Tuesday 26^th May, 2020 1700

I'm in trouble.

I walked more today than I have since late January. Just going to the 66 bus caused pain. Then there was the walk to campus, thankfully via the previously closed demolished shortcut. This leads to the old north gate which is the only one open, the bridge gate (which I had to take last term and was twice as far) is blocked off due to the Covid Crestrictions. Thank God.

It was pigging raining as well and just to cheer me up I had a bad stomach from the spicy stuff last night and the beginnings of another jaw infection. I met with Alice and then went on a trek to get my papers photocopied for free. I thought finding Jody's office was the best bet so we tramped all the way to the building and went to the 3^rd floor where I thought my classroom was so many years ago. A student was on sentry duty outside and hastily told me I couldn't go in. I didn't want to, I just wanted to look and see if it was indeed my classroom. There was a student defending his thesis inside and the last thing I would want to do would be to put him off his stride and he couldn't get his degree.

The classroom was different to what I remembered and I asked the student. I think she was one of mine but she had a mask on of course, if this was my room last term. No. Upstairs? Yes. So, 4^th floor which looked less familiar and Jody's office was now a classroom!

Back down and rest on the 3^rd floor and by chance Jody came down the stairs. I was right the first time. Documents printed and copied for free. On the 3^rd floor.

Then it was time to liberate Alice. It was like trying to coax a refuge dog out of its cage. No! I can't come, our head teacher told us if we leave campus we won't get our certificate! I never used the I can get taxis into Peili campus analogy and just told her I would fix it. Love her, she trusted me. She was just so happy to be free again.

Well when we left at 1245 the gate was unmanned anyway! Anyone could have left undetected. She chose Pizza Hut but when the taxi dropped us it was shrouded. I think Pizza Hut in that location is now gone. Shit. So Burger King it was. And she enjoyed her double whopper, chicken nuggets, chips and ice cream but oh my God, not only did she do the American thing of dipping chips in the ice cream but nuggets as well! Enough to make a lesser mortal throw up.

Metro afterwards for “Chinese snacks”. Well I am no wiser as to what these constitute because apparently Metro don't have them. I did however persuade her to take some turnovers and a Pringles type tube of chocolate cream-filled cracknells whilst I bought two bottles of Merlot on offer for 29¥ apiece.

Taxi back to campus and make it wait until I got Alice inside without losing her BA. This time security were out in force. Bloody ridiculous that they all bugger off for lunch and then come back two hours later. I already had everything sorted so Alice wouldn't be in trouble but the sneaky bitch waited for me to show my face to the recognition camera with temperature monitor, crouched down behind me and came through like someone leaving a pay car park by driving bumper to bumper with the car in front! Genius! And I don't have to sort any problems out.

Later things soured. Brenda called. All was fine until she told me that with my being the only foreign teacher as long as I got on with my colleagues I would be very safe. Well I have no interaction with my colleagues to speak of. I thought it a bit of an odd thing to say. I said do you mean the Deans? Dean Li (Delia) loves me. And what about Dean Liu? She's a bully. What's a bully? You know in the playground when you were young and bigger kids came and were nasty? That's a bully. Oh, well she's the leader. Oh yes, and doesn't she want everyone to know!

I told her about the showing a film thing and I don't know why, was shocked to find the bitch had complained last term to Mr Zhang and Brenda about it. I put her right about Cowface never having even had the courtesy to sit in one of my classes and basing her opinions on spying through a door window and how it had been fine for a decade for me to do so.

I was advised if it happened again to just report it to Brenda and Mr Zhang and I said oh, now I know she goes running to cause trouble I certainly will but I cannot guarantee we will not have a very public argument. Which we will I am sure. This has all the hallmarks of a Billy Keadie build-up (SSM readers only will understand) but while China blocks foreign entrants for once, despite my age, I actually find my talents – or lack of them – in a sellers market. And I haven't even asked for a pay rise this year.

I have nothing to fear from the student evaluations, weirdly they can get you fired, whatever I do I do for the students and not the faculty. I would be pissed off if I had a low average from the kids even though some classes are a nightmare – like the one Dean Liu chose to criticise me for.

Two years and counting.