Tuesday 13^th March, 2018 1630

What with my solid three day, all day schedule at present, my diet has gone to the dogs. I have either been eating McDonald's or wheat snacks, nothing whatsoever with any goodness. On my free days, Saturdays I have not had the energy to cook so I am in a cycle of being bunged up or only slightly so when I actually have decent food.

Such was the case this weekend so on Saturday night I popped a capsule. Nothing happened on Sunday so I popped another. Only now, and this since Monday morning when I awoke with dreadful stomach cramps, am I starting to feel better. Since Friday I have eaten bacon, egg and mash followed by one boiled potato and egg on Sunday.

I had to cancel last night's dinner, I didn't dare stray further than a minute away from my western loo! Had I had classes I would have declared sick days. They would have been the first ever here and all because they don't have proper toilets in schools, even for staff. Western staff. No wonder their teachers retire at sixty!

This morning I still felt as if a chimney sweep was pulling out my intestines and it was a close call as to whether the rescheduled dinner would be cancelled. I felt dire anyway due to having to get up several times during the night. And hell, the east campus toilets are still being refurbished so there aren't even any rudimentary thirty inch high partitions! I have visions of me attempting to use them, falling in and having to call for help as I can't get up again. Shudder.

However by lunchtime, although I felt decidedly weak, I felt I was sufficiently empty to risk going to BHG. 400\ later I got home, 57\ of that on three small pieces of fruit I have been waiting for months to come into season – avocados. If they ripen over the course of this week then lack of sour cream notwithstanding, I may attempt fajitas.

The Chelsea buns went by the board, no way was I in the mood today so I bought ice cream and a fresh pineapple. It will have to do.

Wednesday 14^th 2000

Last night's meal went down well, I only had one kebab for obvious reasons, Alice and Steph two apiece and you just know Annie managed three! I made chilli and mustard mayonnaise dips but wasabi and some form of cajun butter (I found it utterly revolting when we had the steaks the first time) were also popular. I learnt that, oddly, cajun style cooking is becoming increasingly in demand in China.

At least I had a better night's sleep and awoke, if not fighting fit, at least ready to rise to the challenge of a thirteen hour day.

Only it wasn't a thirteen hour day.

The school bus was almost full when I went down at 1650 after work. I always have to hang around for forty minutes after class anyway but I should have known. Five o'clock came and went, a couple got off the bus and went to take a taxi or perhaps public transport but nobody thought to tell me what was going on.

By now I have the experience to know that if the dean is running late, everyone has to wait, often no more than five or ten minutes. We left at 1745 with an overloaded bus. I was not best pleased, three-quarters of an hour sitting in a cramped minibus. Not because the damned bus was late leaving but because no-one ever thinks to tell me beforehand, “By the way, they are having a meeting and it will run late”. That's all I ask because then at 1620 I could leave instead of wait around and go and take public transport. Had I done so today (and it would have cost me the princely sum of 2\) I would have been home before six. What actually happened was I got home just before seven.

I am too tired to bother cooking so no dinner today and the poor digestive cycle gets to start all over again. Consideration for others is sorely lacking in some respects and that, I am afraid, I will never get used to.