was pointing out that the sheet came from a box I bought from THEM a month ago!
Eventually, after many tingbudongs and mayos I went behind the counter to look for myself. I had five more medicines to buy and didn’t have all week. This prompted a young girl to come and confront me for having the temerity to go into a restricted area. I pointed at the silly salesgirl and indicated all she could say was tingbudong and showed her my paper.
Immediately she located it and got it for me. Wait! Here are the rest! She got everything I wanted and at the end I gave Mrs Tingbudong the paperwork to dispose of. At least now I know which girl to seek help from next time.
So I am still left with a 5 day supply of cigars, which means on Monday I have to hope that the China Tobacco near the teaching campus has now got a supply. If they have I may well buy two months worth but I won’t hold my breath.
What a shit day.
I decided rather than leave the cigar run to next week, I would go today to the biggest China Tobacco store in the city, the place that didn’t have quite enough for my needs last month but which I thought may have replenished stocks by now.
After two stops the bus was full but I had my old person seat. A chap got on, must have been about four feet tall and wearing an orange matching ensemble. He had a brief chat to the driver but never actually paid his 1y fare. By that I assumed perhaps he was a fellow driver.
He stood towards the front of the bus for a while but I caught him staring at me on several occasions, which as you may imagine, rather annoyed me and I stared back equally as hard. Two more stops and he was compelled to move further back as yet more passengers embarked.
No prizes for guessing where he fetched up. Leaning with one hand on the seat back in front of me and the other on my seat back. Ok, the way some of the drivers jerk the bus around, personally I would need to lash myself to a stanchion to keep my footing but this guy was maybe late twenties. It’s fine keeping a handhold but did I really need to have his stomach an inch from my face? The bus wasn’t THAT full.
My personal space is important to me, as I suspect it is to many reading this. So I indicated he should move back a bit because I didn’t particularly like being crowded. He looked at me without expression and then I guessed why he probably hadn’t paid. He was on day release from an asylum.
I was then treated to half an hour of him leaning in with his head an inch away from my face while he inspected and picked at a scabby wound on one of his fingers. No amount of elbowing him in the stomach or telling him where to go had any effect. As one of few foreigners in a Chinese city the chances of remaining undetected for a crime (how many laowei have a belly as big as mine?) are slim but the temptation was there to draw out my pocket knife and slice off the offending finger just so he had something to really concern himself with. Nothing I did or said had any effect and I will be honest and say that I seriously considered grabbing his scrotum to pass on a message. Thankfully, eventually he got off but the idea is now in my head to buy a small aerosol to carry if I can find one with noxious contents. Of course I could buy stink bombs online but then I would be left retching along with the rest of the bus.
Well actually I secretly thought I was to be disappointed in the cigar department and in that, I was not disappointed. Mayo.
Great, I travelled for an hour in weekend traffic on a bus for nothing. Pissed off, I hopped on another bus to the train station so as to guarantee a seat on the way back. Spying another China Tobacco shop about five minutes walk from the station terminus I went in hope of finding what I wanted. Mayo. Oh yes, plenty of cigars half the size and twice the price but not my cheapos.
I consoled myself by having a chicken curry in Dicos and I need to stop doing that. It really is substandard. Then empty handed I set off back. I needed my usual medicines and stopped at the chemist in the square.
Now, when you are going to a pharmacy where nobody speaks each others’ language, it can be difficult. I know that. I am not stupid. Well sometimes I am not. So I had left home armed with the paperwork that is inside every box of medicine for which I needed replacements - all in Chinese. Good thinking, huh?
My assistant took a look at the first one I gave her. The first thing I asked her for was aspirin (no handout sheet for that) and I know by now I need to ask for “aspillin”. so far so good. Next was the sheet for allopurinol (gout prevention) and that flummoxed her. It also stymied many of the other assistants and I was pointing out that the sheet came from a box I bought from THEM a month ago!
Eventually, after many tingbudongs and mayos I went behind the counter to look for myself. I had five more medicines to buy and didn’t have all week. This prompted a young girl to come and confront me for having the temerity to go into a restricted area. I pointed at the silly salesgirl and indicated all she could say was tingbudong and showed her my paper.
Immediately she located it and got it for me. Wait! Here are the rest! She got everything I wanted and at the end I gave Mrs Tingbudong the paperwork to dispose of. At least now I know which girl to seek help from next time.
So I am still left with a 5 day supply of cigars, which means on Monday I have to hope that the China Tobacco near the teaching campus has now got a supply. If they have I may well buy two months worth but I won’t hold my breath.
Thursday, 8 June 2017
Thursday 8th June, 2017 1615
Well I have to say that last night the boiler reached the red zone and I blew off some steam. Everyone has problems even if they are Bill Gates but plenty of people have birds of a feather to discuss them with should they choose. I don’t. My own problems are hardly significant (although I think it is human nature to “big up” your own) and the catalyst was the situation someone in my family is in. I shall not elaborate, for those concerned are facing it stoically, philosophically and with incredible resolve. I on the other hand can but rage from afar at the unfairness and wonder how I would behave were I in that situation. I suspect I would go one of two ways - self pity or more likely outright fury but of course we none of us know. Anyway, with a complete lack of intelligible communication available to me, I vented online to a trusted and valued audience who have mostly completely ignored me (for which I am grateful) and the one person who did respond was terribly kind. As always.
So today I learnt Alice will not accompany me on my travels (or even travails, given my history of planning trips!) this summer as she has now secured three “tutors” plus she is still working at Doubletree by Hilton in Wuhu. By tutors, my incisive brain deduced she actually meant tutees, although the only time I have ever heard students/pupils referred to as such before was when I was accused of being one by my online TEFL teacher.
So although I shall have no company with me, which makes me a little sad, on the bright side it means I have fewer concerns over the cost of the tour. I would still of course prefer to have a companion although certainly I will not be short of those in Shenyang or Shanghai. I may even be able to fit in a third city before I return to Lanzhou if I am lucky. I only hope Joan will finally be free next summer - I am determined to have a holiday to remember, regardless of wherever it is.
Last night for the first time we had Chizhou rain. I think it may have done for the last of my surviving mint seedlings. I always thought mint was indestructible but that is proving to be not the case with the seeds available from here. It didn’t last long and drained away once over but I wouldn’t have been pleased to have been caught in it.
Today there was no water until 1500 which meant I didn’t dare bake the bread pudding as I couldn’t wash my hands before or after (I squish it by hand) and so I decided today is a dirty day and hope that this doesn’t occur on a day in the future when I may be travelling. As always, instead of checking the recipe on the internet, I forgot an ingredient. Admittedly optional, but I neglected to add sultanas! Nobody to blame but myself, however it will taste the same.
I am running out of kitchen store cupboard items now but am not replacing them due to my campaign of saving money for the holidays. I am hoping to replenish in City Store in Pudong, which is basically Santa’s grotto for someone like me. I spent 2,000y there the summer after I arrived in Chizhou! Five kilogrammes of cheddar rather bumped the bill up though.
At least I can now start my PriceWatch on flights with only myself to worry about. It really annoys me that train prices remain stable year-round yet flight prices are mercurial and it is an art to try to gauge when tickets have bottomed out. I reckon I could play the stock market now. You would think that buying a seat the day before or on the day of a flight would get you a rock bottom price just because they want to put bums in seats but here the converse is true, the cost goes sky high!
I am now awaiting a call from Elizabeth. I sent a text asking where she was these days and she replied with Kunshan but she is at work and will call me when she has finished. A 20 minute train ride from Shanghai so maybe I can add her to the menagerie of girls who will join Captain Orange and myself in the Big Bamboo in Pudong!
Well I have to say that last night the boiler reached the red zone and I blew off some steam. Everyone has problems even if they are Bill Gates but plenty of people have birds of a feather to discuss them with should they choose. I don’t. My own problems are hardly significant (although I think it is human nature to “big up” your own) and the catalyst was the situation someone in my family is in. I shall not elaborate, for those concerned are facing it stoically, philosophically and with incredible resolve. I on the other hand can but rage from afar at the unfairness and wonder how I would behave were I in that situation. I suspect I would go one of two ways - self pity or more likely outright fury but of course we none of us know. Anyway, with a complete lack of intelligible communication available to me, I vented online to a trusted and valued audience who have mostly completely ignored me (for which I am grateful) and the one person who did respond was terribly kind. As always.
So today I learnt Alice will not accompany me on my travels (or even travails, given my history of planning trips!) this summer as she has now secured three “tutors” plus she is still working at Doubletree by Hilton in Wuhu. By tutors, my incisive brain deduced she actually meant tutees, although the only time I have ever heard students/pupils referred to as such before was when I was accused of being one by my online TEFL teacher.
So although I shall have no company with me, which makes me a little sad, on the bright side it means I have fewer concerns over the cost of the tour. I would still of course prefer to have a companion although certainly I will not be short of those in Shenyang or Shanghai. I may even be able to fit in a third city before I return to Lanzhou if I am lucky. I only hope Joan will finally be free next summer - I am determined to have a holiday to remember, regardless of wherever it is.
Last night for the first time we had Chizhou rain. I think it may have done for the last of my surviving mint seedlings. I always thought mint was indestructible but that is proving to be not the case with the seeds available from here. It didn’t last long and drained away once over but I wouldn’t have been pleased to have been caught in it.
Today there was no water until 1500 which meant I didn’t dare bake the bread pudding as I couldn’t wash my hands before or after (I squish it by hand) and so I decided today is a dirty day and hope that this doesn’t occur on a day in the future when I may be travelling. As always, instead of checking the recipe on the internet, I forgot an ingredient. Admittedly optional, but I neglected to add sultanas! Nobody to blame but myself, however it will taste the same.
I am running out of kitchen store cupboard items now but am not replacing them due to my campaign of saving money for the holidays. I am hoping to replenish in City Store in Pudong, which is basically Santa’s grotto for someone like me. I spent 2,000y there the summer after I arrived in Chizhou! Five kilogrammes of cheddar rather bumped the bill up though.
At least I can now start my PriceWatch on flights with only myself to worry about. It really annoys me that train prices remain stable year-round yet flight prices are mercurial and it is an art to try to gauge when tickets have bottomed out. I reckon I could play the stock market now. You would think that buying a seat the day before or on the day of a flight would get you a rock bottom price just because they want to put bums in seats but here the converse is true, the cost goes sky high!
I am now awaiting a call from Elizabeth. I sent a text asking where she was these days and she replied with Kunshan but she is at work and will call me when she has finished. A 20 minute train ride from Shanghai so maybe I can add her to the menagerie of girls who will join Captain Orange and myself in the Big Bamboo in Pudong!
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
Wednesday 7th June, 2017 1230
Monday morning I went to wait for the school bus and when I arrived at the pick-up point, I was surprised to see who I thought was the Russian girl I had met in the vegetable market previously. She was on the phone.
Determined to remedy my prior dereliction in introducing myself the first time, I waited until she finished her call and then exchanged names with her. She is Ariana, except she wasn’t the girl I met previously even though there was a passing resemblance. She is the first person I have ever met from Moldova (from her accent I guessed perhaps Romanian and clearly impressed her because it adjoins Moldova) and as she had a suitcase with her I guessed she was travelling somewhere. She was going with some Chinese friends to Sichuan on a four day jolly and hot, spicy food notwithstanding, I had a momentary urge to take a brisk walk home, pack a case and clutter off with them! It turned out she wasn’t a teacher as I thought but a student! I never had chance to find out anything further as my bus arrived and I had to take my leave. I do know she lives on the campus next to my home so who know, I may see her again?
The bloody computer in the classroom played up all day, the problem with the soundtrack cutting in and out had returned and the engineer wasn’t on campus to sort it. I persevered with showing half a film to each class anyway, purely as we only have just enough time to show them one last movie.
In the afternoon class though, it suddenly became rather dark outside, the precursor to a violent, albeit brief, thunderstorm. When this occurred I suddenly had half a dozen students asking to be excused in a hurry. They had left their washing out to dry! Thankfully although it was still spitting when the bus left for home, it had stopped by the time I needed to get off - I had neglected to bring my new umbrella as the forecast never mentioned any wet stuff that day. Sadly my mint, whose pot is outside in the window cage but not in any direct line of fire from rain, clearly took a hammering from raindrops. Unless the others recover I am now down to a mere two shoots from all those seeds. If they fail then I shall buy another packet and start afresh but with the big pot and keep the blessed things indoors.
Yesterday I went to the mail room to collect a confirmation letter that the second set of pension papers I sent to the UK had been received. I still don’t know for certain what I shall receive each month but unfortunately they did inform me that until they receive a tax code from HMRC I will be taxed at the basic rate. HMRC have yet to respond to my email sent about 10 days ago.
Yesterday Mulan called me, the first communication with her since a chance meeting outside my classroom in Chizhou a year ago. Long term readers may recall her boyfriend sending me threatening texts and severing a cable on my e-bike. She is now teaching kids in Tongling whilst still studying in Chizhou and wanted my ideas for games to play in class. No matter what she or her boyfriend have done, I cannot forget her and her siblings’ kindness after I broke my pelvis and foot when she hurried to my side on new years day and between them set up a rota to look after me. I would however, happily garrotte the boyfriend - if she is still with him. Or not.
Last night Georgina asked me if I would be interested in proof-reading dissertations. It is that time of year when graduates have to submit and defend their theses in order to be awarded their degree. Well as it happens yes I would be very interested seeing as the work from the translation company has evaporated. I asked how much it paid.
She told me normally it was 600y per 1,000 words! Most assuredly I am interested! I checked that all I would be expected to do was turn Chinglish into English and not have to translate or rewrite anything and then pointed out that each dissertation would cost the undergraduate between six and nine thousand yuan. I fully expected her to say she had made a mistake on the figures but she didn’t. I rather hope I get a few at that price but I won’t hold my breath, I have been disappointed many times in the past in China. If it happens it will be a bonus provided I actually get paid.
Ah well, time to go and get my shopping. Methinks a hearty pork stew for tonight and tomorrow I will be naughty and make bread pudding to take for my lunch on Friday.
1430
Nice warm day outside and I took a taxi both ways, it must be my lucky day because both ways I got quite an attractive cabbie. I got everything I needed for my stew and bread pudding and then went over the top. I bought some frozen, battered squid rings. Well, now I have a fryer I can do them! The only problem is, the fryer is too small for me to do them with chips, although as squid only takes a minute I suppose I could cook the chips and then rapidly do the squid. I do miss having students to invite for a casual dinner, my cooking is becoming repetitive as I don’t have a great deal of room in my freezer to make anything large. It’s still full of cottage pies.
Monday morning I went to wait for the school bus and when I arrived at the pick-up point, I was surprised to see who I thought was the Russian girl I had met in the vegetable market previously. She was on the phone.
Determined to remedy my prior dereliction in introducing myself the first time, I waited until she finished her call and then exchanged names with her. She is Ariana, except she wasn’t the girl I met previously even though there was a passing resemblance. She is the first person I have ever met from Moldova (from her accent I guessed perhaps Romanian and clearly impressed her because it adjoins Moldova) and as she had a suitcase with her I guessed she was travelling somewhere. She was going with some Chinese friends to Sichuan on a four day jolly and hot, spicy food notwithstanding, I had a momentary urge to take a brisk walk home, pack a case and clutter off with them! It turned out she wasn’t a teacher as I thought but a student! I never had chance to find out anything further as my bus arrived and I had to take my leave. I do know she lives on the campus next to my home so who know, I may see her again?
The bloody computer in the classroom played up all day, the problem with the soundtrack cutting in and out had returned and the engineer wasn’t on campus to sort it. I persevered with showing half a film to each class anyway, purely as we only have just enough time to show them one last movie.
In the afternoon class though, it suddenly became rather dark outside, the precursor to a violent, albeit brief, thunderstorm. When this occurred I suddenly had half a dozen students asking to be excused in a hurry. They had left their washing out to dry! Thankfully although it was still spitting when the bus left for home, it had stopped by the time I needed to get off - I had neglected to bring my new umbrella as the forecast never mentioned any wet stuff that day. Sadly my mint, whose pot is outside in the window cage but not in any direct line of fire from rain, clearly took a hammering from raindrops. Unless the others recover I am now down to a mere two shoots from all those seeds. If they fail then I shall buy another packet and start afresh but with the big pot and keep the blessed things indoors.
Yesterday I went to the mail room to collect a confirmation letter that the second set of pension papers I sent to the UK had been received. I still don’t know for certain what I shall receive each month but unfortunately they did inform me that until they receive a tax code from HMRC I will be taxed at the basic rate. HMRC have yet to respond to my email sent about 10 days ago.
Yesterday Mulan called me, the first communication with her since a chance meeting outside my classroom in Chizhou a year ago. Long term readers may recall her boyfriend sending me threatening texts and severing a cable on my e-bike. She is now teaching kids in Tongling whilst still studying in Chizhou and wanted my ideas for games to play in class. No matter what she or her boyfriend have done, I cannot forget her and her siblings’ kindness after I broke my pelvis and foot when she hurried to my side on new years day and between them set up a rota to look after me. I would however, happily garrotte the boyfriend - if she is still with him. Or not.
Last night Georgina asked me if I would be interested in proof-reading dissertations. It is that time of year when graduates have to submit and defend their theses in order to be awarded their degree. Well as it happens yes I would be very interested seeing as the work from the translation company has evaporated. I asked how much it paid.
She told me normally it was 600y per 1,000 words! Most assuredly I am interested! I checked that all I would be expected to do was turn Chinglish into English and not have to translate or rewrite anything and then pointed out that each dissertation would cost the undergraduate between six and nine thousand yuan. I fully expected her to say she had made a mistake on the figures but she didn’t. I rather hope I get a few at that price but I won’t hold my breath, I have been disappointed many times in the past in China. If it happens it will be a bonus provided I actually get paid.
Ah well, time to go and get my shopping. Methinks a hearty pork stew for tonight and tomorrow I will be naughty and make bread pudding to take for my lunch on Friday.
1430
Nice warm day outside and I took a taxi both ways, it must be my lucky day because both ways I got quite an attractive cabbie. I got everything I needed for my stew and bread pudding and then went over the top. I bought some frozen, battered squid rings. Well, now I have a fryer I can do them! The only problem is, the fryer is too small for me to do them with chips, although as squid only takes a minute I suppose I could cook the chips and then rapidly do the squid. I do miss having students to invite for a casual dinner, my cooking is becoming repetitive as I don’t have a great deal of room in my freezer to make anything large. It’s still full of cottage pies.
Sunday, 4 June 2017
Saturday 3rd June, 2017 1830
Either we just had a small earthquake here, there was a silent explosion or we got an aftershock from a bigger one further away.
I had finished my dinner of omelette and chips and was catching up with the latest episodes of Heartbeat when I could have sworn my chair moved. Naturally my first thought was perhaps I had imbibed rather more jing jo and hong jo than I realised. That is, until I glanced out of the window to see the building opposite also shaking and the plastic conduits carrying electricity cables connecting the two blocks bending and flexing.
Very short-lived and thus far no news of anything major happening on the internet.
Sunday 4th 1020
From curiosity, later last night I trawled the web looking for news of the shake. I wanted to be sure I hadn’t imagined it and also to find out where it had taken place and the magnitude. Sure enough, I wasn’t going mad, the epicentre was about 100 miles away from here and depending on which site you choose, it was 4.6 to 4.9 - of course I shall go with the 4.9!!
I am sure there are many reading this who have experienced quakes themselves and are probably thinking “big deal, it was only a tiddler” and they would be right. However unless I have been in others while I was sleeping, this was only my second one and the first I have felt. I now know why I never felt the one in Chizhou when I was out walking Piggy - if I had been out walking yesterday I would be none the wiser. It was only because I was indoors on a chair that I was aware.
A few years ago I went into a simulator in the Chizhou science museum which was a mock up of an ordinary living room in a house, built on a sprung platform. They simulated quite a heavy quake and I must say my opinion was that it was not realistic in that the movements were too jerky and inconsistent. I thought it was for cheap effect.
I know now that it was exactly what it is like. It’s a most odd sensation quite unlike anything I imagined. I can now, however, imagine a little of the terror in people who are caught in a major one.
And of course this morning the first thing that popped up on my laptop when I switched it on and opened the BBC iPlayer to download last night’s programmes was live coverage of yet more terrorist incidents in London. How do you prevent people from using everyday vehicles to mow others down? I see there will be no trials or the cost of incarcerating those responsible - unless of course relatives of the culprits sue the nation for using what they feel was excessive force……..
Here we are currently experiencing the most sustained rain since I arrived. Nothing major, just persistent and what I would describe as typically English rain. This is quite unlike Chizhou rain which was invariably stair-rods. Mind you, I need to go out shopping after my shower so the umbrella gift will come in handy. Yesterday I never opened my door once but I need pijou and I fancy roast pork for dinner.
1630
The brolly got its first outing although to be honest it was not really needed. The rain wasn’t heavy enough for me to have bothered really. I bought a nice little piece of pork and went to the adjacent stall to get a carrot and a potato. I couldn’t understand why all the produce was under a sheet or a blanket but guessed for some reason it was down to the rain. I saw no sign of anyone manning it so helped myself to just one carrot and one spud, hoping the owners would return.
They didn’t and the meat stall people were no help, even when I gestured that if I gave them 2y to pay for what I pinched, they would give it to the veg people. I have no idea how to explain what I did at a later date, so left the money under a tray of eggs for them to find and maybe they will ask the meat people where it came from.
On the way home I spotted Jacob from behind, out with his puppy. As dogs do, it was wandering off because it was on an extendable lead and Jacob was clearly fed up with the antics, for he jerked it, which was ineffective because the lead merely paid out more. Jokingly I said loudly to stop being so cruel, just as he disappeared the other side of an SUV. From out of sight, he said I’ve had her three months and still she won’t behave.
When he emerged the reason he was less than pleased was immediately apparent. The dog had jumped all over him and his dark shirt and trousers were covered in muddy paw prints! I did though quiz him about the rumour I had heard about him leaving in summer. He was surprised and said no, he has another year to do, who told me? I suggested he correct the Algerian chap who is seemingly under that impression. He did though confirm that he intends to take Muttley back to America with him.
Either we just had a small earthquake here, there was a silent explosion or we got an aftershock from a bigger one further away.
I had finished my dinner of omelette and chips and was catching up with the latest episodes of Heartbeat when I could have sworn my chair moved. Naturally my first thought was perhaps I had imbibed rather more jing jo and hong jo than I realised. That is, until I glanced out of the window to see the building opposite also shaking and the plastic conduits carrying electricity cables connecting the two blocks bending and flexing.
Very short-lived and thus far no news of anything major happening on the internet.
Sunday 4th 1020
From curiosity, later last night I trawled the web looking for news of the shake. I wanted to be sure I hadn’t imagined it and also to find out where it had taken place and the magnitude. Sure enough, I wasn’t going mad, the epicentre was about 100 miles away from here and depending on which site you choose, it was 4.6 to 4.9 - of course I shall go with the 4.9!!
I am sure there are many reading this who have experienced quakes themselves and are probably thinking “big deal, it was only a tiddler” and they would be right. However unless I have been in others while I was sleeping, this was only my second one and the first I have felt. I now know why I never felt the one in Chizhou when I was out walking Piggy - if I had been out walking yesterday I would be none the wiser. It was only because I was indoors on a chair that I was aware.
A few years ago I went into a simulator in the Chizhou science museum which was a mock up of an ordinary living room in a house, built on a sprung platform. They simulated quite a heavy quake and I must say my opinion was that it was not realistic in that the movements were too jerky and inconsistent. I thought it was for cheap effect.
I know now that it was exactly what it is like. It’s a most odd sensation quite unlike anything I imagined. I can now, however, imagine a little of the terror in people who are caught in a major one.
And of course this morning the first thing that popped up on my laptop when I switched it on and opened the BBC iPlayer to download last night’s programmes was live coverage of yet more terrorist incidents in London. How do you prevent people from using everyday vehicles to mow others down? I see there will be no trials or the cost of incarcerating those responsible - unless of course relatives of the culprits sue the nation for using what they feel was excessive force……..
Here we are currently experiencing the most sustained rain since I arrived. Nothing major, just persistent and what I would describe as typically English rain. This is quite unlike Chizhou rain which was invariably stair-rods. Mind you, I need to go out shopping after my shower so the umbrella gift will come in handy. Yesterday I never opened my door once but I need pijou and I fancy roast pork for dinner.
1630
The brolly got its first outing although to be honest it was not really needed. The rain wasn’t heavy enough for me to have bothered really. I bought a nice little piece of pork and went to the adjacent stall to get a carrot and a potato. I couldn’t understand why all the produce was under a sheet or a blanket but guessed for some reason it was down to the rain. I saw no sign of anyone manning it so helped myself to just one carrot and one spud, hoping the owners would return.
They didn’t and the meat stall people were no help, even when I gestured that if I gave them 2y to pay for what I pinched, they would give it to the veg people. I have no idea how to explain what I did at a later date, so left the money under a tray of eggs for them to find and maybe they will ask the meat people where it came from.
On the way home I spotted Jacob from behind, out with his puppy. As dogs do, it was wandering off because it was on an extendable lead and Jacob was clearly fed up with the antics, for he jerked it, which was ineffective because the lead merely paid out more. Jokingly I said loudly to stop being so cruel, just as he disappeared the other side of an SUV. From out of sight, he said I’ve had her three months and still she won’t behave.
When he emerged the reason he was less than pleased was immediately apparent. The dog had jumped all over him and his dark shirt and trousers were covered in muddy paw prints! I did though quiz him about the rumour I had heard about him leaving in summer. He was surprised and said no, he has another year to do, who told me? I suggested he correct the Algerian chap who is seemingly under that impression. He did though confirm that he intends to take Muttley back to America with him.
Friday, 2 June 2017
Friday 2nd June, 2017 1840
I confess I awoke in dark mood this morning after the events of yesterday. Of course as a teacher you have to be a consummate actor and leave your troubles outside the classroom door and I did find myself genuinely cheering up - especially after I terrified my first class by telling them in three weeks they have my exams!
To be fair, with the criteria I have been given for awarding marks, those that have had good attendance and were active at least a little, provided they can speak a bit of English, will pass. There are a few though who have only been once all term and they may as well not bother coming to the test at all as they will fail.
In the break between morning classes Janet came to my office. She had two things to tell me and, seeing my look when she mentioned this, she hastened to tell me they were good things. I really didn’t need any more bad news today.
She told me Brenda had phoned the Dean to ask if they wanted to continue employing me and if so could she send a report on my performance. This was immediately handed like a hot potato to Janet, who told me she didn’t know what to put in the report. I said “It’s simple, just put excellent for everything!”
She said it was going to be such hard work for her to do because she had never done it before and so jokingly I threw “I’ll write it if you like” at her.
I was stunned when she said, “Would you? Oh thanks very much!”
So this weekend I get to write my own appraisal, which Janet will then translate into Chinese to send on!!!! Unbelievable!
Then she told me to only teach one period of the afternoon class and then report to the dancing room (where students learn to dance) because there was a party for teachers to celebrate yesterday’s childrens’ day. It was news to me but I duly did as requested, to be greeted by the sight of a circle of teachers on chairs, each with a musical instrument of some sort. There were bongo drums, bass drums, tambourines etc and I was late it seems, everyone else had started twenty minutes previously.
I was given a bass drum to whack and had absolutely no idea what was going on! Apparently it was to make the teachers feel happy by letting off steam in a riot of noise. Thirty minutes after I got there it ended and we were all given a designer umbrella, costing I am told 200y each. I thought to myself how much better it would be if all my financial dealings were handled by my campus instead of people I rarely see,
Anyway, while I was sat on the bus waiting to leave for home, Janet hung about chatting. Had I heard of Big Shop? No. I think it’s very famous in the UK. It’s not that famous, I’ve never heard of it. Then I twigged, you mean Body Shop? Ah yes, Body Shop! She wanted to tell me all about her hand cream. Most interesting.
She then started telling me about “our leader” who is the chief party secretary (not the deputy one who I see regularly) who has just returned from Cyprus and the UK. It seems my list of suggestions for the programme were spot on. He was talking to the Cyprus head and was told only two of the students could understand the curriculum. My immediate comment to Janet was, “How many students did I pass?” - remember she suggested passing them all and I passed just three - and she said you were absolutely right, you were honest. Vindication.
He then asked her how many friends I had on Peili campus and she said I think only one. He thought I must be very lonely, which I denied in case they want me to move home - don’t want that hassle.
Janet then told me she had discussed the recent sports days, how I went every day and insisted on competing even with an injured arm (I didn’t, I only wanted to watch!) and by all accounts the boss was very impressed and moved. My efforts were not in vain.
I reckon my problems will evaporate in due course. It’s only the timing of the travel payment really that’s unresolved and I have pointed out what they are suggesting is in breach so I wait and see.
Suffice to say my mood this evening is buoyant.
I confess I awoke in dark mood this morning after the events of yesterday. Of course as a teacher you have to be a consummate actor and leave your troubles outside the classroom door and I did find myself genuinely cheering up - especially after I terrified my first class by telling them in three weeks they have my exams!
To be fair, with the criteria I have been given for awarding marks, those that have had good attendance and were active at least a little, provided they can speak a bit of English, will pass. There are a few though who have only been once all term and they may as well not bother coming to the test at all as they will fail.
In the break between morning classes Janet came to my office. She had two things to tell me and, seeing my look when she mentioned this, she hastened to tell me they were good things. I really didn’t need any more bad news today.
She told me Brenda had phoned the Dean to ask if they wanted to continue employing me and if so could she send a report on my performance. This was immediately handed like a hot potato to Janet, who told me she didn’t know what to put in the report. I said “It’s simple, just put excellent for everything!”
She said it was going to be such hard work for her to do because she had never done it before and so jokingly I threw “I’ll write it if you like” at her.
I was stunned when she said, “Would you? Oh thanks very much!”
So this weekend I get to write my own appraisal, which Janet will then translate into Chinese to send on!!!! Unbelievable!
Then she told me to only teach one period of the afternoon class and then report to the dancing room (where students learn to dance) because there was a party for teachers to celebrate yesterday’s childrens’ day. It was news to me but I duly did as requested, to be greeted by the sight of a circle of teachers on chairs, each with a musical instrument of some sort. There were bongo drums, bass drums, tambourines etc and I was late it seems, everyone else had started twenty minutes previously.
I was given a bass drum to whack and had absolutely no idea what was going on! Apparently it was to make the teachers feel happy by letting off steam in a riot of noise. Thirty minutes after I got there it ended and we were all given a designer umbrella, costing I am told 200y each. I thought to myself how much better it would be if all my financial dealings were handled by my campus instead of people I rarely see,
Anyway, while I was sat on the bus waiting to leave for home, Janet hung about chatting. Had I heard of Big Shop? No. I think it’s very famous in the UK. It’s not that famous, I’ve never heard of it. Then I twigged, you mean Body Shop? Ah yes, Body Shop! She wanted to tell me all about her hand cream. Most interesting.
She then started telling me about “our leader” who is the chief party secretary (not the deputy one who I see regularly) who has just returned from Cyprus and the UK. It seems my list of suggestions for the programme were spot on. He was talking to the Cyprus head and was told only two of the students could understand the curriculum. My immediate comment to Janet was, “How many students did I pass?” - remember she suggested passing them all and I passed just three - and she said you were absolutely right, you were honest. Vindication.
He then asked her how many friends I had on Peili campus and she said I think only one. He thought I must be very lonely, which I denied in case they want me to move home - don’t want that hassle.
Janet then told me she had discussed the recent sports days, how I went every day and insisted on competing even with an injured arm (I didn’t, I only wanted to watch!) and by all accounts the boss was very impressed and moved. My efforts were not in vain.
I reckon my problems will evaporate in due course. It’s only the timing of the travel payment really that’s unresolved and I have pointed out what they are suggesting is in breach so I wait and see.
Suffice to say my mood this evening is buoyant.
Thursday, 1 June 2017
Thursday 1st June, 2017 1930
Not the best day I have had here it has to be said.
I got answers to my questions that I have been waiting for but it was a mixed bag. And of course at this time of year and having already promised I would stay, very little I can do about it unless I want all the cost and upheaval of moving yet again - which I don’t. It has been very much a “this is China” day.
Ok, my exams need to be completed by the 30th June and the term officially ends 14th. Near enough what I expected and I am happy with that, happier still that I actually forced an answer so I wasn’t caught on the hop.
The pay rise for the second year? I have to say it is derisory and there is no budging on it. Worse, the foreign affairs director has instructed Brenda to ask my dean if I should receive an increase! I have no doubt she will say yes (did their Santa and went to all their sports days - and have taken apple pie and bread pudding to school to share) but I have pointed out that there will be ructions if it is not forthcoming because the ONE question I asked when I arrived before signing was if there was a rise and the answer was yes. Ergo, I am pissed off that they are trying to cast doubt on it and believe me this will cause bad blood and I will do whatever I can to make them see the error of not thinking a promise is a promise - especially as of course they expect me to keep mine.
I cannot complain about the answer for the annual flight payment, I signed the contract and must abide by it but before I sign the forthcoming contract there will be an addendum. I did ask if they could increase the allowance over what they pay if you don’t go home and also what the upper limit was for fares. I do not expect them to pay more than an economy return but there may come a time I wish to book business class and will expect a proportion to be paid. I also asked if it was possible to fly somewhere else and be paid more than the default amount. No budging there either. Ok, can’t complain, at least they pay something if you don’t fly home, Chizhou never did and they had a ceiling on the amount when you did.
However what has really got my goat was Brenda telling me the travel allowance would be paid next term!!
By inference that also means any flights taken to your home town are paid the next academic year which is nonsense. Firstly, I need that money to conduct my holiday in China and secondly if my plans succeed next year I will need to be reimbursed because I intend to spend a lot of money travelling to the UK. Brenda didn’t seem to understand when I asked what happened to teachers who were not renewing their contract for another year, did they get paid after they had returned to stay in their home country? Utterly preposterous. She has however said she thinks she can solve this one for me. She had better. I will be stipulating when I sign again that the air fare is paid before official end of term.
I forgot to ask (she did phone me unexpectedly) if I will get paid my salary in August during the holidays and accordingly I have emailed her and await a response. If they say no and I don’t get my flight allowance next month then my summer plans are cancelled and they won’t like me if I have to do that.
Add to that the uncertainty that I will be reimbursed next summer before I fly off and perhaps you may understand my bad humour this evening. In Chizhou I knew the score and what I could expect and the biggest problem was getting the useless FAO to actually do her job. They seem to have different rules here and unless there has been a language problem then they are unacceptable. Telling me they can’t pay my flight next month because I might not complete the contract (when my work ends the end of this month and I have 8 days to submit exam results after before payday) is incredible. I have stressed that there has to be trust both ways. Well, doesn’t there?
I mean for God’s sake, I have taught all my classes, attended voluntary functions when I have been told about them and even did what even Chinese teachers didn’t - attended all the sports days and damned near put myself in hospital in so doing! I am fulfilling my contract as always and I expect them to play fair.
Ok, I need to calm down. These edicts are coming from the west campus, not mine. I think I now have a friend in my dean and also the party secretary so if necessary I shall get Janet to explain to them.
But I really don’t need this crap just when it is becoming too late to change my mind and look for another job. They have no idea just how committed I can be to a place when treated right. Mind you, Chizhou never did either, or if they did they didn’t care.
Not the best day I have had here it has to be said.
I got answers to my questions that I have been waiting for but it was a mixed bag. And of course at this time of year and having already promised I would stay, very little I can do about it unless I want all the cost and upheaval of moving yet again - which I don’t. It has been very much a “this is China” day.
Ok, my exams need to be completed by the 30th June and the term officially ends 14th. Near enough what I expected and I am happy with that, happier still that I actually forced an answer so I wasn’t caught on the hop.
The pay rise for the second year? I have to say it is derisory and there is no budging on it. Worse, the foreign affairs director has instructed Brenda to ask my dean if I should receive an increase! I have no doubt she will say yes (did their Santa and went to all their sports days - and have taken apple pie and bread pudding to school to share) but I have pointed out that there will be ructions if it is not forthcoming because the ONE question I asked when I arrived before signing was if there was a rise and the answer was yes. Ergo, I am pissed off that they are trying to cast doubt on it and believe me this will cause bad blood and I will do whatever I can to make them see the error of not thinking a promise is a promise - especially as of course they expect me to keep mine.
I cannot complain about the answer for the annual flight payment, I signed the contract and must abide by it but before I sign the forthcoming contract there will be an addendum. I did ask if they could increase the allowance over what they pay if you don’t go home and also what the upper limit was for fares. I do not expect them to pay more than an economy return but there may come a time I wish to book business class and will expect a proportion to be paid. I also asked if it was possible to fly somewhere else and be paid more than the default amount. No budging there either. Ok, can’t complain, at least they pay something if you don’t fly home, Chizhou never did and they had a ceiling on the amount when you did.
However what has really got my goat was Brenda telling me the travel allowance would be paid next term!!
By inference that also means any flights taken to your home town are paid the next academic year which is nonsense. Firstly, I need that money to conduct my holiday in China and secondly if my plans succeed next year I will need to be reimbursed because I intend to spend a lot of money travelling to the UK. Brenda didn’t seem to understand when I asked what happened to teachers who were not renewing their contract for another year, did they get paid after they had returned to stay in their home country? Utterly preposterous. She has however said she thinks she can solve this one for me. She had better. I will be stipulating when I sign again that the air fare is paid before official end of term.
I forgot to ask (she did phone me unexpectedly) if I will get paid my salary in August during the holidays and accordingly I have emailed her and await a response. If they say no and I don’t get my flight allowance next month then my summer plans are cancelled and they won’t like me if I have to do that.
Add to that the uncertainty that I will be reimbursed next summer before I fly off and perhaps you may understand my bad humour this evening. In Chizhou I knew the score and what I could expect and the biggest problem was getting the useless FAO to actually do her job. They seem to have different rules here and unless there has been a language problem then they are unacceptable. Telling me they can’t pay my flight next month because I might not complete the contract (when my work ends the end of this month and I have 8 days to submit exam results after before payday) is incredible. I have stressed that there has to be trust both ways. Well, doesn’t there?
I mean for God’s sake, I have taught all my classes, attended voluntary functions when I have been told about them and even did what even Chinese teachers didn’t - attended all the sports days and damned near put myself in hospital in so doing! I am fulfilling my contract as always and I expect them to play fair.
Ok, I need to calm down. These edicts are coming from the west campus, not mine. I think I now have a friend in my dean and also the party secretary so if necessary I shall get Janet to explain to them.
But I really don’t need this crap just when it is becoming too late to change my mind and look for another job. They have no idea just how committed I can be to a place when treated right. Mind you, Chizhou never did either, or if they did they didn’t care.