As vivid an imagination as I have, I really couldn’t make this stuff up. Janet replied to my email with “I am Janet”. Great, that answered all my questions. Next I received another email telling me “I am your Chinese Janet”!!!!! Now I had even more questions…..
Hold up - they are both Miss Liu, work at the same university and both chose Janet as their English name??? What? May I be forgiven for being totally confused and staggered at such a coincidence? It must be a Maoist plot! Mind you, neither “Janet” is helpful with information.
I had expressed concern regarding stowage space for luggage if the school were taking us to the station. The solution to this was to ask me to email a photograph of my suitcase. Does anyone out there know how a snap of a suitcase (even better it is black so definition will be minimal) can show size without say, a metre long rod in frame?
I then decided to apprise her of airline specifications for maximum luggage size for hold baggage because mine complies. I do not want to be clouted with excess penalties. I thought the total dimension size method whereby the total of the three measurements should not exceed X would blow some brain fuses and so sent 100x50x80cm I got from a random international airline. The thought did cross my mind that Janet 2.0 might be having thoughts I am Chinese. I have witnessed Chinese people on domestic flights checking in cases half the size of a modern semi-detached home with nobody batting an eyelid, then proceeding to board with luggage that will not allow the overhead lockers to close. And no, they weren’t travelling first class.
Anyway, I have been told Miss Shi is very busy tomorrow so can’t see me. She requested the meeting, not me. Instead I have to have a chat with Janet 2.0 because clearly a decent exchange of emails won’t work for them. Or me for that matter if the last few days are anything to go by. I have offered to meet tomorrow before I go shopping as before so I await a response tomorrow. Why the hell a chat is needed when we will be cooped up on a train to Shanghai for more than 10 hours with nothing to do but chat or sleep I know not. It merely represents an unwelcome and unnecessary inconvenience to me.
Speaking of trains, naturally the school has paid for a 2nd class rail ticket (yes I always try to get 1st class - bigger seats) and at 844y apiece for the plebs taking the slow route. This morning out of interest 1 checked flight prices. For 150y more we could have taken the lunchtime flight. That’s about £2.30 extra per hour travelling saved. I now have misgivings as to whether we will in fact stay in hotels or youth hostels. I fully envisage moaning online throughout this expedition but I promise to try to report on the good aspects (if I can find any!). You just know though that if I find myself billeted in a hovel while the leaders are in Sheratons and Hiltons I will certainly put forward my thoughts in person to them. Give me enough notice to save and depending on my summer plans and such financial setbacks as are dumped on me at short notice and I will happily, money permitting, stump up the difference to make up the difference, so to speak.
So today I did get my haircut from my favourite girl. I’m not sure if she isn’t married to the guy who owns the salon, I have a funny feeling that may be the case. Afterwards I went underground to the bunker market to get some earphones for the laptop. I couldn’t get any. All they had were ones for iPhones and the like, with one pin. Eventually I bought some headphones and to my relief they actually work. For the older generation they are not the ones that look like winter earmuffs, they are considerably more compact. Better sound than exudes from the speakers too. I am convinced the USB ports on my laptop are eroded after 10 years so buying a new one is now way up on my list for next year - a considerably smaller and lighter one at that.
It was a bit on the warm side today. According to the internet it was 35C and if that were true I can handle that. Inside to be sure I would have run the a/c if I had any but if I am truthful, stripping down to just boxers, it is not uncomfortable. As long as the nights are cool I am fine.
Molly emailed me earlier regarding her speech. She has yet to compose a single word and the panic alert is rising daily. Considering she wanted to be “the one” it baffles me. I hope to see her in Hefei soon on my own travels and I will give her a piece of my mind. In the meantime I have given her some ideas to work on. She said when she is delivering her oration she will try to imagine she is me. Somewhat modestly, I told her if she did that then she would win.
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