Wednesday 6^th June, 2018 1830

Still sweating on news of Alice's visa, mostly because I am being chivvied by my school to submit my receipts -which I don't have as I haven't booked anything. If it all goes pear shaped summer will be a continental breakfast instead of a full English so I daren't. It does annoy me that she swallowed what the agency said and never told me for weeks, it's not as if I know nothing about travelling after all. Ah well.

Not a bad day at work today, mid-morning on my way to class after the break, I happened upon some students coming upstairs. For their kindergarten teaching degrees they also have to take piano and art classes, presumably for the kids' benefit. Anyway, they were carrying paper plates and bowls with what might have been food or may have been something they made to look like food, I couldn't tell. Jokingly I accosted a girl and asked where mine was because I was hungry.

Ten minutes later the door to my classroom opened as were were watching Tarzan and said girl came in and put a plate on the dais at the front, then came to me and said it was a gift! It was a man made from food – a bread head, hair from coloured noodles, a pineapple tie, cucumber slice body and raisins and juju beans for limbs! Very arty indeed.

Despite taking an egg baguette for my lunch, I was minded to go out for lunch and save the baguette for supper tonight. I didn't fancy a Big Mac or anything Pizza Hut offers – they are only good for breakfast. I decided to ask Eva and her mate for a Japanese. They said they had homework to do! No idea about you but when I was a student you did the homework in the evenings, not lunchtimes and would have leapt at the chance of a free, exclusive meal! I suggested they brought it with them and did it whilst waiting for the food. They did a runner while the film was showing and I never saw them again! I wouldn't mind but it is bloody expensive and not really a place I want to eat alone in.

I ended up at the fast food buffet place with sweet pork, cabbage and egg & tomato. Alone. Very gourmet. That was their last chance to be invited for lunch, not just because of what they did but it's exam time for the next two weeks and then I won't ever have their class again.

I should though be back to only teaching on my little campus next year, there's a new Peace Corps volunteer coming. Annie will be the senior hand (re Peace Corps) and she has got the hump because the school are refurbishing a flat for the new chap/chapess but not hers! And the on-campus flats I am told are particularly dingy, unlike mine. She is particularly miffed because the washing machine they gave her keeps burping either small lumps of metal, or more recently plastic, into her washing. I placated her by saying next year I will in all likelihood buy my own front-loader because I need hot washes to actually get my gear clean and she could have the school one I have now, which is actually in pristine condition. I just can't get on with top-loaders and cold washes, they simply wet and swish a bit. I'd be better getting an old maid to take my stuff to the Yellow River and beat it on the bankside rocks.