Tuesday 9^th January, 2018 0000

The locusts have been. Annie took some of the macaroni for her journey to Chongqing, Stephanie the rest for breakfast along with the remains of the soup in an orange juice bottle!

I have been cooking for myself for so long that it is likely I have forgotten how desperate I was in the early Chizhou days to eat western food. They talk of culture shock and I do not believe that exists, it is merely a case of not doing your homework but food cravings are very, very, real.

If you plonked a Chinese person in the Congo they would be the same. No dumplings, no noodles, no dan chow fan etc – they would kill for Mother's cooking. I am no different except in the respect that I actively change my culinary environment by recreating as best I can my “normal” diet. Bugger this ”eat like the locals” idea. I tried that for a year, never enjoyed it and despite the popular belief Chinese people are slim because of their diet are slim, put on weight! Admittedly I eat little of anything but it seemed somewhat insulting to adopt a Chinese diet and get heavier.

Apparently I almost dropped Annie in it earlier when I told Brenda she was going to Chongqing with the Peace Corps. She isn't. She is taking a few days out but of course Brenda hopefully assumed I confused Chongqing with Chengdu, after all, she WILL be going there with the Peace Corps – they both begin with CH so it can be marked down to the old fart getting confused.

It did though highlight what an utterly awful organisation the Peace Corps is. All the foreign teachers are now on holiday except the Peace Corps troops, who are on holiday but not actually on holiday. Yes, they have to report for training (sod this volunteering and being paid nothing, they have to TRAIN!) but if they leave their school without permission they can be sent home. If they fail to wear a crash helmet on a bike and are seen they will be sent home too! I understand the reasoning behind that last but for God's sake they are volunteers!

Anyway, the school cannot know Annie is going to Chongqing because it is illicit. Why? Ok, I work hard when I work. I don't have to but I do. Lately I have had extra put on my plate BECAUSE of Peace Corps members doing a runner. By the by.

Peace Corps get 48 days a year holiday, by my reckoning about 2,000\ worth of stipend. If they don't get approval from both school and the corps then any unauthorised days are deducted from their money!

I get at a guess and including weekends about 180 days holiday per annum (ok this bloody school doesn't pay for August but that's a first for me) and I honestly wonder why anyone in their right mind joins Peace Corps. If I want to travel I simply inform the school I will be in Beijing or wherever and that's it. I always do it simply because I don't want it to be a shock if they find out I am in hospital there. Peace Corps are prisoners and the schools are not necessarily their jailers.

I already told Annie (forgot to tell Stephanie tonight) that I want to scale down the dinners next term. By that I mean the full-blown ones. Mince and potatoes, curry, spagbol etc are fine and by God I am happy to cook for them but spending half a day producing apple pies and suchlike is tiring for me and also my wallet. To them I am rich and yes I am but I am not. A one course meal costs me nothing really, it means that unlike times before, the food is eaten or taken away instead of being wasted.

I will feed them one decent course every night if I am cooking.