Friday 18^th October, 2019 2115

God, it's freezing here these days and the communal heating has yet to be turned on. Global warming? Really? We are hoping on Sunday to have the succour of a little warmth. I meanwhile, am using electricity with gay abandon to keep my place comfortable, well, at least my office where I spend most of my time, anyway.

I had a call from one of the deans – I teach three different majors and so have three deans – this one from the foreign language department, where they have me teaching pronunciation with no course book and having to construct my own course. Easy enough with “proper” students but unless you have taught in China you have no idea!

The call was about that ubiquitous and I think uniquely Chinese thing, the interviews with the students to ask what they thought of their teachers.

Apparently in my pronunciation classes I am not giving them enough practise.

I let the dean witter on and when she had finished I – astonished - perhaps responded in a manner Chinese teachers would not – they would probably have said ok. But it wasn't ok!

One, why were the students telling the dean when they had not said a word to me?

Two, I informed her that every bloody week I have to beg them to volunteer to stand up and read what's on the screen! They have ample opportunity to practise, Christ, if the class suddenly started talking about K Pop or Chinese film stars I would let them! But no, I get zombies who find their desktop far more interesting than my question.

It would seem they want to be treated like primary school kids where they all recite together. Fine, that's what they will get but not until after receiving my wrath next week. I've had similar situations in China before but nothing of this magnitude, said magnitude amplified because to be honest I am actually regretting not taking up the Agricultural University position where I would have been teaching English majors MY subject! I am expected to teach something with no guidance and am doing my best, in other classes I am teaching people who don't speak English a course I know but they don't have books for and to be honest I simply long for Thursday nights and three days off. I am too old to tolerate another two and a half years of blundering in the dark.

I suspect there will be a showdown or two before the next contract renewal date.

Tonight, after Jody had twisted my arm, I made dinner. She took it upon herself to invite others, admittedly people I knew. I had invited Pat, who some may recall I taught when the Peace Corps boy did a runner and I was asked to step in. Jody invited Caleb and (I think it's her name) Trinny, two Kiwi students who were on our tour of China a while back.

I spent half the day preparing lasagne and apple pie with Chantilly cream, clearing the dining table etc. The food (and drink) was well received but there was something worth reporting.

Trinny (if that's her name), apparently has to put ketchup on all her food. On lasagne???? With a tin of puree and blended fresh tomatoes? I am sure you can imagine my response. However, I did relent and produced ketchup after she had tasted the lasagne and was rather gratified when she said I had converted her and it was not necessary.

The Chantilly cream went down a bomb, first time I had made it and then only because I forgot to put enough sugar in the apple pie and everyone on Masterchef seems to be making it.

So not all is sunshine here once again but nothing I cannot or will not confront.