Wednesday 25^th April, 2018 1900

This morning the usual bus picked me up yet I failed to notice something was different. I slid the door open and boarded, laden with my computer case and small shoulder bag with my egg baguette for lunch, then slid the door closed. There were already people in the preferred seats so I had no option but to take the rear bench seat.

However, the millisecond the door slammed shut, while I was still facing forward, the driver immediately shot off. Inertia being the animal it is, though the bus hurtled forward my body wanted to remain exactly where it was. Of course my feet, gravity pinning them to the floorpan, went with the bus.

Due to a combination of bus and my feet proceeding ahead and my body remaining static, I found myself flying head-backwards towards the rear. Thankfully the bench seat wasn't locked in a vertical position but instead was languishing at a 45° angle or things could have been nasty. I landed in a most undignified, sprawled heap, half on the bench and half on the wheel arch. As the other passengers were female I resisted blurting out the F word, instead bellowing “For Christ's sake! Wait until I have sat down!” Only then did I spot it wasn't the crazy driver (who to be fair always waits until I am seated before moving off) but one I have never seen before. He seemed to think it was hilarious, as indeed did the women. I did not. If I see him again and he does likewise he will be made to pay one way or another.

As for his driving, I can't recall encountering anyone more jerky. I am convinced he has no idea what a clutch is either because every gear change was accompanied by a cringe-worthy crunch and on both outward and return journeys he took us right where all the worst of the traffic was. I hope I never see him again.

I did have some good news last night though. Alice has been accepted for the Heidelberg programme and is applying for a Schengen visa. Quite how she is doing it I know not, but she has to prove to Beijing that she has 50,000\ in the bank, I assume to ensure she can pay for everything before claiming most of it back on her return. She is funding it from her earnings and scholarships. Could I lend her 10,000\ as she only had 40,000\, it would be repaid the moment she proved to Beijing she had funds? Well, yes, I could but I don't have that amount lying around in the Bank of China.

I explained that to do it I would need to withdraw from the UK account and quite apart from being unable to return it from whence it came, I would be stung by the exchange rate/commission fees on withdrawal, a further charge for a non sterling transaction and then again when I changed it back to pounds. Therefore the 10,000\ would evaporate and become nearer 9,000\ with nothing to show for it. She is currently approaching others in China for help.

At work today I had an email from Brenda, could I read the contract carefully and if I was happy I could sign a fresh one for next year after the Mayday holiday. She had even automatically got an agreement for a small increase in salary, not something I was going to make an issue of. So that's another year sorted.

The only unknown is the British embassy in Guangzhou and whether they will issue her a visa. Fingers crossed.

The labour holiday is the usual fudge. Mayday is Tuesday so the school are “giving” Monday as a holiday and calling that three days including Sunday. Students and staff have to work and have Monday lessons this Saturday. The three day holiday is still just the one day because Saturday and Sunday are normally free anyway. I feel cheated though because I get no holiday – I don't teach Monday or Tuesday! For me it will be a normal week!