Monday 26^th February, 2018 1500

First day of the new term although mine actually starts on Wednesday.

I awoke to three lengthy texts from the dean's assistant on Peili campus ostensibly reminding me to be sure to take everything I need for my classes. Quite clearly a nonsense communication purely designed to ensure I was still here.

I mean, they were going to give me an attendance book, schedule and I had to take the course book and my lesson plans. Let's look at that. The attendance book they would give me is all in Chinese (including student names) so is useless to me. I always create my own, buying a new exercise book each term. The timetable they gave me a month ago in an email, all I have to do is remember which classroom at what times.

Course book? They know full well I don't have it yet! In fact, despite my reminder for them to order it, on Saturday evening when I asked Alice over dinner if it had arrived she looked aghast. She ordered the books online there and then. Lesson plans? I don't do them but even if I did, how could I produce them with no text book? Crystal ball? They are a waste of time anyway, as I have said on many occasions.

Seven and a half years I have been doing this. On many occasions I have had to teach by the seat of my pants, winging it – famously for the whole of my first term here when they had no book at all. I think I can handle it despite being deemed too old in some quarters!

It's Monday Mealtime today with Alice, Annie and Steph. I thought a nice hearty beef stew a good idea, this time I will actually make dumplings. I am also going to try my hand at making those doughnuts. One thing that popped into my head though was how I could buy 1kg of beef (and when I cubed it, it seemed good quality) for 40\ yet for 37\ I get a mere ¼kg of butter! That's crazy in a country that drinks milk like it's going out of fashion.

2145

Sometimes it's good to talk.

The girls came for dinner. I was, well not stressed per se, but annoyed that I had misjudged the timing of the cooking. The stew was not ready and in fact the potatoes stubbornly refused to cook for a further twenty minutes. I took the “stick them in the stew rather than boil them separately” route. Well they get the beef taste in them, don't they?

Alice as expected was nonplussed by English traditional dumplings. I love it when that happens. Chinese people can only envisage their version. But by God, after four hours of simmering that beef could have been shoe leather when I bought it (it wasn't) but when all was done it was melt in your mouth stuff. It went down so well there was barely enough for Steph to take home for tomorrow's dinner.

The doughnuts? Well, first (and maybe last) attempt. Easy, quick doughnuts it said online. My efforts looked nothing like the picture! Anyone who ever cooked will relate to that! They weren't awful, they just were not what I and the others were expecting. Not a disaster, just a near miss.

What amused me though was listening to the Mercans. Being Peace Corps, in the holiday they had training in Chengdu (Peace Corps do a lot of really odd things with their volunteers) and they all have to be weighed by the doctor after one term. Nanny stateism?

Anyway, apparently some volunteers who must have been clinically obese when they arrived lost three and a half to four stone since arriving in China. Annie bucked the trend by gaining 4lbs. The doctor was incredulous because ALL volunteers lose weight in their first term.

She never thought to give my contact details or show photos of the food she eats at mine. Steph did lose weight but she put that down to the fact she eats at mine and more or less fasts until the next time.

They were suitably anxious when I said if I lose my battle there would be no meals at mine next year as I would be gone. They are far too young and inexperienced in China to even offer advice, which in itself is good. I know this is my fight alone. Been there, got the T-shirt etc. I lost one, maybe I will win this one.

My frame of mind now is to hell with it, a major aggravation which will result in a reshuffle of any holiday plans if I fail but an opportunity to move somewhere warmer with more pay. Where I was so, so loyal to Chizhou and was ultimately shit on, there is far less here on my part. It's up to them and even if I win I may pre-empt things next year and move anyway. I really have had enough of the year to year uncertainty which is wonderful for a young graduate or backpacker but not for the older, more serious teacher. Well older anyway!

Ah! what the hell, life throws you rotten apples, you make cider.

Let battle commence. The only reason I want to win is so as not to let Alice down but then I told her tonight if we don't go in summer I will take her next spring festival when I have another job.