Thursday 17th December, 2020 2130
Well, I thought this entry would be a simple one explaining bugger all had happened and putting in a bit of waffle for padding. Except it is anything but.
Yesterday I was given seven hours' notice for a Foreign Language Concert that was months in the making (usual MO in China, leave the laowei to last) and given that today was my full day of teaching I wasn't keen but of course with my students both watching and some participating and some of my old students performing, what choice did I have. Dinner was a croissant!
All this week I have told my students next week is the last class of term and then we start the exams. I had ensured that the utter balls-up of last term would not happen. I left school tonight with everything in place, all that remained was to give instructions to the classes on how it was to take place over two weeks.
Well, not half an hour ago I received an “urgent message” in an email. No, not spam, it was from a Chinese teacher, one of my assistants from one of the departments I teach for.
The school leaders have now decided in view of the Covid situation they will cut short the term by two weeks! I haven't seen anything at all about a resurgence of the virus and can't find any news now. The Chinese teachers are doubtless celebrating because they will finish now on January 8th (I was finishing 7th, a fortnight before they should have) and I now have to finish on the 4th.
Great, three days earlier.
Only, instead of having my last classes next week I now have my free day tomorrow and then start testing classes Saturday and Sunday, working all the way to Thursday, next Friday (Christmas Day) off and then God knows what weekend days to polish off my exams – I haven't quite worked it all out yet. I am losing my weekends for a three-day earlier finish, although somewhere in the gumph I was sent there will be a day's reprieve for Friday classes which I don't have.
But Christ Almighty, a party at 7 hours notice and now a complete timetable shift at 36 hours notice?
It's enough to drive you to drink. If I wasn't already there.
Now of course I am wondering if Alice and my planned trip to Yunnan can go ahead in spring festival. Are we going to be locked down again? So far all I have paid for is one flight, the hotels are cancellable without penalty and probably the flight will be too if it happens.
Merry Christmas? Bah frigging Humbug!
It wasn't being miserable Keith - it meant getting home late, faced with an early morning start. As for the show, yes the kids put far more effort into such things than they do their studies! However, I must have sat through a hundred such events over the years and they all seem the same now.
ReplyDeleteI see 68% of England is now in Tier 3.
Keith I have all year sat aghast at the complete clusterf**ck the UK has made of this - and there, I used an American (but very, very apt) expression.
ReplyDeleteWhatever they do now will be futile. People are quite rightly getting pissed off with this and that measures and the Brits aren't as docile as the Chinese. In this case the Chinese fare far better.
It beggars belief that the UK accused China of hiding the virus when within days of realising they had a big problem they announced it and released the genetic sequence of it to the world. The UK, with this knowledge, did exactly what they accused China of doing and faffed about.
Look at what you've got know - Europe is in lockdown! Businesses collapsing and millions now out of work. Countries borrowing debt that will take decades to repay. Oh yes, a fine example of first world superiority with America leading the charge to have the most deaths.
China on the other hand took immediate drastic action (which I confess pissed me off mightily at the time but then I've never been in a pandemic before) and guess what? The people did as they were told - even me, or I couldn't have gone shopping.
Which is the only economy bouncing back? Where is the safest place to be right now? Ok, there are Covid-free places but I'll stick with here.
Many times in my life I have laughed at situations after the event and this is one such. When the balloon went up people were calling me an idiot for not running away back to England because I chose to weather the storm with the Chinese.
Who is now in virtual lockdown, can't go to the pub or work reliant on taxpayer borrowing for handouts and who has had the same salary throughout (and an increase) and can go travelling anddrinking at will?
When I made the decision to remain here I merely thought it the right thing to do because the country had given me so much. I never considered myself brave or stupid.
It has turned out to be one of the very best decisions of my life and believe me I have made some bad ones!