Saturday 14th October, 2017              0040

I forgot to mention the latest antics at Chizhou University. You may recall during my time there I often railed against the almost Keystone Kops-like administration?

Well, when I first arrived in 2010 the new campus was precisely that - new. There was also an old campus in the city centre. By the time I arrived all bar the Science department had relocated to the new, although some staff still lived on the old campus.

I suppose it was a couple of years, maybe three, later that all departments were located on the new campus although some staff still lived downtown on the old campus.

So probably five years after the school relocated in entirety they still, until a few days ago, had staff living on the old campus!

Unfortunately, the developers of the inner-city site decided to demolish the old campus to make way for whatever is to be built in its place.

Nobody I believe was at home at the time and to the best of my knowledge no animals were injured in the making of this farce, but apartments still occupied by current teachers were razed to the ground. How do I know? I saw it on the website where the school asked staff to submit inventories of what they lost when their homes were destroyed during period 4. I also double-checked the information with Joan.

Utterly typical of a school which in fairness I loved and still miss and yet abhorred the running of the place. A fish rots from the head down as they say, hence the previous leader is now in prison but now because of incompetence (and there was no reason for staff to still be living downtown unless they refused to relocate) because there is ample accommodation now on the new campus but how many items of sentimental value are now lost?

My recent spell in the doldrums has evaporated although it may well return later today once I have spent a fortune ensuring my internet contact with the world is once again assured.

However I think now I know what the cause was. I reckon it was the culmination of having no classes for the first 3 weeks of term (with all the implications that had for continued employment here), getting loads of non-English majors instead of Cyprus post grads and an increased sense of isolation.

I think young people may say that I have my Mojo back now? Where I was by my standards a trifle lethargic in class suddenly I have energy (hip permitting) and I am doing my acting more convincingly. Why?

I have Annie, Pat, Alice et al nearby now, people to cook for and more importantly three very active English major classes on Wednesdays. The zing is back and I am enjoying teaching again.

I have to admit, Thursday night at English corner I was speaking to Delia who is my assistant on Peili Campus. Annie and I had discussed her at dinner and she couldn’t place her and to be honest, only having met her briefly twice, I couldn’t describe her accurately either. Annie mentioned Dean Li and I said that must be her and we left it at that.

Anyway, at the Corner Delia was there with her son Thomas. Nobody is called Thomas nowadays so I convinced him Tom was far better and easier for people to say. Bearing in mind Annie had mentioned Dean Li, I was keen to know if I actually had the Dean as my assistant!!

No, she is the vice-dean -  still an honour nonetheless. She asked if I really spent all lunch break on the 7th floor and I said basically, shit yes! I also relayed the tale of the fast food meal which was brought and how touching I found it. I called Annie over and introduced Delia. Yes, to Annie it was Dean Li. Then Delia asked how were my classes?

I said well, I am happy with THEM but perhaps it would be better if you asked the students what THEY think of them? I duly called Pat and Alice over and Delia popped the question. I expected something along the lines of interesting, we like the classes etc.

Oh no.

I had to walk away when it opened with “we like Steve’s classes better than Jacob’s”!!!!

I never wanted that and honestly? Unfair on Jacob, he is young and only did it for a year so you cannot compare a middle-aged 7 year (Merchant Navy OAP) veteran, and one who doesn’t actually think he is teaching anyway to boot with a novice volunteer. Nice though the endorsement was, it made me feel just a soupcon uncomfortable whilst perversely bolstering my opinion as to whether I will be invited to continue working for another year at contract renewal time. Whilst I like the English Major classes, as hereinbefore mentioned, I really do not appreciate the 7th floor!      

Ah well, bedtime now. Alice is coming at 1100 and I need a clear head for spending I know not how much on new technology.